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Published: April 20th 2009
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Pouring Mint Tea
The trick is to try and raise the tea pot as high as you can Despite having left Morocco over a month ago the aroma of a pot of intensly sweet brewed mint tea is still fresh on my mind. It had a lot to live up to after all of the detailed descriptions from returned travellers. They described mint tea with a sad look on their face, as they know that mint tea could never be as good anywhere else and it is a long way to go for a quick cuppa. Luckily it was all I could have hoped and dreamed of, however now I am one of those travellers with that sad look on my face as I type this and drink a cup of Dilmah peppermint tea that just cannot come close to the Moroccan experience.
My Kiwi friend Mel and I headed to Morocco for the first week of March on the Moroccan Explorer tour from Top Deck. We were lucky enough to have a cute little group of only 7 members, and a fantastic Maroccan Guide Younis.
Our tour started in Marrakesh where the highlight was a trip to the Djemaa El-fna (Parade of the Dead) Square where snake charmers, story tellers, muscians, fortune tellers and dentists gather
to practice their trades by day and then the square is transformed to a giant open air restaurant by night. Djemaa El-fna was suprisingly quiet by day, but at night it lit up with the steam rising from scores of cooking carts and hundreds of people gathering for the cooler part of the day. It was a lively sight to behold.
From the tourist capital we travelled North to the white coloured cities of Casablanca and Rabat. In Casablanca we visited the Hassan II Mosque which during Ramadan can accommodate 100,000 worshipers (inside and outside), and in Rabat we went to see the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, although it was closed to the public as the King was to turn up at some stage during the day. We did get to visit the Kasbah dos Oudaias (kasbah is like a castle) to get friendly with some cats and for a view of Rabat.
Our next stop was at the Roman ruins of Volubilis, where I got an extra dose of a few of my favourite things from Morocco - donkeys and mosaics. The ancient Roman city was impressive in the wealth that must have been abundent in the
area and also gets a special place in my memory as my first Roman Ruins, plenty more to come I am sure.
Our next major destination was my favourite city in Morocco - Fez. The Lonely planet speaks of the riot of sights, sounds and smells that hit you in this city and they would be right. The Medina (old city inside a walled area) is full of 9000 tiny narrow winding streets and alleys where motorised vehicles cannot go, therefore there is an abundance of donkeys and mules caring wares past souks selling olives, bread, leather goods like shoes and jackets, scarfs, jewlery, pottery, nuts, fruit & veges, meat, fish, henna, spices and perfumes.
From Fez we travelled South to the Sahara desert. During the evening we danced to the Berber drums and even got a chance to show off our lack of rythm with a bash on the drums ourselves. We took a nightime stroll out on the dunes then settled under the stars in cosy traditional Berber tents. In the morning we rose early for a short camel ride into the dunes to see the sun rise, a spectacular sight. The Sahara was surely the
Volubilis Roman Ruins
See stork nest on top of pillar highlight of the trip.
It was very sad to leave our camp in the desert, but it was made easier by the plan of visiting our guide Younis's parents house for lunch. Younis's mother had prepared a feast of couscous for us and a fantstic cuppa of mint tea. We were very lucky to meet his family and get to see a Berber household.
Our last days on the tour were spent travelling past the Todra George and the city of Ourzazate. We got to see where several movies have been made, including Gladiator, we also got to meet an interesting snake charmer with very few teeth but an infectious laugh and happy attitude, yes I did pose for a photo with a snake, but as our man assured us there was "no poison".
For our last day in Morocco five of us headed out to the Cascades d'Ouzoud. This teired waterfall was a great sight and was helped along by cheeky monkeys, a crazy raft ride across the river below the falls and a fabulous lunch of lamb tajine, orange juice, mint tea and fig roll. I also had some henna painted on my arm while
at the waterfall.
Throughout Morocco I was amazed by the friendliness and hosopitality of the people, the intensely green North dotted with wild flowers, the number of donkeys (especially when we passed a market with about 300 waiting for their owners) and all the places that we ran into cats (including 3 inside the airport). But most of all my memories of Morocco will be influenced by the sweet refreshing aroma of mint tea.
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kiwi chick
Melanie Russell
Mmmm mint tea
Damn I miss Morocco and mint tea. And now I have that same sad look on my face.