Marrakech in December was alive with smells, and wet with rain. But the weather did not deter us from enjoying the experience of this fascinating ancient city.

When the weather did take a respite from showers, it gave us an opportunity to duck out of the covered souk where we haggled on the price of tanned leather and sparkly shoes, and tea stalls where we sipped mint tea. In the centre of Marrakech there is a vast main square that was beckoning us to come and have a look.

The main square was alive with buskers throughout the day and into the evening. But these buskers had the most random wares to sell and services to offer. Among these were the man who sold teeth (who wants to buy old teeth? What would you do with them?), the monkey man who had a monkey on a chain that you could pose with, and the snake charmer.

The snake charmer was definitely a business savvy individual, and wasn’t just performing for the odd coin that was tossed his away. He was astute and he demanded money, even if you were taking a photograph from a far distance away. And he had eyes in the back of his head. As you can see from this picture above he may have been charming his snake, but he also was keeping out an eagle eye for any tourists who were trying to take photos of him without paying. If he did see this happen, he would stop playing, get up, and confront you.

"You took my photo. Give me money" I watched many shocked tourists hand over money to stop the barrage of insults. I decided to give the snake charmer a wide birth.

As night falls, the Djamaa El Fna Square turns into a giant food market, with each bright white stall selling traditional Moroccan food. We sampled cous cous, lamb dishes, fish, escargot, just to name a few. It is bustling and manic with each stall trying his very best to lure you to a table to sit down and feast.

Marrakech is a great get away, and even though the rain dampened our clothes, it didn't definitely dampen our spirits for wanting to return and explore more!