Riad el Noujoum Marrakech

... sleeping. The terracotta painted cement render almost acts as a urban camoflage amongst the red dirt everywhere…I hope this doesn’t hang around like the red earth from Uluru and Alice Springs, that **** sticks like glue to your clothes fibres.

De retour a marrakech pour recuperer notre compresseur et pour voir le garagiste qui nous a change les joints de la boite de transfert. Lui aussi il nous a fait de la *****. Il n a rien voulu savoir Ne pas aller chez Autoland a Marrakech. On a passe la nuit de dimanche dans le superbe riad de jany et philippe que l on remercie pour leur accueil.

... you kill, if you want to live like the folks on the hill" "Grace & virtue turn into stupidity" "Don't wish it away, don't look at it like its for ever"
Then there's just some nice lines " But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy" "You and me Babe, how about it?"
back in Marrakech, I have my bearings and walk to Riad Jddi, near the bus station ...

... for a week.
Next morning we do the walking tour of the city including the Bahia Palace & more of the souks, including the 'Berber Pharmacy' with its alleged natural cure-alls.
I then take myself off to the Jardin Majorelle which was owned by Yves San Laurent - see the photos.
Tonight was the final group dinner which involves a 'posh' rooftop restaurant but with dreadful service & the world's most overweight belly dancer - these are the things I would rather avoid!

... is organised by On the Go and we are a group of four with a leader (translator) and a cook.
As to be expected, everyone in marrakech is 'my friend' but why would I want to be 'henna'd' or buy piles of junk?
Marrakech is very clean and does not feel at all like North Africa but then it does have wall-to-wall tourist

Arrivee a marrakech de
nuit et direction le relais de marrakech camping plutot agreable, ou
nous avons fait la rencontre de Annie et rene un couple de retraites
de 65 ans et 79 ans avec un land et une superbe peche, tres bonne
rencontre autour d un petit ricard ca faisait trois semaine que l on
avait pas bu d alcool. Mardi visite de la ville et Mercredi direction
Marrakech, Morocco quatrequart

... adventure, finding our destinations closed we headed to the Earth Cafe for a spot of organic vegetarian food for lunch. It was filling and hearty, and quiet expensive but worth it. We now found ourselves in the Kasbah and visiting the Saadian Tombs (next to Kasbah Mosque), this is the resting place of the Saadian princes and were only rediscovered in the early 20th Century. Continuing on to the Palais El Badi, built in 1578 and apparently known as one of ...

... very interesting to walk through, we never actually ever bought anything there. In fact about the only thing we bought was a hat for Fraser from a rather Western-like store. We visited the tanneries, where leather hides are treated and dyed. Pigeon poo is used to treat the hides, so you can imagine there was quite a stench about. While interesting, it didn't seem to be as impressive as the photos we have seen of the tanneries in Fez, which are ...

... next stop was the mosque. We have conflicting data here as we were told by one person it was the second largest mosque in the world and by another person it was the third largest - the largest being in Mecca. Our English speaking guide made sure everyone was appropriately dressed; a couple girls had very short sleeved T-shirts on and had to cover up. We had to take off our shoes when we were inside on the carpeting. The place is ...

... all rooms look out onto. We spent the next 2 days loving the spectacle which is Marrakesh. As the sun sets the real fun begins in the main square, the Djemaa el-Fna. Food stalls are set up everywhere and pretend chefs woo you with promises of good food. Some of the things on offer are sheep/goats heads and snails but most of the fare is delicious stews cooked in a special pot called a Targine. On the fringes of the food stalls there is so much to see ...