Marrakesh, the gorgeous scam city.

Welcome to Marrakesh — the start of a beautiful love-hate relationship with this intoxicating Red City filled with sights, sounds and hustle. This former imperial city is said to be one of the country's most captivating destination and the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. And I might have collected just enough experience to tell you why.

It was a pleasant 3-hour drive from Essaouira. The journey took me from town to town in between the two cities, and the roads were littered with traffic police and speed traps along the way.

The weather at this point was confusing the heck outta me. When the sun hits, it's scorching, but the minute you go into some kind of shade, the winds run chills down your spine. I didn't have the AC or the heat turned on in the car the entire time, I cracked the window open a little to let just enough cold wind in, while an airplane blanket kept my legs warm.

The relationship I have with this beautiful place is really a love-hate one. Remember how I called Marrakesh the gorgeous scam city? Yeah well, here's what happened:

DRIVING IN MARRAKESH

Driving into the city was quite a feat. The traffic was insane and there were people, cars, donkey carts and scooters (boy, were there scooters) everywhere you turn. It was actually frustrating to drive in Marrakesh. It was hectic. It was confusing. There were a lot of panicking and anxiety from maneuvering the traffic. The sound of horns and people shouting, coupled with the sounds from the donkeys and scooters were just disorienting.

I'd highly discourage it if you were even entertaining the thought of driving in Marrakesh. It was not pleasant, but this was the least of my worries during my time here.

LOCALS MAKING A QUICK BUCK

My first impression of Marrakesh was really ruined by locals who were out to make a quick buck from tourists. Right after all the chaos from driving in Marrakesh traffic, I find myself turning into the medina's parking lot. There were cars parked everywhere and it was a precarious situation trying to drive into the space.

There were two guys at the carpark waving their hands and guiding cars to empty spots. Naturally, I followed their gestures and parked my car. They collected parking charges, which came up to about 250 dirhams (USD$28/SGD$37) for 3 days. I thought that was rather expensive but considering how popular this city is and how many cars were in the parking lot, I didn't think too much of it and gave them the money.

They were helpful, friendly and very chatty. Once I got out of my car, they offered to help unload my bags and carry it. I politely declined since I usually travel rather light and have always managed my own bags. But that did not stop them from following me into the medina all the way to my riad entrance. They started giving unsolicited tips on how to find my way in the myriad of alleyways within the Red City. And those who know how I travel, I never ever ask for tips or directions. I usually just wander and get lost.

Upon reaching my riad, these guys asked for money for the tips I did not ask for. They were pretty adamant about getting some money out of me, even as I entered the riad. I wanted them gone, so I offered 50 more dirhams for those tips. They got angry and said that other tourists usually tip them 100 euros for their troubles. There was no way in hell I was giving them that much, so I told them I only have 100 dirhams.

I arrived at about 6pm and I had plans to check out the medina and Jemaa el-Fnaa and grab some dinner. But after all that I had been through, I was actually scared to leave the riad. So I wussed out and stayed in all night.

Honestly, in all of my solo travels, this was one of the very few times I was actually scared and felt somewhat unsafe. They knew where my car was, and they knew where I was staying. I had so many scenarios running through my head just then — they could jack my car, or steal whatever bags I have in there. They could linger outside my riad and waited for me to leave and mug me or something. It was all very unnerving.

My advice? Be firm with saying NO. It really is a tough predicament. I've been so used to having friendly locals all over the world helping and giving suggestions that it has become very difficult to ignore when people say hi or make small talk, or even try to help.

Now, enough about the bad experiences. Lets talk about the good in this city...

RIAD LAILA

Putting the hate aside, the minute I stepped into Riad Laila, I forgot about the scammers and was just amazed by how beautiful the place is. Moroccan hospitality really puts a smile on my face. I was greeted Moroccan mint tea and some cookies while the riad manager prepared to check me in.

Even though Riad Laila isn't one of the Insta-famous riads in Marrakesh, the service was amazing and the place looked gorgeous. By nightfall, the temperatures dropped to 12°c and all my warm clothes were in the other bag in the car. But the room was warm and it was the refuge I needed from the horrible first impression.

I had ordered food in from an Italian place called Pastaz by Catanzoro in the city, all with the help of a quick Google search. They spoke pretty decent English and they allowed me to order food through Facebook Messenger, so that was really convenient. Delivery was 30 minutes, food was affordable and hot on delivery. I ordered the Royale Pizza and the Crème crevette calamar pasta for 135 dirhams (USD$15/SGD$20). It really also helped that I could read and write very basic French.

JARDIN MAJORELLE

When you mention Marrakesh, the Jardin Majorelle is one of the must-see places that pops up with the conversation. An incredible garden created over 40 years by French artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s, then restored by Yves Saint-Laurent in the 80s, retaining the title of one of the most beautiful gardens in Morocco.

