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Published: March 9th 2011
I had a lot of expections about Morocco. I expected to get some great photos of the architecture, see the Sahara Desert, eat some good food, and experience Moroccan hospitality among other things. I did indeed get some great photos, see the Sahara, eat some good food, but I was sorely disappointed in the Moroccan people's lack of hospitality or even warmth towards tourists. I was also sorely disappointed in my traveling partner in some respects, although he did a really stand up job driving. Enis, my carpet dealer boyfriend, and I did meet a few hospitable people, but I can count them on one hand. This lack of hospitality did not stop us from having a good time and some good laughs though. There was a time in Fez when I regretted my choice of traveling partners, but overall I had a good time and a good experience.
We arrived in Casablanca around 7PM and were trying to find the train into the city when a man approached us and asked us if we were interested in renting a car. Before we left Turkey we talked about renting a car, but I was not comfortable with the idea and
Baby Sheep Grazing in Volubilis
His shepherd was never far away. managed to talk Enis out of it. But, here was this man and we weren't having any luck with the train, so we decided to listen to him. In the end, we rented a car for 400 USD for 9 days. I thought that was pretty good. He started at 750 USD and came down without us really saying anything besides we weren't sure. Enis was sure he could drive, even in the cities, and I was sure I could read the map, so we rented ourselves a car. Ahmed told us that when we returned the car, he would drive us to the nearby Atlas Airport Hotel to stay the night so we could use their free shuttle service to catch our early return flight. He said it was 60 euros a night and we said okay because of the convenience, not because we really wanted to stay there. More about this when I write my last entry. All I will say now is, DO NOT STAY AT ATLAS AIRPORT HOTEL UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO!
Moving on....
We somehow managed to drive through the city of Casablanca with a map I purchased in the airport that
Goats in Volubilis
Look at the babies in the lower right corner. So cute. didn't have our hotel's street on it. After asking directions numerous times, we managed to find the medina and were looking for a place to park when this old man knocked on the window. He then spoke to us in perfect English and asked what we were looking for. He pointed out a reliable parking lot just behind us and told us how to get to our hostel. Then he asked where we were from. He's been to Turkey and remembered the name of every city he visited in Turkey when he was a navy man. He also remembered every city he visited in America while in the navy. He's been to 40 countries, speaks excellent English, gave us excellent directions (although I didn't follow them and learned a lesson), gave us his phone number in case we needed anything, and then proceeded to say goodnight and never asked for money. Over the course of our 10 day holiday, he would be just about the only person who didn't. His name was Khalid and I will never forget him.
After some wandering with our suitcases (my fault for not following directions) we were lead through the nastiest, dirtiest, most
Volubilis
World Heritage Site unappealing old city I've ever been in to our hostel. No one spoke English, only Arabic and French, but one man managed to understand us and walked us through the medina straight to our hostel. He then said goodnight, and didn't ask for money. So far, we were off to a good start, but that would soon end!
I had booked us a room at Casablanca's Hosteling International, but a private room. The guy at the desk was bordering on rude and was not helpful at all, but I expected that from what I had read online. Our bathroom was dirty and neither of us would shower in it. They have no towels, not even for rent, and I just got a vibe of overall dirtiness from the hostel. But we weren't staying here again, so we made the best of it because we were leaving the next morning. Enis was clearly not happy and hardly spoke. After we went to bed, I remembered him telling me about an Australian girl he dated that took him to the Black Sea region of Turkey. I also remembered him telling me about the five star hotel she paid for. I was
starting to think he didn't fully appreciate my efforts to organize this trip, with no help from him, or the fact that I had to travel on a budget. Since he wasn't paying, I felt he didn't really have any room to complain, but I hoped that the next day would be better and that he would show a bit more appreciation for my efforts.
After breakfast, we looked for a bookstore so I could buy a Lonely Planet, didn't find one, so we left. We drove from Casablanca, bypassed the capitol of Rabat, and made our first stop in Meknes. Here we had some excellent food - chawarma and pizza - and then found our way to the Roman ruins of Volubilis after asking directions many, many times. Volubilis is 25km from Meknes and 20 MAD to enter (about 2.50 USD) and not really worth the drive in my opinion. Enis agreed. But after seeing Ephesus so many times, we were underwhelmed by Volubilis. We then drove back to Meknes to take the better road to Fez, and by this time it was almost dark. Looking back, I wish we had gone to the medina in Meknes and
seen the old city there rather than driving to Volubilis. The old city of Meknes is actually a World Heritage Site.
So we arrived in Fez in the dark and followed the same plan for getting to our hotel as we did in Casablanca. When in doubt, go straight. Then we were sitting at a red light and some guy on a motorbike starts talking to Enis. Enis looked at him like, 'What the ....' and didn't roll his window down. We drove on and there he was again, at the next light, speaking English! So Enis rolled the window down and the guy asked him if he was Moroccan. Once he realized we didn't speak French or Arabic, his English got really good. He asked where we were staying, we told him, and he said to follow him. It was a pretty good distance and he led us straight to the hotel. And now the fun began. He wanted money and he wanted us to call his brother the tour guide the next day. I didn't have any small money to give him, so I gave him 5USD and 20 MAD. He asked for more and said, 'Don't
Volubilis Mosaic
There were several like this, very well preserved. you have dirhams?' We didn't give him any more money and finally got rid of him.
We were staying at Riad El Pacha near the medina for 65 USD a night. I didn't want to pay that much, but I couldn't find anything else in Fez. After we saw how beautiful it was and saw our beautiful, clean room (with towels!), we were very happy to be there for two nights. We decided to walk around a bit in the medina and on the way out, I snagged a Morocco Lonely Planet, well used, that was on the front desk and I had every intention of stealing it. This hotel was far from being a backpacker place and it wasn't even in LP, so I knew the book wouldn't be in high demand.
In the medina, I immediately got a bad feeling. Everything was closed and there were young men just standing around talking and smoking, and some of them were up to no good. I wanted to leave but Enis said it was okay. Now, I am a strong woman. I don't look vulnerable or scared when I walk down the street. But when I'm with a
Prickly Pear
This cactus grows very well in the green part of Morocco, but not in the desert! man, I would like to think that if he cares enough to travel with me, that he would care enough to stick by me if something happened. I didn't get that feeling from Enis when we walked through the medina at night. I don't know exactly why. Maybe it is because when I told him I didn't feel safe, he insisted that we keep walking even though neither of us knew where we were exactly or how to get out of the medina. Maybe it was because when he saw a group of young men smoking and looking suspicious, he continued walking toward them even though I wanted to turn back. Maybe it was because I told him to leave his wallet in the room while he suggested I carry my small purse so we could put some money and the camera in it, so clearly, I was the more likely target! He completely disregarded what I felt and thought. Except for the leave your wallet in the room part. He put his desire to see and explore, even though we had all day the next day to explore the medina when the shops were actually open, before my safety
and my feelings. So I really started to doubt my choice of travel partners.
I was not feeling good about this medina. I finally insisted that we go back to the hotel and really didn't give a damn what he said, except I didn't want to find my way back by myself. Back at the hotel, I read in the book that tourists shouldn't go to the medina at night and that some people have been robbed at knife point. Yikes.
So we went to sleep in our beautiful room so we could get ready for a big day of sightseeing tomorrow. I was definitely not in the mood for sightseeing - or anything else - after that trip through the medina.
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