I'll have the hammam on rye
And ... we're back from Morocco. For those of you who have never been to Marrakesh, I would liken it somewhat to New Orleans in that:
(a) you always have to be careful where you walk to avoid stepping in something squishy and/or stinky;
(b) you will be alternately enticed and disgusted by the various smells wafting through the air (one minute you're savoring the scent of grilled meats and fresh spices and the next you're gagging from the stench of fresh donkey shit or raw sewage);
(c) the vast majority of the city is incredibly poor with isolated spots of incredible luxury;
(d) shopowners and street performers are always giving you the hard sell; and
(e) there are remarkably few honkies walking around.
Pegs and I are no strangers to drawing peoples' attention when we walk down the street, but usually it's because of our chiseled good looks and unparalleled sexual chemistry. In Marrakesh, however, it seemed that we were constantly being sized up as pieces of meat, and not necessarily in a good way. We never had any problems with pickpockets or thieves, but we couldn't go ten feet without someone trying to hit us up for money or trying to rip us off.
Although it was a bit annoying to have to constantly ask people to leave us alone, the rest of our stay was extremely pleasant and relaxing. Our hotel was an oasis of calm in the old walled city, we spent one day in a spa getting pampered with massages and steams in a private hammam, and we had some incredible meals for about a third of what we would have paid in France or the US. Here's an example of the prix fixe menu that Pegs rated as one of her top five meals of all time:
- aperitifs
- bottle of wine
- starter salads composed of eleven different Moroccan appetizers, including candied carrots, roasted eggplant puree and grilled bell pepper slivers with tomato
- a tajine (clay roasting pot) of chicken (an entire chicken)
- a tajine of fish
- a kilo of couscous
- a tajine of braised lamb
- sweet pear stewed in honey syrup
- sesame cake
- mint tea
- complimentary wheelbarrow service back to our hotel
We don't think we'll be heading back there anytime soon, but it was definitely a worthwhile trip and a welcome respite from the pressures at the office. Just in case you needed some proof that we were actually there, I've attached some pictures of our trip below:
(a) you always have to be careful where you walk to avoid stepping in something squishy and/or stinky;
(b) you will be alternately enticed and disgusted by the various smells wafting through the air (one minute you're savoring the scent of grilled meats and fresh spices and the next you're gagging from the stench of fresh donkey shit or raw sewage);
(c) the vast majority of the city is incredibly poor with isolated spots of incredible luxury;
(d) shopowners and street performers are always giving you the hard sell; and
(e) there are remarkably few honkies walking around.
Pegs and I are no strangers to drawing peoples' attention when we walk down the street, but usually it's because of our chiseled good looks and unparalleled sexual chemistry. In Marrakesh, however, it seemed that we were constantly being sized up as pieces of meat, and not necessarily in a good way. We never had any problems with pickpockets or thieves, but we couldn't go ten feet without someone trying to hit us up for money or trying to rip us off.
Although it was a bit annoying to have to constantly ask people to leave us alone, the rest of our stay was extremely pleasant and relaxing. Our hotel was an oasis of calm in the old walled city, we spent one day in a spa getting pampered with massages and steams in a private hammam, and we had some incredible meals for about a third of what we would have paid in France or the US. Here's an example of the prix fixe menu that Pegs rated as one of her top five meals of all time:
- aperitifs
- bottle of wine
- starter salads composed of eleven different Moroccan appetizers, including candied carrots, roasted eggplant puree and grilled bell pepper slivers with tomato
- a tajine (clay roasting pot) of chicken (an entire chicken)
- a tajine of fish
- a kilo of couscous
- a tajine of braised lamb
- sweet pear stewed in honey syrup
- sesame cake
- mint tea
- complimentary wheelbarrow service back to our hotel
We don't think we'll be heading back there anytime soon, but it was definitely a worthwhile trip and a welcome respite from the pressures at the office. Just in case you needed some proof that we were actually there, I've attached some pictures of our trip below:
2 comments:
I would go back in a heartbeat just for the food. In fact, I'm sure I cand find some cheap flights if I book far enough in advance.
safe? read over the weekend that 2 italian tourists were stoned to death in africa. cant remember the country but it probably wasnt morocco.
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