Morocco

Tues December 26, 2006 to Fri January 12, 2007
Mick and I arrived in Marrakech late Boxing Day night, tired after a delayed flight and Christmas Day behind us, to be stung with our first overpriced taxi and self-given tip... whilst bargaining and tipping is something we're very used to, the struggle to get reasonable starting prices (sometimes we were quoted higher prices than if we were in London!) and correct change was to end up characterising Marrakech for us and was fueled by the masses of European tourists who go there. The massive square, Djemaa el-Fna, was alive with snake charmers, henna painters, spice stalls, story tellers and incense burners. Whilst an ancient practice, it's cruel to see the little monkeys chained up for performing and horrible to learn that the insides of snake's mouths are sewn together to avoid being bitten, resulting in many snakes dying from mouth infection or starvation. Behind the square the colourful, winding souqs got us lost amongst the babouches, kilims, lanterns and metal work that were bright, ornate and interesting but so overpriced that starting the bargaining process seemed futile. After visiting the Ali ben Youssef Mosque and Medersa, Musee de Marrakech and the Jardin Marjorelle we needed to get out of the chaos, away from the tourists and more in our budget range so we decided to catch a bus to Ouarzazate, but with the largest festival of the year about to occur, Aid el kbir, all buses were full or not operating and so we caught a grand taxi for a grand price with an English couple instead.

After checking out the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate, we caught a bus to Boumalne Du Dades. We had escaped the mayhem to be rewarded with peaceful views of geometric rose coloured buildings casting bold shadows in to the valley with the snow capped peaks of the Atlas contrasting against the brilliant blue sky behind them. On Aid el kbir, when Muslims celebrate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son by sacrificing a sheep after morning prayers, we decided to trek in to the Dade's Gorge. We set off on our walk knowing we wouldn't see much unless we hitched because it was 30km one way. With everyone celebrating Aid el kbir and everything closed we didn't think our chances were good but luckily we were picked up by 6 German/Austrian men in old Mercedes, led by Florian who has done a Moroccan journey every year for the past 8 years. He filled me in on local customs and stories and enabled us to see so much of the gorge. It was fantastic!

To celebrate the first day of the year we decided to hitch-hike to Source Bleue de Meski. An oasis! The first leg of our journey was in a modern people mover with a Moroccan family visiting from France. At 130km/hr it didn't take many English/French lessons and Connect 4 games with their daughter before we reached Tinehir for a coffee break amongst the men, in the sun. Keen to press on, we hitched in style again with another family to Er-rachidia where we wanted to stop for lunch. By this time, 1pm, the restaurants had stopped cooking so when a Moroccan man offerred as lunch at his home we accepted. A delicious meal of Kayla and Brochettes (kebabs) was very satisfying before our short trip to Source Bleue de Meski. This was an amazing place! An oasis in the middle of the desert with a nearby Kasbah ruin seemed like an ideal place to spend the night so we hired a tent and blankets, set up and explored our surroundings before settling in for the long, COLD night on the very hard ground.

Our next destination was the Saharan Desert! We caught a lift with a Moroccan man who works as a bodyguard for the King. He took us to Erfoud, stopping to show us the Ziz Valley where the desert plateu drops down dramatically to an oasis filled with date palms and scattered with small villages. Our bodyguard was so kind, offerring stops for photographs. We finally got to Merzouga and chose a very affordable auberge called Lac du Sahara at the base of the largest dunes of Erg Chebbi. The view was surreal. We spent the next couple of days climbing the dunes and admiring their changing colours and shadows.

Reluctantly leaving the desert, we decided to push on to Fes. We hitch-hiked back to Er-rachidia where we bumped in to our bodyguard again before catching a bumpy overnight bus to Fes, arriving at 4am. Delirious from our journey, we decided to explore the medina and view the tanneries while it was still quiet. The tannery was situated below the terraces of shops surrounding it so viewing was always going to be a matter of a tip or sitting down with mint tea to purchase something... in our state, tipping was our only option as we were in no state to start the bargaining process! The smell of animal excrement, body parts and additional ingredients to the dyes like cow urine, pigeon poo and sulphuric acids meant we weren't keen to stay too long but the view and history of the process explained by locals was fascinating.

Continuing north, we decided to chill out in laid back Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains for a few days. With everyone here perpetually stoned (this is where the term Reefer originates) shopping was a breeze and bargaining became fun again. We loved exploring the blue medina, breathing in the clear air, soaking up the sun on the roof terrace of our Spanish-owned gueshouse and sipping mint tea watching people walk past. The food here was delicious too! Our favourite was the lamb, prune and almonds tagine!


With our holiday closing in we decided to rush back south to a seaside location, Essaouira. With it being a full day of travel to get there, we had 4 hours in Casablanca on the way where we took the opportunity to visit the world's third largest mosque, Hassan II Mosque. It was incredible - the size, the technology, the materials. The doors are made of titanium, the floors inside are heated, the minaret sprays laser beams across the night sky towards Mecca...

Essaouira was the perfect place to finish our holiday. After seeing big cities, oases, deserts and mountains, what better way to finish than with the ocean? Our guesthouse was inside the walled town of narrow lanes, overlooking the stone ramparts & turrets out to the Atlantic Ocean. I loved wandering through the bustling port with its numerous blue boats and ropes being untangled, exploring the beautiful shops within the medina and spotting the hand of Fatima door knobs. Fatima is the daughter of the prophet, Muhammed. The symbol can be seen all through Morocco as it resembles a way of getting protection from the evil eye, hence providing protection - "Hand of God".

In summary, I can't be positive enough about the Moroccan people. Friendly, warm and inquisitive, they truly follow the Qur'an in respect to strangers, as we were constantly invited to people's homes for dinner, mint tea or to stay the night:

"And do good unto your parents, and near of kin, and unto orphans, and the needy, and the neighbour from among your own people, and the neighbor who is a stranger, and the friend by your side, and the wayfarer, and those whom you rightfully possess. Verily, God does not love any of those who, full of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner..." - An-Nisa (4:36)

All through Morocco I saw people frequently give to beggars and those poorer than themselves. The call to prayer, especially early in the morning, was both beautiful and eery - a sound that will play in my head every time I recount this holiday. The food, whilst containing lots of meat and bread (which is considered sacred) was at times very basic but as we went north the combinations of tagines was fantastic (just remember not to use your left hand whilst eating, which can be difficult with no cutlery!). I bought a gorgeous Moroccan cook book to recreate some of the delicious meals I ate. All up, a wonderful holiday I'd recommend to anyone!