Marrakech is famous for its large medina with its many souks, which we have based through already. As soon as you enter Marrakech from any direction you are bound to at least see some shops. As you get closer to the center of the medina the roads/paths get narrower, the sky is blocked by overhangs and sail cloths, the smells (almost all good!!) and the milling people get more and more dense. All the while as I’ve described, scooters, motorcycle, and bicycles are weaving through in both directions with little or no warning. There is a level of chaos to it all, exacerbated by the fact that a large percentage of the people are tourists who don’t understand or simply don’t respect the flow of things. My read of the flow of the streets:

• Walk
  • on the right side
  • against the walls/edges
  • let two-wheeled vehicles through and stay safe, but don’t feel obligated to clear a wide path for them. They aren’t always legally allowed and need to slow TF down! Three and four-wheeled vehicles barely fit so get out of the way.
  • making eye-contact for more than a half-second with ANYBODY is engaging and will prompt a sales pitch and/or plea for money. If this is done inadvertently, politely acknowledge and move on.
• Barter
  • for almost all shops (not galleries)
  • start at ~20-30% of the asking price, and concede something
  • once you have reached agreement don’t discuss price again unless you change what you’re buying)
  • the shopkeeper will always try to get as much money from you as they think they can with you accepting it
• Any good or service, no matter how small, will lead to expectation of payment. This includes:
  • If a random person shows you where a nearby leather shop is, they will likely expect a small tip. Small change is fine, declining tolerable but will generate some complaints
  • Free is not free. If a shopkeeper gives you something for free (e.g. tea, a trinket, bathroom use), it is not free. They expect you to buy something or at least tip them.
• Safety & Security
  • I am absolutely sure that pickpockets exist in Marrakech like most cities in the world. However.. we saw zero evidence of it first or second hand. I keep all money and other valuables in zippered pockets in a sling bag, against my body. It would be very difficult for somebody to access them without me knowing.
  • Someone will happily talk/mislead/con you out of money to your face, but I suspect will still pick up money you drop and return it to you. It seems like a weird honor system.
  • There are some dark, sketchy-looking passages, and late at night they get really dark. Again we didn’t see or hear of any issues. I’m a tall, foreign male so the least likely target, but it’s bigger than that. For better or for worse, foreigners are special and Moroccans all know that anything bad happening to tourists hurts them all.

We tend to cruise by shops then pick one that has a unique item, enter, then buy a bunch of stuff there to get the prices down the most. This works fairly well, but I definitely recommend seeing lots of shops before doing so to get a sense of what’s available, what prices people are asking for the same items, and how many of the items you’re after are available at each. No, they are not going to run out of the thing you want.

Sooo.. today was our “relax & shop” day.. which is a little contradictory but at least didn’t involve scheduling anything since we are staying right in the middle of it all.

We revisited a herbs and spices place from a previous shopping venture. They have a great selection, high quality and we theorized that since we had already spent a lot there they’d be open to good pricing. That was sort of true, they recognized us and dove into bartering. You can see the vendor isn’t smiling- right after this Steve walked away and this guy asked for more money, “a gift for him”. It’s constant in Marrakech.

We returned to the Jamaâ el-Fna Plaza from our first night in Marrakech, this time during the day with a better sense of where we were. Even mid-day on a weekday this place is filled with thousands of people all over. The eateries aren’t open during the day, but the fresh juice stands are out in full effect and make a ton of sense given the intense sun. Savitri and I got a large pomegranate juice and watched the guy press several pomegranates to make it. $3 and well spent!

The snake charmers were out too, although I’ll say right now they are not very charming. Sure they have the classic music and cobras and vipers and all.. the shtick is real, but like everything it is all about the money. I took a picture and a short video from a distance and immediately one of the guys ran over an demanded money. I totally expect to pay but the aggressiveness and lack of positive engagement were underwhelming. I paid of course, but when they then placed a snake (not sure which type, guessing viper) on my shoulders from behind as I paid to get me to pay more I pushed them away and left.

Savitri and I got into paintings at an art vendor nearby.

Sneaky 360s..

Steve went to a barber, and I joined in as well. They do a great job, including the straight-edge razor shave and various lotions. They definitely pulled some “tourist pricing” tricks though.

Before dinner we went to Sonia’s other riad and got a tour of it. Much like Riad Alnadine that we’re staying in, it is stunning and filled with beautiful art pieces (more on that later!). We also met Sonia’s good friend Mare Milin, who is very engaging and energetic. We had a fun time chatting and snacking with them in a little nook.

For dinner we went to Cafe Arabe. Again we managed to sit on the rooftop level. We got tajines (cooked in cone-shaped vessels over wood heat) and tanjias (cooked in vase-shaped vessels in hot ash). We wished they had rice and other little things, but the quality of the meat and the TASTE of the sauces was other-worldly. Candied lemons in the chicken tagine was my favorite element. Here’s the beef tanjia.. splashing down.