Entries about djamaa

FAVOURITE PHOTO.

WE HAD JUST BEEN FROM ZURICH, THROUGH GERMANY, BELGIUM, AMSTERDAM AND PARIS
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES BEFORE
HAVING BEEN TO PARTS OF MALAYSIA AND VIETNAM.

NOTHING HOWEVER COMPARES TO MARRAKECH AND OUTBACK MOROCCO.
WHAT AN AMAZING EXOTIC AND ENCHANTING PLACE!
OUR 5 SENSES WERE HIT BIG TIME FROM THE VARIOUS DIVERSE SIGHTS
TO THE SMELLS OF TAGINE, MINT TEA AND OTHER MOROCCAN CULTURAL DISHES,
TO THE HAUNTING SOUNDS OF EVENING PRAYER, TO THE FANTASTIC LOCAL MUSIC
THAT OUR GUIDE PLAYED ON OUR DESERT TRIP (more about that later)......
AND THEN THERE WERE THE SOUKS WITH BUSY BATERING, HAWKERS, SNAKE CHARMERS
AND EVENING STREET FOOD MINGLED WITH MISTY RISING SMOKE ....
THAT IS JUST A TASTE OF OUR AMAZING ADVENTURE HERE IN MOROCCO.

SO PLEASE GRAB A SNACK AND A DRINK OR 3 AND FOLLOW ALONG WHILST I RELIVE OUR
MOROCCAN ADVENTURE. OH AND PLEASE, DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A LITTLE COMMENT
TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU HAVE VISITED. THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED

~~~oOo~~~

WE ARRIVED ON AIR MAROC FROM ORLY AIRPORT PARIS. WOW! SO DIFFERENT!!
IT WAS HOT AND DUSTY.... A VAST CHANGE FROM WHERE WE HAD JUST COME FROM.
WE WERE MET BY A DRIVER THAT WE BOOKED FROM THE ACCOMMODATION.

I FOUND ACCOMMODATION RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE MEDINA IN MARRAKECH.
WE WERE MET FROM OUR CAR BY FOUAD FROM THE RIAD WHO KINDLY TOOK
OUR TRAVEL BAGS AND LED US THROUGH THE MAZE OF STREETS TO OUR NEW
HOME FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

IT'S AMAZING THAT RIGHT NEAR THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF THE SOUKS AND
MARKET SQUARE, THERE ARE QUIET BACK STREETS LIKE THIS.
IT WAS EQUALLY AMAZING HOW THE NOISE OF THE BUSY SOUKS JUST
MELTED INTO THE COOL AMBIENCE OF THE SURROUNDING ARCHITECTURE.

RIAD DOLLAR DES SABLES

RIAD DOLLAR DES SABLES WAS A GREAT CHOICE.
THE STAFF THAT WE MET WERE ALL VERY FRIENDLY AND WELCOMING.
I COULD NOT HAVE PICKED A BETTER PLACE TO STAY

THIS CUTE LITTLE RIAD HAD AN OUTDOOR AREA UPSTAIRS OVERLOOKING
THE MEDINA. THE DECORATIONS IN THE MAIN AREA DOWNSTAIRS WERE
COLOURFUL AND PLEASANT TO LOOK AT WHILST EATING BREAKFAST.
HAVING SAID THAT, THE DECOR IN OUR ROOM INCLUDING GOLD PLATED
TAPS AND ACCESSORIES IN OUR BATHROOM WAS PRETTY COOL TOO

WE HAD OUR FIRST TAGINE EXPERIENCE HERE - A MOROCCAN DISH SLOW
COOKED IN CLAY WITH A LID. WE ALSO HAD THE LOCAL MINT TEA....
POURED BY HUBBY

FIRST NIGHT IN MOROCCO AT LA BOHEME RESTAURANT
OVERLOOKING DJAMMA EL FNA SQUARE

THIS WAS EXPENSIVE! EVEN BY AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS.
BUT I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO DO IT AGAIN!

CHECK THAT OUT!!

AND THAT!!

THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO DINE ON YOUR FIRST NIGHT IN
AFRICA, OVERLOOKING THE MEDINA MARKET SQUARE -
DJAMAA EL FNA.

FOUAD FROM OUR RIAD SUGGESTED THAT WE DINE HERE.
OBVIOUSLY HE RECEIVED A CUT FROM THE RESTAURANT FOR TAKIING US.
WE HAD A FABULOUS TIIME!!!
WE ALSO ENJOYED OUR FIRST MOROCCAN BEER - CASABLANCA.
ALCOHOL IS NOT REDILLY AVAILABLE HERE SO THE ONLY PLACES YOU
