Our Money Vanished in Marrakesh… and Things Only Got Stranger After Dark

Without much of a set agenda, we allowed ourselves the rare pleasure of sleeping in a bit this morning. Stumbling out of our small room, we were greeted with a large breakfast consisting of four types of bread, an omelette, orange juice, and coffee.

Now fueled and ready for the day, we set off from our lodging and made our way to an historic palace. Paying around ten dollars to enter, we were disappointed to find that the majority of the building was under construction and empty.

Feeling like we had been scammed (a common occurrence in Morocco), we left the palace behind us and noticed a small line forming in front of a wall. It appeared this was a functional ATM and we quickly fell in line. Running very low on money (Morocco is strictly cash based), we desperately needed to resupply. Unfortunately Austin and Matt’s cards were both declined so the responsibility fell upon me and I was able to withdraw around a hundred dollars. Now restocked, we ventured further down the maze of streets, unsure what we would find next.

We decided to attempt to enter some more attractions, a ruined palace and a former tomb, yet everything cost around ten dollars and was all under construction. With the sour taste from the palace still upon our lips, we decided against spending our limited supply of money on these little attractions.

Soon we found ourselves hungry and set back off looking for a nice spot to have lunch. Our options were rather limited and we again found ourselves in the same square from last night.

We had a small silent lunch watching the surrounding cats dart throughout the plaza.

Matt began to feel ill and we made the long trek back to the hotel for some medicine. We set off once more and began to slowly stroll down the web of streets, without any true plan or direction.

We navigated our way through sprawling markets with counterfeit goods and emerged out in a vast open square filled with small tents and vendors. This area was alive with energy and we were immediately harassed by vendors trying to grab our attention. Slithering cobras and caged monkeys were our first sign that this area was not for us and we quickly set off.

A long commute later, we again found ourselves back in the same square from lunch time hours earlier. We climbed the back stairs up to a small rooftop and managed to procure a few (overpriced) beers while overlooking the soon to be setting sun.

Unsure what to do the rest of the evening, we fell under the impression we should visit a hookah lounge as it seemed something very typical here. Unfortunately, the closest one was over a mile away and we soon set off into the now dim evening.

A tale as old as time emerged once more and we discovered that both Apple and Google maps had failed as when we arrived at our intended destination after a grueling forty five minute walk, we were greeted with rows of apartment buildings. We plugged in another lounge and set back off, embarking on another fifteen minute detour. When we arrived at the second location, our alarm bells began to sound. The exterior looked like a seedy nightclub and the inside was completely barren other than two men seated upon a couch.

We nestled into the lush couch immediately near the front and settled in. We were soon greeted by a less than enthusiastic woman and began to point and sheepishly make hand signals trying to communicate. Several long moments later, a large shiny tower was placed in front of us.

We spent the next hour sipping tea and nervously taking small puffs of the flavored concoction while laughing at the sheer insanity of the situation. As this was something I would never do back home and honestly never really do again, it was interesting trying something so foreign to us.

After some time, we realized we probably should depart and we began to pay our bill. Unfortunately this small side trip had cost us most of our remaining cash and we found ourselves practically broke. Now unable to afford a taxi back to our hotel, we started on the long tiring walk back.

Due to our financial situation, we had to settle for a meager dinner at our favorite struggle meal establishment, KFC, as it was the only place we found that accepted cards. Following dinner, we had another long commute back to our riad, now firmly exhausted.

To see the previous day’s adventure, click here.

To move onwards with us along our journey, click here.