Morocco: Marrakech, part 8


We got our second wind back after visiting the museum and was ready to explore the market some more. We were on the way out of Jaama El Fna when I spotted the tagines (cooking vessel) so I talked my husband to buy now, because the tagine is the only must-buy we have in this country. We got other items too, and when all is said and done the tagines were packed nicely - hoping they would survive the long plane ride. (Side note: they were not allowed as carry-on items because they were deemed as weapons, well they can hurt people if you hurl it at them, I suppose. So we were forced to packed them in the suitcases and checked them in. The lids did not survive, such a waste.)

Afterwards we walked all the way to the hotel, some 4-5 blocks away. We ran up to the room, dropped our purchases and went to lie down.

That evening the 6 of us went back to Jamaa El Fna, because everybody said that the market wakes up at night and the vibe is completely different when the sun goes down. The best way to enjoy the vibe of the market is go to one of the rooftop restaurants. The one that we sought out is not really a restaurant. They sell drinks, mostly soft drinks, water, and beer.

Down at the square, makeshift food stalls/restaurants popped up. So many of them selling grilled meat, seafood and everything else in between. The aromas wafted all the way up to the rooftop. This set up is what is always being shown on travel shows.

It was here that I decided to "live in the moment". I barely took a photo. The ones I am going to show all belong to the husband. "Let me enjoy this moment", I told myself and I knew that I will not be able to be in the moment if I start looking for shots to put on the blog.

"If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments." -Anne Morrow Lindbergh


IMG_20170420_192246

IMG_20170420_192312

IMG_20170420_192342

IMG_20170420_192459

IMG_20170420_194336

IMG_20170420_192318

IMG_20170420_195743

IMG_20170420_195913

Of the 6 that went up the rooftop, only the hubs and I were brave enough to eat at the makeshift stalls. Eating at the night market was on our bucket list since the moment we watched Andrew Zimmern and Tony Bourdain did it on their shows. Each stall has a barker and as you walk down the length (and it's long) you'll never be left alone by the barkers.

We sat in a long table next to strangers and enjoyed grilled seafood and fish and boiled snails. The food is just okay, but the ambiance stood out for me. It was noisy, smoky, smelly, windy, and fun all at the same time. Under the tables were cats who were too full that they would not eat another bite of the fish I dropped on the floor for them.

Everyone was telling us to be careful with what we eat. We both never had any problems in that regard; we ate street food in India, despite the disapproval of our tour guide/driver and we never had any problems.

After the meal, we had every intention of soaking up all the atmosphere we can soak up here, but my stomach started gurgling and I was scared I would have an accident right in the middle of the huge market without a loo in sight. That ended our night quickly. We hailed a taxi and arrived at the hotel in time to avert an accident.

I still maintain that this was not due to the food in the stalls, but something that was about to happen anyway. As a matter of fact, I never had any other problems after that meal. Although, when the tourmates started counting people who had "problems" I was listed among them.

Do you have any problems eating local cuisines or food from the local markets when you are traveling?

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

Comments

  1. Hello, that is a birdeye's view of the stalls and people. Great photos. Have a happy day and new week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting photos of a place I've always wanted to visit. I've never had a problem with food when traveling, knock on wood!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing views. Great to read your travel series . Greetings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. First of all, tell Hubby that he did a great job with his pics, while you were living in the moment. m Good for both of you. I'm not often in a situation where I need to worry about what I eat, but as a rule I think I have a pretty strong stomach (knock on wood).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the market pics. I am cautious about food when I'm traveling in some countries. Once years ago, I got really sick in Mexico - it was awful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It looks crazy busy there!
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-explorer.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful shots. I'm careful about where and what I eat in places like that, you're definitely braver than me!

    ReplyDelete
  8. totally on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Neat photos by hubby ~ I think you were brave to eat the foods from stalls but my system doesn't tolerate foreign food very well (lol ~ weak stomach) Glad you enjoyed the faire.

    Happy Week to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    (aka, A Creative Harbor

    ReplyDelete
  10. I’m glad you were able to ‘live in the moment’ but also glad your hubby took these as instinct pictures!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment