Morocco (finally here!)

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Morocco was awesome! We loved the art and Islamic architecture. The Moroccans are so laid back and friendly.

What we loved:

We visited including museums, the Jewish neighborhood, schools, farms, etc. Our riad (traditional home converted to a hotel) was beautiful and a lovely stay

Moroccan Tea

The Moroccans love to drink mint tea with a tons of sugar. It's called the "Whiskey of Morocco" They pour the tea to the cup as high from the cup as possible and it's a pleasure to watch this artfully task. The mint tea was quite good, although the sugary part of it took some getting used to. The food in Morocco is very tasty with lots of herbs. They also cook with nuts and dried fruit, especially dates. There is a dish called tagine using cone-shaped ceramic pot, also called by the same name - it's quite good. The slow cooking really adds a lot of flavor to the food.

Locals

On this trip, we were fortunate, to have friends in 2 countries, and it gave us an opportunity to visit someone's house, talk to people, and also see how people live. For me, travel involves experiences, interactions with people, observations about cultures, not just visiting the most famous landmark in that area. We love learning about different culture. It makes me realize the world is big, but people are people everywhere! We all have families. We all work, eat, try to live our lives as best as we can, even if our clothes, religion, and language are different.

What we didn't like so much

Marrakesh Pollution

In Marrakesh , we also didn't like the air quality. There didn't seem to be any emissions regulation! After 10 days there, our lungs were suffering. Funny thing, is it didn't seem to bother the thousands of French tourists there. But then 9 out of 10 French people smoke like crazy, so they may be used to breaking in pollutants!

The touts : How bad are the touts?

In Morocco, we read alot about the aggressive nature touts. at first, we were worried about the touts (people who try to sell you things or want you to come to their hotel/restaurant) They have a bad reputation for being very aggressive, but we found them harmless, just trying to make a living, as opposed to causing any harm.

The touts weren't bad but many locals did try to swing us into giving them money. For example, someone would ask if we needed help if we looked lost. If they helped us, they would hold out their hand for money. This happened in the streets, restaurants, even in the museums

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Photos

Riad - the entrance to our room

Moroccan Cat
This Moroccan kitty sat here every day

A View of the Medina from the musuem doors

This is the Breakfast we had every morning
Moroccan bread served with mint tea, and fresh-squeezed orange juice!

Maze-like Streets
These are the narrow and colorful streets we traversed in the medina

Place Def Naa
A crowd gathers around a story tell in the Square Place Def Fnaa

Our Riad Courtyard
We stayed at a Riad, which is a hotel from traditional Moroccan house

Our Riad Courtyard - Orange Trees
The oranges trees were in the courtyard. Behind the oranges was teh door to our room

Fanning oneself with Moroccan Fans
The heat was relentless and we tried all methods to keep cool, including the Moroccan fan!

Colorful Morocco

Our room in the riad