Things I’m going to miss about Marrakech
The clay color of seemingly every building.
The palm trees.
The Medina. Everything about the Medina. The sights, the sounds, the energy. Her mercurial nature that showed you a different side of her depending on the time of day you went. Early morning Medina is eerily quiet and isolated with no stalls open and just the echoes of the day before inside your head. Mid-day Medina is vibrant, wide awake, and a bit of tease. All her stalls are open: tempting you to stop, while she plays hard to get, making navigating a chaotic challenge. Night time Medina is darker, mysterious, and seemingly modest as her stalls are shuttered for the evening.
The nous nous. Hands down my favorite coffee drink of this entire trip. Perfection in a tiny cup.
The mint tea. I’m not a tea drinker, but this is some tea I can get with and give an “A” to for presentation.
Gaia Cafe. Boasting an amazing traditional Moroccan breakfast and atmosphere to boot. Bonus points for playing Ali Farka Toure’s The River while I was writing there one day. Ali Farka Toure was my unofficial soundtrack to my time in Marrakech. Although he’s from Mali, a little further south from Morocco, his music was always in my head. I listened to Talking Timbuktu a lot in Marrakech.
The $10 manicure at Salon Paris. Great manicure, excellent price.
The Moroccan music videos that they played at Salon Paris. Some of the best three minute soap operas I have ever seen and I didn’t even know what they were saying.
The Hammam experience. I will greatly miss having the world’s best spa experience available at my fingertips for a reasonable price. If I lived in Morocco I would be hitting it up on the regular.
Rainy day at the Riad. Best. Day. Ever. See It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
Biking through the Medina. One of the most unforgettable experiences of this trip. Talk about keeping you on your toes. Eyes open, laser focus, major fun.
The shopping! Many things about Marrakech spoke to me but the shopping was my siren song. Marrakech and I have the same sense of style, particularly when it comes to fashion. As the world’s number one caftan fan, it was a certified homecoming.
The OG Uber pool. It took me a couple weeks to get used to taking taxis in Marrakech. Once I did, it was one of those small things that made me feel like a local (minus the exorbitant upcharge because the driver clearly knew I wasn’t). I began to enjoy the trips where I would get into a cab and along my route the driver would stop to pick up another passenger. Marrakech taxi drivers are the originators of the Uber pool. No GPS, no scheduled pick ups, these guys are doing it off the grid. Never ones to waste passenger space, Moroccan cab drivers see someone on the side of the road, they pick’em up. These guys are hustlers. By week four I was unfazed to hail a cab and already find a passenger in the back seat.
Mysterious Ways. If you thought I was going to post about Morocco without mentioning U2’s “Mysterious Ways,” think again friend. How can I not? As I mentioned in my Silver and Gold post, U2’s music introduced me to a world larger than my own and took me to places outside my reach. Just like “Silver and Gold” put South Africa on the map for me, the video for “Mysterious Ways” was my first impression of Morocco. At the time the video knocked me out because it was different and exotic. I had never seen anything like it. The video was filmed in Fez, Morocco in the tanners quarter of the medina. Looking back on the video now that I’ve been to Morocco, it knocks me out all over again. It manages to capture the essence of all that I found Morocco to be in four minutes time. Just like the medina itself, the video is characterized by movement. There is perpetual motion from the in-and-out effect of the fisheye lens to the kaleidoscope effect that is used to mirror images throughout. And the images that director Stephane Sednaoui uses are representative of Morocco. Sure the belly dancer is a little cliche (really though, someone should be dancing to that beat), but it’s in the tiles, the horseshoe arch, and the people walking through the medina, that he captures the everyday feel. And let’s not forget the colors! A walk through the medina is an explosion of color and Sednaoui gives you the same sensation with a video that is saturated in color; from the first frame filled with the colors of sunset, to Bono singing the chorus in his scarlet shirt against the signature red clay building. Although the image that now resonates the most with me is the one of Bono upside down singing to the camera with his hands behind his head as if everything is alright. To me, that is the allure of Morocco, it can leave you feeling pleasantly upside down, turned around. Or as the song goes, it “lift my days, light up my nights.”
