Morocco was absolutely incredible. Since we only had a short time we stayed in Marrakech which is one of the cultural points of Morocco.
The hostel we stayed at was in the centre of the medina. The medina is a large (incredibly large) open air market full of twists and turning selling everything from spices to leather to souvenirs to jewelry to knock off Louis Vuitton. In between the stalls there are restaurants serving both Moroccan and international food. We wandered through these twisting stalls, ignoring cries in Arabic, French and English offering to sell us ‘cheap goods at a good price for beautiful ladies’ and arrived to our hostel which was in the centre of this beautiful chaos. After dropping bags off we wandered through the medina. Since my arabic level is somewhere between 0 and 0.1 (limited to thank you, how are you, I love you and baby – you know, the essentials) I was initially worried about being able to communicate. However, my worry was unnecessary most vendors spoke enough French (or even perfect French) – in all honesty I think I spoke more French in Morocco than I did in my first week living in France.
The next day we headed out on a three day tour of the Atlas Mountains and Sahara. It is possible to rent a car and go around yourself – however, I did not trust myself enough to drive in the chaos of Morocco (and plus on the tour got to meet some really cool people from Europe, Asia and North America.)
First up on the tour was the Atlas Mountains. They were rounded not jagged like the alps or rockies and in the distance I could even see snow capped peaks. Sitting on a patio at the edge of a cliff enjoying a Moroccan Style tea with fresh mint and sugar with mountains around me, an endless sky above and a winding river in the valley below was so peaceful and I could have stayed there for hours.
In the evening we stayed in a hotel down in the valley. Our group was hanging out on the roof, drinking tea with mint and admiring the endless array of stars above.
On the next day we stopped in a Bedouin village where they come down from the mountains every year to raise crops and animals and make some of the most gorgeous carpets I had ever seen.
Afterwards we headed for the sahara desert and rode camels. I affectionately called my camel Leroy and for some unknown reason he was taller than the other camels (I swear this is true.. look at photo I’ll post here). So I am not sure if readers are familiar with riding a camel – but it is not sexy, not comfortable and not as gentle as riding a horse. First to get on the camel lays on ground, you sit on the back and then they lift back legs and then with a jolt lift the front legs. In addition – the ‘saddle’ on the back has no stirrups and since it was a one humped camel (or dromedary as correctly called) you are sitting on top of the hump holding on to the metal handle in front. On flat parts or uphill it’s possible to almost elegantly balance, but down hill or with that second jolt for the camel to stand (or first jolt to go back down) I was holding on for dear life. Incredibly cool experience, also terrifying. Although riding through the sahara going up and over sand dunes and sitting on the top of the sand dune watching thousands of colors mesh together in a sunrise I was able to forget some of my fear.
That night we camped in the desert. In the evening our guides made a bon fire and we sat around watching the stars as they drummed and sang songs. They asked me to join them in drumming and even though I insisted I had no rhythm (I don’t) they won me over. Some how ended up drumming with our Moroccan guides, singing Lady Gaga, Journey with the group all under the watchful eye of the sahara sand dunes and the open array of desert stars.
Next day early, early, early in the morning (like 5am early) we headed out into the desert, again on camel and rode back to town as the pink clouds of the sunrise appeared.
4 days in Morocco was not nearly enough. The beauty of the sahara, the chaos of the markets, and the kindness of the people drew me in and I know I will be back to explore more of what this unique country has to offer (and who knows I might give riding a camel another shot.)
Tips:
- Do a tour (good priced and many included hostel in the city.)
- Have backup bank cards. The currency is a closed currency so it’s hard to find outside of Morocco so bring multiple bank cards to get cash in case your first does not work
- Don’t take it too seriously! In the market people yelling, squishing everywhere and pure chaos – but enjoy it!
- Go!
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