Hammam, Horses, Gifts & Goodbyes

by Lena

Musee de Marrakech

After an amazing 3 day trek into the Sahara , Marrakech greeted me with a gorgeous surprise …

My new-found friend Mustapha, presented me with gorgeous Moroccan earrings for my 28th Birthday …

wearing them while in Cairo

As it turned out he also turned 28 but on 28th of March… a day after my Birthday..

I went to my room and got a friendship bracelet from Zanzibar, which I have taken with me for occasions such as this one.

I decided to spend my last couple of days in Marrakech by visiting several other historic sights, walking the streets under the rain,

eating delicious street food, exploring nightlife and getting lost in the colorful maze of this passionate city.

But first, my body and soul needed a serene place after several days of traveling.

Somewhere where I could relax,

indulge and renew my senses.

I found that perfect place…

No visit to Marrakech is full without treating yourself to a day at a Hammam.

Since I was roughing it for the past 3 days I opted for a more luxurious experience..

It’s tucked away from the busy & loud streets into peaceful paradise behind the proud gates of Medina, opposite The Royal Palace.

Welcome to

Le Bains de Marrakech

As soon as I walked in I knew I made the right decision.. I decided to choose a 45 minute Traditional Moroccan body scrub with black soap & 1 hour of Draining massage for a total price of $ 60

As soon as you walk in,  you can feel the peaceful energy of this place and top notch customer service.

They handed me the key to my locker …

number

…

for a newly 28 year old …

could not resist to sneak a picture in the mirror

 I changed into my bathing suit and was given a robe and shown to the area where you wait for your scrub. While listening to the soothing sounds of exotic music, drinking their complimentary mint tea and relaxing..

you can also relax or swim in their outdoor pool…

In about an hour I walked into an actual Hammam area for the much needed post Sahara full body scrub.. : )

after which I was shown to my private relax area …

in about 15 minutes a beautiful lady dressed in silks came in and asked me to follow her.

I walked barefoot down a long corridor with rose pedals, towards the candlelit staircase which showed me the way to the second floor…

A place where I completely lost sense of time …

I was reborn…

After magnificent couple of hours I was ready to explore the rest of the magical Marrakech …

… sand  free : )

Saadiens Tombs

Madersa Ben Youssef

“Matreshka of Windows”

and while I was exploring the stunning architecture and mosaics of Madersa Ben Youssef.. I felt like I was being watched …

I thought ” Oh, no, did that guy from my first day in Marrakech finally tracked me down .. ? “

I looked around… saw no one …

but sill could feel that weird feeling of being watched …

Then I looked up

and saw …

” The Eyes Of Marrakech ” spying on me

After my visit to Ben Youssef I decided to hire a horse carriage to La Menara..

The wind was caressing my face, the impatient sounds of steel sparked and echoed into another tune of the endless music..

Like the Yin Yang, this music carried me through the chaotic streets of Marrakech into the peacefulness of the La Menara gardens …

When the sky are clear you can see all the way to the Atlas Mountains.. Maybe on my next visit I’ll be lucky to capture them.

  On the way out I stopped to buy a couple souvenirs at a local gift shop…

Young lad greeted me with a surprised look on his face and smiled, followed by ;

” Oh wow! I remember you! I saw you dancing at the Jemma el Fna a few nights ago, I have never seen anyone dance so good “

” There’s nowhere to hide in this town ..” ~ thought to myself and smiled.

He said he enjoyed my dancing so much that I can choose any item in his store as a gift …

I chose a pair of Moroccan style earrings and bought a few earrings and bracelets for gifts as well with my special “dancer discount” …

When I came out of the gardens my carriage with 2 beautiful white horses, proudly and patiently waited for me by the road…

As we were flying through the streets I felt a first rain drop on my cheek..

I didn’t mind.. in fact, for some reason it felt incredibly liberating and instead of waiting it out at my favorite cafe,

decided to get out of the carriage near Jemaa el fna.

I threw away my worn out map and ran through the streets under the pouring rain without a clue of where they might lead me…

Soon the sounds of chaos in the endless parade of alleyways were replaced by the sounds of joy and laughter of drenched kids running by ..

A woman clothed in a mysterious black burka smiled at me with her dark eyes while trying to maintain her proud and composed demeanor…

The rain was washing away the difference between our very different cultures and in that short moment we were the same…

we were two young women caught in the rain…

I finally stopped at some souvenir shop and watched as rainy Marrakech ran by me.

As soon as the rain stopped I continued my walk through the never ending labyrinth.

It led me to my next stop ~

Kosybar…

and yes, just like the name says .. it has a very cozy and intimate atmosphere inside, with unique decor, dimmed lighting, several floors,

live band and sparkling champagne…

Interestingly enough the singer was American and used to live and work in California, but moved to Marrakech and now works in Kozy Bar.

Small world ..

He sang happy Birthday to me and out of nowhere a guy comes up, hands me a leather box and says ” Happy Birthday, this is for you “

I was stunned..

Since I always had a thing for cigars, but haven’t smoked one in 3.5 years, I thought that, that was it.. it’s my last night here and my Birthday is a perfect excuse …

It turned out to be a very beautiful pen …

On my last day I visited the Museum of Marrakech …

Walked to the Historical Monument Almoravid Qoubba

Explored the streets

Marrakech is full of surprises ..

The Souks

As I was making my way through the abundance of Souks with colorful scarves, wraps, leather goods and exotic scents of natural perfume

I spotted something rather unusual..

In fact, something that I have never seen before in my life …

Here’s a question for you my readers ~

Can you make cedarwood necklace for luck with your foot? …

Well, he can! Welcome to Marrakech…

his father , his grandfather and his great grandfather were masters of the same art …

I stood there speechless… It took him about 5 minutes to finish it and he handed it to me without asking anything in return,

quietly saying

” Luck for you “

I was touched to the core of my soul and inspired by his spirit ..

said thank you and continued to walk towards Jemaa el Fna…

however my legs brought me back to that man…

I gave him my last Dirhams

and said goodbye

…

I finally reached De Foucauld Square near Jemaa el Fna

walked through the snake charmers and henna ladies who kept trying to henna me every time I walked by

Had my last mint tea on a second floor of a nearby cafe…

Peace & Chaos of Marrakech

An incredible sadness took over … a few more hours until my departure … I got very quiet …

 My new friend, Adnan from Ando Voyage gave me a ride to the Airport…

Said goodbye to another friend of mine that I made here, Muhamed, got in a car and we drove off in the direction of Airport

Felt an unbearable knot in my stomach..

Adnan, sensing that I was about to cry was trying to talk to me about my next visit to Marrakech, gave me a souvenir and told me that I’m always welcome here…

I couldn’t say a word…

and then just broke down..

I wasn’t just leaving behind the incredible country, I was leaving behind the people who made me feel so welcomed and loved…

You know they say home is not where you live, but where you are understood ..

I felt like I was leaving home..

I always feel this way in Africa..

Have you ever had this feeling ? And if yes, with what country?

Maybe the answer is as simple as those 4 words…

Road Is My Home

…

M, Tu me manques

_____________________

 The woman behind the words …

↓

” Memories “

Internet Movie Data Base

Official Website