This year of 2025, I had the opportunity to visit Marrakech for 4 days. Out of my pocket list, were the Hammam, those streets filled with shops, the desert, and to see the camels.
After landing, there was the oversight, police control and bag check. Not the fun part, but it went smoothly.
The driver was expecting outside the airport, where a heat wave greeted every passenger upon arrival. The brief walk to the car was like stepping into a previously heated oven.
I kept looking outside the window to this "new" country. Roads filled with cars, a bit of traffic confusion. All the road signs were similar to the ones in my country, but here, it was obvious that drivers skipped some driving lessons.
The car stopped in the middle of a busy road and a man from the Riad was waiting to lead the way on to a brief explanation and a small introduction of Marrakech.
The bath was excruciating, has the water is terrible for the body due to all the products they use, but a very short and fast one was needed.
The small walk to the Souks was filled with anticipation. Arriving at the Souk was disappointing!
The air smell bad everywhere, carpets covered the sewer grates to prevent the smell from getting out but it was bad. To add, there were constant motorcycles, donkey-drawn carts, and bicycles passing by all the time. The noise, the fumes, and the smell, was awful.
What was bad, got worst! There were cats everywhere, skinny, poorly cared for, mother cats that looked like they'd just given birth, kittens - all so scrawny and hungry. Open live chicken shops added a special smell to it, where some cats were gifted with pieces.
The people were nice, smiley, and poorly cared as well. They greeted the tourists and tried to lure them into their shops to do business. Their eyes shone with the anticipation of a price battle, one to sell and the other to buy. This back and forth seemed like a fire that fueled them.
The tight streets were covered with sheets and wooden boards, to keep out the sun and provide shade.
In spite of the poverty, they smiled and seemed happy. Eating their bread and sharing it with the cats.
The street lights were beautifully designed, there were many fountains where people came with bottles to fill them and some washed some body parts. Also at the Souks there were some water deposits quite similar to barrels where people came to get water for drink and hygiene.
The Souk is biiiiiiiiig. Many streets, so many shops, it's a maze, but I never got lost, it's easy to find the way back.
Lots of different shops, leather, rafia, necklaces, bracelets, rings, scarfs, sheets, blankets, shirts, pants, dresses, shoes and sandals, bags, and much more. Ah, and of course, knockoffs of famous and expensive brands.
And this was my first day in Marrakech.
What a tiring first day, I walked miles in those Souks. Back to the Riad where yet another bath awaited me, and the swimming pools.
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