The artwork of Hicham Bellaghzal. A local artist in Marrakech who hosted our first Marrakech track event. He opened his house to us, where we spent the afternoon creating art: from spray paint to calligraphy. I was immediately drawn to his work and had the best afternoon playing with color and getting my hands dirty with pastels. Although we didn’t communicate much that day, I felt an instant connection. I would see his work around the city after the track event and again, it was one of those small things that made me feel like a local; to see his work and be able to identify the artist. My last day in Marrakech, I woke up to a DM from Hicham that said “How are you???” I said I was doing well but it was bittersweet because it’s my last day in Marrakech and I love it here. Later that day I found myself in a dressing room in the Medina, not surprising. However, I was surprised to find his artwork above the door. I also took it as a dusting of destiny since I started my day with a message from him. I confirmed with the salesman that it was in fact his work and took a picture. I then sent the picture to Hicham with a “look what I found in the Medina” message. He responded with “Thank you so much. So happy trip and I hope we meet again, and thank you for the picture.” Me too Hicham, me too.
The Majorelle neighborhood. Colorful, charming, unforgettable.
The bougainvillea. No matter the city, it catches my eye every time. Lucky for me, it was everywhere you looked in Marrakech and in so many colors: magenta, purple, yellow, white and orange.
The arches and doorways. There is beauty to be found everywhere you look. The beauty is in the attention to detail that is given to the design of everything. I had a soft spot for each and every graceful horseshoe arch and each and every beguiling doorway. It seems like every doorway you pass is asking you to find out what’s just beyond.
The staff at The Spot. Our co-working space, The Spot, was our second home. It wasn’t just because we spent most of our time there, it was a home because everyone that worked there welcomed you as such. Oumaima and Abdelilah were friendly and generous. On our very first night in the space the shuttle bus didn’t show up for the last pick up. When we came back inside to ask how much the cab should be they immediately offered to drive us home themselves. This is typical of the level of hospitality you get in Marrakech. People will go out of their way for you willingly and with pleasure.
The man who worked outside The Spot who greeted me every day with the brightest smile. A warm smile and a hello was the extent of our daily interaction but it goes to show how much can be expressed without words.
The man at Babylon who would bring out a chair for me while I waited for the shuttle bus. My bad luck with the shuttle bus was even recognized by the gatekeeper of our apartment complex. After the first week, he would bring out a chair as soon as he saw me come through the gate. He knew it was going to be a minute.
Taha. I don’t know that I would have had the same experience in Marrakech without him. Taha was the ops lead of our Marrakech city team and pretty much our unofficial ambassador to the city. Just like the crew at The Spot, Taha would willingly go out of his way to help you with whatever you needed: from helping you find hidden gems in the Medina, to spending hours at the post office with a group of us so we could ship our shopping home. Whether he knows it or not, the most helpful thing Taha did for me was make me believe in myself more. I always tell myself that I wish I could see myself the way other people see me. Sometimes it takes seeing yourself through a new set of eyes to see yourself for who you really are. And that’s just it, Taha saw me for all that I am. That is a powerful feeling to know that someone, even a virtual stranger from half a world away, can see you. I told Taha when I left Marrakech that he is a unicorn. One of a kind. I am humbled by his generosity of spirit and inspired by his positive realism. His parting gift, was reminding me of the power in the the law of attraction: everything that has happened to you was attracted to you and by using it, you can get back the positive you put out into the universe.
Things I won’t miss about Marrakech
Bargaining. I eventually got good at it but I was never fully comfortable practicing the art.
Feeling like a crazy person for wearing summer clothes in the desert when locals would wear jackets in 80 degree heat.
Waiting for the shuttle bus. We lived 30 minutes from the workspace so we had shuttle bus service to/from. It became a running joke about whether or not it would show.
Comments