Monkey's in Space

I slept in a bit later than I had planned, but managed to get going quickly and I was once again entering the Medina. My goal for the day was to not get frustrated by the touts and to see a couple of the museums that I had not yet visited.

My first stop was the Saadian Tombs. The tombs were built by Ahmad I al-Mansour in the late 16^th and early 17^th centuries. What makes them so interesting, and what has helped to preserve them, is that they were not discovered until 1917. The tombs are located in the Kasbah area of the Medina. I had some time before they opened for the afternoon so I wandered about, avoiding the scooters and stares as best I could.

My wandering led me to the olive grove. I couldn't figure out how to get in, but it was still nice to take a look at it. I spent the rest of my time walking along the city walls. It was quiet there and I wasn't attracting any attention.

Wn the tombs finally opened I paid my US $1.10 and followed the crowd in. Luckily I managed to covertly follow along with a tour for a few minutes, if I hadn't I wouldn't have had a clue what I was looking at. The tombs were quite different than any others I had ever seen. In one respect they were sort of like the modern tombstones that are just a slate laid flat on the ground. However, there were no names and the full length stones were covered in intricate designs. About 60 members of the Saadi Dynasty were buried here. There were three main rooms. The most impressive room held the Sultans grandson. Another room was for children, and another for high ranking officials. Outside, surrounding the buildings, were the tombs of servants and soldiers.

After getting lost and then getting put back on track by kido spoke really good English I made it to El Badi Palace. El Badi are the remnants of Sultan Ahmed el-Mansour palace. This was the same guy who built the Saadian tombs. El Badi was built in 1578. Not much was left and it was difficult to see the 360 rooms that were once there. However, the walls were covered in storks and the ruins were fun to photograph. This palace was destroyed not long after its completion by the Alaouite Sultan Mawlay Ismail, he used the supplies for his own palace and left what he couldn't steal to the elements.

After about an hour of check out the view and taking pick after picture of the huge storks living on the walls I was ready to visit Djemma El Fna for the last time. I was determined to get a picture with a monkey without getting ripped off. When I got close to the monkey guys one of them sat a monkey on my arm before I knew what was happening. Suddenly having a five pound monke

y on your shoulder can really freak a person out. I felt bad though because it was just a baby monkey and I think I scared it. I ended up having the monkey guy pose with me and the monkey so that I didn't have to hold it. The monkey guys also asked for 200 dirhams. I gave them 50 instead. I was at the point that I was trying to get rid of my change anyway.

Just as soon as I had finished with the monkeys I was once again being approached by the henna women. At this point I thought what the heck and I went ahead and got a small henna tattoo on my hand.

For my last stop in Marrakesh I paid a few bucks for a coke and sat at one of the restaurants overlooking Djemma El Fna. It was funny to survey the madness from so far above and to be part of it, but removed. It was the perfect way to end my trip.

The next morning I was up at stupid o'clock to catch my flight. I didn't miss my connecting flight but I did sit next to another strange person. The old woman seated next me me not only insisted on using the armrest, but in hanging her arm several inches over my seat. In the end I asked the flight attendant to explain to her that she could have the armrest, but that she can't hang her arm over my chair. She listened for the most part. What was the strangest bit was that she wouldn't get up when I needed to use the bathroom, instead forcing me to climb over her. She had been escorted to the seat so I assumed that she couldn't walk without aid. That was until two thirds of the way into the flight she got up an walked around for a while. Some people really need to learn airport etiquette.

Marrakesh was fabulous. It was a lot of work and tiring, though, getting all of that attention, not to mention the actual work that I did. The lesson that I learned is that when I am in places like Marrakesh, where I am an attraction all my own, I should get a hotel room right in the middle of everything. That way if I want a break I will have a retreat close by. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of Morocco with Rose in April!