J'ai reçu cette jolie lettre de Patricia qui s'occupe du Riad Mesc el Lil, une très jolie maison d'hôtes de Marrakech située dans le quartier Mouassine. Patricia écrit une fois par an à ses clients, ses amis. Je trouve la démarche non seulement charmante mais utile pour se rappeler au bon souvenir de ses anciens clients.
October, 2010
Another year has flown by like a bird in a hurry to migrate. Is the planet spinning faster on its axis or is it because here time is meaningless? Hassan asked me the other day how long I’ve been living here. ‘Oh not so long,’ I mumbled looking down at my feet.. ‘Really! he said with a smile, ‘ perhaps 10 years and you still don’t speak Arabic!’ Shame on me.
This summer was even too hot for the birds to lift their wings. Worse for Moroccans as Ramadan fell on the day when the temperature rose to 53 degrees and hovered between 45 & 50 for the whole month. But, never let it be said the Moroccans don’t have a sense of humour. Water guns were a la mode, not only aimed at each other but also the tourists who were stopping in their tracks for a quick spray. Buckets of water appeared which the men poured over their heads - acceptable as long as they kept their mouths shut in case a drop entered into their mouths. Heaven forbid. Am sure some cheated! Wouldn’t you? All this was done with shouts of laughter and for once no frayed nerves were seen in the last week.
Autumn has arrived but the sun lingers on projecting wonderful shadow graphics on my white walls. The sunsets are colourful abstract paintings which compensate for the pangs of despair when the golden light abruptly changes to black at 6pm. It’s the season of hot chickpeas ladled out from huge pots, small barrows displaying slices of dazzling white coconut and golden pineapple, melons, apples, bananas, grapes, rosy globular grenadines, bright orange mandarins with green leaves attached are piled high on large barrows…... But these colourful narrow streets filled with mouth-watering splendour can abruptly turn into chaos .Yesterday I was standing on the sidelines watching as a long line of tooting cars, small trucks, braying donkeys, horses pulling loads of mattresses, men with carts shouting attention, attention, mobilites, bikes, bemused tourists, Moroccans of all shapes and dress, came to a sudden halt. Suddenly a high pitched shriek pierced the air. A young veiled woman in a hurry to bypass everyone and everything suddenly found herself hugged by a carcase of mutton hanging on a butchers hook, enveloping her body like a large pink and white cape. I thought it definitely added to her look. This is the magic of Marrakech – a city of contrasts when the unexpected happens.
September and October have been full of cultural events and concerts. Highlight was the first International Contemporary Art Fair at the Palace Es Saadi which brought everyone out of the woodwork. Hailed as a success we hope it will be a yearly event. The art galleries opened their doors to exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photograph. The Philharmonic Orchestra de Maroc presented a magnificent classical concert at the Theatre Royal – nothing royal about the seating! Cushionless concrete gladiator banquettes or, if you were lucky, a faded, dirty piece of fabric covering a thin slab of foam. Consequently after a moment your back aches, your head falls on to your hands, you twist and turn and suffer to the end.
Marrakech at night echoes with sounds of jazz, disco, funk, exotic dancers swaying their bodies to the beat of drums, cabarets, imported artists, lounge bars for lounging lizards are très à la mode and new restaurants are springing up like geysers. If you are a cinéphile the International Film Festival begins it’s week long programme first week December. This year the theme is French – if the French are not on strike!
For the sporting addicts and adventurous the choice is vast - surfing the waves at Essaouria, rafting or kayaking down the sublime valleys with a professional guide, trekking, cycling, horseback riding in the mountains, roaring off on the road to discovery on a rented BMW motorbike , and of course the usual desert trek on dromedaries. If the day is fine and the wind is blowing in the right direction, a professional pilot will fly you over the Marrakech region in a hot air balloon. The views are fabulous as you sweep over the magnificent landscape. And of course there is always golf, golf and more golf.
At the moment of writing the International Rally Oilibya is taking place over the Dunes. Exciting as it may be for the drivers, why can’t they leave the dunes sleeping in their silent world! Which brings to mind when living in Paris in the 80’s/90’s, working as the only white journalist on two magazines aimed at the African and African/American markets and being extremely adventurous I asked the French publisher to sponsor me in the Paris-Dakar race. At that time it was highly dangerous – just up my alley. However, after considerable thought he decided I was more useful alive than dead!
If all the above doesn’t appeal to your artistic senses, stay here and let me take you by the hand to places tourists rarely go, have a wonderful romantic dinner prepared by Najia, listen to music with a glass in your hand, lie in the sun, read and relax. As a wonderful couple from New York wrote: “We've been going to Marrakech for business and pleasure for many years and have stayed at some of the most exclusive hotels and riads. You never got away from the idea that you were a tourist. At this beautiful riad, you feel that you are a part of the Marrakesh scene. There are only 3 lovingly decorated rooms, each opening onto the beautiful tree- filled, fountain-gurgling, patio garden. The delicious breakfasts included fresh fruit compote, fresh squeezed orange juice, the lightest crepe-like beghrir and good, strong coffee. But the icing on the cake of this delightful place is the wonderfully, literate, quirky owner, Patricia Lebaud, who lives on the premises and turned us on to such insider things as gallery openings, Andalusian music concerts………..We will return. Hope to see you there.”
I too hope so.
Patricia
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