More photos from my trip to Marrakesh. Part 1 is here. You don’t need to read that one before this one, but it’s got some good photos, so check it out. And now, more pictures!
 |
|
Street vendors sell spices from sacks in the Jemaa el-Fnaa market. Nothing’s labeled, so you have to know what you’re looking for and how to tell if it’s fresh. |
| Teapots, plates, incense burners, and all kinds of other shiny kitch for you to take home and never use. |
|
 |
 |
|
Yep, that’s a snake charmer. I thought they were an Indian thing, but there are a few around the market in Marrakesh. Unfortunately, I took this photo while the musician was in between songs. I guess even snake charmers need an intermission. I wonder if he can play Freebird?…. |
| Somehow, I got suckered into posing with a snake. The guy who did it was really sneaky about it, too, having years of practice of suckering other tourists into it. |
|
 |
 |
|
Because of the forced perspective, the cobra looks much larger than it actually was. I’d say it was only about 2-3 feet long. Which is still big enough for me to be wary of. If you look at the picture, there’s another cobra a little closer to me and facing my way. I was actually keeping my eyes on that one, just in case it decided to get friendly. I’d already planned my escape, just in case. Step 1: Lay down and play dead. Step 2: Wet myself. (Hey, _you_ try coming up with a plan to run from a cobra while there’s a snake wrapped around your neck!) |
| Moroccan shoes in so many colors, they’d make the Easter Bunny light-headed |
|
 |
 |
|
Want clothes? Here they are. And there’s the donkey that brought them to the market. |
| This guy was hanging out, off to the side at the market, making shoes. I don’t know if he supplied them to the other vendors or if he sold them himself, but he was there every time I walked by, slowly making shoes. |
|
 |
 |
|
Heaps of olives of every color. Want them in a jar? They’ve got ’em. Want them by the kilo? They can do that. Want to stuff a few in your pockets and walk away? Don’t do that. That’s not cool. |
There’s more to Marrakesh than the Jemaa el-Fnaa market. I spent all of my time in the medina, which is the old walled city, but appartently there’s a much more modern city nearby, with paved roads, a mall, and if the rumors are true, even a Burger King. I didn’t see it firsthand, so I can’t vouch for it, but I did see a KFC in the medina. Other than the market, there are a few other sights you have to check out in Marrakesh.
 |
|
Marrakesh’s famous Koutoubia mosque, built in the late 1100’s. From high in the tower, the speakers blared prayers 5 times a day, reminding the faithful that it was time to pray. Wherever you were in the medina, you could hear them, albeit a little faintly. I didn’t see anyone randomly drop to pray when the prayers started, except for at the mosque itself and one guy who was working at the hostel and painting the walls. At the appropriate time, he rolled out his prayer mat and prayed as dictated by the Koran. |
| The Koutoubia mosque after dark on the second to last day of Ramadan. Thousands of believers gathered to pray, all facing east towards Mecca. Their stand up, bow, kneel down, prostrate, stand up routine had enough exercise to go toe to toe with a Catholic service. After 45 minutes, I got bored and left. The manager at the hostel told me that some of them would stay there all night praying during Ramadan, so I’m glad I didn’t try to stay until they were finished. |
|
 |
 |
|
The courtard at the Bahia Palace, another of the main sights of Marrakesh. |
| Walking down an almost empty alley at night, with some of the local stray cats. Cats were everywhere in Morocco; I didn’t see any dogs, but cats were around every corner. And their behavior suggested that they were both cared for by people and not afraid of humans, so they must be a welcome and wanted addition to the city. |
|
 |
Marrakesh is a fascinating city, far different from anything I’ve explored in the US or Europe, and even more exotic than my stops in Southeast Asia. There’s a lot to the city that can’t be expressed well in photographs or a blog. There’s a feel to the city that is very distinct, not to mention the sights, sounds, and smells that make it unique. A few days in Marrakesh will do more than just add a stamp in your passport. It’ll expand your view of the world.
