Night Four, Day Five
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Fri 17 Oct 2008 23:16
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BACK TO MARRAKECH
We arrived shattered after "the long and winding road"
experience repeated itself on us. We left Hotel Sahara at 11:00, having
left the dunes at 08:00, stopped at the same place in Ouarzazate and arrived
back in our Riad at 8:00pm. Showered and off to the main square once
again. Bear wanted a Shoosh, the long piece of cotton that the desert
people make into a kind of turban, he chose his colour, I chose mine and off we
went into barter mode, tired and hungry the price started at 200 Dirham's each,
I wanted them both for 100. Yes.
The great chef Paul Bocuse once said
" There are only three cuisines in the world, in no particular order: French,
Chinese and Moroccan". We found a cafe, I sat carefully because I had put quite
an injury on my left buttock, I had nipped in quick to the loo and the brass
toilet roll holder attacked me. OUCH. I fancied just chopped cucumber with
tomato naked, followed by burger, 100% meat in small patties and chips. Bear had
olives and cous-cous royal. Water, coke and two coffees for the princely
sum of £8.00. We had decided over dinner to get a taxi back, a) because we
were tired b) it saved the risk of getting lost again and c) being hassled by
anyone late at night. We climbed into a grand, not petit taxi ( mistake ) and
showed him our address. He tried to drop us somewhere we had no idea about. He
asked to see the map we had and also put on Bear's spectacles. We all fell about
laughing. "Time for bed" said Zebedee.
After a late breakfast off we went for our last wander to the
main square, sun very hot, so the snakes should be up for a good dance.
   En route to the Djemaa el Fna, we popped into the Post Office
to send off some postcards. The streets' mail boxes.
Bear 'getting garbed' with the warning "DON'T let go
of his head". You cannot see the sweat running down the side of his face. But
give him his due, Bear smiled for the camera.
   His friends happily swaying and trying to nip the handlers (
were Black Cobra from the Sahara ), if they got too boisterous the tambourine
came in as a good shield and potential dark place, hat for calming. I
shared Bear's new friend. He wasn't one bit fussed to
report to me about feeling the peristaltic waves down his body. In a
flash of me holding him, together with Bear for joint luck in our 'calm seas and
fair winds', he had wrapped his tail tightly around my
wrist. No sooner had he let go than a henna painting woman got hold
of me. "a good luck picture" that will last for three
weeks, no question of allergy or what pattern I might want. I didn't actually
want it at all, but as Bear had his scorpion - Oh Well. Time to hail a horse
drawn carriage to the train station. One chap wanted 250, we said the taxi was
50 but we didn't mind paying 100, a little voice from the back of a crowd of
drivers said "OK"
  
The driver got Bear to climb through a
carriage, at which point I was poised to take photos, I saw Bear get out
the other side and expected two old nags, they were not too bad. Half way to the
station the driver wanted more money, but Bear had made him take the money as
soon as we had left the square and shake on it. Leaving the
square. The first time we had seen it in daylight. A bit of bad driving
that had happened only moments before we got there to see a car in the fountain, many stood around with much head
shaking and scratching.
  We trotted around this articulated
bus, were dropped off opposite the station,
complete with armed police and checked
the time on this impressive clock.
   Just time for a McDonald's lunch.
Boarding the one o'clock train. Manesh and Stephanie who tried desperately to read quietly,
put up with us prattling on all the way back to Rabat, safe journey back to
Boston.
Winston Churchill said "If you have
only one day to spend in Morocco, spend it in Marrakech". He also said " I am
ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting
me is another matter". A sentiment I felt every time I met one of the
hawkers who tried to rip me off, Bear at one point accused me of being hard
on them. "Not when they would steal your eyes and return later to steal
your eyelashes".
My particular favourite whilst on
Churchill is in response to Lady Aster saying "Sir, You're drunk". "Yes, Madam I
am drunk. But in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly".
We arrived back at Beez Neez after a round trip of 1,100
miles. Tired, hot, sticky but exhilarated.
All in all a mind blowing experience, we would not have
missed for the world.
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