This post is long overdue, but we suppose it’s better late than never. A few weeks ago, we spent 10 days in Morocco (our first trip to the continent of Africa) and had a fabulous time. Below are just the highlights of our trip and a few of our favorite experiences.
Cities: Morocco is a lot bigger than one might think, and it really offers a wide variety of landscapes. In our 10-day adventure, we certainly didn’t get to cover it all; however, we spent our time wisely and covered most of the must-see destinations.
Marrakech: A City of Liquidation Sales
Though not technically the capital, Marrakech considered the cultural hub of Morocco and is a city unlike any other. It is most well-known for its vibrant Jemaa el-Fnaa square and for its sprawling souks. Simply put, the square is the epitome of sensory overload. There are snake charmers with their unmistakably haunting music, men with monkeys on leashes selling photo opportunities, food vendors yelling at people from afar to try their delicacies, and women offering to cover your hands and feet with henna tattoos for the right price. Clearly, PETA and OSHA have not made it to Morocco yet. The souks are a sprawling street bazaar and bazaar they are indeed. In the central souks, you can find typical market goods (leather products, scarfs, rugs, trinkets, spices, baskets, and the like), but the further you venture, the stranger the merchandise becomes (foods we can’t begin to describe, livestock, snakes, full animals hanging from what we can only hope was a butcher’s shop). One thing that every vendor had in common – they were intent on selling you their goods… for 3 times a reasonable price.
We also visited the famous Bahia and Badi palaces, toured the outside of the Mosque, and explored the famous Jardin Majorelle. The touristy sites were interesting, but our two favorite activities while in Marrakech were people watching from the amazing rooftop cafes/bars and experiencing a hammam. Traditionally, hammam referred to the weekly trip to the bathhouse. It was a place one typically visited with friends – not only to catch up on gossip but also for the practical reason of having a friend help wash your back. During our 2-hour appointment, we were treated to mud body masks, a complete body scrub, hair washing and conditioning, relaxing time in the sauna, and a 50-minute full body massage. It was money well spent, and we cannot recommend the experience enough.
After this ample pampering, we headed into the desert for a 3-day trek (see Adventure in the Sahara below).
M’Diq: The Lovechild of Africa and the Mediterranean
Having spent 7 busy days traveling around southern Morocco, we were excited to end our trip with a few lazy days in the small beach town of M’Diq (it’s only taken us a year and a half of jammed pack travel itineraries to finally learn to value of relaxing vacation). M’Diq is located on the northeastern coast of Africa and is a really an interesting mix of cultures – napping and sipping cocktails on the Mediterranean Sea, you could almost forget that you’re in Morocco – that is until you hear the afternoon prayer call which quickly reminds you that you are not, in fact, in Italy. For us, M’Diq was the perfect way to end a fabulous vacation, as it was a good balance of adventure and relaxation. Each morning, we would drive to a nearby town, and each afternoon, we would nap by the sea.
On one morning, we drove 35 minutes north to Spain. Yes, you read that correctly – we drove to Spain from Africa. How you ask? The city of Ceuta, while located on the continent of Africa, is a small municipality of Spain. The town’s identity is unmistakably Spanish (Spanish language, Catholic churches, and an abundance of wine – a forbidden fruit in the Muslim nation of Morocco), but we found that the most interesting part of the day trip was not the town’s curious existence or stark contrast to neighboring Moroccan towns, but rather our experience crossing the border. It’s honestly hard to put what we saw into words. Hundreds of cars, hundreds of scooters, maybe thousands of Moroccan men of foot – all chaotically trying to get across the border. The border is actually the cause for a lot of controversies, and as such, is heavily policed by men in uniform.
Confused by the chaos, we did a little research and learned that merchants are able to import goods from Spain to Morocco without taxation if the goods are transported across the border on foot. Basically, thousands of Moroccan locals line up each morning, hoping to be selected as a “Moroccan Mule”. It was honestly like watching Blood Diamond or any other classic Western movie, where Gringos come in and (sometimes violently) control the locals. This experience was such a small part of our trip, but it will definitely be a lasting image for both of us. Should you be interested in more details, here is an article that we found extremely helpful.
Our second day trip from M’Diq was to the famous blue city, Chefchaouen. In all honesty, we’re not really sure why so many tourists flock to this city every year. We found many (if not all) of the markets and restaurants to be extremely touristy; nevertheless, it was certainly cool to see a city washed in blue, and it was a beautiful and fun drive. Someone had so much fun driving the winding, mountainous roads that he was pulled over for speeding. A little money exchanged hands, but otherwise, we left unscathed.
Culture: Morocco is truly a melting pot. From Berbers to Phoenicians to Arabs to Spaniards to French, the land has exchanged hands so many times, that what is left is an interesting blend of cultures.
