158. Big World, Small Country

Marrakesh

The plan for today was to do what we didn't yesterday...

Sun rose at some point, I presume, Audrey got up, threw up in toilet, that wasn't in the plan. New plan = no plan.

Spent some time chatting with neighbours, amazing life story with a twist so shocking I am still reeling. Actually was chatting to her as, on learning he is a retired University History Professor I lent him our copy of Uncle Graeme's wonderful book Big World, Small Country this morning and he has been reading it continually since and extremely complimentary which comes as no surprise. We picked up six five litre bottles of water for them on our supermarket trip this evening and learned that he was still reading Graeme's book.

Roman scored the neighbours nearly new Nespresso which they have replaced due to it leaking. He spent a happy time removing screws to fix it but, frustratingly, it seems to be glued together. Tomorrow we will get tougher on it.

Audrey spent a happy day, in her pyjamas, doing craft, with no repeats.

157. Everyone is going somewhere

Marrakech

Stephanie, Ian, Geoff Ridley
Looks hard enough for you?

Today we were to visit the Majorelle Gardens, took all day to get organised, arrived half an hour before it closed at six pm - end of blog.

It is amazing the vehicles that come and go through this camp each day. Most impressive are the over engineered, massive, 4WD trucks with half a metre of ground clearance, a shed on the back and tyres half a metre wide. These vehicles fall into two groups:

1. Mostly these trucks are pampered as my Disco with about the same off road experience accumulated, automatic stairs and natty cupboards and devices everywhere driven by stylish chaps with lovely light brown desert boots and khaki shorts with something African looking rakishly wrapped round their head, sporting perfect designer stubble.
2. Occasionally weathered looking trucks looking like it would be a mercy for someone to take a sawn down Lee Enfield and shoot an unrepairable hole in the engine block. These people I assume would have wonderful stories and experiences to share but unfortunately for me, in general, don't speak English

These vehicles are interspersed on the road, fifty to one, by infant motorhomes with a combined age of the two occupants well over a hundred and fifty years and four inches of ground clearance before their automatic levelling jacks strike the ground. These people are running away from the winter and make up eighty percent of the campground inhabitants. Caravans are quite unusual down here.

156. Online

Marrakech

This title is an oxymoron 

The children have discovered the joys of ebooks, thanks to the public library which we are still current. Five pound plus kindle books were being devoured in under a day and hard to seperate the wheat from the chaff when searching (the chaff is dreadful). Library books are screened by librarians - thank you librarians, you are, in my experience, always wonderful. The net result was the three older children glued to computers but reading e-books, Big Nate particularly popular with a lot off laughing out loud. Audrey for example in thirty six hours read three Big Nate's and four David Williams books; Boy in the Dress; Mr Stink; Ratburger; Billionaire Boy and Born to Run by Michael Morpurgo.  The David Williams books include hilarious illustrations by Tony Ross. Eight books in maybe thirty six hours, all for a bit of 4G data. The range of books available is impressive.

I washed our sheets and duvet cover though the duvet cover was too much for our little twin tub portable washing machine then on nightfall Jacqueline, Roman and I went back to the huge supermarket. Roman armed with receipt, ready to engage the supermarket over missing components on his toy sniper rifle, purchased, I later realised, after the shocking Florida School Shooting which gave me some thought. Audrey and Fyfe had bought cowboy guns and I was at max supermarket - that is my defence, weak as it is.

The supermarket staff liaison man was great and he and Roman discussed the toy and examined the box to establish what was missing. After a green official sticker was stuck to the box Roman and man investigated other boxes and established that none of the toys had the target image projection system  (basically a light shining though a plastic slide) electronics installed in the telescopic sight. Roman and the man agreed that it should be included but wasn't. Roman elected to keep the toy rather than a refund.

We staggered (Disco'ed) home with forty litres of water, bags of oranges and other provisions. 

155. What's that smell?

Marrakesh Médina

Medersa Ben Youssef was our intended target to visit yesterday afternoon however we struggled to locate it from the get go. The problem being that if you pause or stop, driving or walking, there is immediately someone offering to help you. Taking directions in any country is a dubious exercise as, without the constraint of accountability, people don't receive the necessary feedback. Norfolk UK people for example are, in my experience, helpful and obviously lost themselves. Young men in Marrakech are extremely engaging and helpful but more interested in the tip which regardless of the size when given look appalled at their open hand and say it is not enough. I fell for this once and after being shown the way for about two minutes gave enough for ten loaves of bread (at European prices). On reflection, instead of doubling I should have taken the money back.

