January 16 :: Marrakech, Morocco

January 16 :: Marrakech, Morocco :: 0km / 428km total

The central medina in Marrakech. People stand circled around the various attractions.

One of the many side alleys radiating out from the medina.

A very slow day with my main focus being to rehab my ankle as fast as possible. I didn't even leave the medina area, making forays for ice, food, orange juice, and internet. I spent a few hours on the rooftop of my hotel, taking in the Sun with my ankle on ice. In the medina the snake charmers rule in the miday sunshine (cobras, adders, etc) but retreat at night when their charges become sluggish. I met up with a fellow Canadian touring cyclist today; he's off tomorrow, I wish I could go with, but I won't be ready that soon. I'm feeling a lot better, but it'll be a few days more. If I'm feeling fit enough tomorrow I'll take in Marrakech's old palaces and tombs.

English is still a non-entity here; its only the rarest of stores or shops that display English signs, or have English-speaking salespeople. Consequently my French is improving rapidly... I'm focussing on French rather than Arabic since French is the common language thread for countries down the road from here. Also, its much faster to pickup than Arabic, being similar to English and having learned it in school.