I have been very fortunate over my short traveling years, with several dodgy and not so dodgy places visited under my belt, in that I have never once had a bad trip. Sure there are always disappointments, tragedies, mistakes, general cock-ups, etc. Still, they have always paled in significance to the positives of traveling and left me wanting to go back time and time again. This is one of the reasons why we all love to do it. Unfortunately for me, it was time for that to all change.
Why I won’t travel to Morocco Again
We flew over to Marrakesh on the 28th of May 2011 as a group of 8, which is always going to be a struggle when organizing each day, but as we were all good mates and staying in one spot for four days/3 nights, there were not perceived to be any concerns. And by and large, there were not. Everyone, thankfully, just got on with doing what they wanted to do and saw with only several minor bickerings and squabbles.  |
| The Spice Stalls in the Souk |
Upon arrival to the Old Medina, we were dropped off next to the friendliest little kids playing football, and they were kind enough to show us to our hotel, the fantastic Riad La Maison Rouge (converted hotel), for a small fee, of course. For some reason, they managed to take us the most extended way possible through the narrow winding alleys, and in the morning, we realized we had walked in circles to get to the riad. All good fun, though, to support the locals. After a beautiful peppermint tea, we headed downtown to the amazing souks (markets) and Djemaa el Fna Square for some late-night shopping and dinner. What a unique/crazy/mind-blowing experience. I have been to Bali before, and while I thought that was crazy, this was another whole level. The colors, sights, people, sounds, and smells were overwhelming, in a good way, with everyone enjoying themselves and trying to haggle over everything. The sad parts are the chained monkeys getting dragged around by the owners trying to entice people to take pictures with them. Please, please, please, whatever you do, never support this sort of animal cruelty. However, while avoiding the monkeys is a must, another must is trying the street stall foods. After strolling around in our jandals for half an hour, we managed to find ourselves a table and tucked into some beautiful food. I had the traditional tagine, a sort of crock pot of yumminess. The whole meal only came to <£15 per couple and was well worth it with full bellies for tomorrow’s adventures.
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| Idiots abroad |
We were set with the mornings and evenings reserved for the souks and sightseeing and the afternoons for lounging by the pool. Coming over from Scotland didn’t help us acclimatize to the weather with 30+ degree days melting us, and the plunge pool at the riad was welcomed with open arms. I, unfortunately, suffered pretty severely, with mild dehydration kicking in after we had toured the souks for the better part of the morning. Adela wanted to buy everything in sight while I was conscious of our severely limited baggage allowances on Ryan Air. She was happy enough with a new handbag, scarves, and knick-knacks. If we were as ingenious with our packing as the locals are with packing people and objects onto scooters from the 70s, then surely we could solve half the congestion issues in every city. It is pretty daunting with no footpaths and blind corners, although they are such experts that they put up with us crowding their roads as we stroll along, craning our necks at every sight.
By day we took in the fantastic sights of the Koutoubia Mosque, the alleys of the Medina, and the new town outside the walls. One of my favorite places was the Jardin Majorelle, home to various plant species in a sub-tropical climate. It was a great place to chill out and get away from the chaos outside the walls. We highly recommend it for anyone who heads in that direction. The nights were filled with storytelling between our friends as we recounted the crazy things we had seen and done while enjoying the sunsets.
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| Sunsets are not to be missed over the Medina. |
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| Jumping for joy at Jardin Majorelle before the incident |
So you must be wondering now why I had such a rough time and, unfortunately, don’t wish to head back to Marrakesh again. Don’t get me wrong. I loved every minute I was there and always loved embracing the cultures that are so radically different from our own. As you can see, we had a fantastic time. However, this is when it all seemed to go wrong. We headed out on our last day for a quick bite to eat and spend the last of our Dirham. I made the mistake of catching the snake charmer’s eyes and knew I was in trouble. Now I’m not too fond of snakes, and he could tell I was not keen to get involved, so we continued on our way. He knew he had lost a chance to make some quick cash, so he offered me his hand, and I gladly shook it to carry on. Unfortunately, as quick as a flash, he had a snake around my neck and strolled away. I was trying to be calm, relaxed, and collected, but I had a freaking snake around my neck! To cut a long story short, we haggled over how much I owed him for “taking his snake for photos,” I left him with a few dirhams in his back pocket. Of course, he made me kiss it for luck before he unwrapped it.
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| The suspect |
I would never wish what happened to me at the airport for our return flight and subsequent days upon my worst enemies. You may want to skip this part… On getting to the airport, my stomach took a literal turn for the worst and proceeded to outpour everything I had consumed over the past 25 years of my life. I have never felt so rough. I spent the next 72 hours hugging the sink with my arms and the toilet with my “cheeks.” I managed to lose 5 kilo’s in the space of 5 days, and it took me another two weeks after that to fully recover to eating properly again.
It was the superhero that she is googled my symptoms, and most snakes carry a form of Salmonella poisoning (food poisoning) that can be transmitted to humans. Now I know it’s not Marrakech’s fault, and it may not have even been the snake’s fault that I got sick. But we used hand sanitizer and were very careful with everything we touched and ate. Unfortunately, even though it was a fantastic place while I was there, it’s a shame that just one tiny (maybe not so minor) incident can ruin an entire destination. Adela, on the other hand, cannot wait to get over there again,n and I am sure I might return one day once the memories have passed…
