Morocco is a fascinating country full of colorful sights, exotic experiences in addition to a crossroads of many rich and diverse peoples and cultures. I would have loved to spend months exploring the various cities and villages hidden throughout the Moroccan landscape instead I joined six other Mauritanian Peace Corps volunteers and one of Elise’s friends from America for a world wind vacation of five cities in 14 days. We gathered in Nouakchott for a quick meal before traveling to Nouadhibou, Mauritania and then Dakhla, Western Sahara with Brahime, an amazing chauffeur we discovered by chance in the Nouakchott Garage.
Took numerous hours to cross the Mauritanian/(Western Sahara)Morocco border in addition to the several km no-man’s land between the two countries which is covered with landmines due to 6 unorganized border checkpoints. Once into Western Sahara we followed the Atlantic coast for another few hours through flat, orange desert until we finally arrived in Dakhla. After a quick tour of the coastal town we ate a nice dinner of traditional mint tea and cheese pita while watching football (European soccer match) before our flight to Casablanca.
Arrived in the Casablanca Airport around 2am and needed to meet our American visitor’s plane a few hours later, so with no time or desire to leave the airport and a train to Tangier leaving soon after Stephanie’s arrival, we chose to do what any self-respecting poor man would do – sleep in the airport. A friendly security guard guided us to the children’s corner of the airport located adjacent to the baggage claim for a few hours of sleep in sleeping bags next to plastic play houses and caterpillar crawl tubes, perfect entertainment for seven tired twenty-something year olds in an exotic country. I woke up at one point a few hours later to a small child watching us all sleep in his designated area and greedily eyeing the Barbie themed playhouse located not far from Elise sleeping head. Notably better than some of our future hotels, the airport provided exceptional bathroom facilities for washing off the grime of flying and brushing our teeth in preparation for a several hour trip north to Tangier.
Tangier, located on the Strait of Gibraltar, is a unique city which is heavily influenced by its Spanish and Portuguese neighbors thus creating a city which elegantly combines its North African and European roots against the backdrop of the turquoise Mediterranean. Built from the water edge straight into the foothills of the Rif Mountains the city is beautiful with tiered housing districts containing numerous whitewashed houses in addition to two distinct market areas, the medina and ville nouvelle. The medina or old city contains a traditional mazelike network of streets called a souq which is lined with vendors, boutiques, cafes and pensions and creates the commercial backbone of the city while the ville nouvelle which was created by the French during their occupation of the area in the early 20th century contains more of the modern commercial buildings – banks, commerce, car rentals, movie theaters, bars, etc.
We stayed in a traditionally decorated pension (bright colored tile accented with dark wood) in an alley of the medina called Pension Victoria because of a recommendation by Lonely Planet. Although the hostile style rooms were drafty and the bathroom consisted of a Turkish toilet and a breathtakingly cold shower, the rooms were clean, comfortable and sufficient for a large group on a small budget. Stephanie, who was fresh from America, had a little trouble adjusting to the bathroom situation but the facilities were better than usual in comparison to my black hole latrines and bucket baths so I accepted them happily. In order to endure the unexpected and at times unpleasantly cold temperatures in Tangier in addition to avoid the icy water at the Pension, we frequented hammams or traditional public bath several times throughout the trip. Situated throughout each city and separated by gender, the public baths contain 4 rooms, of which the fourth contains a source for hot water (usually a fountain or possibly a faucet) and resembles a sauna plus 3 rooms that are decreasingly hot in which locals (especially older, heavyset women) bathe with the help of an attendant.
Spent most of our time walking throughout the city, discovering new alleys and catching glimpses of decorative wares - lanterns and teapots, Traditional fabric and clothing, metal accented mirrors, sterling silver jewelry and various items crafted out of leather created in local tanneries - which abounded from every corner. Plus enjoying numerous tastes of the kingdom including roasted peanuts, orange juice pulped in your presence, traditional mint tea, café au lait, fresh goat/cow/sheep cheese created daily by local women and bought wrapped in palm fronds, handpicked olives and dates, Spanish inspired tapas and French bread. Although our first meal immediately upon arriving was $6 Big Mac’s from McDonalds.
Visited several colonial era bars for beer and local red wine from the neighboring town of Meknès during the evenings and attempted to experience a European style discotheque but refused to pay the high admission price so we listened to the techno music from a classy bar next door.
Ignoring the large “Gare de Fès” located outside our window; we remained in our cabin on the train for more than 45 minutes at the Fez station because we were told by several strangers that we had not arrived in Fez yet. At least we have all become capable of passing large amounts of time without entertainment so it seemed like only minutes. Thanks Mauritania. Once we finally disembarked we ran into a group of Americans waiting to travel elsewhere and they informed us of a great little hotel on the medina outskirts. Pension Dalila was owned by an Obama lookalike who willingly granted every request at a brisk walk and 3 floors of bright colored rooms which combined traditional blue and white tile with red/orange/yellow/green/gold patterned fabrics which covered every available surface. Complete with hot water showers and western style toilettes not to mention a rooftop terrace which exceptional views of the Rif and Middle Atlas Mountains and labyrinthine medina comprised of more than 9400 narrow, twisting alleys.
