Things to know for your first time shopping in Marrakech Souks

Things to know for your first time shopping in Marrakech Souks

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

The souks in Marrakech are unlike anywhere I've ever been to in my life. They were an absolutely incredible experience for me and something I can now tick off of my bucket list. Twisty roads and little alleys full of stalls with canopies hanging over the top; it was quite a culture shock but what an experience! I wrote about how magical it was (here) but there are also a few things that I think it is important to be aware of, just because it's magical doesn't mean it doesn't have its flaws. Here are some of my tips for your first visit! 

Hire an official guide

As soon as you go in, you'll see why; it's very overwhelming and a bit of a culture shock so I was so glad we had Sami with us otherwise we would have never found out way out of there! Apart from not getting lost, whilst he was guiding us though labyrinth of little alleys, he stopped off to show us a traditional clay oven hidden behind one of the souks and was able to answer all of our questions along the way. We also found that with him with us, we got hassled far less than when we went back to the square on our own a few days later.

Wear the right clothes

..Saying that I did get groped whilst we were all trailing behind him. I knew dressing appropriately in Morocco was more important than any where I have been to in the past, especially in the souks so I was prepared but I still couldn't believe how bold the men were. I had a culotte jumpsuit on, one that I wear for work sometimes but it was hot, obviously, so I took my jacket off and had my shoulders on show. On two separate occasions guys grabbed my butt as they walked past. The first time it was more of a brushed hand so I wasn't sure but after a full cheek grab the second time, I decided I'd better just put my jacket on. What a difference that made, the rest of our visit was absolutely fine.

You'll Need Cash

As with all markets, its helpful to have cash on you. We got ours outside of the market as there are no cash points once you enter the madness.

It Has A Particular Smell

Before I visited, I read that some of the leather goods can smell so you should sniff them before you purchase, what I didn't expect was to turn a corner and be able to tell that there was a leather stall before I could see it. The hide is soaked in animal excrement to help the dyes stick and even though it is all washed off, the end product is still seriously potent; all part of the experience though!

Shopkeepers Can Be Persistent

The souks in Marrakech aren't your relaxed day at the market, be prepared to be pestered at every stall you walk past. Either avoid eye contact and totally ignore them or say no thank you firmly and they should leave you alone. Once you show an interest in something it's a lot harder to get rid of them, I had one guy follow me quite a long way away from his stall trying to sell me scarf that I was looking at. If you do want to purchase something then haggle! They expect it and nothing has a set price so it is very easy to get what you want for less than half of the original asking price. 

Whilst that is the case for alot, some were totally chilled out; I spotted one guy alseep on the floor in this shop. It was all very strange. 

Take Hand Sanitizer

I've never really been a germophobe but after an afternoon in the market, I wanted to wash my hands. This is especially important if you plan to visit the food stalls in Jemaa El Fna where there will be nowhere to wash your hands before you eat. 

Stay Alert

Kids on the street get suspiciously close and when you are not watching out for them; bikes carts and who knows what else are whizzing past. It also seemed that bikes don't have horns - all of the kids just made weird noses as they passed us. 

With so much to take in and like all markets, it's important to take a bag that fastens properly and try hold on to your stuff. I was pleased to have my Longchamp under my arm where I could see the zip and kept my camera around my neck with my hand on it at all times. 

Take It Slow

And one last thing to know before visiting the souks; they're absolutely amazing but very overwhelming. Remember to go slowly so you can take in all the sights and smells and get a proper experience! 

*Big thanks to Visit Morocco for inviting me along on this trip

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Making Tagines at Le Maison Arabe Cookery School, Morocco

Making Tagines at Le Maison Arabe Cookery School, Morocco

Monday, 1 May 2017

After a morning exploring Marrakech’s best hotels, we made a trip to La Maison Arabe Country Club. Away from the madness of Marrakech this little area of calm was the perfect place for an afternoon cookery class. We walked through the gardens and took a seat under a canopy by the huge wood fired bread oven. There, our afternoon plans were explained to us as we watched our dada (Moroccan chef) spread dough over a wooden board and throw it into the oven.

At the school, we learnt the actual process for making a cup of traditional Moroccan mint tea which was really interesting considering how much of it we had drunk in the two days that we had already been in Morocco. First the green tea is added, brewed and then it is supposed to be poured away but people don't always bother; that explains some of the questionable cups of murky brown stuff we had seen around. The next step is to add the mint leaves and sugar to the tea pot. I thought the blocks of sugar that they had brought out were just for show but I was mistaken. Each tea pot got a fistful of mint leaves and two huge rocks of sugars; not that I was complaining, the sweeter the better if you ask me and if that’s the way they drink it in Morocco, then that's how I wanted to drink it.

It was then poured from a height into the glasses, put back into the pot and done a second time to mix it properly. After that, it’s ready to drink!

Since we were such a large group, we paired up at a cooking station for our class. La Maison Arabe has 16 stations each complete with two hobs and a live video stream so you can keep up easily. For something that is so flavourful, our chicken and apricot tagines were so simple to cook. We put the chicken and some chopped onions into the tagine, covered it in an array of spices and left it to bubble away under the tagine lid whilst we caramelized the apricots with some sugar and water in another pan. After we had finished up rosewater was passed around to pour over our hands leaving us all smelling incredible.

