Sunday, 30 May 2010
Merry Marrakesh/Mad Dogs And Englishmen
We had breakfast at the rooftop after 9 this morning, a fact that Hassan (the camp chap) remarked on. We left for the medina of Marrakesh (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) at 10 and boy, was it hot, hot, hot. In case you don’t already know, the Abu Dhabi segment of the movie Sex and the City 2 was filmed in Marrakesh.
We walked to Djemaa el Fna, the square and market place in the city’s medina quarter, about 100 metres away from our riad and walked on to Koutoubia Mosque. The mosque is named after the booksellers market that used to be located here and its 70-metre high minaret is the finest of the three great 12th century Almohad minarets (the others are the Giralda in Seville and the unfinished Hassan Tower in Rabat). We spent some time going around the mosque and to the adjacent garden before returning to Djemaa El Fna. There are always people at the square: musicians, Berber women offering henna tattoo services, story tellers, snake charmers, monkey owners and stalls selling either freshly squeezed orange juice or dried fruits such as figs and dates. As it was getting really hot, we decided to seek shelter from the covered souks, just adjacent to the square. The different souks all combined to form the largest souk in all of Morocco. Just like the medina in Fès, you can buy almost everything here from spices to shoes, djellabas, kaftans, potteries, leather goods, glassware, textile etc. But things cost more in Marrakesh and even the stall-owners were less friendly. And unlike Fès where I was tempted by almost everything I saw, I was hardly tempted in Marrakesh – despite the wider pathway which made the medina seem less crowded, absence of donkeys and waste, abundance of goods on display, neater stalls, covered pathway etc, I didn’t feel tempted at all. To be honest, I much prefer Fès to Marrakesh despite its haphazard souk and dust and the occasional donkey. I feel Fès has more character and is more authentic.
After the souk, we walked out into the hot, hot sun and went to Almoravid Koubba. We took pictures from outside then turned and walked to Medersa Ben Youssef, a religious school established in the 14th century and rebuilt in Andalusian style in the 16th century. Built to rival those in Fès, this is the largest medersa (madrasah) in Morocco. We bought a combo ticket (for the medersa, the museum and koubba) and went in. It’s a beautiful building with a courtyard and cells on the first floor for the hundreds of students who studied there. After that we sought shelter in the Museum of Marrakesh (housed in the restored Palais Mnebbi) before braving the scorching sun again and headed back to Almoravid Koubba.
Lunch was had at Café Chegrouni where we had a good view of Djemaa el Fna and the souk. We headed back to the guesthouse for a siesta after that. It was just too hot to be doing anything else! I remarked to Lin as we panted back that only Mad Dogs and Englishmen would go out in that heat.
Lin woke me up from my afternoon siesta and after freshening up, we walked out to find Mellah (the old Jewish quarter). It was almost 6 in the evening but the sun was still shining brightly. We were wandering around when a Berber chap approached us and offered to show us directions. Now, in Morocco, there are a lot of people who offer to do this and expect some tip in return. But this chap insisted that he would take us for free and that he would accept just syukran for his efforts. So we followed him and he showed us the residential area in that part of the city (quite dirty) and the various Berber medicine and spice shops in the souk (unlike the souk near Jemaa el Fna, this one didn’t look as if it was frequented by tourists). He also showed us Palais El Bahia (it was closed then though) and upon my request, also brought us to the synagogue. I wasn’t happy that we had to give the rabbi some money for allowing us to enter the synagogue; I think places of worship regardless of faith should not charge visitors for entry.
He then showed us the way to Djemaa el Fna from Bab Agnaou and asked for 100 dirham. I commented on this and he murmured something about the money being for the babies. Right, work on the guilt part and manipulate people’s feelings that way. Next time, don’t say you’re helping for free, for your brownie points, for words of syukran and gratitude, when you determined how much we should pay you at the end. It made us reluctant to pay and feel less sincere and wiped off some of the goodwill feeling too.
We walked to Djemaa el Fna and noted that the evening crowd had descended upon the square and surrounding areas. We decided to walk to Koutoubia Mosque and capture it in the sunset before returning back to the square. I entered the mosque briefly but didn’t venture far; suffice to capture those answering the call to prayer.
We walked back to the square in the fast disappearing twilight and before we realised it, night had fallen. The square really came to life at night as the square is turned into an open air food-court with dozens of stalls selling what looked to us the exact same fare. The crowd which were previously in the nearby souks now seemed to gravitate towards the square - and the exotic and tantalising aromas and entertaining sights. The beat of drums seemed to grow louder and the hustle and bustle seemed to rage more intensely.
We stopped at a stall and had dinner. I had some soup and salad as I was already tired of meat. Besides I wanted to try some snails (escargot?) at one of the smaller stalls. Lin had some meat but told me the meat tasted bland. We then proceeded to one of the escargot stalls and I asked for a ‘petit’ bowl as I wasn’t sure how I’d take to the taste. After that, we had a glass of fresh OJ each. After a spot of shopping (Lin, not me), we returned back to the guesthouse but not before buying ice-cream. We then climbed up to the rooftop to enjoy the evening – still hot and humid – and even from there, we could hear the beat of drums from the square and see the smoke emanating from the myriad food stalls. I still prefer the Fès rooftop.
To be continued
~~~~~~~~
The All Whites managed a draw with the Slovakians (who have always played second fiddle to half-sister Czech Republic) and the Ivory Coast also drew with Portugal. Am I the only who found the World Cup 2010 to be lacking so far in terms of excitement and goals (except for the Germany-Socceroos match)? (OK, Arseblog think it’s been dull and dreary too). And contrary to what some think, I think North Korea will be a threat; they proved as much to Brazil.
Meet the new kit on the block! The more I see, the more I like it. For a list of Arsenal kits over the years, go here.
