Christmas in Marrakech 2007

Decided to spend Christmas somewhere else as I thought the experience of staying home would be dreadful. As it turned out it would have been even worse than I could have imagined.

I chose Marrakech because I thought it would be less xmassy than Europe and it was.

Ok the experience:

Arrived at Inverness airport in good time only to be told that the flight was delayed, no matter I would still have an hour to spare at Gatwick. Well I would have had if the flight wasn’t delayed by another hour. So nearly two hours later I flew out of Inverness heading to Gatwick, great at last I am on my way.

Arrived at Gatwick in a bowl of soup or so it seemed, the mist was really heavy and slowing everything down, which gave me the brief hope that I might catch my connection yet. Wrong as it turned out flights were being cancelled everywhere.

So I had to get a new ticket and get the earliest connection I could find, off to BA to get new tickets. Oh dear there was a queue which took over an hour to get to the desk. Could have got a flight to Marseille and then on to Marrakech that night, but the connection time was only 45 mins and the lady didn’t recommend it. So it was the flight out of Heathrow at 0800 the next morning, good. Well not all good news as Flybe brought me in I had to go back to them to get a voucher for a hotel, which was back at the South Terminal. So off I headed to their desk to find a queue as long as the one at BA, another hour later or so I managed to get a voucher for the Hilton and one for a taxi to Heathrow in the morning. Great now all I had to do was retrieve my case, so the girl rang down to see if it was there, nope so she took me down and a few other people as well to find our cases. Needed to go through security, shoes off, belt off, empty pockets of everything, open the laptop case and put the machine through separately. What a palaver, but a necessary one, so off I go in search of my case, twenty mins later no case. Off back to Flybe desk to let them know there was no case, so they started phoning BA to see if the case was sent up to them as it was originally booked all the way from Inverness to Marrakech. The Flybe lady tries her best to get through to BA but they are in a state of chaos as well because of the delays and cancellations.

Which leaves me with no choice but to head up to North Terminal again to see if I can locate my case. Off I go but when I get there I have to join another queue to be taken to the luggage area with others that have misplaced luggage. After another 20 mins searching still no case, report all details to lost luggage and head off to the hotel. Flybe has put us (passengers from other cancelled flights) up in the Hilton, which means I have to go back to South Terminal to get to the hotel. Once there we discover that they have already started serving the meal and we need to hurry to get anything.

Found our rooms which was a challenge, getting back was even more fun. The food was awful, thank god for the chocolate cake.

Meal over off to bar for a couple of drinks before bed, nice room and lovely shower, there is a minibar in the room but if anything is even moved it will register at the desk lol. Seeing as it’s the Hilton I decide to leave it alone. Shower and off to bed.

Up early next morning as I have to be at Heathrow for 0600 as my flight is at 0800. In the taxi we realise that there is no terminal number on the ticket, luckily the taxi driver phones his headquarters and we head for T1.

Heathrow is completely mobbed and the security is very tight. Once through I check out the flight it is meant to leave at 0805 but gate not open until 0855. Flight eventual left somewhere around 0945 but at least I am off, heading for Marrakech. Flight consisted mainly of catching up on sleep and one of the worst meals I have ever tried.

The plane Landed in Marrakech in bright sunshine and a lovely day. Got taxi to Hotel, I was so looking forward to my room and a shower. Went up to the desk and announced myself only to be told that there was no booking for me, I’m beginning to think that the whole holiday is going to be a travesty. After ten mins or so he finds the booking, so at last I get my room, nice room indeed. BA had promised to forward my case to the hotel when they found it as of yet no sign of it.

Day 1

Showered and headed into town for a walk, I just like to wander to check a place out. Marrakech is wonderful at night with loads of horsedrawn carriages, beautiful lit mosques, open air restaurants and stalls all over the place. Food is cheap but finding a drink (alcohol) is a little difficult but no real problem. Couple of hours later headed back to hotel then on to the casino, which was very profitable.