We were taken back out into the garden and off to a beautiful room set up with three big, round tables and a tent style ceiling made up of colourful material. We had actually all just had lunch before making our way to the class although that didn’t stop anyone from trying our creations. The tagine was placed down in front of us and as the lid was lifted the smell of our second lunch filled the room. The chicken fell off of the bone and the sweet chewiness of the apricots and the crunch of the almonds was the perfect accompaniment. Honestly, it was actually delicious and we finished the lot even though dinner was in just a couple of hours.

*Huge thanks to Visit Morocco for inviting me along on this trip

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Seeing the tree goats in Morocco

Seeing the tree goats in Morocco

Monday, 24 April 2017

Goats are my favourite animal (apart from Molly obvs) so before visiting Morocco, there were only really two things that I specifically wanted to see; Jemaa el-Fna and the tree goats. The square was amazing and we got to see it on the day we arrived but the tree goats were supposed to be located outside of Marrakech so I had high hopes for our visit outside of the city at the end of our trip.

We were driving for a couple of hours before low and behold, I finally spotted them! These crazy goats hop up into the tree and balance on a branch. It was totally mad to see, just on the side of the road but I was mesmerized and so excited. Apparently I had been talking about it more than I realised because everyone cheered me off of the bus to take some photos which of course I sent straight to Andrew, my parents and anyone else who would listen. 

Argan trees only grow there in Morocco and no one knows why. They have tried to plant them around the world but they just won't grow so that’s why argan oil is so expensive and also highly sought after; not just by us but obviously the goats love the fruit which is why they are up in the trees in the first place. It is rumored that the goats are where the process of creating argan oil begins; although the women at Coopérative Marjana, (the argan oil cooperative that we were off to visit) collect the seed by hand rather than using ones that the goats have passed which results in a much higher quality oil.

At the cooperative, we got to see how the fruit is turned into oil. As we entered the room that they were all working in, the women started to let out some really strange high pitched noises. None of us really knew what was happening but I later found out that this was called barwalá or youyou and it’s just a friendly thing which all added to the atmosphere I guess. We watched as the women all sat together on the floor hammering away at the seeds. The first step was to separate the skin from the nut and then again to crack the seed out of its shell. Behind a glass screen to stop any contamination, the seed was then grinded into a pulp, mixed with a little bit of water and squeezed to extract its oil.

— Georgina Goodman (@GeorginaDoes) March 25, 2017

And so another life goal was ticked off my list!

 *Huge thanks to Visit Morocco inviting me along on this trip

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A Magical Afternoon in Marrakech Medina

A Magical Afternoon in Marrakech Medina

Monday, 3 April 2017

Morocco, and Marrakech in particular has been on my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember and last week, I was finally able to visit. Whilst I was excited to see the inside of the beautiful riads and eat as much of the delicious food as I could, the one place that I have dreamed of visiting was Jemaa el-Fna and the souks.

As we left our hotel (we were staying at Movenpick Mansour Eddhabi) and drove closer, the big roads began to get narrower and narrower until we were driving in and out of side roads and alleys full of little hole in the wall shops.

We were dropped off just outside the entrance to the souks and paired up with a guide. Our guy was called Sami and he was super chilled. Walking ahead, he easily navigated us through the maze of stalls as we all trailed behind; stopping in amazement as we peered into each stall. He stopped every so often to let us catch up although we were all cautious to keep an eye on him because if we got lost in there we'd never get ourselves out.

The whole market had a very Arabian nights feel to it. Each street was different whether it was intricate lanterns and men melting metal in their shops, mounds of spice piled up high or leather slippers hanging down from the ceiling. You smell those before you saw them! The market is an experience for all of your senses; if you aren't marveling at all of the color, then you are jumping out of the way of a motorbike or trying to ignore the men shouting across for you to come into their shops. It's a very overwhelming experience, but it was absolutely incredible as well!

As the market opened out, we finished the souks at a spice stall with all sorts of fragrant, colourful powders piled high. We stopped to look and the man at the stall started mixing up potions and passing around samples for us to smell. We left with a bar of soap and a bag of eucalyptus crystals.

The end of the Medina brought us out to the most famous mosque in Marrakech just as the sun was starting to set. It was one of those moments; watching the sun set over the Koutoubia as we listened to the men inside praying on the loud speaker over the busy streets of Marrakech, that I will remember forever.

A bit further down we finally made it to Jemaa el-Fna squre and it was unlike anywhere I have ever seen before. A UNESCO Heritage site, the huge square was full of not only more market stands but storytellers and henna artists too. Smoke from the food stalls and the enchanting songs of the snake charmers filled the air as we walked through. Honestly, it was chaos but what a magical place. We made our way up to the top of Cafe De France and with a cup of ridiculously sugary tea watched as the bright blue sky changed to a fiery red and yellow over the madness below.

Dinner later on was a feast of traditional Moroccan food at La Salama. Through a hidden door and up the dark staircase on a red carpet lined with tea light candles, we sat down for tagines with cous cous as belly dancers weaved around us just like the motorbikes before, with trays full of candles on their heads (the style of dance is called Raks al shamadan). After the meal we all got up to join in before heading up to their roof terrace for dessert over looking the square. It was the perfect end to a truly magical day.

*Huge thanks to Visit Morocco for taking me on this bucket list trip

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