One of the dream destination during this trip. Breakthrough Africa continent. Decided to go the south dulu then moving up north due to cost effective rather than conservative direction from north to south.
Passing from europe to africa. Marrakesh airport slightly strict on the immigration, but as long as transparent its OK.
Upon arriving Morocco, terus pergi ATM machine bank Al-Barid due to no commission / most least withdrawal commission fee (in 2024). Draw using Wise to add more greater exchange rate benefit.
Look for the color scheme nak senang cam brand bank
Airport Marrakesh ni tak jauh dari bandar. Dalam 20 minit sampai central area. We decided to stay at Jemaa al-fna senang nak turun jalan2. The hostel is good and the hospitality from the Moroccan is superb, not only in Marrakesh, but anywhere within this country.
3 person en-suite, with breakfast, around RM86/person/night
Sikit struggle musim panas ni aircond tak kuat, but for the price of the hostel, we care less to complaint. Bila masuk waktu solat, penuh orang sampai lorong2 bawah hostel ni, tak muat ruang prayer room.
Due to our missed flight tragedy in Lisbon yesterday, we all rushed touring Jemaa el-Fnaa as much as we can sebab nak cover balik rugi sehari.
day 1.marrakesh
We started with local cuisine, couscous based food. Aku tak berapa gemar tapi ayam dia lembut, mana2 pun sampai habis trip Morocco ni ayam/kambing dia lembut disebabkan cara pemasakan.
Behold the mint tea not your ordinary mint tea. Lebih kasar dan lebih refreshing/less minty rasa dia. If observed carefully the tea soaked with this mint akan jadi slight cloudy. Tak jumpa yang jual export ke negara kita. We drink a lot of this more than air kosong during our visit to this country.
After lunch, toured the great Jemaa el Fnaa , the great bazaar macam2 ada. I would defined it as near but not full as tourist trap because depend on how you negotiation skill. The highlighted goes to;
- the fruit stall yang competing next each other sampai kasi sample free dah cukup boleh hilang dahaga. harga consider ok not like hipster price.
- multiple snake charmer (only late evening start), tapi tak boleh ambil gambar.
- food court (only late evening start), but we prefer to pay more to stay on roof top to take benefit observing the market on scenic view.
- local argan soap (dalam bentuk paste form). timbang or bottle size. murah teruk hari2 mandi pakai sabun argan masa di morocco.
- Jual signboard arts, tak jumpa di bandar2 lain di Morocco.
- Local commodities harga ok macam normal shop, such as nuts, mint and spices. Yang mahal is food and mid-tier and above punya souvenir.
- Budaya menjual dah diterapkan kepada anak2 kecil. duduk berdekatan guardian jual small scale barang2,
- Stall promoters at the food court during night time can be aggressive to invite you to their stalls.
Jemaa el-fnaa (daytime) - click and enlarged the picture!
Jemaa el-fnaa (night time) click and enlarged the picture!
He have our lunch on one of the roof top restaurant di Jemaa el-fnaa, obviously pricy compare to outskirt punya stall. Having my first Tagine based meal. Common tagine is lemon/citron poulet/chicken. Desert common is orange cut tabur cinnamon. Sedap punya combination boleh buat kat rumah. Masa arrive Morocco tak makan olive, habis trip Morocco, makan olive dah macam cicah sos tomato. mesti kena ambil gigit for supplementing the main dishes.
Tak sempat round habis betul2 jemaa el-fnaa sebab Lisbon tragedy (missed flight)
day 2.marrakesh
Lewat malam habis pusing Jemaa el-fnaa, aku buka klook/viator cari affordable trip outskirt Marrakesh yang boleh pergi banjaran Atlas. Jumpa harga sekitar seratus ringgit full day all aboard. Pagi2 van dia datang kutip berdekatan dengan hostel. Aku pergi sorang, Aaron nak in-depth lagi Marrakesh museum and such, Ayie nak lepak city.
Trip to outskirt like 1.30 hours if tak trafik jem. Transit to local souvenir factory intro on argan soap dan honey/herbal drink. Free to taste.
The move on to Sitti Fadma at Ourika Valley around 70km dari Jemaa el fnaa. Along the hilly mountain path ada sungai panjang dimana local tourist picnic beside the river. Walaupun summer, cuaca tak humid berbanding di Jemaa el Fnaa dan breeze of wind. Trek all the way up to the mountain dalam 2 jam sebelum descend from another route. The trekking route is casual but just prepare water or buy from local. The local shop cooled their canned drinks by converting the water point from the river itself into continuous water spray.
Habis trekking turun dan chill mint tea at local shop near the river. celup kaki sejuk air walaupun musim panas.
Tagine is everywhere and consider cheap for the size and the content of the meal.
Ourika valley is beautiful with background Atlas range.
Sebelah petang upon arriving back from the city, round the southern side of Jemaa el-fnaa. much more cheaper price compare to central/north Jemaa el-fnaa. For shoppaholics, aku rasa kena 2 hari duduk Jemaa el-fnaa dan explore.
Having dinner at local restaurant which serve cheaper tagine and mint tea almost 30% reduction from tourist trap area. Orang makan tagine dengan roti, kita makan lauk sahaja!
click and enlarged the picture!
day 3.marrakesh
pagi2 dah packing for long trip 600km to the north to Tangier, transit by Casablanca. Pagi2 pun dah ada local bus banyak ke train station. All kena cash. We observed ramai homeless in the park during our way to the train station.
