3rd Stop... Marrakesh!

From Geneva we jetted over to Africa! We went to Marrakesh, Morocco. It was literally a whole new world in Morocco! Here's a list of my "tops":

1- Paradise by the pool!! We arrived in Marrakesh around 7:30 a.m. and by the time we got settled at our hotel it was close to 9:30 a.m. I am sure you can guess what 5 girls did immediately upon arrival... jumped in our swimsuits and headed to the pool! 

2- Luxurious life with amazing service. I don't think I have ever experienced the life I did while in Marrakesh. We spent a lot of our time lounging at the pool and with that came the poolside service... which I can't even begin to express how attentive they were.

3- Crazy cab drivers and infinite mopeds... everywhere! I will never forget my initial worry as we crammed 5 of us into our first cab ride from the airport. I feared not only for my life, but for every other person on the road. They had ZERO organization on the roads there. People curve all over the roads, mopeds zip past barely making the cut in front of the next car. I don't think anyone could pay me enough money to be willing to drive anything in Morocco.

4- Bargain... bargain... and bargain some more. We would bargain for everything we bought. After each purchase I would calculate what the "saved" amount was into American dollars and it was always a SMALL sum. I just had to laugh that I had bargained something that was 60 dirham down to 40 dirham... a difference of about $2.

5- The Square. Our first night we went out to "The Square". Words can't even describe how chaotic and crazy it was. We had people coming at us from all angles with henna, monkeys, snakes, etc. all trying to sell something to us. That first night a man with a monkey grabbed Chelsea's wrist trying to make her hold it and I about LOST it! I was a bit terrified at first but then we just learned if you don't want what they are selling don't talk to them or else they will pursue you to no end.

6- Endless Market. The main market in the Square was a never-ending maze, or so it seemed. It was crazy to go in shop after shop checking out all of the Moroccan treasures. We loved the piles of various spices, loads of Moroccan shoes, jewelry, platters, lamps, vases, rugs, etc. It is a shame that we only had our backpacks to carry our purchases back home.

7- Summer sun and high heat! I LOVED the flawless weather we had while in Marrakesh! The sun was always out and the temperatures were always around mid-80's. We walked around the markets and dirt roads for quite some time and loved every minute soaking up the sun.

8- I rode a CAMEL!!! Yes, we rode camel's in the dessert. Camel's truly are amazing animals. Our guide just let them walk in a line and if the leader went astray all he had to was verbally direct it and it would listen. I was amazed. We also had a little baby camel tagging along because it's mother was in the line up... sometimes the baby would run off from the group and if we got too far ahead of the baby, the mom camel would just start yelling/making camel noises and then the baby would come running back to the group. If you ever get the chance to ride a camel, don't miss it! It was one of my most memorable experiences.

9- Arabian Nights. We went to a legit Arabian nights dinner! We went to a restaurant called the Jad Mahal. The atmosphere was amazing! Half-way through our meal the music was turned up really loud and then all of these women came out dancing with silver platters on top of their heads with lit candles and they were dancing all over! Shortly after the fire dancers, came the belly dancers! We all wanted to take belly dancing classes after seeing them dance. It was quite the experience.

10- Airport Strike. We arrived at the airport to find 100's of people lined up everywhere. As we were trying to find our airline counter the crowd starting chanting and singing... we had no idea what was going on. Soon after the celebrations we found out that there was a strike at the airport and no one had been working for the previous 6 hours. That meant no planes had left for a few hours pushing our flight back 3 hours, no big deal. We still found ways to entertain ourselves and enjoy our last few hours in Morocco though. Emily had to hide here purse due to the strict Ryan Air rules... so she went for the "prego" look. hahaha. It looked so real and gave all of us a good laugh! All I can say is, I am SO proud and grateful to be an American! 

Here are a few extra pics from the trip:

Lunch by the pool.

In front of the mosque. 

Leaving the market after a long day of bargaining.

Shopping... one of our talents.

The Mosque.

After our dinner at the Jad Mahal.

The amazing ricotta chocolate cheesecake. Emily is sad because she didn't eat any of it due to her no sweets restricitions... this is a self-imposed restriction. I am proud of her for being so healthy!

Le Meridian Hotel.