Everything is negotiable in Marrakesh

Marrakesh is one of the largest cities in Morocco. For those that don't know, Morocco is located in northwest Africa. Marrakesh is a very old city but there is a lot of new construction going on. Dena and I visited the city with our friend Stacey on March 8th to the 10th. It was an amazing experience. We got lost a few times in the many small back alleys, rode camels and negotiated over carpet prices. We learned quickly that there is no such thing as street signs in the city. Its very easy to get turned around when all of the streets look the same and they never seem to end. But there were always very helpful locals interested in showing you the right way, for a few Dirhams of course.(local currency) If you are a person that likes to haggle for things than Marrakesh is the place for you. You negotiate over cab prices, camel rides, and everything under the sun that they sell in the souqs. The maze of souqs (shops) is never ending. You can buy loads of hand made leather goods, pottery, slippers, lamps, carpets and tons of other things. The sights and smells of everything is overwhelming. Its just an amazing experience that is hard to explain without experiencing it first hand. The main plaza Djemaa el-Fna is where the main show takes place each night. There are people playing music, charming snakes, dancing, giving henna tattoos, shining shoes and loads of food stalls and orange juice carts. Its like a city all in itself. The riad (B&B type place) that we stayed in was about a 3 min walk from the plaza and it was great. The hosts were fantastic and the breakfast was perfect. You had to walk down yet another shady alley to get to it, but once inside it was very relaxing and tranquil.

I would say the highlight of the trip was the camel ride. We took a trip out to an area called Palmiere where there are tons of palm trees. It looks great with the Atlas snow capped mountains in the background. So our cab driver takes us to a location to take some photos and ride some camels. I was on the fence , Dena had no desire but our friend wanted to ride the camels, so we all went for it. Dena was on the first camel, I was on the second and Stacey was on the third. They were all tethered together. Everything was going well until the guide decided to increase the pace to a trot. Dena started to yell "NO, NO, NO" over and over and then from behind me I hear frightening screams. I turned around to see Stacey holding on for dear life hanging half way off the saddle. Luckily she didn't fall and everything was ok but it was a scary moment. We all laughed hysterically about it over dinner that night.

Overall, the trip was great and one that I will never forget. We came home with a few Moroccan rugs, lots of photos and great memories.