On to Marrakech

thank goodness the
Moroccans were nice
enough to have some
bilingual signs

The guide aboard our excursion bus was dutifully concerned with the welfare of his female passengers and for the better part of the first hour (it was a three hour trip - though only a distance of 95 miles - from Safi to Marrakech) he kept an eye out for a place that might be suitable for the ladies to attend to their natural needs. He was not so much concerned with us gentlemen as we could, in his words, just attend to our business along the side of the bus! There were very few gas stations offering toilet facilities that were actually open along our route. Fortunately, between Safi and Marrakech there was one gas station that he found that offered the ladies the chance to use the facilities which according to my wife was the standard squat toilet over a hole in the floor. Equality of the sexes is alive and well in Moroccan bathrooms as the ladies facility (there was only one) was exactly the same as that for the gentlemen. Toilet paper was not an option but my wife had come prepared with her Walmart special edition Charmin that she had lugged over from the States and she was able to supply the needs of her fellow female compatriots with their allotted two squares. 

the ladies room was clean but not
a sign of toilet paper to be seen

Then it was on to Marrakech which blends traces of the modern with lots of snapshots of the old (very old).The outskirts feature new modern construction of apartments though many appear to still be unlived  in. I asked our tour guide what were the major employers and he described teachers as a prime driver of the economy. Apparently teaching is a very sought after career field in Morocco and teachers earn around $800 a month and those new apartments we were driving by sell for around $25,000. According to the guide, if two teachers marry they can then just about afford to purchase one (apparently there’s not a lot of renting going on). The minimum wage by law is approximately $300/month. Motorcycles and gas powered motorbikes (no, not e-bikes) seem to be the most common form of transit, unless you’re still depending on your mule or donkey to get you from here to there and along the highway there were plenty of folks - men, women, and children - hoofing it 

on their own two feet. Once in Marrakech our tour took us to the old town (the Medina) where traditional souks (markets) fill the very narrow streets. The Medina dates to around 1122 which is when  its 19 kilometers of pink walls were built to enclose the Citadel. As little as a hundred years ago the entire city of Marrakech resided within these walls. Morocco is famous for its leather goods and silversmithing among other things and the stalls were filled to the

the maze-like alley souks were fascinating

brim with handcrafted goods that appear to still be made locally. Some of the merchants can be aggressive but the prices are quite affordable especially if you are willing to take the time to haggle. From the narrow streets and their souks our tour took us to the larger market square that turned out to be quite a disappointment.

the open air market seemed contrived
for the tourists

Where in the alleyway souks the merchandise seemed to be authentic, in the larger square the merchandise smacked of being made specifically for tourists and seemed cheaply made and mass produced. However, the larger square did feature the time honored art of snake charming and it was intriguing to watch the cobras, some of which were very large, swaying slowly back and forth to the flute music. The Egyptian Cobra, also known as an asp, is indeed native to the hot, arid regions of Morocco and if you take it upon yourself to go hiking it would be extremely prudent to watch your step!

the fine art of snake charming is
alive and well in Marrakech

We also had the chance to tour a former Prime Minister’s palace (the Bahia Palace) where he shared the accommodations with his four wives and then a harem on top of that. How he ever had time to run the country is beyond me, but he was apparently able to keep both his constituents and female companions satisfied. Then we had lunch at the Dar Essalam restaurant where the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Man Who Knew Too Much” was filmed starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The film won the Academy Award for Best Song  -"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be , will be)" which was one of my mother's favorite tunes. She never made it to Marrakech but she did make it to Tangier in northern Morocco across from Gibraltar. and she really would have enjoyed lunch. After lunch we were treated to some traditional Moroccan music as well as Raqs al Shemadan dancing complete with flaming candlelabra perched atop the dancer’s head. I doubt any of our group could truly appreciate the nuances and finer points of the dance, but still the dancer was good enough to mesmerize the twenty or so of us as we relaxed post-lunch over sweet Moroccan mint tea.

lunch is served...

My wife wanted to ride a camel (I had the chance to do this a long, long time ago as a child in the city of Tangier to the north) and we saw camels and camel rides available on our drive into town but unfortunately time ran out on us and before we knew it we were heading back to Safi and our temporary home aboard the Royal Clipper. Next up was the Portuguese island of Madeira prior to our ten day jaunt across the Atlantic to Barbados.

the finer art of
Morrocan dance is
really alive and
well...

It was roughly a two day sail to Madeira and once again the Atlantic ocean swells let us know who was really in charge. Folks who have sailed the Royal Clipper and this route before promise us that once we turn west the prevailing trade winds will dominate and help smooth the ride. Not sure if I believe them but we’ll assume positive intent and hope for the best!

my better half desperately wanted to bring some
Morrocan spices home but getting them
through U.S. customs would have
been problematic at best