CAN HAVE A DRINK ARE IN INTERNATIONAL HOTELS, EXPENSIVE
RESTAURANTS LIKE THIS ONE OR IN OBSCURE PLACES IN BACK
ALLEY WAYS BEHIND THE MEDINA.

THE SOUNDS OF EVENING PRAYER FOLLOWED BY NIGHT FALL AND A
FULL MOON RISING BEHIND THE MEDINA ARE ALL MEMORIES I WILL
NEVER FORGET!

JARDIN MARJORELLE

HUBBY IS A HORTICULTURIST AND AS SUCH LOVES GARDENS.
DURING OUR TRIP WE SAW A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GARDENS.
JARDIN MARJORELLE WAS UNIQUE FOR ITS COMBINATION OF RICH
COLOURS SURROUNDING IN AN AMONGST NATIVE DESERT PLANTS.

I JUST LOVED IT!

WE ARRIVED HERE BY HORSE AND CARRIAGE, ANOTHER FIRST FOR US
IF YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING OUR TRIP YOU WOULD KNOW THAT
WE HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED GREAT CHIMING CLOCKS,
CUTE COBBLED STONE STREETS, BEAUTIFUL CANALS, STAYING ON A
HOUSEBOAT, WINDMILLS, MANY CASTLES AND A GRAND PALACE !

SO HERE WE ARE IN EXOTIC MOROCCO AND OF COURSE YOU NEED TO
TAKE A HORSE AND CARRIAGE TRIP

IT WAS INTERESTING TO LEARN THE VARIOUS WORDS THAT WE HAVE
NOT COME ACROSS BEFORE.
SO I WILL TAKE A MINUTE TO DESCRIBE WHAT THEY ARE.

MEDINA
OLD HISTORIA PART OF TOWN TYPICALLY WALLED WITH NARROW
MAZE-LIKE STREETS.

RIAD
A TRADITIONAL HOUSE BUILT AROUND A CENTRAL COURTYARD.

SOUK
MARKET PLACE OR BAZAAR.

SO THAT IS WHY I PICKED OUR RIAD IN THE MEDINA AND AMONGST
THE MAZE OF NARROW BACK STREETS BEHIND THE SOUK

DJAMMA EL FNA

DJAMMA EL FNA, THE CENTRAL SQUARE OF MARRAKECH MEDINA
WAS INTERESTING TO SEE AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE DAY.
AS YOU SAW ABOVE, AT NIGHT IT COMES ALIVE WITH ACTIVITY,
VENDERS, CAFES AND STREET FOOD.

HOWEVER, EARLY MORNING IT IS QUIET AND DESERTED.

SLOWLY SHOP VENDERS WERE PREPARING FOR ANOTHER
BUSY DAY IN THE SOUK.

THE HAWKERS START EARLY. BTW THEY ARE VERY PERSISTANT.
SOMETIMES EVEN OUR TACTIC OF A FIRM 'NO', LOOK STRAIGHT
AHEAD AND KEEP WALKING DID NOT WORK.

HOWARD GOT CAUGHT BY THE SNAKE CHARMERS WHO AFTER
SHOWING US THE SNAKE SHOW AND A SNAKEY KISS....
ASKED FOR MONEY

SPEAKING OF HAWKERS, WE FOUND THE BEST THING TO DO IN
THE SOUK WAS TO GET THE GIFT AND JEWELRY SHOPPING DONE
QUICKLY AS THIS WAS THE FIRST PLACE THAT WE HAVE EVER
EXPERIENCED PERSISTANT AND HARRASSING HAWKERS.
BRUSH UP ON THE EXCHANGE RATE BEFORE HAND SO THAT YOU DO
NOT GET RIPPED OFF. BE PREPARED TO BARTER HARD STARTING AT
BELOW HALF OF THE ORIGINAL PRICE OFFERED.

HOP ON HOP OFF BUS

I ENJOY STREET SCENES AND PEOPLE WATCHING WHEREVER WE TRAVEL.
A GREAT WAY TO EXPERIENCE THIS IS TO DO THE HOP ON HOP OFF BUS.

SADLY OUR TIME CAME TO AN END.
WE HAD TO SAY GOODBYE TO FOUAD WHO HAD LOOKED AFTER US
AND MADE OUR TIME IN RIAD DOLLAR DES SABLES COMFORTABLE
AND VERY SPECIAL.

TODAY WE WERE HEADING OUT TO THE SAHARA DESERT FOR AN
ADVENTURE OF A LIFE TIME!

THE TRIP ENTAILED VISITING AMAZIING KASBAHS, VAST CHANGING
SCENERY, SLEEPING UNDER THE STARS AND RIDING OUT OF THE
DESERT ON CAMELS!
NOT TO MENTION HAVING LUNCH WITH OUR GUIDE'S FAMILY IN
THIER HOME, OFF ROAD 4X4 DRIVING, SAND DUNE BASHING,
AND HAVING MINT TEA WITH GENUINE NOMADS IN THEIR CAVE
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING OUR AMAZING ADVENTURE WITH
YOU IN MY NEXT BLOG