Cruise Port - Casablanca and trip to Marrakech

 Casablanca and trip to Marrakech 

When we unloaded from the cruise ship we could not find our tour guide.  Even worse, no one's cell phones would work.  Luckily with a little help and calling around from some kind tour guides we got a ride to the outside entry where we found our driver.  

I remember an old Crosby, Stills, and Nash song, "Don't you know you're riding on the Marrakech Express".   I guess this was our Marrakech Express.    

Casablanca is a large city with terrible traffic.  It has mostly white cement buildings.   

The people wore a blend of Western clothes and women with covered heads and long dresses.  

The drive from Casablanca to Marrakech is about 3.5 hours.  As you move away from the city the landscape get browner and browner, much like the desert it is.  

We took a gas and bathroom break on the way.  Looks like Starbucks is doing well all over the world.  This is the first instant Starbucks machine I've seen.  

Each little village has a tower with a spire on it.  I later found out this is a Mosque or place of worship.  

In the small villages you can still still people wearing long robes tending their sheep, and people with horse drawn wagons working the fields and on the streets.

Marrakech

Marrakech became a city about 1000 AD, when they dug a well about 20 miles away in the mountains, followed by more wells. This formed an underground river and conduit for water to Marrakech.  In Marrakech they built an underground reservoir with a Mosque on top of the reservoir.  

The reservoir also feeds a park adjacent to the Mosque.  (Now street vendors line the park way)

Marrakech is a medium size city with a lot of growth.  I noticed the color of the buildings was mostly brown.  

In the city I noticed a BUNCH of motorcycles. 

This street in the old part of the city around the shops reminded me of the part in Indiana Jones where he is fighting a guy dressed like an Arabian Shiek .

Ryan took his family on a camel ride.  Here Karen is posing with the camel.  

Our guide took use to a spice and tea shop.  A guy gave us an overview of some of the spices and sample of tea.  (My guess is that it was his buddy's shop.  It worked, several of us bought things.) 

Our guide took us on a tour of a palace a Prime Minister built for hie 4th wife, Bahia.  At that time polygamy was permitted up to 4 wives.  It was built in the 1800's and added to by his son. 

We stopped for a little snack of some pita type bread with a variety of toppings,  (butter, jam, honey, olive oil, almond butter, and olives.) 

Bryson got serenaded by a street musician.  

In old days they had monks, or Water Carriers.  They would give you a drink and a blessing.  In turn you were expected to put a little money in their pouch.  They still have these guys but the tip is mainly for a picture . 

Last minute sales SWARM 

Ryan wanted to get rid of some Moroccan money when we stopped for a break at a gas station.  Outside there were guys selling seeds and little trinkets.  Once Ryan paid attention to these guys they were swarmed.  I think Ryan and Kim ended up buying some things. 

It was very interesting that next to the gas station was a little playground for kids.  Notice the white building in the background.  

They had a little building for prayers.  I saw a guy take off his shoes and enter the building and pray on the prayer rug.  The people have a deep religious conviction.  

The next picture is from the Cruise Ship leaving Casablanca.