Sunday 12 April 2015

Morocco: Marrakech (by Polka)

For a very long time Marrakech had been a very exotic place to me and on top of my 'to visit' places. Once we decided to visit Morocco, I got very excited about finally being able to see it. However, before we actually arrived in Marrakech, we had already visited many different places in Morocco which completely changed my attitude towards Marrakech. Just to start with, my excitement wore out. I had seen Midelt, Zagora, Fes with its fantastic medina, Merzouga and many other towns and villages. So what more could I find in Marrakech that these places didn't have? Well, clean streets - that was my first impression - which are actually sealed so you don't end up in a muddy puddle when you get out of the car. A lot of care seems to be taken of those streets as there are beautiful palm trees growing along the main roads with bushes of roses and other plants (still flowering in December) growing in the middle of these roads separating the lanes. This may not be anything unsual in Europe  (maybe apart from flowering plants in December) but if one has seen our photos of other towns they understand that in Morocco it isn't a common sight. Marrakech is definitely a place that is maintained probably with tourists in mind and though it is worth seeing it, it is far from the real Morocco we had a chance to explore.

On the way to Marrakech from Oarzazate. Many parts of the road were washed out by the recent rain and only one lane was open. We also crossed a couple of bridges partially washed out, too.






Marrakech




Koutoubia Mosque 

On the way to the medina

                                                                And in the medina



 

Jemaa el-Fnaa


Marjorelle Gardens - a very peaceful and tranquil place in a buzzing city















 El Badi Palace





The car park by our apartment where Aaron was working on the car before moving south







The stay in Marrakech was very different from the rest of our trip. We rented an apartment for a few nights where we had a chance to have a few 'normal' days: enjoying home made  meals served on a little balcony, tidying up and cleaning our camping equipment, watching TV and simply relaxing without having to rush to another place. Anastazja was still recovering and had to have injections every day throughout our stay but she was doing better and better and by the time we were leaving Marrakech we could see her normal self coming back which was a huge relief.

Marcel enjoyed the stay a lot and the apartment itself. He decided he could live in there. I guess the poor boy was missing home and some stability. However, we were not done yet and very soon we left Marrakech and travelled further South.

Morocco: Western Sahara: Tan Tan - Alsa

Our next route was taking us from Tan Tan (the end of first route) across the Western Sahara to a town called Alsa which Chris Scotts whose...