Marrakech ,one of my favorite cities  in the world. The city that inspired me to photography. A city that welcomed me with open arms. A former imperial city dating back to the Berber empire. It’s the 4 th largest city after Casablanca , Fez and Tangiers.

I was told not to go , specially not alone . Fear is a crazy thing !! it keeps you from living.  I decided to go anyway, as it was on my bucket list . I read all I could , in order to make sure I was safe. The first day I aired on the side of caution , Of Course ….

As my plane few over the Red City , landing in Marrakech . the excitement started to build. After a long flight , I had to navigate  the massive amount of taxis waiting to take me to my resort. Of course not knowing my way around, I  overpaid for the taxi ride, but that’s 0k, since it always happens the first time  😦

Arrived at the Palmeraie golf and  resort . a really beautiful resort . My room absolutely 5 * .  was more like of an apartment.

Unpacked my bags and immediately decided I was going to start my Moroccan experience immediately .  For sure  it was a couscous day, and I was starving .  All I  could find walking distance , was pizza.  . Somehow a New Yorker eating Pizza in Morocco, unheard of.. At Least not on the first day.

Went back to my hotel to ask the concierge wether there was a restaurant nearby, they suggested

EL KARMOUSSA  restaurant, just in the neighborhood.

grabbed a taxi and off I went..My mouth was watering as I arrived , only to find the restaurant closed .

I walked in , expecting to be turned away and explained ,  I had just arrived from New York and really needed  a good Moroccan meal. To my surprise they asked me to come in and sit , they  prepared a wonderful meal . WOW!!! This was just unreal…They  brought in two musicians to play ,while I had lunch. The only client, in a closed restaurant. Now  that’s VIP treatment.

JEMAA EL FNA  

Throughout the day a seemingly endless stream of merchants, tourists, locals, and entertainers arrive with the activity only slightly interrupted by the frequent calls to prayer from the many nearby mosques. While there is a large Muslim population in Morocco there are also many other groups, Berbers being the most numerous, who are split between Muslim and Christian populations.

Koutoubia Mosque

The name is derived from the Arabic al-Koutoubiyyin for librarian, since it used to be surrounded by sellers of manuscripts. Koutoubia Mosque.

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My experience as a solo woman traveler, made walking around the Souk an experience in itself. Needless to say you will be approached by all kinds of seller and  people wanting you to take photos with monkeys and snakes ect.. some people may Yell “Hey La gazelle” at you  and tattoo “artist” may just grab your hand and start  decorating ( just pull you hand away and say no), I just found that there are better places to get a henna tattoo). Of course it can get more annoying than dangerous , so either ignore or politely say no and move on.  I must admit I did take the monkey and snake photos. HaHaHA

 

 

Had a really funny experience the first day in the Souk. When I travel I don’t buy souvenirs but I always try to take home a pc of local art.While visiting an art gallery ,  the gallery owners daughter took a liking to me and decided I was the perfect woman to marry her brother Jamal.

So she started asking me questions about my status  and decided that since I was single , she was going to play match maker.I kept insisting that I had no intentions of getting married on my first day in Marrakesh , but she was insisting more than me.So she called her brother Jamal  , cause she figured , once I saw how handsome he was I was going to change my mind.

Jamal arrived and I agreed with her that her brother was handsome ( what else was I going to say LOL)  but I still was not getting married. Then she suggested that she would have her mother come and meet me , and probably seal the deal. Needless to say this was going a bit too far for me.I bought a lovely painting and told her I would be back after I have had time to think this proposal over.  Hahahaha

 

 

 

 

There is so  much to see, do and experience in Marrakech.  I could not possibly cover it all, this was one day. a surprise waits at every corner. Marrakech is also inexpensive.

Please follow me for further blogs, on this amazing destination.  If you have question or experiences, good or bad  Please comment.

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Woke up Monday morning and called in “Vacation” , by Tuesday morning I had decided  to get the hell out of town, my derriere was hurting from sitting.  and I  had no plans.  what to do ??

I  Called Clubmed in Cancun to see if they had any space . Booked a room for the next day and by noon  I was packing my bags to get out of dodge on the 6:55 Am flight to Cancun Mexico.

Flew to Cancun with Interjet Airlines , it was a very enjoyable  flight ,with lots of room between the seats. I had never heard of this airlines before. It’s a  low cost Mexican airlines with new service to Cancun. By the way as a side bar, seniors 65 and up get an automatic  15 % off the airfare.

Clubmed Cancun

When I  arrived I was surprised by the roughness of the sea. Damn !! i thought. I’ m going to need a surfboard, the only problem i cant surf. Apparently the weather had not been so great  until the day of my arrival. Of course LOL .

The resort itself is quite nice and very big.   A beautiful beach  and several restaurants . The pool area is a bit disappointing.

It’s Clubmed so expect the usual nightly shows, with the most amazingly talented G.O’s. The trapeze acts are really world class.

The Mexican staff is very friendly and  courteous . I must name one in particular Israel  at the Taco Arte restaurant, a pleasure to watch this gentleman work. Reservations are required for dinner at Taco Arte and The Estancia. The G.O’s very nice and helpful.

The food is delicious  and the bar area probably has the best sunset this side of Cancun.

Was happy to see the presence of SEA SHEPHERD , a fabulous organization dedicated to the protection of marine life and the world’s oceans. I felt this was a very big plus for me in the appreciation of the resort. 

Ek’Balam  meaning in Maya language  black jaguar 

Ek’ Balam is a Yucatec-Maya archaeological site within the municipality of Temozón, Yucatán, Mexico. It is one of the few Pyramids  today that allow climbing.

EK-Balam  meaning in Maya language  black jaguar

The Acropolis. The biggest building in Ek Balam is the “Acropolis”. With its length of160 m, the width of 70 m and a height of 31 m this pyramid is definitely the biggest pyramid in the northern Yucatan peninsula, due to its volume. The building rises up with 6 levels.

Although Acropolist only has 106 stairs , it’s very steep and surprisingly  difficult. Open every day from 8 am to 5 pm and Admission fee Admission fee is 141 MXN as of February 2017, this does not include the cenote which is an extra 70 MXN. If you are planning on using a Go Pro or a film Camera you will be charge and additional MX 45 for its use.

Try to get there as early as possible to avoid the crowds. Be aware that there is a time difference between Cancun and  and Ek’Balam of  – 1 Hour.

Do wear some sneakers , I noticed while I was there , that some people were climbing with very dangerous shoes, such as high heal or platform sandals. Please don’t . It’s just not safe.

Cenote XCanche

what is a cenote 

A Cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. The water is a bit fresh about 24 deg C. and life vest are available for those who need it. Its definitly worth trying .

The Yucatan is uninhabitable, no natural resources and the ground does not promote agriculture , except where there are cenotes. If you find  village it’s because there is a Cenote, it’s the only place that can sustain life in the Yucatan. The population mainly makes a living on tourism.

 

 

Meanwhile back at Clubmed  , we were getting ready for the white party

 

 

Chichen Itza and it’s sacred Cenote.

You can no longer climb the mighty El Castillo at Chichén Itzá. One of the 7 wonders of the world.

The cenote in Chichen Itza is not for swimming , it’s a sacred Cenote

The use of the Sacred Cenote was exclusively ceremonial. Over the years, the murky water has yielded many artifacts including gold, jade, copper, turquoise, obsidian, copal or incense, pottery, rubber, shells and the bones of around 200 people who were thrown in as a sacrifice. According to Bishop Landa, men, women and children were thrown alive into it as a sacrifice to the gods in times of droughts.

Photos from Chichen Itza

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Clubmed Snow party. Ok was not expecting to get covered in soap, after a wash and blow dry.  But hey!! all in good fun. By the way I don’t know the girl kissing me , that was a photo bomb. Love it !!

Saturday was “D” day . Time to get out of town, it’s 20 Deg in New York.

Oh the humanity !! Its 78 deg and sunny , had breakfast , packed my bags including my bathing suit. I’m in my going home mode , the brain had almost adjusted to the thought of freezing my derriere.  After Having my fresh squeezed Papaya juice, a cafe con Leche, and  a nice ficelle  bagette, I took one look at the beach . The thought of 20 Deg hit me all of a sudden and all I could think  was ,  F…  it !!  take advantage to the last minute , so in the water I went , clothes and all.  Did not regret it for one moment .

“Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling.”
― Roman Payne, The Wanderess

If you are wondering why the federal police was on the beach . Well I was wondering the same . No!! It’s not hotel security . So I asked them if they came for the guy on the lounge chair , who had plucked some coral from the ocean . Lol . You never know…

Nope!! “No problema” I was told . Well that’s good to know.

All good things must end. I hate when people say that but …. I guess they must.

Good night and goodbye Cancun…