Back in Marrakech - Thursday, 22^nd March, 2007…… It was a long journey back to Marrakech. As the tickets for Supratour coach was sold out. We left no choice but to take the local bus. Slightly cheaper, but you get what you pay for!

 

On the way, we stopped by a town - a different pit stop from the one when we came to Essaouira. A Moroccan woman with 2 kids came on the bus to beg for money. She was piggybacking her son and her daughther following at the back. The girl came to us and asked ‘Des Bonbons’. I looked at her and my first thought was she has got really pretty eyes. We gave her some sweets and she left. I still regret that I didn’t take a potrait of her as she has got amazingly pretty eyes! It’s quite a sympathetic sight that the level of poverty is quite high over here.

 

After 4 hours on the bus, that was it. We arrived at our riad. This time, it’s Dar Dallah. It’s another nicely decorated riad, owned by a French guy, Patrick. He was really friendly and gave us all the good tips of where to eat. About 45 minutes later, we were out and about again.

We decided to choose Dar Mimoun (one of the restaurants recomended by Patrick) for dinner. It’s a riad that has been established for a while with very nice settings. The food served is traditionally Moroccan. We shared a Pastilla for starter followed by Lamb Tagine as main and finished with a very simple (too simple) Moroccan dessert - Orange with Cinnamon.We strolled back to the square. A cup of Veirvene infusion, it’s time to call it another day!

Being tourists; thus touristic sights - Friday, 23^rd March, 2007…….It was in Dar Dallah that we woke up this morning. Today was gonna be the day to be real tourists. After our Moroccan petit dejeuner at the terrace we headed to a newsagent nearby Djemma el-Fna to buy ‘The Original Marrakech Sightseeing Tour’. The bus departs every 30 minutes from Djemma el-Fna and goes around all the touristic spots such as Jardin Majorelle, La Palmeraie, Palais El-Badi, Saadin Tombs, Palais de la Bahia and the list goes on. We stopped at Cafe de la Poste for lunch. It is an old cafe but looks really classy.

 

If you come to Morocco, you shouldn’t give the orange juice a miss. It’s freshly squeeze, it’s pure orange juice! Arnaud had grilled sardine whereas it was Provençal tart with prawns for me. Look at them, aren’t you drolling now. After a long lunch, we hopped on the bus to continue the tour.

As the evening approached, we were getting ready for dinner. Le Foundouk was recommended by Patrick. We didn’t know about this at first as we told him we wanted to try Dar Moha. He said that it was over-priced. For the same standard or better, Le Foundouk is highly recommended. He was right. We were amazed once we got in the restaurant. The ambience was chic yet not overemphasised.

We had cocktails as appretif. It was supposed to follow by a starter but we both forgot to order after being much absorbed with the surroundings. Chicken Tagine for Arnaud and Couscous with 7 vegetables for me. I couldn’t believe that I nearly finished the couscous. It was served in a big portion and it was very very filling! Desserts were not a miss for both of us. We shared a French dessert - pistachio crème brûlée and a Moroccan dessert - orange with cinnamon. This time, the Moroccan dessert didn’t disappoint us. It was well presented and portion was bigger. After being pampered with good food, it was time to go back to the riad for a good night sleep after a good meal to welcome another new day and sad to say that it was the last night in Marrakech.

  

Make the most on the last day - Saturday, 24^th March, 2007……We decided to attend a half day cooking lesson at La Maison Arabe. It started at about 10am. We spent the first hour learning what Moroccon cuisine is all about and some tips in Moroccan cooking. They do use some of the spices that are used in Indian cooking as well. Then, followed by hands-on session to prepare Moroccan salad and Chicken with lemon Tagine. It wasn’t that difficult though. The final result was good. We enjoyed what we had cooked.

 

We spent the afternoon shopping. Bought some really nice lanterns from the craft centre Ensemble Artisanal on Avenue Mohammed V. This is where you don’t have to worry about the price as it’s controlled by the government. Thus, no bargaining expertise is required.

 

Hammam was next. Went to Hammam Ziani which was recommended on Tripadvisor. Over here, there are seperate rooms for men and women. It was quite a strange experience to have Hammam - it started with soaping then spent about 15 minutes in the steam room. I had to rinse before entering to another room where a Moroccan lady started to scrub my whole body. It was good as I thought all the dead skins would be gone and left me with a velvety skin! Massaging was next. They used a special oil called Argan oil. Apparently, it’s very popular in Morocco. Shower was the next step. It took about an hour to have all these done. So invigorating after the Hammam!!

 

We were walking towards Djemma el-Fna and suddenly a familiar name of a restaurant/bar caught our attention - Kosybar. Since it was such a coincidence, we thought we would go in for drinks and to enjoy the sunset at the terrace.

