More on Morocco (no, not Moron in Morocco!)

On Day 3 of our week in Morocco, we had a guide take us on a cultural tour of Marrakech. He took us through the Bahia Palace with very ornate tile, carvings, and ceilings. It is a sprawling maze put together in piecemeal fashion as land was gradually made available. It was good we had a guide so we didn't get lost going through it!

One room in Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace courtyard

The guide told us that the current king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, was enthroned in 1999 and is 48 years old. He is attempting to reform the country. For example, he outlawed polygamy, gave women more rights, allowed public alcohol consumption, and provided more freedom in general. Muslim citizens are not required to drop everything and pray when called to prayer 5 times a day. The King shares power with a prime minister. I got the feeling the King is trying to make his people happy. Both this guide and one we had later in the week made it a point to tell us about the King's reforms so I guess they are trying to get the word out, or maybe they are just happy with the King. We were told, though, that some of the older generation are not fond of the modern reforms. Can't please everyone!

Our guide keeping an eye on us shopping in the souk

Our guide then took us through the souk which is the market with stalls of handicrafts that go on and on. Negotiation is expected. Chris's friend, Mustapha, was along and he helped make sure we were getting a fair price. He was in fact told that the price for an item for him would be lower than for us, the obvious tourists. Chris got in the bargaining game and purchased a beautiful wooden storage box made from the root of some tree. We also purchased pistachios and sesame seed-covered peanuts.

Dads/Daughters Quad biking

Day 4 was Valentine's Day. We spent the morning splitting up and indulging ourselves. The dads and daughters did a quad bike excursion through dirt fields while the women opted for time at the spa. I have photos of the dads/daughters but thankfully no pictures have emerged of the moms' activities.

A little dirty after the quad biking

The hotel spa offered massage and Hammam which is a traditional Moroccan steaming, scrub, and soak in a bathhouse. It originated when homes lacked indoor plumbing. It is still popular as an exfoliation cleansing. I personally didn't want to be scrubbed clean by someone else, so I went with the massage. My friend Pam wanted to experience the local Hammam tradition and what an experience it was. I will leave it to her to describe in her own blog but I like how she summed it up as an "intimate power-washing".

I have had quite a few massages and this one was not my favorite. I assumed a woman would do the massaging as Morocco is a Muslim country and surely a man wasn't allowed to massage me. What a surprise when a man led me to the massage room and told me to disrobe. Apparently there is a strong French influence in this part of Morocco. Normally, the massage therapist leaves the room while I remove my clothes and scurry under the sheet. Not in this country. The guy just stood there. My friend Beth had the same experience, but at least she had a woman. Luckily I was only having a 45-minute back and neck massage so my jeans were left on. The guy was strong and really worked me over. Beth and I were both sore in our upper backs later that day.

Atlas Mountains

The families all merged back together and we boarded our bus for a trip to the Atlas Mountains. It was a different view of the country as we got out of the city scene and drove through beautiful countryside and through small villages. Within an hour or so we could see snow-topped mountains in the distance. The road followed alongside a small stream, probably melted snow flowing from the mountains. It reminded me of driving in the mountains of Colorado.

Numerous wooden footbridges were suspended above the stream. All along the road there were riverside restaurants that had outdoor seating along the far bank. The only way to cross the stream were these footbridges. We saw a waiter carrying food across a rickety bridge to tables on the other side.

Village in the Atlas Mountains

Riverside restaurant

Yikes, is this safe?

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant with a lovely view from a terrace and thankfully, no bridge to be crossed.

We started with a nice soup flavored with saffron, widely grown in Morocco. Mike was disappointed that they were out of the rabbit he saw on the menu. Later, he learned our driver had a dish of the rabbit, guess he beat Mike to it. We had to settle for beef and chicken. Dessert was again the typical platter of oranges with mint tea.

After our late lunch, we headed for our next destination, the beach resort of Agadir. Along the way, we stopped for a break at a gas station with convenience store. We each picked out a treat for ourselves as it was Valentine's Day after all. We were excited to see American candy and cookies and even Cheetos, hard to find in England.

We finished out our week in Agadir and now I will finish out this posting and save Agadir for another entry.