- Language: Most Moroccans speak at least 3 languages: Moroccan Arabic, French or Spanish, and English (note: we found that most people had a pretty rough English, but nonetheless, we were thankful because our Spanish, French, and Arabic are all virtually nonexistent). We also learned that the natives, known as Berbers, have their own, entirely different language. Many people in Morocco may lack a formal education, but they are certainly well-versed in languages.
- Food: To be honest, we were a bit disappointed by the food. We were expecting spicy, flavorful food, but the majority of the food we had left something to be desired. There are really only so many tajines, kebabs, and couscous dishes you can eat. One food item we came to really love was the tea (cheekily called Berber whiskey) that was served at every meal. It’s basically green tea with a ton of mint and a healthy amount of sugar, and it was a nice little “dessert” we enjoyed morning, noon, and night.
- Religion: The culture of Morocco is fully, completely, and inextricably tied to Islam. We believe that we are both open-minded people, but we also recognize the fact that we became adults in a post 9-11 world. As such, there is a lot of emotional baggage we carry regarding the Islamic religion (even after nearly 18 years). This was the first time that either of us had heard the call to prayer live (i.e. not in a movie or on the news). Given the context of previous exposures, this experience initially had us a little uneasy. Actually standing there in the moment, apprehension quickly gave way to curiosity. Having never experienced the call and speaking absolutely zero Arabic, we had a lot of questions. What exactly are they saying? Is the prayer call a requirement? What happens if your schedule does not allow you to attend prayer? Is it going to be a problem that we are not Muslim? Morocco, which we learned is a relatively progressive Muslim nation, was a perfect foray into an exploration of this previously foreign culture. Every Moroccan with whom we interacted was incredibly kind. Many were even willing, if not happy, to explain their culture and religion to an outsider. At one of the kasbahs we visited, our tour guide walked us through a prayer, explaining the reasoning and symbolism behind each step. Morocco is unlike any country we’ve visited before, and the multicultural experiences we had there continue to fuel our drive to travel and experience the world.
Adventure in the Sahara: Fun fact, the word ‘Sahara’ literally translates to desert; thus, it is redundant to say “Sahara Desert” as it means “desert desert” … the Los Angeles Angels of Africa.
One of our favorite parts of this trip was our 3-day trek into the Sahara. We hired a tour company and were extremely pleased with the choice. Our driver, Youssef, and guide, Mohammad, picked us up from our Riad in Marrakech (a Riad is a traditional family home with interior gardens which is often converted into a small hotel), and we set off into the desert. As previously stated, Morocco is a surprisingly big country, so our trek came with a lot of driving, but we made many stops along the way to break up the long ride. On the first day, we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kasbah Ait-Ben-Haddou (a mostly ruinous kasbah where Gladiator and many other movies were filmed), and another known as Kasbah Amridil, (where we learned about life as a traditional Berber).
On our second day, we traveled through the Dades Valley once known for their booming palmeraie industry, but now, mostly abandoned. We have tossed around the term “oasis” without attaching much meaning to it (other than a loose association to Chris’s go-to karaoke selection and scenes from In the Army Now … one of Pauly Shore’s great films), but standing on a desert cliff looking over the green palmeraies almost inexplicably filling this patch of desert hits that term home.
Following a quick stop for Berber whiskey, we began the long journey to the famous Erg Chebbi sand dunes – truly one of the most incredible naturally-occurring phenomena we have ever seen. To give you some insight into their scale, the dunes are approximately 30 miles long, 5 miles wide, and the highest peak is nearly 2,400 feet above sea level! Monday evening, we mounted our camels and literally rode off into the sunset. Ninety minutes later, we “parked” our camels and watched the sunset while sitting in a sea of sand. That evening was spent with a few other couples hanging out with the Berbers, eating Tajine, and learning to play/dance to traditional music. It was awkward at first, but we had a good group … and a secret bottle of scotch … which was a formula for an all-around fun night.
With a long drive ahead of us, we had the earliest start of those staying in the camp, but this afforded us a private viewing of the sunrise from the backs of our trusty camels. Though on the clock, Beatrice and Seamus (our affectionately named camels) seemed to enjoy the experience as much as we did.
Day 3 was about 8 hours of driving; however, our tour guide, Mohammed, was so spectacular that the time flew by. Not only was he a wealth of information about anything and everything Moroccan, Berber, or Arabic, but he was also a genuinely nice and incredibly impressive man. Mohammed told us that he had actually grown up as a nomad Berber. We learned about his childhood moving into the mountains in the summer and moving back into the desert in the winter (obviously with all of their belongings and livestock). We also learned that his father was insistent that Mohammed receive a proper education, so at a young age, the family sold all of their possessions and settled down in a small desert village. Mohammed is now a college graduate, fluent in three languages, and is a successful businessman. His is an inspiring success story which has left a lasting impression on us… a theme of this African cultural adventure.
Tomorrow we head to Italy for a very different, but equally exciting adventure. More to come.
SASgoesSwiss 