I land in Tangier full of anticipation not really knowing what to expect. I hail a grand taxi (one of those old Mercedes Sedans, which functions as the long distance transport) and bargain a price to take me to my hotel just on the outskirts of Tetouan. This is my first Moroccan haggling experience.
The night ride to this small quaint town south of Tangier was exciting and my adrenaline was flowing, for here I was 6,000 miles away from home in another world, rich in culture and deep in another civilization where men wear dresses and women are wrapped from head to foot in a black cloak known as the chadar.
The next morning I caught the 6:30 a.m. bus for Marrakesh to meet my guide who is going to take me to the Sahara. Even at such an early hour, the bus station in Tetouan was bustling. Men loading the roofs of buses with rolls of carpets, fruit and vegetables, textiles and other merchandise to transport to different markets. The bus ride was exciting, but not easy. The temperature was rising with each kilometre and of course no airconditioning. Being the only tourist on the bus, I sensed I attracted some attention. Modestly, I sat next to a woman with a child.
Sixteen hours later, I arrive in Marrakesh at approximately 10:30 p.m. I book into Hotel Ali (where my guide had pre-registered me) and where I'm to meet him for the first time. Hotel Ali is situated near the Djemaa-El-Fna square, a popular hotel full of interesting travellers of all ages and from all over the world (and many, like me, with their Lonely Planet Guide book or Moroccan Arabic Phrase book). This is a good place to meet people and exchange e-mail addresses.
Hotel Ali - situated near the Djemaa-El-Fna square...After freshening up in my room, I called my guide on his cell phone. Few minutes later, a man wearing a blue robe and a turban approached me at the reception desk. He greeted me warmly and welcomed me to his country. He recognized me without any difficulty from the photo I sent him prior to my departure.
My Blue Man guide Ali...He asked about my bus trip from Tetouan and immediately noticed how fatigued I looked . He arranged for a buffet for me on the roof (la terrace) of the Grand Hotel Tazi (just around the corner from Hotel Ali). As I ate we went over my Sahara itinerary. Then a feeling of utter delight came over me. Marrakesh by night. What a rush. What a feeling. From the roof of the Grand Hotel Tazi, looking down at the famous Djemaa-El-Fna square in the medina, all lit up, I see men dressed in djellabahs (hooded robes) crowds of people and scooters racing by. I hear the surrounding sound of drumbeats and the unbelievably beautiful midnight muezzin (a chant calling all the faithful to prayer ), from the loudspeaker atop the Koutoubia Mosque directly across the street. Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar. God is great, God is great . This Islam's melodic message to the Creator stirred my soul and cast a spell on me.
