Is Morocco Like Marmite?

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I had met quite a lot of people who had visited Morocco and it seemed that you either love it or hate it. Even people who had travelled together, sharing the same experiences, one could not leave fast enough while the other couldn't wait to go back.

Personally, as with most love/hate things (such as marmite), I am left feeling quite indifferent.

After the couple of weeks I spent travelling around Morocco I think I can understand why tourists end up with such polarized views. Take the food. I was already a fan of Moroccan cuisine after dabbling a little at home but the authentic stuff is even better. Slow cooked lamb with apricots and almonds served up in an ornately decorated tagine, its fantastic. However, I met someone else who, after seeing a few too many goat and camel heads at the food stalls or people eating live snails, hardly ate a thing during her time in Morocco and has departed to tell everyone the food is crap.

There is also the "legendary Berber hospitality". I think you need to get a lot further off the beaten track than I went to experience this. Though I did find people very friendly and welcoming, offers of mint tea are quite common from people just interested in you. On the other hand, of the four people I travelled with, one had his sunglasses stolen, another her mobile phone. Just an aside: Keep a close eye on your stuff when wandering through Djemaa el Fna in Marrakech.

One aspect of Morocco that you cannot fail to be taken in by is the scenery. I was surprised at how green a lot of the country was. The Rif Mountains in the north and the Atlas Mountains further south are all beautiful. The cities however can often invoke more mixed feelings. Fez, for example, one of the oldest cities in the world, its ancient medina is a labyrinth of approximately 9600 alleyways. To some people it is a joy to get lost amongst the hustle and bustle of unfamiliar sights, sounds and aromas. To others it is a hellish experience, never knowing which direction to go, constantly being jostled around and struggling to breathe with the odours of the tanneries and drains.

The most common complaint people have with Morocco is the in your face hassle from would be tour guides, souvenir sellers or market stall traders. If you let them get to you then your trip will be ruined because they can be pretty incessant. The worst places are the souqs of popular tourist cities like Marrakech or Fez.

"Looking is free"
"I give you Asda price"
"Just for looking, not buying"
"Liquidation prices"
"You from Yorkshire, eh bah gum, eh bah gum"
"I give you student price"
"Democratic prices"

"What the hell do I want with a pair of bright yellow pointed toe camel leather slippers?"

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Photos

Tagines
Bang them through the oven a few times and they aren't quite this pretty.

Spice Seller
Tell him what ingredients you have and he'll provide a perfect selection of spices to match. The beef tagine we made was cracking.

Kasbah Chefchouen
Sitting all day watching the world go by.

Chefchouen
The alleyways between the whitewashed buildings are painted blue at the base and reminded me of glacial crevasses.

The Famous Tanneries At Fez
You cannot linger here for long because the stench is overpowering. Urine and pigeon droppings are used to cure the hides.

Roman Remains at Volubilis
This is what I meant when I said Morocco is much greener than I expected.

Roman Mosaics at Volubilis
I'm the one in the hat.

Rabat
The reason most people visit the capital, Rabat, is just to get visas for onward travel. But I think its a grand little city.

Hassan II Mosque
This mosque in Casablanca is the third biggest religious building in the world with the tallest Minaret in the world. I found it quite staggering in an otherwise 'orrible city.

Djemaa el Fna, Marrakech
Better from up here than actually walking amongst it.

Berber Shepherd in the High Atlas
He even let us cuddle his one week old baby goat.

Ait Benhadou
This stunning kasbah on the edge of the Sahara has been the scene of many a Hollywood movie.

Essaouira
Could be Cornwall.