I had trouble getting to sleep last night, so was a little groggy this morning. We all managed to get ourselves up and breakfasted before Rashid arrived for our walking tour. He took us all through the old city. We started off our tour walking to the Kutubiyya Mosque (and the accompanying minaret, the oldest one in Marrakech) and the adjacent Parc Lalla Hasna, a lovely green space with some fountains. From there, he took us to Madrasa Ben Youssef, which used to be a university (and is now a restored tourist attraction/museum). S and I wandered the halls and quarters while H rested. Then, Rashid showed us a few Hammams (spas/bathhouses), including a pit stop to where the fires are stoked to heat the water. One of the workers kept tossing wood shreds into the oven to make a beautiful fireball for us!
From there, Rashid led us into a rug shop. A great big rug shop. A man in a suit started showing us rugs. S and I hadn't really considered buying a rug, but we have a room that could use it and when in Morocco....
H has been giving each of the cat she sees around the medina their own names. These are Scritches and Smokey.
Then, on to an herbalism shop for some lessons (and sales) about Arnica oil. We asked Rashid to end the tour by taking us to his favorite spice shop, but it was closed (still for Ramadan). So we, parted ways with him. He was a great guide - knowledgeable and engaging. And he knew so many people on the streets. I started calling him Mr. Mayor. Everywhere we went, he was hugging people and greeting them. Not just his shopkeeper colleagues, but just passersby too!
 |
 |
| Sardine Tart - delicious! |
From lunch we headed back to the Riad for a siesta before our evening plans.
After our siesta, I headed out to grab a coffee before our evening plans.
When I got back to the riad, I found that both H and S were feeling crummy. Not super-bad, but definitely not up for the long car ride we had planned. They didn’t need me to stick around, so I left with the porter and met the driver Idris for a trip into the Agafay Desert.
The desert is about 40 minutes out of Marrakech, and it's a sort of central business district for desert activities. We had booked a camel ride and a dinner/music/schlock experience. The camel ride was first and was pretty fun. I was one of around 12 riders in a small caravan, and we spent around an hour loping through the rocky hills. I was the only American in the group, but not the only tourist: most of us were from outside Morocco, as far as Zimbabwe and Holland.
 |
| "dressed like a Berber man" said the guide |
When we arrived at the camel ride, Idris asked for the payment. He paid for everything out of that. I didn't get a discount since S and H didn’t come, but I presume Idris didn’t pay for their camel ride or dinner.
After the ride, Idris drove me further into the desert to the restaurant. I was seated at a table by myself, and had enough time before dinner to snap a few photos of the sunset.
 |
The menu was limited: as an entree I could choose chicken tagine, meatballs tagine, chicken couscous, or a vegetarian entree. I had chicken tagine yesterday at the cooking school, so I opted for the meatballs in a spiced tomato sauce.
As the restaurant filled up, some musicians started to play by the fire pit. About half of the guests went out to watch them, dancing, clapping, or just listening. There were four frame drum players and one brake drum player. All sang, and once in a while they brought out a wash tub to dance/stomp on, like a tap surface.
 |
| please forgive the noise - I'm editing fast! |
We filed back inside with them and sipped our tea as they kept the misic going for over 30 minutes straight. They played a fast 6/8, usually in two but occasionally slipping into three to change songs. Each drummer found a groove in the beat, and their constantly varying accent patterns kept the music engaging the whole time. The musicians invited some diners to dance while they played; the diners had varying levels of rhythm.
My server Cid brought bread and four small bowls of potato salad, cole slaw, beets, and white rice. And bread, of course. And for the Russian couple in front of me, a hookah!
The drummers wrapped up and were soon replaced by two more musicians playing a different set of Moroccan instruments. These were more like the Gnawa music that I remember falling in love with in college. They played a few, generally with a similar structure: a simple start, meter in a fast two, then speeding up, then slipping into a slower three. Which then speeds up. Sometimes the piece would start in three. The percussion generally played a moderate swing, not quite a triplet, but not straight either. As they finished their set and left the playing area, I'm pretty sure i saw the percussionist pull hearing protection out of his ears.
 |
Once night had fully descended, the distant desert lit up with lights. What looked completely desolate at dusk was full of activity. Way in the distance.
The meatballs arrived and were tasty, if a little oily.
Next, the frame drummers returned! Sans brake drum. By this time it was well after 8, so I left a tip and snuck out early. We have an early morning tomorrow!
To be honest the whole evening made me a bit uneasy. I felt performed-at in a way that I don't really like. That said, the music was beautiful!
On the way back to Marrakech, Idris's car was making a funky rhythmic clanking sound that sped up with the car's speed. He spent most of the ride home either visibly stressed or trying to reach people on the phone. I think maybe he was trying to diagnose the problem from the road.
I got back at around 10pm. S let me and we both conked out.
No comments:
Post a Comment