Turned out he had taken us to the wrong place anyway. The parking touts are the same and yesterday I fell for it stopping eight hundred metres short. It would be simpler to stay focused/less gullible were I not equipped with a team of travel advisers onboard. After wandering a multitude of alleys we ended up at the Marakesh Museum with an entry equal to fourteen euro. The building itself is lovely with internal courtyards but the displays unengaging.  I commented to Jac that were I allowed to take what I wanted I would leave empty handed. Looking at our DK Eyewitness Guide now, which we didn't have with us at the time, it agrees and I quote While the museums exhibits are generally unengaging - the rotating collection includes ceramics and a thin collection of traditional crafts - the building itself is splendid. Couldn't agree more, lovely shed, crap displays.

After this we wandered the alleys with all the fantastic stalls and shops. Scarf suckage stopped us for awhile then camel souvenirs (Audrey ended up with three (these guys are professionals (we are like lambs to them))). Reeling away from the souvenir man we got sucked into a spice shop by the typically engaging young man sporting a Bieber.

Audrey's camel stall

Perfumery & Spices

The perfumes are pure blocks of Sandalwood / Amber / and many others I can't remember, that you rub directly onto the skin. He mixed a tiny bit of a white crystal with warm water which we sniffed, blowing our sinuses, turned out to be menthol. The children sat on a lovely side bench munching filled baguettes that I had pre-made (Audrey able to dose) while he worked on Jacqueline. I bought premixed tanginess spice Jacqueline bought an Amber perfume stick and Iris, Argan soap.

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154. Charmed, I'm sure

Jemaa El Fna - Marrakech Market 

The offending part

Handed over the keys and walked away

Another round of online maths for kids before departure made us a little later departing than planned but being the new year we do need a little focus.

Set the GPS for the Mosque in the middle of Marrakech as that strategy has served us well to date. Kept driving past many parking touts waving us into parks. One of them was good enough to point out we had just entered a one way street requiring us to back up twenty metres. Everyone outside the car was very good natured about it (thanks Apple Maps for that blunder).

Moroccan water snake

Observed a parking sign two hundred metres outside the centre square and headed into it to find cars stacked in six deep. Smiling attends happily waved us out and as we departed, they buried the Disco within, only upturned Teasel marking the Disco's location.

Cobra

Found us in cellphone ally so I headed into a random stall and asked if they could attend to the dodgy charger socket on my iPhone. The attendant opened a cupboard at the back onto a little workshop with a tech ensconced within and they replaced the offending socket in about ten minutes for one hundred and fifty dirham which was very fair.

Our Eyewitness Guide had warned us that the vendors in the market would be pushy but it was beyond anything I had ever experienced.  Incredibly friendly and right in your face it was pretty overwhelming. Phones, watches, henna painting, jewellery, pottery, toys, food, juices, it was a constant bombardment. I never felt intimidated our threatened but it certainly was overwhelming.

The children had their eyes peeled for snakes and monkeys and I now know how snake charmers work. It ain't the snakes they charm. Before I knew it I was under their spell, snake draped around my neck. Over time all the children plucked up the courage to handle the snakes though by the time the boys were relaxed enough to handle the snakes I think Audrey was considering the joy of having  snake as a pet. During all this I was gently persuaded to hand over more cash than I would have thought possible for such entertainment but on reflection I do not begrudge them at all. It was great fun and a real experience.

Viper

Back at camp,
his one looks OK
for cooking our dinner

Whenever someone got too close to the vipers they reared up in an alarming fashion. The cobra sat erect at all times and the men were very vigilant that we did not get close to it. If they waved their hand at it it would sway forward in an alarming fashion. Online I see that a Jamaa el Fna charmer died after being bitten by his snake four years ago.

Audrey was observed to have a monkey on her shoulder which was more that one parent could stand, as we have read that their bites are very infectious. 

153. Cleaning, counting, providing

Marrakech

Roman in photo escape mode

Laundry, Maths Buddy & Supermarket defined our day.

Supermarket is like any other around the world however the Louis Vuitton shop and other like surrounding the mall showed that this is where the other half (0.01%) shop.

I felt that I am being fleeced in the local souk so very keen to reenter the fray armed with the 2018 price guide above as I think I was paying ten times this recommended guide. 

152. Village People

Marrakesh

While yarning to Jennifer this morning a Moggy popped on to my lap. As he was sporting a collar and in excellent condition the children and I were all over him.

Dragged the family, reluctantly out on a bike ride to the local village. I went twice yesterday and it is wonderful, full of tiny alleys between precarious looking buildings. There is a lot of building going on in the village using a lightweight concrete block. All looks substantial once plastered over but it really isn't.  While biking in the village today some children grabbed Jacqueline's bike, in a friendly manner and asked for money. Jacqueline wasn't concerned, I didn't see it, but I did hear the telling off the children received from a number of villagers. I understand that the King and government have made it clear that tourism is valuable to Moroccans.

We didn't get into the village till about two so the markets were packed up but we had a explore and bought some very nice local pastries.

This campsite feels like an oasis as the surrounding land is very bony and overgrazed.

At about five I cycled back into the village for dinner provisions, fruit etc and returned delighted with the whole experience.

The Souk Market this evening