Thoughts on Morocco: Part Two

After checking into the riad we realized that we didn't want to stay there, but how were we going to break it to them and how much would we pay? And to top it off we had a guide coming to see us in a matter of hours.

Little did we know that he would be the best thing to happen to us on this trip.

We expected a young guy who was slick and swarthy looking. What we got was a peaceful kind older gentleman named Omar.


Omar has over 30 years experience being a guide. He speaks five different languages and he knows almost everyone in Marrakech.

The culture shock of where our riad located really shook us up a bit, but when Omar arrived we some how knew things were going to turn out fine. The first thing he did after helping us negotiate our way out of the riad we were staying in was take us out for tea. During tea he gave us some historic background of the city. It was really nice how he did this without sounding too preachy.

After tea we went into the new city and settled into our new hotel. Our new hotel was located in the modern part of town aptly called "the New City". The Hotel Diwane had internet access (in the lobby), AC and TV in the room. Also they had a pool and a lovely restaurant. We got settled in and went out to dinner at a nice place up the street. The food was lovely and we managed to run into a nice American couple. This was a nice first night. Tomorrow we would shop for carpets. That's easy right? Think again.

To be continued.