Our last dinner in Marrakech was at Chez Chergrouni. It’s near to the square, that’s why we opted for it as we needed an early night before flying back to London the next morning. This time to Chez Chergrouni, we were less enthusiatic with the menu as we had tried much better ones! However, we didn’t complain much as we needed to fill our stomach. There were 2 ladies sitting just next to our table. It was probably their first time to Chez Chergrouni thus a remark by one of them who was having the chicken tagine - ‘This is amazingly delicious’… Uh huh, are you sure? You should venture out of this place!

 

Sunday, 25th March, 2007……..Last chance to see Djemma el-Fna and the surroundings. We took a taxi and made our way to the airport. The holiday was over. This time to Morocco was really an eye-opening experience. I have learnt about the local people, not only from the aspect of food, but culture, and lifestyle. Few bits on negative side but overall, it’s good and invaluable! Next trip to Morocco, perhaps the desert experience?

Everything is back to normal now. We are back from Morocco. And it is time to get my blog updated with all the interesting experiences of our short 5 days stay in Morocco.

 

Monday, 19th March, 2007 - Arrival in Marrakech………..Left work early to go back and get our baggages before heading to Victoria Station then to Gatwick Airport. It was quite worrying to see a bit of snowfall when we were at the airport. We were praying that the snow wouldn’t stay and that the flight would be as per schedule. The snow stopped 10 minutes after, which was a relief!

 

The 3-hour flight with Royal Air Maroc finally landed us at Ménara International Airport, local time was past midnight. It was quite an overwhelming sensation and sight for me when I was checking out the surroundings on our way to the Riad (Wikipedia: A Riad, رياض‎ is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden.) It seems to me that this city is non-existence - the buildings, the scenery, the environment and the people. It looks more like a film set to me. But, it is real that I have to believe that I was in Marrakech.

 

The driver stopped us at Djemma el Fna and we were met by a guy with a charette who then led us to our riad - Riad Azzar, which is in the Médina. We walked through the alleyways, passed the souks that were shut during this time. Some people were still in the streets and it wasn’t quite a safe feeling if we were on our own without knowing where exactly we were heading to.

 

I could feel the tranquillity when I stepped in Riad Azzar. The riad was nicely lit up with Moroccan traditional lanterns, which made a calm and romantic ambience. The night guard guided us to our suite. Every little step was filled with excitement and anticipation.

 

The room looks exactly like what we saw in the pictures. It’s nicely decorated, very charming! We both felt quite tired after all the travel and the amazement along the way. So, it was time to hit the sack and with much anticipation for the following day.

 

Let’s get the adventure started - Tuesday, 20^th March, 2007…..Chirping of the birds woke us up instead of the bustling vehicles. Sense of tranquillity immediately kicked in and I just felt like taking my time before getting the adventure started in Marrakech. 

 

To have breakfast at the terrace was a total new experience. Simple but nice Moroccan breakfast was served - fresh orange juice, Moroccan-style Crêpes with selections of confiture, yoghurt, and tea. It was such a luxury for us to be off the daily routine and to enjoy our breakfast at the terrace! The terrace has a mixed of traditional and chic design.

Walking through the souks in the morning was totally different from the night - lively yet messy. Motorbikes, bicycles and carriages could come at any directions. Pedestrians do not have much priority on the street over here. Honking of vehicles and streaming noises were probably the highlights.

There were so many things to see at the souks. However, the only irritating point of being in the souks is that once they spot you being a non-local, they would try their best to persuade you to buy something. I read on the internet I should know this: ‘Non, merci.’ on my fingertips if I don’t wish to buy. It worked but some of them just ignored hearing this after a while.

 

At one point at the square, a Moroccan woman came to ask if I want to have henna applied on my hand. I said ‘Non, merci’. She didn’t seem to care about it but stared to have the henna applied on my hand with a flowery design. I tried to free my hand but she was holding my hand with force that it seemed impossible. After a few attempts, I managed to get my hand off hers. It was done halfway, she demanded for money. I offered her a few Dirhams and she was put off by it. She demanded for more! We explained that we didn’t have any more money. I could see the dissatisfaction and frustration. We walked away after that and I was fuming. I wiped away the henna, cursing….

 

My impression of the local people plunged dramatically, which made me question whether they are all the same. They don’t robe you, but indirectly, they do!

 

We went to Café de France (at the terrace) for mint tea to cool down and to have a break. Over here, you get a very nice view of Djemma el Fna. It is very breathtaking while sipping mint tea.

Lunching at the nearby restaurant, called Chez Chergrouni was nice during a sunny day like this. The temperature was about 25 Celsius. We started with a fresh Moroccan salad, then Tagine and of course not to give mint tea a miss! So, it was my first Tagine! I had Chicken with Lemon Tagine. It was very delicious I have to say (but this experience of good Tagine didn’t last long after a few other better ones took over!).

