Use Your Accent

The first adventure we undertook was a 3hr motorcycle tour…complete with sidecar! I mean, how else would three of us fit?!

We met our guide at some random intersection and climbed aboard!

As we weaved in and out of traffic, I could tell that our driver was certainly being conservative for our sake…and I was grateful! I asked him how many people had fallen off. He claimed “zero”. Then he listed off all the famous people that had taken sidecar tours with the company. This was not totally reassuring.  

We headed pretty quickly out of the Medina (old town) and were greeted by camels, camels, camels! Just standing around, waiting for the next tourist to take a ride!

I felt shocked by how different Marrakesh was out here, but I guess it’s like any big city and its suburbs. Hectic and cramped vs. quiet and spacious. The outskirts of Marrakesh are filled with huge residential complexes, all of which are walled and gated. There were some pretty impressive property entrances! The driver listed off names of the famous owners, but I didn’t know any. Seems as if he had a thing for famous people.

Next stop was the “oasis”, our guide called it a National Park. Long ago, water used to be transported into Marrakesh via aqueducts, through this “oasis”. Today, it is filled with thousands of holes, connected via tunnels. Sounds like a sprained ankle waiting to happen!

Now that we were feeling comfortable and confident, things got wild! We drove back towards the Medina and passed the area where locals shop. Our driver called it a “flea market”. Pretty accurate descriptor, in my opinion. Need a washer? Just stop by this curb over here and make your selection!

Entering the Medina, we were once again greeted by the chaos of the city center. Narrow streets filled with every mode of transportation one could think of, all trying to navigate without any sense of logic or order: bicycles, donkeys, mopeds, cars, trailers, motorcycles, and of course…two female tourists in a sidecar with eyes the size of saucers!

Speaking of donkeys, they are a very common tool used within the Medina. So much so that there is a “donkey hotel” in which owners can leave the donkeys overnight instead of trudging back to farms on the outskirts of town. This sweet pup was guarding his day-boarders!

At one point, our driver parked the motorcycle and told us it was time for a break. But first, he stood us in front of a door and asked us to make some observations:

Why two door knockers? We had no clue. Well…every Muslim household has a door with two knockers. One for the men, one for women and children. The knockers sound different and alert the homeowners as to who’s outside. If a woman planned to answer the door, she could tell by the sound if she needed to don her hijab before opening.

After a few test knocks, which proved to sound unique, we opened the door and found a bakery. It was literally as hot as an oven in there, but the men were working away, rolling out buns by the dozen. Our driver purchased a few and we exited. Did I question the sanitary standards of such a bread sweat-shop? Of course. But when in Marrakesh….

We walked across the lane and entered a beautiful courtyard. A host brought us some mint tea and we dined on tea and sweaty bread!

We finished our snack and then headed back to our motorbike. We rode to yet another random corner and were dropped off to fend for ourselves in the big, bad city of Marrakesh. Eek. This was certainly the highlight of the trip! We saw so many things we never would have, if left to navigate via our own two feet! And the sidecar was pretty comfy, not gonna lie!

I asked L if she wanted to take a camel ride. She politely declined. Maybe next time.