Morocco!

A blond, a brunette, and a red head take on North Africa

On February 22, just a few days after protests finally made their way to Morocco (and subsequently stopped right away), fellow English assistants Erica, Sophia, and I traveled to Morocco for a 9 day winter vacation.  [I wanted to say it was “much-needed” but seeing as I barely worked the month before, it felt undeserved.  The sunlight was, however, much needed.]

Due to time and budget constraints, we stuck to the northern half of the Kingdom of Morocco, hitting Chefchaouen, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes, Marrakech, and Tangier.  We flew into and out of Tangier with EasyJet from Paris and then used a very organized system of buses and trains to get around everywhere our feet couldn’t take us.

For the sake of the few people who still read this blog, here are some highlights from the trip:

Favorite part:  Experiencing the interesting mélange of the Middle East, Western Europe, and Africa.  Unlike anywhere I’ve ever been and yet strangely familiar.  Chaotic yet organized, smelly yet clean, relaxed yet very traditional.  It obviously wasn’t my first trip to a Muslim country, nor to Africa, but was my first encounter with an Arab country and I find Arabic to be a beautiful and fascinating language.

Least favorite:  The cat calls, but is that a surprise?  I actually didn’t hear most of them but the others did.  Senegal gave me a thick skin and evil look but the creepers were drawn to Sophia like moths to a flame, poor girl (and she even looks a little Berber!).  Some of the comments were funny (“Spice Girls!  Hey Spice Girls!”) but others were more annoying and it took a lot out of the girls.

So glad I saw: the Roman ruins at Volubilis.  I’ve seen ruins in Cyprus, France, Germany, and of course Rome, but these were unlike any I had ever seen before.  Vast and detailed, and along with the Lonely Planet walking tour, the old Roman city came alive before my eyes.  The ruined city is full of beautifully intact mosaics, arches, columns, and a still visible city plan.  Fascinating.

Biggest regret: not visiting a hammam or Turkish bath.  Next time!

Best lodging: I used the (R)PCV-Fulbright network to connect with Monica in Meknes who very kindly let us stay at her place gratuite for three days though we had never actually met.  She and her friends taught us a lot about Morocco, Meknes, and Moroccan culture, plus her friend Zacaria’s mom made us authentic homemade couscous with lamb and seven veggies.  Unreal good.  Hotel Continental, overlooking the port in Tangier was also a fabulous throwback to the beatnik Morocco of the 1950s and 60s.

Biggest disappointment: not having a nice camera to fairly capture the beauty and colors of Morocco.  Sophia was our group photog with her fancy camera but I found myself discouraged and jealous about my tired little guy on more occasions than I care to mention.

Prettiest green space: either inside the Kasbah in Chefchaouen or the Jardin Majorelle (Yves St Laurent’s place, see group shot at start of blog).  Actually, the entire countryside in and around Chefchaouen.  

Favorite medina and market space: I hate to say it, but Marrakech.  Everything the guidebook and others said was to beware of the chaos of Fes, which seemed relatively tame to me (though we were lost 4 hours before we found it), Chefchaouen was small and interesting, and we never saw the entire Meknes market in it’s full glory, but the market in Marrakech was alive with people and things everywhere.  I was at once annoyed by the people and fascinated by everything everywhere!  It was cool to pass through the souks and watch crafters and artisans at work, dying fabrics bright and natural colors, pounding silver and brass, or carving wood, as well as the designer brand knockoffs and ridiculous Chinese imports.  And I had some funny bartering experiences.

 

Best food:  Wherever the locals were eating, but especially the lentil soup man we found in Chefchaouen.  Delicious soup (3dhm a bowl) and tasty tajines, plus he took care of us as customers and made sure no one harassed us in the least.

Best thing to drink:  Tough but the OJ juice at Place Diam el-Fnaa wins out for costing just 4dhm ($.40) for a tall glass of fresh-squeezed all natural pulpy OJ.  Runner up would be the juice in Meknes at Café Florence including avocado (lighter and creamier than you would imagine without tasting too much like guacamole), strawberry (in season and sooo good), and almond (chunks of almond in it!).  Also delicious was the Berber spiced coffee at Café Clock in Fez and thé épicé at the Café des Epices in Marrakech.  Oh man!  I totally forgot the mint tea!  Soooo good!  Morocco gets major points for delicious beverages.

Best pastries: In Meknes the girls became obsessed with the marrakachia, a pain au chocolat that has been married with an éclair: croissant filled to bursting with chocolate hazelnut pudding and covered in a thick coat of chocolate on top.  All for 3.5dhm (that’s $0.35).  Morocco, especially where we were, are famous for their pastries using honey, almonds, and peanuts in various combinations which we definitely enjoyed.

Best transit: The Marrakeche Express night train to Tangier.  Clean and decently priced couchettes with lots of space, on time, and they give you a bottle of water.

Weirdest food experience: Using the last 100dhm ($10) between us on a cheese pizza from Domino’s on the beach in Tangier our last afternoon with Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On playing in the background.”  My travel companions were tired of much of the food and wandering around, so we wound up at this weird mall food court-like place that obviously caters to the rich European crew in the summer months but which is dead in winter.  Add the music and it was just weird.  We could have used the same amount of money to get bread, soup, yogurt, drinks, fruit, and pastries, but alas.  Obviously not a place for locals which made for a sad last meal in Morocco.

Travel essential: Lonely Planet Morocco.  This was a birthday present from my parents and there wasn’t an afternoon where we went without using it.  The maps were great, the information mostly up-to-date, and the facts fascinating.  We made notes in it and sent it along to my friends Jim and Michelle in London for use later this spring.

Something else fabulous: All of the nice Americans we met all over the place.  We met American tourists in every city we visited and wound up site seeing or sharing juice together.  Sophia kept remarking about how nice Americans can be to each other abroad (if only that extended to within the US and with foreigners).

So for the record, I totally recommend Morocco!  I’m glad I didn’t do PC in Morocco despite being invited to, but I really liked visiting and hope to go back sometime again.

Moi, Sophia, et Erica