Fez is a historic medieval town with a distinctly Arab feel that is an ancient center of religious learning, culture and craftsmanship. A guide is needed to successfully navigate the medina which is filled with ornate mosques, Qu’aranic schools, markets, old palaces, fondouks (lodging and trading houses, especially for the desert people), active artisanal and guild workshops which can be observed chiseling wood, tanning and dying hides, engraving brass and silver plates, weaving fabrics, and much more in addition to ward off the numerous number of locals offering everything, “Scarf? Silver Jewelry? Slippers? Purse? Berber Husband?”. In particular, Fez is known for its tanneries which stretch throughout much of the medina and practice the craft in a traditional manner with only men being allowed to work amongst the mud barrels consisting of lye and various natural dyes including pigeon poop, saffron and indigo. In fact, the rank smells of the tanneries can be whiffed throughout much of the medina outskirts requiring a sprig of mint to take the edge off.
In addition to the medina, we visited a National Arms Museum to learn about the progression of weaponry in Morocco and the world; ate a three-course meal in Bab Bou Jeloud (famous point of entry to the Medina); watched the seven year old Crown Prince Hallan IV (wearing an adorable brown snake-skinned jacket) walking through Bab Bou Jeloud with friends, nanny and entourage, climbed a small mountain, explored the ville nouvelle which contains sophisticated cafés, stores, restaurants and supermarchè in addition to the Fès el-Jidd containing the mellah (Jewish quarter) and royal palace and walked along the crumbling city wall.
As we walked throughout the various parts of the city we stopped to savor the flavors of the region and enjoyed sausage kebabs, meat tajines, kefta meatballs with egg, couscous, Harira (traditional Moroccan soup), numerous flaky pastries filled with nuts and honey, escargot, strawberries and various fresh breads in addition to orange juice, avocado milkshakes and mint tea.
Woke up early to catch a train to Marrakech and immediately board a bus to Essaouira for several days of beachside lounging. Essaouira is a calm coastal port town known for its glorious beaches; active harbors with fishing boats unloading their daily catch and the pounding of hammers as traditional wooden boats are being built; small, intimate medina; and seafood sizzling on outdoor grills.
Arrived after sunset and walked in circles for a while as we tried to find our way through the hustlers, alleys and general craziness that is located within the town halls. We finally located Hôtel Smara and after sending a few members of the group out to look at an apartment offered by a sketchy man we were offered a cute apartment, often used by peace corps volunteers, by the hotel. Located on the second floor, the apartment was comprised of colorful stained glass windows, dark wood accents and exposed rock windowsills plus a small kitchen and breakfast nook in addition to 3 sofas, 2 double beds and a mattress on the floor (after I cuddled in a double bed with Steph and Elise for a night).
I attended a fish auction held each weekday between 3-5pm in the harbor and “fought” fearlessly with the help of Barnett for a whole Barracuda that we bought for 50dh. After more time sunning on the beach and a beer on a nearby terrace as we watched the tide roll in we took our prize barracuda and walked to a nearby grill. For around 5 dollars a person, we all enjoyed a delicious seafood medley of boiled shrimp, scampi, sardines, rockfish, calamari, barracuda (that we won at the auction), and 3 whole spider crabs in addition to bread, salad, French fries and coke.
In honor of Stephanie’s visit and out of a personal desire, Steph, Pablo, Eric Barnett and I decided to ride [White Sudanese Racing] camels throughout the surrounding dunes. For 30 minutes we bounced among the golden dunes and through the crashing surf with our guide several feet off the ground and on the back of one of the world’s most awkward looking animals. Because camels move both left legs in sync and then both right legs they have an extremely gawky gait which leads to the rider being bounced somewhat uncomfortably and precariously through the uneven sand.
Rest of our time was spent walking through the medina and enjoying ocean breezes while shopping with the girls, sipping warm drinks in local cafés, stopovers in local bars and classy restaurants for a drink at night, spontaneous midnight dance parties in our apartment, delicious pastries from whole-in-the-wall bakeries and watching festivities from a Women’s Rally in Essaouira for the weekend before we caught a bus back to Marrakesh as the skies began to darken threateningly. By the time we arrived, a strange wet substance unknown to me for months was falling throughout the city leaving everyone cold and uncomfortable. Luckily the rain did not last for long and stopped in time for us to find a comfortable riad (traditional Moroccan town house with rooms surrounding an interior courtyard) next to Djemaa el-Fna and the Koutoubia. Djemaa el-Fna or “heartbeat of Marrakesh” is a well-known square that comes alive around sunset with open-air food stalls, lantern silhouetted juice stalls and street performers including snake charmers, acrobats, Arabic storytellers, henna artists, monkeys on leashes and more under the constant shadow of the famous Koutoubia mosque whose minaret stands 70m tall and is visible for miles in every direction. Spent several days exploring the terra cotta colored medieval desert town, visiting the Kasbah which contains the ruins of Palais el-Badi and the golden arches of the Saudiaan Tombs, discovering flowering gardens throughout the city on rented bicycles, catching whiffs of spices and herbs used in everything from cooking to perfumes to witchcraft inspired medicines and continuing to enjoy the flavorful tastes of Morocco.
Sadly returned to Mauritania after traveling by train, plane and automobile and sitting once again for 6 hours at the hands of incompetent border guards. After a quick stop in Nouadhibou to visit the large, glorious apartment of another volunteer which contains chandeliers, crown molding accents, 4 rooms and a full kitchen for a night before we continued south into the heart of Mauritania.
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