Arrival in Marrakech
So, to continue the story from last time, I was so tired and confused, I decided to find myself a hotel, at whatever the price. (well, to some extent). I was too dazed and tired to try finding my hostel in the Medina, and somehow, I didn't have the heart to sleep in the airport. (althoug it was nicely air-conditioned)

My handy guidebook (good thing I brought it onboard) said that there were some chains nearby the airport, so I asked the taxi to bring me to the Sofitel. I arrived at 3am, and surprisingly, there were still some staff there.

Me: "What's the price for the room"?
Hotel: "300 euros". (about $450)
Me: "um, do you have anything cheaper?"
Hotel: "sorry, the hotel is fully booked, we only have luxury rooms. How about 260 euros?"
Me: "um, sorry, I'm looking for something less than 100 euros, can you recommend me to another place?
Hotel: "perhaps you can try the one down the road"

So, I go down the road, into a half-decent looking hotel, doors wide open. Then I look around. The staff was sleeping on the couches in the lobby! As soon as they heard my footsteps, the guys woke up, and offered me a room for about 1000 Dirhams, so about $110. Compare this vs. the EUR24/night I was paying for my hostel! By this time, I was desparate, and would take anything half-decently cheap. That was probably the most expensive nap I've ever had.. I woke up around 10am, explored the hotel a bit, enjoyed the poolside view, because it was pretty nice and I wanted to get all $110 worth of my money. The interior reminded me of some opulent (or some might say 'over-the-top') decorations like the Drake hotel in San Francisco..

I started exploring marrakech and was determined to find my hostel... despite not having any maps or directions.

Was I able to find my hostel, without a map or directions? Or even contact information? Stay tuned...

(btw, I'm actually back in Switzerland at this point, but I'm leaving this weekend for Dusseldorf, and then immediately to Denmark for a meeting, readers may have to be patient for the next section...)