The electric blue Cubist villa designed by architect Paul Sinoir was commissioned by Majorelle himself. This very iconic shade of blue was named after Majorelle, clear and intense, it was trademarked as bleu Majorelle, or Majorelle Blue.

The plot of land is inhabited by 135 different plant species from five continents. For 40 years, Majorelle took pains to cultivate this magnificent landscape consisting of cacti, yuccas, jasmine, palms, bougainvillea, coconut tress, white water lilies, bamboo, banana tress, to name a few.

YSL and his lifelong business partner and then lover Pierre Berge fell in love with the garden and saved it from a certain fate in the 80s. Restoring it to its full glory and even increasing the number of plant species in the garden. The duo spent their days in Marrakesh in this house and drew inspiration for their fashion line from the colors and fauna in the garden. When YSL died in 2008, his ashes were scattered in the rose garden within Jardin Majorelle.

MUSÉE YVES SAINT LAURENT MARRAKECH

Right next to the garden is an entire museum dedicated to Yves Saint Laurent's lifework. I couldn't photograph anything in the gallery because they didn't allow it, but the gallery was pitch black and it housed a costumière display of YSL's 40 years of creative legacy of haute couture clothing and accessories that shone brightly in the dark exhibition space.

Since I didn't have a photo of how it looks inside, here's one from Google:

Credit: The Daily Beast

Outside the auditorium, YSL's ideas sketched on paper hung on the walls outside the gallery showed how much Moroccan culture, landscapes and aesthetics influenced his work.

SAADIAN TOMBS

Why visit a tomb, you ask. Well, this tomb is one of its kind. See, in the Islamic culture, tombs are not usually decorated, but in the Saadian Dynasty, it is the complete opposite.

The Saadian Tombs was built in the late 16th century and today, it is a historic royal necropolis. What is so impressive about this tomb is the fact that Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour Ed Dahbi imported Italian Carrara marble and gilding honeycomb muqarnas with pure gold to construct the 12 pillars in the chamber of the mausoleum. The ability to do that in the late 16th century in itself is an incredible feat and it goes to show that the sultan spared no expense on his tomb.

There's really not much to see on tomb grounds, but the main mausoleum was quite a sight to behold and the history behind it is definitely interesting. Besides, the entrance fee is only 70 dirhams (USD$8/SGD$10).

MEDINA

Having being ripped off on the first day in the medina, I had my doubts of wandering through the markets on my own. But I also didn't want to miss out on this because I was scared. So I gathered all my courage and threw myself into this old Marrakesh city.

The medina is filled with sights and sounds. There were people everywhere and every visible path is busy with locals hustling about. It was so much to take in and my head was giddy just looking around and walking through the markets.

It was actually rather difficult to get a picture of the iconic lamp shops. The owners did not appreciate tourists snapping photos of their shops, and I can understand why since most of us have no intention of buying anything from the shop. But hey, I managed to snap a quick picture while the owner of this shop wasn't looking.

Lunch was easily settled with a simple Google search. The Guardian recommended this place in the medina called Terrasse Bakchich. It did take me awhile to find the shop, but boy was it worth every step. It was a small shop buried in an alley of shops, but you can easily identify the shop as soon as you see tagines cooking over some stoves. The staff led me up a narrow spiral stairs, up to the smallest rooftop I've seen. This was quite possibly one of the best Kefta (meatball) Tagine I've had thus far.

The roof overlooks the medina but there were construction going on so the view wasn't as amazing as I'd expected. It was a nice afternoon, chilling above the chaos that is Marrakesh's medina.

GOOD PEOPLE

There are two kinds of people in Marrakesh. Unfortunately, I've been scarred by the not so nice people and it made me feel so bad every time I encounter the good people.

There's basically no GPS service inside the medina because of how dense the buildings are. Google maps literally does not work and I've tried it and I've gotten lost. While I was trying to navigate the maze, one of the locals offered to help me get out to the main street and I was so scarred by the scammers on the first day, I was adamant on rejecting his help. He had to beg me saying that he's not going to ask me for money and that he really just wanted to help me get out of this labyrinth. I eventually caved and accepted his help, and proceeded to feel like a crap bag for a while because I doubted him.

MARRAKESH EVENINGS

Still scarred by the horrible people who took my money, I spent most of my Marrakesh evenings on the roof of my riad, reading in the cold, wrapped up like a burrito. It was one of the nicest thing to do and quite frankly, I just miss the feeling of just sitting and reading the evening away.

I do believe that I will remember my time in Marrakesh for a long time to come. It has definitely left a great deal of impression and I hope that the next time I return, I would be braver so I can explore this gorgeous city properly. Until then, I'll leave you with this beautiful view from Riad Laila's roof.

I'll see you in the Sahara Desert in the next post! x