Morocco

So I can officially say that I have been to Africa! (WOO HOO as my Danish friend Signe would say) So Kerry(sister) and I did our best to seeing the best of the country and also adapt to its many interesting pastimes. As a foreigner, it is interesting to see the Muslim influence in all of the cities and towns with Minarets popping up everywhere.

We flew into Casablanca and took the train to Fes on a Friday just before holiday. It was tremendously packed and a bit uncomfortable, but we loved the ride for one reason. We got to meet and interact with many Moroccans. One man told us about his family near Rabat, and how he is the quality manager for a Nike factory. We then showed other Moroccans the art of SUDUKO and gave them some cookies. So after almost around 10 hours of traveling we finally made it into Fes.

I first off paid way too much for my TAXI by screwing up the currency system of Dirhams. So the driver probably was able to pay bills for the next few months after our drive to the medina. We spent our two days in the Old Town part of the city which contains the Medina. So basically this part has a bunch of alley ways with a variety of different type of people. No matter what you cannot get lost because they have many signs posted for tourists. We saw some of the best crafts you could imagine from Morocco, there were museums and sadly it was difficult to see some of the poverty. We realized we had to adjust to the poverty and the bargaining system of paying for things. We enjoyed the city but were ready to go onto Rabat, so we grabbed the train.

The city of Rabat is the capitol of the country and is much different than Fes. It is evident that there is a large wealth gap in Morocco, and the people of Rabat have the most money. As a result, it was difficult to watch how there were Moroccans with government jobs eating at expensive restaurants. While at the same time, the majority of the population weekly lives off the price of their meal. The city is also on the ocean so it was nice to walk along the beach and watch surfers ride the wave. There is also a very famous Mosque in Rabat, it is part of the three sisters of Minarets. Remember though that only Muslims are allowed to go into Mosques due to religious order. The three sisters are in Rabat, Marrakesh and Seville (Al-Andalus before Christian takeover). We enjoyed our one day there, but were very excited for our voyage down south to Marrakesh.

So Marrakesh basically has just been built for tourism with grand parks, gardens, alleys of craft shops and museums. We spent three nights in an amazing Riad in one these side alleys, and could not believe our accommodation. It was basically like sleeping over the house of a wealthy person, and is perfect for romantic trips for couples. I don’t think that my sister and I fitted this category but we still enjoyed it. We spent our meals in the famous plaza area which was an experience of a life time. There are booths of Moroccan Orange Juice vendors trying to sell you their home made squeezed product. There are also many booths for outdoor sit down dinner areas with picnic tables. Basically you just order and watch them cook it in front of you. These vendors have great ways of trying to get you to eat at their booth. During the night time there are story and fortune tellers along with people walking around with monkeys. If your lucky you shall see snakes coming out of baskets, that is always a good time. We of course enjoyed the city but were even more excited for our trip to the Desert.

For three days and two nights we spent our time driving to the desert and then enjoying its attractions. So we of course slept out there in either our tent or out along the dunes if you liked. We got a great camel ride through the desert and the Kasbah of Mohammad. Before the Israel movement, there was a large amount of Jews in Morocco and they lived in areas called Kasbahs. There are no longer any Jews but it is still interesting to walk through these parts of the cities.

We then took a 4x4 and drove into the desert. One of our stops included a holy Oasis that has a little community along it. It was just a peaceful creek that was nice to walk along. Afterwards though we went to the Sand Dunes, and basically just hiked around. Kerry and I rocked the Sand Dunes and then I went for the bigger one. Once I got to the top, I enjoyed the view of the Sunset and rolled down the dune with an Aussie. It was pretty awesome but I definitely just had sand all over me afterwards. Hey it was worth the story right! But the tour was great and we eat some great Tanji and Kous Kous. Tanji is basically just a bunch of vegetables cooked and made into a teepee type structure. Then in the middle of the structure is either typically chicken or camal if you are lucky.

Our eight days in Morocco were great brother and sister bonding time to say the least. We of course expanded our horizons by seeing a new culture and learned a lot. We are happy that we went but not sure if we would go again. I would recommend going there with another person and talk to me before you go!