Marrakech / Marokko in North Africa

Last week we spent in Marrakech ,known as the "Red City" or "Al Hamra," a city in southwestern Morocco in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.

Marrakech is the largest turist destination in Morocco, and we discovered a busy and caotic environment with children and adults, donkys, horses, cars (or what looked like cars...), motorbikes, bicycles,trucks, busses, camels, monkeys, catles, horsetaxies, all togehter at the same time in the roads on their way to something, it is just amasing and increadible that it is possible to move all this, what for us seemed like caos, without any accidents ? Probably this is caos in a systematic matter ? And probably this is nothing compared to what can be experienced in India or China ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakesh

Inside the Medina we walked around, starting in the north with continuing through the town square of Jamaâ El Fna / Djema el Fna with its crowd of storytellers, acrobats, artists with snakes ,musicians , dancers and the beautiful Koutoubia Mosque which is visible from practically anywhere in Marrakech. By night the square becoming a huge open-air restaurant.

We stayed at the Club Med Medina, just aside Djema el Fnaa . A very nice hotel , with a second daughter hotel with free shuttle busses just ouside the town, Le Palmeraie.

http://www.clubmed.co.uk/cgi-bin/clubmed55/SP/villagesHeading.do?CODPER=07E&CODRUB=0&CODLSC=MMEC&PAYS=341&LANG=EN

Marrakech has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has the busiest square in the entire continent of Africa, called Djemaa el Fna . We spent a day in the souks, shopping for shoes of leather, clothes and traditional teapots in Berbersilver along with trays. We bargained and bargained more than ever before in our lives, the price game was fun, but took quite a while. Almost everything we bought we got for less than 25% of the sellers first price offer. (Yes I know I am a tough negotiator.....)

We spent one day in the Atlas mountains which we visited together with a guide and a group of turists from our hotell. We drove 6 jeeps (4x4 Toyota Landcruisers) . We drove 250 KMs on what was not even close to look like a road. The contrasts, the colors, the views, the people (the Berbers living in the montains) we met was very different to the alike inside the town of Marrakech. The poor children with their wondering faces, and the smiles they provided us with when they got som sweets.... we never forget.....
Hopefully our kids learned quite a bit of this and do not forget . ...It is a very huge difference between the montain life in the Atlas and our life back in Norway. We also visited a Berber family where we got served Moroccian Mint Tea.

What a trip.