Marrakesh Travelguide

Marrakesh travelguide

7/29/2017

Ben Youssef Madrasa

Marrakech, is like a beautiful maze. Sadly, time was too short to really see all the places, still it was enough time for Marrakech to fully steal my heart. We pretty much stayed inside the Medina (which is known as the old town), wandering and getting lost in the alleyways and souks.

"Turn left once you step out, go straight, once you hit the first alley, make a right, walk down the street and then make a left again, then go straight and you will arrive at the Bahia Palace..."

Listening to instructions from our riad on how to get to the main attractions. Just make a left, right and a left! It sounded easy and straightforward. However, once we stepped out of our riad, we weren’t too convinced. Having taken a few wrong turns, which resulted in us wandering aimlessly for what felt like an eternity to find the Bahia Palace.

Thankfully, with the help of google map, we managed to visit all the places I have bookmarked!

MUST SEES

Our first stop was to visit a Tanneries! Back in November, my first trip to Morocco, I have already visited the biggest tanneries, which was located in Fes, Morocco, however, I really wanted to show my mom how leather was made by hand. Usually, we would have to be there early in the morning, but since we were both really tired from flying yesterday. We arrived at the tannery at around 10am.

Once we arrived, there were a number of gentlemen offering to guide us around, we didn't need one but a man followed, pushing us to visit their stores and at the end, he was asking for 100 dirhams. We refused but since mom was a little afraid, we gave them a few dirhams and they left us alone.... visiting a Tannery would have been nice if we didn't get hassled in the end. (So here's a tip everyone, be firm and don't be afraid to say no when someone offers to give you a tour! )

Given the products used in the treatment process, including pigeon dung and cow urine, the scent was a bit overwhelming. We were provided a sprig of mint to help offset the smell as we watched the men at work.

Later on the day, we headed to Le Jardin Secret. The palace has recently been restored and open to the public about a year ago, it was such a memorable walk in this wonderful garden. The garden was divided into two parts, exotic garden and an Islamic garden. We had a nice little stroll before we headed up the tower to see the stunning view of Medina. If you are a garden lover, Le Jardin Secret, the garden in La Mamounia Hotel and Jardin Majorelle will be your favorite garden in Morocco! I admire how Moroccans spends extra time and cares with gardens, every garden that I've visited, they were very well kept and beautiful! So much care and love were given.

With its stunning architecture, Ben Youssef Madrasa quickly became one of my favorite spot in Marrakesh. Mom and I spent a great period of time admiring its beautiful tile, colorful mosaic walls and marbles.

As there was only limited time for us to explore Marrakesh before we head to the Sahara desert, there are still so many places I want to visit. I guess it won't be long till I return!