Australia
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

Even amid their suffering, the people here rescued this lost tourist

Opinion

September 26, 2023 — 5.00am

September 26, 2023 — 5.00am

It’s almost a rite of passage when you’re visiting Marrakesh to get lost in the medina. The old town that dates from 1070 is still the heartbeat of the city and is where you’ll find markets, bazaars, the souks where artisans work and the houses of people densely living together.

It’s easy to get lost in the medina of Marrakesh.

It’s easy to get lost in the medina of Marrakesh.Credit: iStock

It’s exhilarating, mesmerising and frustrating in equal measure, even for the people of Marrakesh who say only those who live right in the medina can find their way around the tangle of small streets and narrow alleys.

Since the earthquake of September 8, navigating these neighbourhoods has become a little more complicated. The city is operational and the shops and markets are open but the damage in the ancient Jewish Quarter is significant in parts and many families have been displaced.

I stayed on in Marrakesh after the earthquake but chose to avoid the oldest parts of the city at first because I didn’t want to interfere with the clean-up.

Eventually I ventured in there five days after the quake. I had an appointment in the morning to see a new riad, Rosemary, which had opened its doors for the first time that week. In the afternoon I had scheduled a hammam at La Sultana, an historic riad hotel, deep in the kasbah.

Easier said than done.

My taxi driver dropped me at a spot he said was only a few minutes’ walk from riad Rosemary. Perhaps it was. It was only a few steps to Tinsmith Square where I’d had drinks the night before with the people from Regenerative Travel on a terrace called Kosy Bar.

The square was full of displaced people who had set up makeshift homes in the safety of the open space. They’re staying there to be close to their houses and possessions and to the schools for their children. I got a sense they felt happier being together. There is tremendous solidarity here.

The problem with squares in Marrakesh is that they have multiple streets heading off them. Riad Rosemary was near the Bahia Palace which I knew was nearby but each time I had directions from someone (police, soldiers, shopkeepers, a girl in a pharmacy) I found out eventually that I was heading completely the wrong way. The GPS was confusing.

Everyone I asked would point in a certain direction, omitting to tell me that after I headed in that direction there were a few turns I should take. My mangled French didn’t help.

After an hour of intense frustration, a gentleman outside a carpet store asked if he could help. His name was Hassan, and he took me all the way to the little lane where I could find riad Rosemary. It turns out he lives in Glebe, Sydney, part of the time. (If you ever want a carpet in Marrakesh, he is lovely and his number is +212 6 64 42 03 03.)

A shout also out to the lovely people at Riad des Oliviers who also helped me when I walked past riad Rosemary and got lost again. They called the riad and walked me there.

Later in the day I got more seriously lost trying to find La Sultana. I was completely in the wrong part of town. A big guy who told me he was from the Sahara offered help and walked me through back streets to a spot where (I thought) I knew where I was going.

I offered him 50 dirham ($8) for showing me, not knowing if he would accept it or not. I was a bit surprised when he said it wasn’t enough, so I gave him 100.

I regret it slightly because 30 minutes later, suffering heat exhaustion and still lost, I didn’t have much cash to offer the lovely old man on a bicycle who saved me with a bottle of water or the young woman who took me deep into the noisy kasbah, where I finally found the hotel.

Loading

Apart from a bit of a hustle from the Saharan, not a single adult asked me for money. Anywhere. At any time during my visit.

This is so typical of Moroccans. Their generosity, even in disaster and poverty, is unbounded. I felt guilty that I hadn’t emptied my bank account and brought more cash into the medina. But we can all help, directly, by donating to The Intrepid Foundation’s Earthquake Appeal which will match $100,000 for immediate earthquake relief.

See theintrepidfoundation.org

Lee Tulloch was a guest of Intrepid.

Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter

Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.

Most viewed on Traveller

Loading