Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 205

September 11, 2007 - Marrekech We scheduled a bus for Zagora, an overnight trip through a private company called SATA. The Moraccan bus system is crazy. We arrived an hour early and there was barely standing room. The tickets were handwritten, therefor barely legible even by the other Moraccans. We were lucky enough to be the first ones to load the luggage and the first ones on the bus, well, we shoved a bit. After finding our assigned seats, mind you we dont speak French, Berber, Arabic, another pissed off Moraccan wanted our seats and tried convincing us we werent supossed to sit there. In the mean time, friends and family load up on the bus to say goodbye to passengers making it confusing and a mess for other passengers trying to find their seats. It ... read more

From the air, Casablanca looks a lot like Sacramento: the surrounding region of lines, angles and intersections making up a patchwork farm area resembles the same quilt-like agricultural area that encompasses. I came at the best time of day: dusk, when you can stare right at the sun as it sets in the dusty Saharan sky. The first part of our drive, through farmland and occassional suburban sprawl, was quiet besides my driver's honking which would begin immediately as the light turned green, whether or not the cars in front of us had started moving. Once we reached the city, itself anything but tranquil, I realized that Sacramento and Casablanca have little beyond farming in common. Where Sacramento is sleepy and contained, Casablanca is vivacious and delightfully chaotic. It seemed as if the entire 7 million ... read more

(kees) Total disaster. Rocked on up to the Algerian Cosulate in Oudja (I mean why else would you come here?), first we said Hi, Salam - polite as possible: Can we get a visa for Algeria?- we were told that it is possible from Oudja. We knew that it was going to be a No but decided to come here anyway. They gave us a few moments, then asked where we were from, we responded politely again but then they said No sorry, you have to obtain it from your home country and then come back. Well no. Plan B to ram our bikes through the border didn't look all that good. Neither did plan C to find our own wee crossing point through the desert. So that left plan C: organise a flight to a ... read more

So...Where do I begin?!?! I looooooved Morocco (Brian's not so sure yet)! Morocco was how I thought India would be before I first went-it's exotic and a little crazy, but if you need to, you can find the comforts of home. In India, some comforts of home just could not be had. Maybe it's all the tourism. While I didn't see any other Americans in Moroccco, there were tons of European tourists, including families with young children. I don't know why, but somehow Morocco has developed the perfect blend of the exotic and the familiar. All of the things that Brian and I craved in India we could find in Morocco. There was lots of meat, and I mean lots (see photos for further explanation). There was air conditioning. And hot water. And sit toilets (although ... read more

I spent the next week traveling north to Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, and Meknes. True to its name, Casablanca is full of white buildings and houses. The only thing really worth seeing (according to the guide books) is the Hassan II mosque. It’s the third largest mosque in the world. It was funded by the Muslims of Morocco, designed by a French architect, and built by 35,000 pairs of hands over 7 years. It was completed in 1993. Casa (as the locals call it) is on the Atlantic coast and the cool ocean breezes are a refreshing change from the heat of Marrakesh. There’s a touristy area near the beach in Casa called Corniche full of restaurants, hotels, cafes, and beautiful beaches. Seafood is fresh and safe to eat here. Throughout Morocco, meat and seafood are not ... read more