It is a fun game if you have the right attitude, are polite, and understand the rules.
For a much-needed break from shopping, we signed up for a cooking class. I love to learn how to prepare foreign foods, and what better way than through the people of the country who shop locally and cook daily! The cook met us in our lobby and brought us to a local market to buy the produce for our three-course meal.
We were taken to local markets in alleyways that we wouldn’ t have found on our own and were not like a Calgary grocery store! We bought fruit, vegetables, herbs, and chicken, then walked through a maze of streets to another riad with an empty kitchen and dining area. We cleaned every food item with water and vinegar, then chopped, mixed, boiled, added spices and herbs, and prepared plates. We made lemon chicken tajine, an eggplant dish, a carrot dish, and a potato dish. Simple, you say? Nope; it is the spices— salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric— and olive oil that make the difference in Moroccan cooking. I not only learned how to make delicious dishes but, through three hours of conversation, I learned a lot about daily life in Marrakesh.
Another day, we decided to try the experience of the Moroccan hammam, an ancient ritual of cleansing, relaxation, and renewal. We thought we would just be enjoying a sauna and then a massage. Wrong again!
Once you enter the dome-like hammam— wearing a bathing suit— an attendant puts oil all over your body, then pours bowls of water over you. After fifteen minutes, they add an exfoliating scrub, and another thirty minutes later, they return again with exfoliating mitts and scrub our bodies like no tomorrow. Oooh my, twenty years of skin may have been rubbed off in that process— but it was all right. Most Moroccans do this weekly. We chose to add a massage after the hammam and believe me, we will not ever forget this cultural Moroccan physical and spiritual experience.
Prior to leaving Marrakesh, we arranged to see the Atlas Mountains and the five valleys. Our guide, Anas, picked us up in the Medina along with two other couples and off we went. Throughout the day, we saw valleys and peaks on switchback roads and learned more about how the Berber people— the indigenous people of Northern Africa— live and work. We were invited into their homes, where lunch was prepared for us on their rooftop overlooking the Atlas Mountains.
Marrakesh was a rich, cultural experience where we learned to appreciate how the people of Morocco live, work, eat, and welcome people from all over the world. We were very happy to add this country to our bucket list. And as they say in Arabic, chokrane( thank you) and besslama( goodbye).
Lorianne Tenove, ARTA member and inveterate traveller, also accepts contracts for the Calgary Catholic School District and is a Quality Assurance Reviewer for Maple Bear Global Schools.
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