Mad Mad Marrakesh

So after spending the morning puttering around sleepy Essaouira we boarded a bus to Marrakesh. The ride was uneventful, but dumped us in the middle of who knows where Marrakesh. It was dark and John had it work cut out for him arranging petit taxis for us all. They don't drive with the meters on in this city so you have to barter for the price before hand.

But we all managed to arrive at our hotel in one piece, luggage intact. After a brief freshen-up we headed out into the Djemma el Fna, the biggest square in Marrakesh. During the day the square is fairly ordinary with the usual gang of peddlers and shop owners shouting for your dirhams. But at night the madness ensues. Berber storytellers set up with huge crowds set in a ring around them. Snake charmers do their best to con money out of phobic tourists by flinging snakes on people and then asking money to remove it. Roving hordes of horny young men move in waves around foriegn women to cop a quick feel. (This is NOT a pleasant thing!) And the food stalls constantly shout and jump in your way as a means to lure you to their counters. It's pretty overwhelming. But it's not all that bad. Once we let John know what was happening (and he had warned us it might happen) he managed to keep the pervy teens at bay. And again, once we chose a food stall, the rest backed off and let us enjoy the meal.

Marrakesh is not exactly as I pictured it. It lies somewhere between Casablanca and Fes in terms of feel and atmosphere. The shop keepers are definitely and positively more aggressive than anywhere else, but there are a few jems. And when we did our shopping today we kept coming back to those few nice ones.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow I'll be heading out of Morocco on a flight to London. It doesn't quite feel like the whirlwind tour of Europe is ending. Still, it'll be great to see Alison from home and to reconnect with the Croatia crew and a few others I've met while travelling. London for me is really a big travel reunion place. So in a way it'll be a great way to end my travels.

But I do still keep thinking I'm headed off to another city, country, continent instead of beginning the path back home. I don't really know what it's like to have a home anymore!