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Days 322-327, 30 Apr-5 May '15, Bonjour Marrakech! Spain to Morocco was, as always, the ultimate change of scenery. Due to pesky Schengen Area rules we've had to tootle somewhere out of Europe until around 3 June. And Morocco is officially the closest non-Schengen spot to Spain. The flight was a hoot in itself. I made an off-hand comment that I hoped we were on a real plane... not one with exterior propellers. Hah! be careful what you (don't) wish for. We headed out on the tarmac at Malaga airport and 'lo and behold spied the very bottom rung of Royal Air Maroc's flying ladder. Exterior propellers and all. Thankfully no-one was visibly kicking the tyres. Chock-a-block with 70 souls aboard, we took off a bit late, got to Casablanca a few minutes late and it was down the stairs and back on a coach to the terminal. We headed straight to Domestic Departures for our onward flight Casablanca to Marrakech and barely had time to visit the loo before they started boarding. Funny thing was... we jumped back on what I'm sure was the same coach and were driven back to the far reaches of Casablanca airport... where we pulled up at another prop special... right alongside the plane we'd just gotten off. If ever there was a chance that our checked baggage would not make the same journey as us... this is when it would have happened. However - after an uneventful flight and a massive wait at immigration in Marrakech... our bags rolled off the conveyor and said "Bonjour!" It would be unfair to say Marrakech hasn't changed in the last 2 years (or, for that matter since the 9th century...). It has changed. There are a lot less donkeys in the Medina now. They're still there - but the chances of being squashed by one seem to have reduced considerably. Chances of being squashed by a scooter about the same. Wifi has improved in the last couple of years. Still controlled by a bird on a wire... but he falls off much less often. We're staying at a riad about 15 minutes walk from the massive square (snake charmers, henna tattoists, teeth-pullers and, more charmingly, the fresh orange-juice for 40 eurocents dudes). The riad was once a gem - now it is, shall we say, very popular for its prices. Still glorious - just in a faded kinda way - bit like the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, except with a pool. And doors. Because we're here for a month, we've been upgraded to a larger room with a seating area and a bar fridge - utter luxury. We have found the bestest spot to eat in Marrakech - Chez Abdelhay (check albums for foodie snaps) and the days have begun to flow. James up early for some sun-on-roof time, Vivienne up in time for breakfast by the pool, daydreams of ham and bacon fading into the past, some Spanish study whilst horizontal on pool-side lounges... 2 pm ish - put proper god-fearing clothes on and trundle off for lunch. Massive 3 course affair of Moroccan food and mint tea sets us back about 9 euros. Definitely the best value we've ever had and after multiple visits we are now "most favoured customers" and well looked after indeed. Most days we walk through the shaded souks that offer handmade leather shoes, tea glasses, lamps, spices and sticky honey cakes. Also jewellery. Lots and lots of jewellery. In fact we've already found the shop that has some lovely jewellery I most definitely don't need. Trouble is, any luxury items have to come out of the 10 euro a day budget... of which 9 euros goes to lunch and usually we invest another 80 cents in a couple of fresh, fresh, orange juices in the big square. We are also most favoured customers at OJ stall #51. The trick with the OJ stands is they all charge 4 dirhams (40 eurocents). They all use the same oranges and rinse their glasses in the same water. They are all, essentially and in every feasible way, the same. But tourists are gentle, easily scared creatures and will flock in droves to any of the more than 51 stalls that already have tourists at it... as they (us) must know something about the hygiene of that stall. Thus we stand, attracting customers like venus flytraps and meanwhile our juice glasses keep getting topped up. It's all a game and on our budget, we're happy to play it. Right then... €25/day for riad, €10/day for everything else. We figured out that is about A$350 a week to live. Can't do that in Sydney!
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