Casual chaos

Sunset over Jemma el Fna
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I'll admit, I was nervous about going to Marrakech. I'd heard that it was a lot of hassle, and when I'd switched from the train to bus there on the way to Essaouira, it had seemed insane. I got off the CTM bus in the Ville Nouville (the new city, from the time of the French protectorate) and decided to walk to the medina, and my hotel. I only had a medium duffle bag in addition to my large purse, and the Jemma el Fna is actually easy to find - there are lots of signs, and once you're on a street towards it, you just keep heading to the Koutouba, a huge minaret that can be seen anywhere in the city with a clear sightline. Much to my surprise I was pretty much left alone; there were several calls of "Lovely/Gazelle/etc." but they all were dropped when I ignored them. I only picked up one persistent "friend," but even he dropped back after the fourth time I mentioned my friends that I was meeting at the hotel (a useful excuse for hurrying, and rejecting suggestions of another hotel or invitations for drinks ...). I finally made it to Place de Foucauld and looked for the entrance to Jemma el Fna. I followed a family across the street (no stoplights anywhere near, so the traffic has no real breaks. You just wait for a light spot and wade in, looking confident; no matter how sure you are that the motor bikes and tour busses are going to run you over). Then I got my first look at the square. I smiled. I was in Jemma el Fna -- the archetype of main squares. It's chaos. It's disorienting. Yet somehow it's familiar and comforting at the same time. It seems ancient -- horse drawn carriages, snake charmers, men sweeping up with simple dried palm branches. It's undeniably modern -- you dodge motor bikes along with donkeys, the simple carts are lit electrically, and as you look around you can see signs for internet places.

Jemma el Fna in the morning, far less busy
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I checked into the Hotel CTM, which is right on the square. I sat for a while to catch my breath, then headed out shortly before sunset. I'd decided to eat at a highly recommended (but cheap) restaurant on the square with a roof top terrace, but first wandered around the square. Near my hotel were stands selling fresh-squeezed orange juice (3 dh a glass, and absolutely delicious) and others selling piles of nuts and dates. To the west were crowds of people standing in circles around performers - acrobats, storytellers. Continuing around I found the food stall that were just starting up. Edging the square were stores filled with crafts, clothes, souvenirs. Here and there tables spilled out of a cafe. As I headed around to Chez Chergrouni I came across the "medicine" stands: blankets spread on the ground, covered with herbs, skins, powders, dried lizards and more.

The Saadian tombs
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I got to the terrace and enjoyed the view toward the Koutouba as the sun set and the square got even more crowded. The smoke from the food stands began to fill the square and eventually made the Koutouba look like it was floating in the air.

The next day I made arrangements for a trip to the desert and decided to be completely touristy and do the "hop on/hop off" tour (for those of you who have never been on one, they are bright red, UK-style double decker busses that go along a set loop with stops at tourist spots; one ticket lets you get on and off all you want for a day). I took the tour through the city, getting off at the Saadian tombs and the Menara gardens. The tombs were amazing -- they were sealed off in the 1600s, so the decorations were not damaged or looted. The gardens, olive gardens set around a pavilion and reflecting pool, were quite peaceful. Later I took the tour outside the city of the Palmeraie - a huge, planted, forest of date palms.

Carving at the Saadian tombs
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Next stop: the Sahara!