More souks in the afternoon and a visit to the Marrakech Museum. I was really impressed with the Islamic design and architecture.

The night fell at about 19:00 hours. Djemma el Fna is a place where it changes its face as the dusk approaches. Some acrobats, fortune tellers, and potion traders can be seen. Furthermore, more than 40 food stalls selling Moroccan specialties i.e. skewers, tagine, grilled seafood and meat, soup, snails and sheep’s head can be found within the square. The stalls are all lit up and turn the square into a liveliest nightspot all year round!

 

We wanted to give the street food a try and my first thought was I would have to choose from so many stalls, which could take a while. I was wrong. They sell the same thing, that’s why the competition was so heat! Forget about having a stroll pass every stall and decide which one to go for. You would never get this priviledge. For all the stalls that we walked pass, we were asked to sit down and have their food and they were better than others. You would never get to choose, they choose for you!

Essaouira - Wednesday, 21^st March, 2007…….We left Riad Azzar to go to Essaouira. It is coastal town, which is about 3 hours away from Marrakech. Luckily we managed to get a coach (Supratour) ticket the night before. It was also a last minute booking for Riad Mimouna.

On the way to Essaouira, we passed a few little towns and villages. The sights of abundant dry lands (not quite desert) and also the Atlas mountain were picturesque. We had a pit stop halfway through the journey.

 

The view of Essaouira was amazing at the first sight, that was when the bus went downhill which allowed us to have our first glimpse of the town. We got off the bus and got the ‘charette’ guy to lead us to the Riad. It was so windy that made it difficult to walk forward! On the way to our Riad, we could hear the waves splashing on the rocks and strong gust of wind, it was like a massive storm! At one point, while passing through an alley, the water splashed passed a high wall barrier that gave us a shock!

Riad Mimouna is nicely located, by the sea. A few minutes away from the Médina, you could enjoy fresh seafood of your choice served in the BBQ way. A selection of cafés and shops can always be seen. I have to admit that the environment in Essaouira was totally different from Marrakech. It’s more relaxing and souks were not in such chaos.

 

Interesting part of the day approached. It’s time for dinner! We went to Restaurant Ferdaous, recommended in the Lonely Planet book. Great starters - baked stuffed vegetables, green pepper and tomatoes salad. As for the mains - Fish Tagines and 7 Vegetables Couscous and they were delicious! Not to forget, the bread. They were freshly baked specially for the restaurant just next door. Best ever I have tasted!

 

When comes to baking, I have to admit I don’t bake that often. My mom used to bake a lot when I was young and it was great to see something nice from the oven and to taste. I thought of the basic Chiffon/Sponge cake that my mom used to bake with ‘pandan’ flavour, it was so yummy. The texture was light, springy and firm.

I got one recipe off the internet yesterday and tried to bake in pandan flavour. The smell of the cake was great but it wasn’t a success. I later found out why - cos there’s butter in it!

The sponge cake over here is different - usually topped with icing or spread with cream. And yes, the texture is like the one I baked yesterday, a bit buttery!

Luckily, I found another recipe before I approached my mom - I thought this recipe should work. So, I baked it about 2 hours ago in orange flavour and finally, that’s what I expected it to be - the light and springy texture.

Most of all, not buttery! I later confirmed with my mom if the way I did was right. However, the way she bakes is a little bit different. She whisks the egg whites and sugar until they are stiff before folding in the yolks then flour. I am gonna try her method next time!

A nice, simple and scrumptious dish that you can make at home:

Ingredients:
salmon steak
handful of spinach
1 clove of garlic (sliced thinly)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
some white wine
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Herbes de Provence to taste
1 tomato (diced)
a few slices of lemon (thinly slice)

 

Dressing:
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt & grounded black pepper
some lemon juice
1 teaspoon of sugar

 

Instructions:
1. Clean the salmon steak.
2. Season it with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Rub the lemon juice & white wine on the salmon.
4. Sprinkle some herbes de provence.
5. Arrange the thinly sliced garlic and lemon on top of the salmon.
6. Put in a tray then into the pre-heated oven at 180 celcius degrees for 10-15 minutes or longer (depending on the thickness of the salmon).
7. For the dressing, mix all the above mentioned ingredients into a bowl. Make sure the sugar is dissolved.
8. When the salmon is almost cooked, prepare the spinach by heating up a pan, put some olive oil then spinach. It takes about 5-7 minutes for the spinach to cook in the pan with the lid on.
9. To serve: place the spinach on a plate, then salmon on top of it. Mix the diced tomato in the dressing and spread them around the salmon. It is ready to be served.