CAG on travel: Marrakech part 2, Navigating the market

Market stalls just off of Jemaa el-Fnaa

Olives anyone?

I like to think I have a good sense of direction. I can find my way around cities, read maps, and I generally always know where I am. But some places are just way beyond my reach. The souk, or the open-air marketplace, in Marrakech is my worst nightmare. I loved all the amazing visuals of the place, but I was like a mouse in a maze. And after three days of navigation I was still helpless in the unavoidable souk in the middle of town.

Needless to say I gave up on any navigation duties inside the souk, but the streets of the town itself were reasonable enough to navigate. Within minutes of walking around on my first day in Marrakech I bought an African mask - couldn’t help myself.

 

This is the shop I actually bought a ‘Moroccan’ mask in, not the mask above

A few minutes on the streets filled with every variety of leather good, lamps, ‘magic’ boxes, jewellery, knock off designer wear, and every spice under the sun, and the sales pitches began with fury. Vendors in their stalls were coming out from everywhere – some with some very slick lines and others just super annoying. Bargaining is the name of the game, and it’s my opinion that absolutely everything is marked up about 90% what it should be selling for, and that’s being kind.

Getting roped into a spice store after I fell for the mask on hand thing

Leather tire clothing shop (not bargaining for this lady’s outfit)

I’m not actually a huge shopper when I go abroad unless it’s at an outlet mall in the States, but buying tat from dusty street stalls is definitely pretty low on my list of things to do. I did get into the spirit of bargaining and shopping vicariously through the purchases my friend made. Without worrying about it I made some pretty audacious price cuts in my bargaining and didn’t budge since it wasn’t for me anyway. Most of the price demands stuck, which felt pretty rewarding.

Marrakech just feels really full on at all times. Moments when all you want is a cold beer and a bit of relaxation, you suddenly realize how difficult it can be to find a drink and don’t dare get lost. Get lost looking like a tourist, and suddenly someone is kindly offering to direct you and then immediately shaking you down for a rather large tip. I refused to bargain on that one as well, which led to some colorful disputes. The majority of people we met and talked to were relatively nice though, and we did have some genuine chats that didn’t end in people asking for compensation.

In my opinion Marrakech is definitely a lovely place, but you need to be armed with some great retreats in mind for multiple points in the day- places to grab a beer, places for shade, and certainly places for peace and quiet.