Day 2

I grabbed a petit cab and took it all over Marrakech, which is great cause you get to see so much of the city for very little money. Around the middle of the day got the taxi driver to take me to a traditional beautiful Moroccan restaurant. Decided to share the experience with the driver, partially cause my Arabic is non existent and the fact that he was my guide for the day anyway. The experience was so different that I forgot it was Christmas day for a period and that I should have been having it with my family. This was the purpose of the trip, so it was a success in that sense.

For those interested in the typical Moroccan meal, it goes like this, rem you do not always get a menu.

First of all you get a selection of hot and cold dishes; called Salade Marocaine which includes diced vegs and chopped liver and sheep brains.

Next, Briouettes which is little envelopes of paper thin ouarka wrapped around meat, cheese or rice, deep fried.

Next, Pastille; ouarka filled with shredded pigeon, almonds, boiled egg and spices baked then dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

Next, Tagine chicken or lamb

Next, a couscous of chicken or lamb

Next, dessert

Next, loads of fruit

All finished off with mint tea and more pastries.

After dinner took the taxi to Jemaa El Fna “the square” the place to be where it all happens. Its an amazing experience, the square is full of snake charmers, monkey people, acrobats, henna artists, poets and loads of other happenings. Its huge with great friendly people all around but be on the look out for the odd pick pocket. Just off the square is the Souk a huge market where getting lost is so easy, but part of the adventure. Everything is for sale here from jewellery to chickens to carpets to scorpions. It’s a fantastic experience bartering has to be done and drive a hard bargain. The people are exceedingly friendly, its like a big game, they are really nice (but they also mean it) to the tourists but after a while you realise its their nature. An example was I was in one of the stalls and the guy spent 10 mins trying to sell me something and when he couldn’t he still proffered that I should eat with them and the offer was genuine, we shared tea and bread.

As dark approaches the square gets an new look, within an hour the place has changed to an open restaurant with scores of open air food stalls erected and offering really good local food for pennies. If you’re a pure hygiene fan then its not for you, but I ate there two nights in a row with no after effects. Its nice to because you sit on benches and you never know who will sit down beside you, from a local family to in my case French Canadians.

After the food headed back to hotel to get refreshed and back to the casino, fell in with a local and did fairly well again.

Day 3

Was mainly spent getting to know the souk better and some nice site seeing, I was also after a digital camera so headed to Werde by taxi, the best camera shop in town, unfortunately the camera was more than a hundred pounds dearer than here. Afterwards got in a heated row with the petit taxi driver cause he wanted three times the amount we agreed to. It was really fun him swearing in Arabic and French me in English neither of us understanding the minutia but everything as clear as day. I gave him a little extra and was proud of my stand, he did wait for over an hour. Don’t think Im being mean they over charge you in the first place. Went back to hotel for a rest and then went back to the square early in the night i.e. 10ish, had some food, oh its nice and I needed to get myself a new case for the journey home. Spent 20 mins in the case shop bartering with the guy about the price, he made it clear we were arguing over a dollar but I managed to save myself a dollar, it’s a pride thing lol.

Headed back to hotel packed for the journey home and then went for a last visit to the casino, didn’t do to well but wasn’t going to spend a lot anyway. On the way back to hotel got a txt from Ciarán, only communication I received from my family all over Christmas.

Day 4

Got up early so as to get to airport on time, which was a good idea cause the Haaj was on and the place was overrun with religious pilgrims. Flight from Marrakech first took us to Casa Blanca and then on to London. Met a really nice couple on the plane, the lady was amazing, we agreed that she was The Matriarch of her family, he was a hired senior security operative in the Middle East, fascinating couple.

Easy journey all the way to Inverness with no real problems, well not yet.. waited at carousel for case…………….yes you guessed it…..no case, took them two days to get it to me.

Other case has never appeared.

To summaries, Marrakech was an adventure, wouldn’t want it to happen the same way again ;), but I really want to go back to see the rest of the country as well. It was important to me because for the last 16 years everything I have done was with the family, it was now my opportunity to find out if I could do something on my own and be content and enjoy my own company.

With no family anymore it was a big thing for me to do but I found out that I could go away on my own and have a great time. Being able to enjoy the rest of my life alone is important and I now know I can.