We had to haul our luggage quite a ways in New England weather worthy clothing through the boiling city, but eventually we found our way into a rather lovely hotel in the "New City", which is, as you can imagine, newer than the Medina (or "Old City", and built by the French. Originally we intended to use the hotel just for its phone and Internet services (to find another hotel), but after some technical issues, I just asked how much the cheapest room was and got a surprisingly affordable number in response. So, Steph and I decided to take the room, drop our stuff, and finally start enjoying our adventure. Here's a little view of our hotel:
The best part of staying in the hotel was that it arranged a side trip for us. "All inclusive" would be a bit of a stretch as there were some hidden fees (like tipping a fantastically nimble monkey-man who helped us climb up some steep rock on our mini-hike), but once we paid the hotel we didn't have to worry about the transportation, meal, or entrance fees to anything.
The tour into the Mountains of Marrakech started off slowly, driving through the city first to pick up all of the other tourists at several different hotels in the New City. Finally, we made our way out of Marrakech, and into some more picturesque landscapes. Our first stop was to a little ceramics store with a great view.
Done browsing, we hopped back into the van for some more amazing scenery.
The trip included various stops, such as a visit to a botanical garden where we learned about herbal remedies and cosmetics that contained a certain herbal element and a meal at a remote hotel in the mountains, however the two most powerful parts of the tour were the souks (the Moroccan outdoor market) and the hike through the mountains.
The souks were hectic, dirty, fascinating, and frightening. Steph and I got separated from the pack and were just about to attempt to wander back to the tour van ourselves when a sweet--and very large--member of the group came back for us. Thankful for his size, masculinity, and sense of direction in this gender-biased and unfamiliar setting, we each let out our panicked breath and followed him with a new vow to stay closer to the group.
It was hard to take pictures of the people buying and selling goods because of the heckling and other unwanted responses to the camera, but I can show you the view on the outskirts of the market:
And, as the tour guide said, the parking lot:
The last part of the side trip was a hike. None of us knew it was coming, so everyone's footwear (except, by sheer luck, mine) was very inappropriate for the rocks we were about to climb. Steph seemed about ready to give up, but I think in the end it was worth it:
The best part of staying in the hotel was that it arranged a side trip for us. "All inclusive" would be a bit of a stretch as there were some hidden fees (like tipping a fantastically nimble monkey-man who helped us climb up some steep rock on our mini-hike), but once we paid the hotel we didn't have to worry about the transportation, meal, or entrance fees to anything.
The tour into the Mountains of Marrakech started off slowly, driving through the city first to pick up all of the other tourists at several different hotels in the New City. Finally, we made our way out of Marrakech, and into some more picturesque landscapes. Our first stop was to a little ceramics store with a great view.
Done browsing, we hopped back into the van for some more amazing scenery.The trip included various stops, such as a visit to a botanical garden where we learned about herbal remedies and cosmetics that contained a certain herbal element and a meal at a remote hotel in the mountains, however the two most powerful parts of the tour were the souks (the Moroccan outdoor market) and the hike through the mountains.
The souks were hectic, dirty, fascinating, and frightening. Steph and I got separated from the pack and were just about to attempt to wander back to the tour van ourselves when a sweet--and very large--member of the group came back for us. Thankful for his size, masculinity, and sense of direction in this gender-biased and unfamiliar setting, we each let out our panicked breath and followed him with a new vow to stay closer to the group.
It was hard to take pictures of the people buying and selling goods because of the heckling and other unwanted responses to the camera, but I can show you the view on the outskirts of the market:
And, as the tour guide said, the parking lot:The last part of the side trip was a hike. None of us knew it was coming, so everyone's footwear (except, by sheer luck, mine) was very inappropriate for the rocks we were about to climb. Steph seemed about ready to give up, but I think in the end it was worth it: