مراكش

The entrance to the Souk:  A dark archway leading into a maze of shops selling scarves, tea pots, jewelry, leather, bags, belts, knock-offs, lanterns.  Walls are filled from floor to the ridiculously high ceilings with hand crafted sandals and pointy colorful shoes.  Moroccans sit in their chairs while they stalk their prey; Spanish, French, British, possibly American? They judge everyone walking by.  Hola Shakira! Qué buscas? No response What are you looking for? Spices? No response écoute écoute! Qu’est-ce que tu cherche mon ami, take a look it’s free.  Then you respond No merci…Never respond.  Never make eye contact.  Never feel guilty for turning down a store owner because if you go in because it shows respect, because it’s good luck, because they bug you, because of the “student discount”, from sunrise to sunset you will only make it 10 feet in a souk that seems endless.   This is the entrance to pestering. 

The public transportation in Marrakesh is much more diverse than that of the Western world.  Americans have Ford, French have Peugeot, Germans: Opel, and Marrakesh: all of the above plus bicycles, bikes with motors, horses, and donkeys with carts.  The claustrophobic winding streets of the Medina are cluttered with pedestrians frantically avoiding veiled women on motor-bicycles and hooded fat-jedi-looking men with beards with wooden carts pulled by donkeys. While walking down the streets heed the sound of a revving bicycle and the grunt of pack animals about to run you down.     

I found the best and most beautiful thing about Morocco on the first day in the Souk. After being bugged by a Moroccan guy who followed us around and wouldn’t take NO for an answer, I said we were just looking for a place to eat. He shot off right away and said follow me, cheap good food. Come come! Being new to the Souk, my sympathy still worked its magic and I ended up following him to this restaurant. No menu. 1st course: fresh salsa of tomato, onion, cilantro, hot pepper sauce served with bread. 2nd course: chicken. 3rd course: un-identifiable meats. 4th course: Mint tea. 5th course: freshly picked clementines. Then mint tea again after. Total cost plus bottle of water: 55 Dirham per person ($6.70). The tea is like hot liquid sugar with a hint of mint. Absolutely amazing. Heaven in a cup. And the Clementines were so juicy that looking at them made them turn to juice. I don’t like oranges but in Morocco I ended up eating a bushel. Mint tea and Clementines: the pearls of Morocco.

While looking at the hoards of stray cats in the city and hovering around our table I had to wonder what type of mystery meat I was eating.....