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Published: December 7th 2010
Crossing the
Straits of Gibraltar from Spain by ferry was relativity straight forward, and 45 minutes later we put our feet down on the African continent. We caught a local bus connection to
Tangier, where after literally “doing battle” with the taxi drivers, we managed to get to our accommodation.
History of Morocco The Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, and finally the Arabs all took their turn in controlling Morocco. But it was the Arabs who left a legacy of Arabic and Islam, after remaining in various guises for several hundred years. This gives the country a distinct Middle Eastern feel, even though you’re in Africa.
During the 15th century Morocco fell under Portuguese rule, the locals regained control for a period but the country was later divided up between France and Spain, whose interests grew in the African region in the mid-19th century. Eventually tribal uprising loosened the grip of the European powers, followed by independent movements and nationalism, and finally the Europeans withdrew from Morocco in the late 1950’s.
Morocco in a Nutshell Morocco is Africa and the Middle East rolled up into one; and with that we found comes rewards and challenges of both.
Islam, the indigenous Berber tribes, and western encroachment (driven by Tangier being the main port city & its strategic location as an entry point into the Mediterranean) has created a strange melange of “East–meets-West”.
The embrace of modernity – which is visible through the countless cranes around Tangier, and the skyline of new “tourist hotels”, but at the same time the deep traditional roots and traditions of the local people remain visible. The situation of rural poverty remains high which has led to slums around the outskirts of some of the big cities we visited.
Whilst acting as a bridge between the Western and Middle Eastern worlds; different attitude to life, dress and behaviour still prevail. The country also exists as a monarchy with a democratic process, but with political power vested in the king. Photographs of the king are to be seen everywhere (whom I’m guessing should not be criticized in public - at least), and the “call to prayer” is heard throughout the city five times a day.
Sadly scams are common place - just stand in the main square in
Marrakech and see how long before you find a monkey on your shoulder, or
you’re pulled over to a hissing cobra, all the while being asked for extortionist prices for the photographs! Caveat Emptor! (let the buyer beware!)
Tangier
Whereas most of Morocco was divided up between France and Spain for the past couple of hundred years, Tangier was divided up as an international zone. Several European countries as well as the U.S. all had a slice of the pie. Tangier today can be characterised as chaotic street life, constant wheeling and dealing, a beautiful coastline, and lots and lots of construction cranes!
The following morning we headed into the city to organise train tickets to
Casablanca and afterwards we sat around a western style café shop to get our bearings. There were very few westerners in town that we saw, and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves heading passed
St. Andrews Church (spot the western influence) and onwards to the
Medina (old walled city).
The Medina is where all the
souks (covered markets stalls) are and after walking around this maze to view the “Muslim entry only” on the
Grande mosque; it wasn’t long after that we were feeling rather lost in the complex labyrinthine of alleyways, with all
sense of predictability and direction gone.
Never fear, a shop-owner-tuned-tour-guide was soon to lead us through the Medina, and onwards to the famous
Kasbah (a citadel or fortress) with a fabulous scenic lookout over the coast.
Then it was off to lunch in an authentic Moroccan restaurant to enjoy the local traditional food of couscous and
Tagine, while also being treated to a
belly dancing show during the meal… all washed down by the “must try” Moroccan mint tea!
Other than lounging poolside in an elegantly trendy
Riad (hotel) later that evening, we also spent time walking the rather impressive beach coastline and strolling around the city centre, where men seem to rule the roost when it comes to café’s with not a woman insight in any of them!
Casablanca
The following day it was off to the sprawling metropolis of
Casablanca and after some confusion we got to the train station just about on time. A four hour jaunt in a small non air conditioned eight-seater carriage and we were there - and got an overpriced taxi to our accommodation within the Medina area of the city.
Casablanca is the economic capital of the
country, but certainly not a tourist city! Famed worldwide for one thing - “the film”, and one would have assumed that the local people (not usually guys to miss a trick!) would have up-sold and cross-sold its main export in multiple ways – not so!
With barely a mention of the film anywhere, we ended up asking a local DVD seller for the film, who said he had never head of it! We were beginning to feel we were out of kilter. However we did eventually find the famous “
Ricks café” from the movie, but sadly it was closed….
Whist here we did take time to visit the very impressive
Hassan II Mosque built by the former king himself who wanted to give Casablanca a major landmark. It took thirteen years to complete, but what a sight it is. It can house 80,000 worshipers inside and a further 25,000 outside. The 210m high Minaret is the highest in the country, and it’s the third largest mosque in the world after
Mecca and
Medina in
Saudi Arabia. Well worth a visit.
Other main appeals of Casablanca were walking around the art-décor city centre, and dining in the more
openly western cafés, where men and women hang out together and have ditched their traditional clothes for a more westernized dress appearance.
Marrakech
With not a lot else to see in Casablanca we got a train to Marrakech. We stayed in the Medina off the Main Square in the middle of the Souks. The city has an exotic scent, and the age-old tradition of haggling which can feel intimidating to some westerners is pervasive throughout the country, and nowhere more so is this evident than in Marrakech.
The best way to see the old part of the city is via a chariot (horse drawn carriage) which gives you a true sense of life on the back streets, and you also get to take in the sights like the impressive
Ali ben Youssef Medersa mosque and
Bahia Palace.
While touted worldwide as an “exotic destination” with five star hotels and luxury service (and one of the rumoured hideaways of Brangelina!) - staying in local haunts can provide a somewhat different experience. Walking around the old city can be at times unnerving; what with all the noise and the “anything goes” attitude that can make it all seem a
bit overwhelming.
Marrakech has it all for sensory overload - endless colourful mind-boggling distractions, from freshly squeezed orange juice carts, to local snake charmers, potion sellers who promise a cure for whatever your ailment is, donkeys wandering the streets looking for their owners, to the ever present motor bikes sweeping past you on the narrow crowded streets touting their horn as they go by!
The noise in the evening can be deafening when blended in with the
Adhan (the Muslim call to prayer) as it’s belted out over the city; all the while the smells of the open air restaurants can draw you into the main square for food, encouraging the ever persistent touts.
After which time the old town had wore us out, we headed straight to the new town to the hip cafes, trendy restaurants, and fashion districts showing off the latest designer clothes… then it was off to McDonalds for ice-cream!!
The Sahara Desert & Southern Morocco
While we had a chance we also took a trip to the not-to-be-missed -
Sahara Desert some ten hours away via road over the high
Atlas Mountains. We visited several other sites along the way including:
• Red stone villages wedged into rocky crevices
•
Ait Benhaddou - a red mud brick Kasbah (fortress) where big budget Hollywood blockbusters such as
Gladiator and the recent
Prince of Persia have been filmed
• The very photogenic and impressive
Todra and
Dades Gorges where we stayed overnight in a local hotel
As we continued it was amazing to watch the vegetation just cease up bit by bit, as we moved closer to the desert. The Sahara is very hot - well over 40 degrees - so lots of frozen water was the order of the day – but unfortunately it’s never long before it thaws!
On the second night after a two hour journey on a camel (not comfortable!) – heading into the sunset & over the sand dunes of
Erg Chebbi, we camped out overnight in the desert under the stars (quite literally!). We had dinner with the
Berbers eating with our hands like they do, and were entertained with music and dance provided by the local Berber tribes people.
After a full-on week in Morocco it was time for us to move on, as we had plans to head deeper
into the Middle East. After a short train journey back to Casablanca, we caught an overnight six hour flight to
Amman, Jordan for a few days to see the happenings and goings-on there.
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