Day 23: Final Hurrah in Marrakesh
As we were nearing the end of our wonderful journey, we decided to take the last day in Marrakesh in stride.
We started off with nearby Koutobia, the majestic minaret towering over the medina. This minaret was very much similar to the Giralda Tower we saw in Sevilla. Since we also wanted to go back and see Jardin Majorelle in the Ville Nouvelle, we took a taxi to the modern city. The drive dropped us off first at the Artisan Center which he recommended for souvenirs. We did not find anything we liked though so we walked around the Gueliz area to find a nice place to eat.
We chanced upon Café du Poste, a nice restaurant serving modern fusion cuisine. We were greeted by a suave maitre’d who we though was more French than Moorish. By this time, we were tajine-ed out and tired of having kebabs that we wanted to have a different fare. Gabs ordered eggs and bacon and I got a fish millefeuille. It was definitely something different from what we’ve been eating for the past days and we were so happy.
We took a look at the more modern parts of the city where there was Zara and other fashion brands. Then we set-off for Jardin Majorelle. On our way there, we were approached by an old man telling us that the Jardin was closed on weekends and we should just go to the mosque since this was open to the public. We followed his advice and set out for the mosque inside the medina but later asked ourselves whether the man was just pulling a prank on us because it was kinda weird that a major sight is closed on weekends when more tourists are in town. Oh well, that’s Morocco for you.
We ended up just getting lost yet again and walking aimlessly around the medina, not finding the mosque. It was okay since by this time, we really were not up for hard core sight seeing anyway. While going around, we even got to see the actual spot where the Morocco photo that we used for our Manila to Morocco Backpacking presentation was actually shot. We just took an easy time exploring the souks and the interior medina then had ice cream while people watching.
At dusk, we headed to the terrace of the Café Argana, overlooking the Djemaa as it started to come to life. Here, we had a great vantage point from where we were able to view the amazing square without being hassled by persistent shopkeepers and wily artists who charged an arm and a leg for a photo. As we watched the scene unfold, we just felt happy to have had this experience of a lifetime. It has been a wonderful ride. But it’s time to go home. We already feel it in the constant cravings for home cooked food and a familiar bed. The trip has put a permanent stamp on us and has cemented that sense of wanderlust that has always been in both of us. But after almost a month of being away, we feel that for now, it is time to go home to family, to friends, to work, to the familiarity of our daily lives. It is time to go back to a life that we will now see with a fresher set of eyes, a perspective now enriched by what we have seen in our Manila to Morocco adventure.
