Marrakech is a tourist Mecca and it is unbelievable just how many tourists there are here. We get dismayed by the numbers and immediately head outside the walls of the Medina.
We walk towards an area called Gueliz, where there are a couple of art galleries and perhaps some Art Deco architecture. The farther we move away from the Medina, the fewer tourists we encounter. Yeah!
The Comptoir des Mines Galerie is on the second floor of a building and it is free to enter. We walk right in, with not a soul around. The artwork is large, modern and quite fascinating. A woman stops us on our way out and asks if we had taken any photos, which Murray said no to. One exhibit isn’t actually open to the public yet and she didn’t want photos out there. The gallery is actually a private one, but they encourage everyone to come visit to experience art. If you are in Marrakech, I would recommend you drop by.
Murray and I have been needing a taste of familiar food, so we find a sushi restaurant to have lunch in. As we walk back, we see a McDonalds and it is packed with tourists. Guess they needed a taste of home too. It’s funny how some people’s taste of home is a burger, and for some it is sushi!
We navigate through the tourist maelstrom in the Medina towards our hotel. The Jemaa El Fnaa square has buskers who are monkey handlers and snake charmers, jewelry sellers and juice makers.
The Medina allows motorized vehicles, mainly motorbikes, to travel the lanes. It is sometimes so dangerous as they go very fast for how crowded the Medina is. I wonder how many people get run over. Yesterday, we saw the aftermath of two motorbike accidents on the drive into Marrakech.
I need to talk about culture sensitivity. In my pre trip reading, a number of articles mentioned that women should cover their shoulders and collarbones while in the Medina. Looser clothes are favoured. I ensured the tops I packed were three quarter sleeved and with somewhat modest necklines. I worried as one top had buttons down the front and fell open all the time. In our travels through Morocco’s Medina, I have seen women with spaghetti straps, backless dresses and low cut tops, and short shorts. I watched a couple of men stare hard at a mom and three older daughters as they were dressed in short shorts and tank tops. Ladies! Please read up on the country you are travelling to find understand how to dress.
I think we are going in search of familiar food again for supper. Pizza anyone?