A three hour bus ride brought us to Marrakech…another place that has long been on the list of must-get to destinations. The taxi dropped us near the alleyway and pointed us in the direction of the Riad. We almost made it without assistance, but took a wrong turn and a young man showed us the door ( he wanted 20 dirham in payment!) a bit much for twenty paces worth of guidance!

It’s so easy when you know where you are going. But it has taken us all day to find our way around the alleyways and souks. Following the crowd helped this afternoon and led us to Djemaa el-Fna, a UNESCO site, Marrakech’s main square. Lots of action going on…snake charmers, musicians, fortune tellers and of course lots of hawkers trying to sell their wares. It was chaotic and hot. Most of the action doesn’t start til later in the afternoon, so we will probably go back tomorrow. But we still needed to work out where we were and find our way back to the Riad!

There were so many stalls, possibly more than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and for us the pathways were not so clearly marked. It did give us a chance to see The Dyers souk, which I don’t think we would have found otherwise!

We just kept turning left, until the alleys hit a dead end (or somebody’s house). Thankfully maps showed us where we were and where we were trying to get to! Patience rewarded when we realised our alley was close by, when we recognised a couple of signs and a very tall palm tree! Hooray!

This last picture is of goats in the Argan tree on the way to Marrakech. They evidently collect the droppings afterward and process the oil! A bit hard to see I know, but I think you will get the idea!