Palais de la Bahia (Bahia Palace)

The Bahia Palace is a palace and a set of gardens located in Marrakech, Morocco. It was built in the late 19th century, intended to be the greatest palace of its time. The name means "brilliance". As in other buildings of the period in other countries, it was intended to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan style. There is a 2 acre (8,000 m²) garden with rooms opening onto courtyards.

Set up at the end of 19th century by Si Moussa, grand vizier of the sultan, for his personal use, this palace would bear the name of one of his wives. Here, the harem, which includes a vast court decorated with a central basin and surrounded by rooms intended for the concubines. As the black slave Abu Ahmed rose to power and wealth towards the end of the 19th century, he had the Bahia palace built by bringing in craftsmen from Fez. The structures tell a lot about the taste of the nouveau-riche of its time, and can appear vulgar to modern tastes. It was intended to become the greatest palace of its time, but it is really dominated by hasty planning as well as uninspired detail work.

Additional information from the guide:
The king had 24 concubines, and they had to share rooms instead of having a room each. The concubines never get the chance to leave the room unless permitted. And that's why there's a special made wardrobe in the rooms for them to put their dirty clothes which will be collected from the outside through another opening of wardrobe...




This is how I look if I dress up like a typical Muslim, with a tudung/selendang over my head.
I think I look funny... >.<"












The courtyard.






Very huge windows.







... to be continued...

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Djemaa el Fna (Medina of Marrakech)

Djemaa el Fna (Arabic: جامع الفناء jâmiʻ al-fanâʼ), a square and market place in Marrakesh's medina quarter (old city). This Medina of Marrakech has been listed as one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The place remains the main square of Marrakesh, used equally by locals and tourists. During the day it is predominantly occupied by orange juice stalls, youths with chained Barbary apes, water sellers in colourful costumes with traditional leather water-bags and brass cups, and snake charmers who will pose for photographs for tourists. As the day progresses the entertainments on offer change: the snake charmers depart, and in the afternoon and evening the square becomes more crowded, with Chleuh dancing-boys (it would be against custom for girls to provide such an entertainment), story-tellers (telling their tales in Berber or Arabic, to an audience of appreciative locals), magicians, and peddlers of traditional medicines. As dark descends the square fills with dozens of food-stalls, and the crowds are at their height.

I miss the most the alleys around  Medina Square, the narrow, old alleys. All the buildings in Marrakech is painted red, or more precisely, persimmon color. The whole town has only one color. So it's really hard for non-locals to tell where they're heading to..








Surprisingly they grow grapes!
























Carpets for sale. But no space in my luggage to fit in any of these...






A donkey or a mule?




Lots of shopping you can do here. Remember to bargain. These people can spend time for bargaining. As the locals said, women usually stay indoor and the only time they spend outside is during shopping (including buying food and groceries). So they like to spend time bargaining, and enjoying it too.

Steam rises from food stalls. The square is edged along one side by the Marrakesh souk, the traditional North African markets which service both the common daily needs of the people of the city, and the tourist trade. On other sides are cafe terraces to escape from the noise and confusion down in the square, and on yet other sides are hotels and gardens. Narrow streets lead into the alleys of the medina quarter, the old city. The photograph illustrating this article shows the entrance to the souk at the left, cafes in the centre, and the entrance to the medina via the Street of the Olive (derb al zitoun) on the right.

Medina Square at night. Went back to Medina Square on the last night in Marrakech. There's basically only one place to go at night... besides clubbing. And we had the most expensive fried rice in my life somewhere here!




























Don't forget to drink orange juice. Freshly squeezed super sweet juicy orange! It's cheap too.





...to be continued...

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Dining in Macau: Where and what to eat?

I wrote a review on my dining list in Macau, but it ain't all the famous restaurant/cafe list available. I didn't purposely went searching for the recommended restaurants but I walked around and ate when I felt hungry. That brought to me a surprising discovery - almond cookies shop where Poker King was filmed. *Don't forget to click on the links*

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