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Published: October 15th 2008
...another trip. We took a long weekend trip to Morocco with our friend Sandra. You can actually see the Rif Mountains in the northern region of Morocco from across the Mediterranean while standing in Spain. They are quite impressive. We decided to go on this adventure with a small tour group based out of Sevilla. It was mainly a bunch of lame, whiny American college students that were doing a month or so abroad. The three of us had a blast despite them😊 Our bus took us to Algeciras where we boarded a ferry to Cueta which is an enclave of Spain, located in Africa. After going through customs at the border, we boarded the bus and began the drive through the countryside.
The first town we visited was Chefchaouen. It is located in the mountains. Besides the scenery, the most eye-catching thing about this town were the blue buildings. All of the buildings are washed out in a blue color. Apparently it's tradition that was carried on from the town's former Jewish population. We wandered the small streets that rose up the hills, watched goats meander past the wooden doors and were happily surprised by the lack of attention
we drew. Unlike the later towns we visited, we were allowed to wander the streets, enjoy the weather, the fresh air and the quietness of the town. There was no haggling or trying to yank us into a store. It was terrific! During our bus trip our guide told us an interesting story. Marijuana and hashish are huge in the Rif mountains. Back in the day it was a tedious process & difficult to smuggle many pounds of marijuana out of the country. So in the 60's hashish began to be produced in Morocco. It's more compact and easier to transport than the former. One of the nicknames for some weed is "Reefer", because of the region it is grown; in the Rif Mountains.
The next place we went to was Fes. Fes is a large city. It has the largest medina in the world. The medina is a walled in part of the city with tiny "roads". It's like a maze in there! You could be lost for days. The medina is car-free. The only transportation besides walking is donkeys. They were everywhere and if you didn't get out of the way you chanced being ran over. There
were sections of the medina that were dedicated to certain trades. There was the food market area, with fresh sheep heads & blood dripping on the floor. There was an area for blacksmithing, one for textiles, one for leather making, and so on. The dye process for the leather making is done an old fashioned way. We were able to see them putting the hides into a large vat and stomping the dyes in with their feet. Unfortunately the area had such a putrid stench that it was hard to maintain our composure. We were able to though, and were glad we had the opportunity to witness all that we saw. Honestly, it was like stepping back in time a few hundred years. During our night stay in Fes we had the privilege of eating in a tiny, quaint restaurant and seeing a belly dancing and music show. You know; the normal tourist stuff. Back to the food...the food was amazing! All of the couscous, veggies, potatoes, etc cooked in sumptuous tagines, sauces, etc. We became hooked on the mint tea. It's served with fresh mint leaves & lots of sugar. We purchased a lot of it😊 The last place
we visited while in the medina was a pharmacist. He had a vast collection of fresh herbs & roots & flowers--you name it, he probably it. We were amazed by how many jars stood on the shelves that filled the room. It was incredible!
Our last stop was in Asilah. Asilah is a small, quiet ocean side town. All of the buildings were white, the sun was shining, the day was beautiful. The whole time we were in Morocco was during Ramadan. During Ramadan you must not eat or drink ANYTHING, not even water from dawn until sunset. So on our last full day in Morocco we decided we would observe this as well. Not eating or drinking anything seemed okay at first, but by the end of the day you are soooo thirsty for some water. Kudos to those that did this on a daily basis. In Asilah the 3 of us strolled through the streets, quietly and calmly. The whole day was wonderful until some jackass was painting a house and started screaming obsenities at us for being American. We weren't being loud, we weren't being obnoxious, we weren't even talking! We were just being. And apparently
he didn't like that. We quietly walked away from him so not to cause a scene. I guess some people just have their issues.
While in Tangiers before boarding our ferry back to Spain there were many men along the side of the road attempting to catch our bus, cling to the bottom of it, ride it through the streets and to another country for freedom. It was quite startling and we were glad that we didn't drive. Morocco was definitely a different trip than any others. We saw beauty and we saw ugliness, but all in all we saw another sliver of the world. A world away from this world.
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