Getting lost in the Medina

I have to thank Sunil- Today I put in 21,578 steps

We are in Morocco for a few days. After a relatively easy transit through Marrakech airport, we make our way to the taxi stand. I am armed with knowledge- straight from the internet- expect to pay 70 MAD (dirham) for your ride into the old city center (Medina).  A driver approaches me with “Where you want to go”.
“Medina to Riad Anabel” I reply and “How much?”    
“100” says he.
“That is too much” I protest.
“Too much huh” is his retort and he walks away as I stare confused at his receding back. 

Isn’t this backwards?  Am I not the one to be walking away with him offering increasingly lower fares to my receding back.  Another driver approaches me and we go through the same exercise – 100 is his answer too. I know when I have lost and I acquiesce gracefully following him to his taxi.  He has never heard of our Riad- not unusual as there are hundreds of Riads in the city. (a Riad is a hotel/guest house- typically old homes with courtyards that have been converted).  Sunil types in the name of our Riad on his phone and shows the driver the directions.  With Sunil guiding him, the driver makes his way to the city center.  There is not much traffic, and we reach the Medina walls in 20 minutes.  We have to walk the rest of the way because cars are not allowed everywhere in the Medina. Its only a few hundred meters and the driver reassures us that we will be at our Riad in less than 10 minutes.

None of the information gathered from the world wide web has prepared us for the sights, sounds, and smells of the maze of alleys we travel through. The narrow streets are crammed full of shops selling every conceivable artisanal ware.  The Medina engulfs us immediately and we are mesmerized. Every few steps, a shopkeeper beckons us into their shop. A motorcyclist comes flying behind us yelling “a droit” (walk to the right).  Ahead of us is a large donkey drawn cart almost occupying the entire width of the alley

Souks of Marrakech

Every turn takes us down a street that looks like the last one. The little dot that is us on the iPhone map is going crazy- like a ball-in-a maze puzzle, it meanders wildly from one side of the screen to the next and sometimes lands in the middle of an alley several hundred meters away. After awhile we give up – We are lost! 

The maze ball has settled down for a bit and tells us to turn left.  We follow it down a dark narrow alley with multiple Riads.  This looks promising.  “You have arrived” says Siri of the phone.  We stare at an unfriendly door with no number or name plate. Clearly this can’t possibly be an entrance to a Riad. A young man stops next to us and asks “Where are you from?” “From India” replies Sunil. “Namaste” he says grinning broadly as he bows with folded hands. “Where you want to go?” he asks helpfully. “Riad Anabel” we reply. “Anabel? – Don’t know but I show you the way” While seemingly innocent on the surface, this offer of help seems to have financial strings attached. We politely decline and try and retrace our steps. We may have missed a turn, we think 

We try another alley with no luck.  Finally we call the Riad on our phone and a friendly reception person answers.  Pinging our positions back and forth on the phone, we learn that iPhone Maps has misled us, we are a long distance away from the real Riad Anabel. “Take a taxi”, says the receptionist.  At this point we are deep in the maze and getting to a road with taxis seems even more daunting than finding our Riad. We consult the map and decide to walk instead. Of course, there are tens of layabouts on the streets offering to help. We tactfully avoid them as we follow the dots down the maze of alleys to a dropped pin that the receptionist has texted us. 

There are food vendors everywhere and the display of food is enticing.  After some time, I convince myself that I need nourishment to bolster my flagging energy.  We stop at a food stall and order briwate- savory pastries with various fillings.  Much reinforced, we continue through the labyrinth of alleyways.  We have been walking for almost an hour now, but the end seems to be in sight.  We come to a large square -the famous Jemma-el Fnaa.  

Jemma-el Fnaa Square

There are alleys radiating in every direction.  The square itself is filled with people milling around various stalls in the center and periphery.  A snake charmer with a lethal looking cobra and a ménagerie of other reptiles is playing a mournful tune and alternately swiping at the Cobra.  There are vendors selling sunglasses, handicrafts, and clothing and stalls selling fruits and freshly squeezed juices. We decide to stop and have some fresh pomegranate juice. Pomegranates appear to be prolific, along with oranges, in every stall. We watch the vendor squeeze the pomegranate seeds, put in a slice of orange, and crush some mint leaves into the drink – a sophisticated cocktail for less than two Euros!

Jemma-el Fnaa Square

The drinks were delicious – but we still had to find our Riad. After a few missteps, we find the right alley out of the square, a couple turns to the left and then a right and we are at the pin on the map.  There is no door where Riad Anabel is meant to be.  A young man appears suddenly and offers to help us.   “You are in the wrong place—The address is the opposite end of town. Come, I help you- Where you from?” By now I am wise to this scheme, but clearly Sunil isn’t.  As Sunil starts to follow him, I pull him back hissing at him to stop.  The stranger insists that he can help us.  Seeing us as not so easy targets, he leaves, but others of his ilk mill around offering to help.  In exasperation we call the Riad and then hand over our phone to a shopkeeper to explain our location. An animated conversation follows in Arabic. I watch anxiously as the conversation continues for awhile and I am beginning to feel hopelessly trapped in this labryrinth. Finally he smiles and tells us to wait and a woman in a black coat will come fetch us.  We are unsure of this latest edict, but we are too tired to do anything else.

After about 10 minutes, we are relieved to see a respectable looking woman come towards us. It’s well over an hour now. Habiba, who is the hotel manager, apologizes for all our troubles. She tells us that we should have just followed the address sent to us with our booking, and we would have found the Riad. It turns out that iPhone Maps (unlike Google maps) inaccurately shows Riad Anabel at a different location. We make our way to our destination only a couple alleys away, to a blissfully quiet courtyard where mint tea and pastries await us.  As the heavy Riad door shuts the world outside, we are transported to a lovely place of charm and grace almost from a different age.

Riad Anabel Courtyard

The alleys that lead to our Riad

P.S. If you ever visit Marrakech, we highly recommend this Riad for its hospitality, the lovely staff who treat you like family, and its location close to the square and Place Mellah – all within easy walking distance to many attractions and the souks. Obviously, type in the address on Google Maps and you will find it within an easy five minute walk from your taxi dropoff.