Hello !!!
Here some of my thoughts from my recent trip to Morocco. Certainly a different way of life, almost another world.
I travelled with six other people to Morocco. We all met in Granada. It was a spontaneous decison to go. I enjoyed the experience but i cant say i left morocco having endeared the people, culture and its cities.
The major disappointment for me was that the people were not at all genuine... they view you as a once off opportunity to score some money. I didnt like the fact that i could not trust any of the locals because there was always an alterior motive to their actions - to take your money. It was also mentally tiring having to ignore the many beggars, people wanting to be our guides and to constantly refuse the drug dealers (i told them the best dope is in Adelaide anyway!).
The cities i visited were Marrakech and Essaouira. They had their beauty... Marrakech is known as the red city. Almost all the buildings are made from a stone that is a reddish-brown colour. This matches the terrain all around the city. Marrakech is famous for its large public market called the Soux. This is a crazy place where everything from shoes & clothes, spices, insense, jewellery, carpets, fruits & nuts are on sale. During the day the main plaza of the market has people busking... snake charmers, monkey trainers, musicians and dancers. At night they make way for all the food stalls with traditional Moroccan dishes such as tangine, brochettes and snails.
The Soux is very much about bargaining... if they quote you a price for an item, then you should be paying no more than 40% of that price. I usually started my bargaining at 25% of the asking price. I bought some soccer shirts, spices and jewellery.
Essaouira is a famous wind surfing destination but it is mainly a fishing town. The city is fortified with a large wall which was used to keep out the invading spaniards and portugese. We had a very nice appartment in the centre of the city but generally the city looked very run-down. As with most places i visited in Morocco, hygene is not their strong point... there are constant foul odours in the streets and many stray animals.
Our arrival in Morocco coincided with the last days of the muslim Ramadan ritual. For Ramadan the muslim faithful are required to fast for 30 days. They are not allowed to eat, drink or have sex between the hours of sunrise and sunset. I found that religion is very dominant in their lives. Every morning (about 6am) afternoon and evening, prayers are read via loud-speakers to the general population in the city.
Going to a Moroccan bath house was one of the highlights for me. Bath houses have been used for centuries here and they are somewhat like a sauna. The major difference being you have someone scrub your body to remove all the dead skin and then massage you. I was in there for a couple of hours and i cant think of the last time i felt so relaxed!
The major highlight of my trip to Morocco was trekking into the Sahara desert. The trip involved crossing the High Atlas mountain range which has some very spectacular scenery - towering mountains, lush valleys and huge gorges. Before we reached the desert, we travelled through snow! - i found this contrast in terrain so amazing. Sitting at night under the desert sky and staring at millions of stars was awesome. The memory of sitting on top of a large sand dune and watching the sunrise will stay with me forever.
The natural beauty of Morocco is definately second to none.
I hope you are well.
Lots of love,
Peter
xoxoxox
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