Merry Marrakesh/Mad Dogs And Englishmen
We had breakfast at the rooftop after 9 this morning, a fact that Hassan (the camp chap) remarked on. We left for the medina of Marrakesh (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) at 10 and boy, was it hot, hot, hot. In case you don’t already know, the Abu Dhabi segment of the movie Sex and the City 2 was filmed in Marrakesh.
We walked to Djemaa el Fna, the square and market place in the city’s medina quarter, about 100 metres away from our riad and walked on to Koutoubia Mosque. The mosque is named after the booksellers market that used to be located here and its 70-metre high minaret is the finest of the three great 12th century Almohad minarets (the others are the Giralda in Seville and the unfinished Hassan Tower in Rabat). We spent some time going around the mosque and to the adjacent garden before returning to Djemaa El Fna. There are always people at the square: musicians, Berber women offering henna tattoo services, story tellers, snake charmers, monkey owners and stalls selling either freshly squeezed orange juice or dried fruits such as figs and dates. As it was getting really hot, we decided to seek shelter from the covered souks, just adjacent to the square. The different souks all combined to form the largest souk in all of Morocco. Just like the medina in Fès, you can buy almost everything here from spices to shoes, djellabas, kaftans, potteries, leather goods, glassware, textile etc. But things cost more in Marrakesh and even the stall-owners were less friendly. And unlike Fès where I was tempted by almost everything I saw, I was hardly tempted in Marrakesh – despite the wider pathway which made the medina seem less crowded, absence of donkeys and waste, abundance of goods on display, neater stalls, covered pathway etc, I didn’t feel tempted at all. To be honest, I much prefer Fès to Marrakesh despite its haphazard souk and dust and the occasional donkey. I feel Fès has more character and is more authentic.
After the souk, we walked out into the hot, hot sun and went to Almoravid Koubba. We took pictures from outside then turned and walked to Medersa Ben Youssef, a religious school established in the 14th century and rebuilt in Andalusian style in the 16th century. Built to rival those in Fès, this is the largest medersa (madrasah) in Morocco. We bought a combo ticket (for the medersa, the museum and koubba) and went in. It’s a beautiful building with a courtyard and cells on the first floor for the hundreds of students who studied there. After that we sought shelter in the Museum of Marrakesh (housed in the restored Palais Mnebbi) before braving the scorching sun again and headed back to Almoravid Koubba.
Lunch was had at Café Chegrouni where we had a good view of Djemaa el Fna and the souk. We headed back to the guesthouse for a siesta after that. It was just too hot to be doing anything else! I remarked to Lin as we panted back that only Mad Dogs and Englishmen would go out in that heat.
Lin woke me up from my afternoon siesta and after freshening up, we walked out to find Mellah (the old Jewish quarter). It was almost 6 in the evening but the sun was still shining brightly. We were wandering around when a Berber chap approached us and offered to show us directions. Now, in Morocco, there are a lot of people who offer to do this and expect some tip in return. But this chap insisted that he would take us for free and that he would accept just syukran for his efforts. So we followed him and he showed us the residential area in that part of the city (quite dirty) and the various Berber medicine and spice shops in the souk (unlike the souk near Jemaa el Fna, this one didn’t look as if it was frequented by tourists). He also showed us Palais El Bahia (it was closed then though) and upon my request, also brought us to the synagogue. I wasn’t happy that we had to give the rabbi some money for allowing us to enter the synagogue; I think places of worship regardless of faith should not charge visitors for entry.
He then showed us the way to Djemaa el Fna from Bab Agnaou and asked for 100 dirham. I commented on this and he murmured something about the money being for the babies. Right, work on the guilt part and manipulate people’s feelings that way. Next time, don’t say you’re helping for free, for your brownie points, for words of syukran and gratitude, when you determined how much we should pay you at the end. It made us reluctant to pay and feel less sincere and wiped off some of the goodwill feeling too.
We walked to Djemaa el Fna and noted that the evening crowd had descended upon the square and surrounding areas. We decided to walk to Koutoubia Mosque and capture it in the sunset before returning back to the square. I entered the mosque briefly but didn’t venture far; suffice to capture those answering the call to prayer.
We walked back to the square in the fast disappearing twilight and before we realised it, night had fallen. The square really came to life at night as the square is turned into an open air food-court with dozens of stalls selling what looked to us the exact same fare. The crowd which were previously in the nearby souks now seemed to gravitate towards the square - and the exotic and tantalising aromas and entertaining sights. The beat of drums seemed to grow louder and the hustle and bustle seemed to rage more intensely.
We stopped at a stall and had dinner. I had some soup and salad as I was already tired of meat. Besides I wanted to try some snails (escargot?) at one of the smaller stalls. Lin had some meat but told me the meat tasted bland. We then proceeded to one of the escargot stalls and I asked for a ‘petit’ bowl as I wasn’t sure how I’d take to the taste. After that, we had a glass of fresh OJ each. After a spot of shopping (Lin, not me), we returned back to the guesthouse but not before buying ice-cream. We then climbed up to the rooftop to enjoy the evening – still hot and humid – and even from there, we could hear the beat of drums from the square and see the smoke emanating from the myriad food stalls. I still prefer the Fès rooftop.
To be continued
~~~~~~~~
The All Whites managed a draw with the Slovakians (who have always played second fiddle to half-sister Czech Republic) and the Ivory Coast also drew with Portugal. Am I the only who found the World Cup 2010 to be lacking so far in terms of excitement and goals (except for the Germany-Socceroos match)? (OK, Arseblog think it’s been dull and dreary too). And contrary to what some think, I think North Korea will be a threat; they proved as much to Brazil.
Meet the new kit on the block! The more I see, the more I like it. For a list of Arsenal kits over the years, go here.
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