After a very enjoyable day at sea, cruising through the Strait of Gibraltar, we arrived at the Moroccan port of Casablanca. It’s a major city, but from what we saw, not terribly interesting. So, instead, we decided to catch a train and go three hours South to the base of the High Atlas mountains. There we found the most colorful, vibrant street life and market we’d ever been to. It was the city of Marrakesh.
As you can see, there are a number of types of food available. Although we didn’t try the sheep’s brain, cooked in its own skull, we did enjoy some very tasty local fares.
More tasty options for the adventurous palate.
This is the epicenter of the amazing street life … Djemaa el Fna.
The square is filled with all kinds of people… fortune and story tellers, juice vendors, henna tattoo artists, ornately dressed water sellers, trained performing monkeys, and snake charmers.
These men were intently watching a snake charmer and his group of snakes.
We also found out that as soon as you point a camera in their direction, these performers will immediately come ask for money (much like western street performers). So, of course, I offered a little compensation. Once I did that, I immediately became the focus.
I heard these snakes have their mouthes sewn shut (or fangs removed), but nonetheless, they still looked the part and I saw no stitches (but no fangs either).
The snake charmer didn’t show any fear of this Egyptian Cobra, also known as Naja haje and reputed to be the method by which Cleopatra committed suicide.
Perhaps the snake wasn’t quite as docile as this man thought. This was his reaction when the snake almost bit him.
This one is probably my favorite image. This snake is very handsome and I wish I could have seen him in the wild. I know giving his charmer money promotes this destructive habit, but I guess I couldn’t help myself.
Here are a few more images of the Djemaa el Fna.
We also stopped for a quick break at this cafe, which also offered a great perspective on the market.
The real show happens when the sun goes down. Unfortunately, we had to leave and get back to the ship. So, all we got to see was the preparation for the nightly festivities.
There were people from all over as well.
When we got back to Casablanca, we stopped by the Hassan II mosque. Here you can see its minaret, which is the world’s tallest at 210 meters.
North Africa was something of a sensory overload, but it was without question our favorite stop on the whole trip.
Next up, the Canary and Madeira Islands.
So, until then…
–Jim
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