TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

We had hammam in Club Med which is located right inside the Medina and just a stone's throw away from the Koutobia Minaret. After the hamman we lounged a bit at the pool with our cocktail drinks in hand when we heard the minaret calling again its devotees to pray. Seriously, in Morocco there is noise pollution but people accept it as a way and part of life. It is religion. It is culture. One must respect it, even us. Video taken in Club Med Marrakech here: A 1-minute footage of us lazing in the pool of Club Med in the heart of Marrakech Medina with the Koutobia Minaret calling its devoted followers to pray. It was quite a surreal experience really with all the European ladies clad in bikinis while some even went topless? Oh dear. Topless in a Muslim country. How is that? And to hear the screeching call to prayers in the background... um, if it was me I would feel awkward doing the topless thing. It just does not fit. Well at least, all this happened inside the Club Med resort. Here...

After our morning tea with the Berber family , we went camel gazing. Yes, camel gazing indeed Blondine was not excited to mount on the camels as she can’t separate the association of camel and sand, or the desert. There were no sand in the mountains that’s why, but the 2 Australian girls living in London temporarily on a foreign exchange program had a blast with the beautiful doe eyed animals. The 2 Australian girls on a very short camel ride.   Mint and Argan oil Next on the program is a visit to a medicinal garden. The group had a quick educational tour of the small herbal garden while I took refuge inside the shop building. I was cold and my legs were trembling! The weather has gone worse, the rain showers didn’t stop and we are only seeing fog. Nevertheless, we learned about Argan oil (from the Argan tree that is found in North Africa), how it is processed traditionally as well as its cosmetic and medicinal value. It is said that the Argan tree is now e...

Souqs are all over Marrakech (or spelled as Marrakesh). The biggest one is located at the back of the Djemma el Fna square. It is enormous, it’s like a universe in there and you can quickly get lost if you do not pay any attention. Our trick was to memorise our turns and to take note of easy landmarks, for example a special shop or a doorway arch. Herbs, spices and minerals. Blondine and I at the ceramic shop where she bought her tajine crock. I must say though that it is quite thrilling to get lost in the souqs. That’s the adventurous me speaking there, haha. Blondine hates getting lost though, she gets terrified at the thought of it. In fact, we got lost but we have a map and it was short lived as well. We found quickly our way back to the main streets. The main streets of the souqs are easy to distinguish (and find) because they are a chaos—the rush and hush of people and vendors touting their wares and foods on the narrow streets. Although there are many quiet alleyways in the souq...