We have arrived in Marrakech, Morocco where we have treated ourselves to a couple weeks at an all-inclusive resort. This is the first time we have ever done this as a family. We decided to go the resort route for a couple reasons. Firstly we liked the idea of a break from cooking and cleaning, but also the ability for the kids to join in the kids club. The kids club gives them the opportunity to interact with others their age, which is one of the main things they are missing having been taken out of school and pre-school. Nick especially had really settled well into kindergarten and is missing school and his friends. It has also given us all a little break from each other… None of us, kids included, is used to being together 24 hours a day like we have been for the last month. Katy and I have had a great time going to spinning classes and playing tennis for a couple hours each morning while Olivia naps in the stroller, before picking the boys up in time for lunch. We would have loved to have stayed in a traditional Riad, but a common courtyard didn’t seem like a good fit for three young kids – the other guests would not have loved us. We have heard since arriving that they are also quite cold this time of year so we are happy with our accommodation. Maybe we will try the Riad when Katy and I come back without the kids someday.
Our first day here was cold with quite a breeze so we thought we may be in for a repeat of unusually cold weather like we had in Seville, but luckily the sun is out and it is nice and hot. Most days seem to hit the mid to high 20s. This means on the very warm days the unheated pools are great, although we have been sticking to the heated pool most of the time. The kids pool has a fantastic water park but is a little cold most days.
We arrived in Marrakech to a beautiful new airport which we were told was entirely run on solar power. Several planes showed up at the same time and it looked like we would have a real fun time with three kids waiting in the queue, but they saw us and put us in a separate line for families – a huge relief. Everywhere we have gone they have been very accommodating to kids here, they seem to really love children. The initial trip from the airport to our hotel was interesting. The first thing we found out when people heard that we were Canadian is that everyone seems to have family or friends in Montreal. After we found the car for the ride to the hotel we got to see the old city wall, the new city and a strange mix of old and new. Cars and buses shared the road with motorbikes, scooters and carts pulled by donkeys. The rules of the road also seemed to only be loosely followed. We saw a woman holding a baby in her arms sitting as the passenger on the back of a scooter.
Our first trip into the old city was quite an adventure. After being dropped off by the hotel shuttle, avoiding the first of the onslaught of offers for tourists, and finding diapers and formula for Olivia, we set off to find Jemaa el Fnna square. The first landmark we found was the towering Koutoubia mosque. It looks taller than it is as we have been told the building restrictions say no other structure may be taller than the height of a palm tree, so it really sticks out. Just behind the mosque we found the square.
Jemaa el Fnna market square at mid day was an interesting sight. The combination of snake charmers, monkeys, and their aggressive handlers looking to place a monkey on your shoulder or snake around your neck followed by a demand for payment was a little intimidating. Add to this the musicians, people dressed up in traditional garb to take pictures with and aggressive sales people selling tourist trinkets, selfie sticks, sunglasses or water and it was a bit of a sensory overload. At one point a musician put his arm around Nick and was trying to take him off to play the drum with him. Luckily Katy had a tight grasp on Nick’s hand and saw it happening. The aggressive sales tactics were a bit overwhelming for us meek Canadians. I don’t think I have ever said “Non merci!” so many times. We passed by the square (I took a noticeably wider birth around the snakes and especially the handlers trying to place them on tourists…) and escaped into the souks.
We randomly chose a road and checked out the shops along the way selling everything from leather goods, shoes, blankets, spices, tourist trinkets, raw meat, pastries, clothes, scarfs, metal lamps, to jewelry. This was not the relaxed shopping experience we were used to. High pressure sales is the norm, not to mention the haggling. Not knowing what a fair or reasonable price might be doesn’t help the process, but we had some fun trying our hand at it and probably overpaid for the clothes we bought for the kids but had fun and they were very excited by their new outfits.
When you were not on your toes dealing with the salespeople you also had to be vigilant to avoid the speedy motorbikes, bicycles, carts and donkeys navigating the same narrow alleyways. A three year old and a baby in a stroller don’t make this an easy task. At one point we almost ran into a donkey carrying a load of bricks to a job site.
We also got out for a ride on the camels. The boys had a blast and even Olivia was able to go. We weren’t quite aware of how large an animal a camel is, it was a long way up. We went for a short 30 minute ride. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride, so as romantic as the camel ride through the desert looks and sounds, the slow jolty rocking would undoubtedly leave you sore by the end of the day.
My travel read for Morocco was Lords of the Atlas by Gavin Maxwell. It was fascinating to read about the not so distant past with the French colonial history and that of the Moroccan warlords from the Atlas Mountains including the Glaoua. The fact that this all ended just 60 years ago was eye-opening. We really wanted to get out to the desert or Atlas Mountains for an overnight in the Bedouin tents, but the length of the bus trip out there just wasn’t conducive for the kids (talking to a few adults who did the trip they felt it was far too long on a bus, so it seems we made the right choice). Again another outing for the future trip sans enfants.
We managed to get back into the souks one more time before we left and felt more comfortable manoeuvring our way through. We decided on a route and stuck to it. Matt had requested a toy cobra snake for his 4th birthday so Nick and Katy snuck away to buy him one (he was thrilled!). On our way to the souks the second time, we happened upon the Artisans market. This turned out to be great! We were able to see some traditional Marrakesh artists at work and we were also able to purchase some true Moroccan pieces. (The prices were listed and there was no haggling which was great, but did take away a bit from the traditional Moroccan shopping experience) We had been told earlier that most of what is found in the souk market is actually made in China. We purchased a beautiful Moroccan wind instrument called a raita, which we have all attempted to play but so far only I seem to be able to make any sound! The Arabic writing is beautiful, almost like an art itself. We found a place that would write each of the kid’s names on a card in Arabic that we could buy as a souvenir. The boys were engrossed watching for over 10 minutes as this man painted the phonetic sounds of their names on paper.
We enjoyed 12 days of blissful sunshine (and a small amount of r&r) in Marrakesh. The hotel was great and the staff were awesome. Olivia was a hit with ALL of the staff. She was danced with most days and she charmed them all with her infectious smile. The food was great (especially the tajines) and it was really nice to have planned daily activities like spinning and archery, (I even tried the trapeze!). Matt loved the mini-disco and was found dancing nightly at 8:30pm (the same 6 choreographed dances every night, so he got to know them well). The pool, tennis and soccer were hits with Nick. We all enjoyed the small animal farm including the day old baby goat. Katy got an afternoon in the spa and Hammam and I even got away for a day of mountain biking in the Agafay desert. I took a guided trip with Pierre-Alain and Rasheed from Marrakesh Bike Action. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend them.
We left the hotel at 3:30am on Easter Sunday morning. The children were woken very early and loaded into a taxi along with all of our belongings. It was a VERY long day but we finally arrived in Biarritz to our new apartment 100meters from the beach at about 7pm that night. And so the next phase of our adventure begins…
It's About the Ride 