Category: Morocco

We wanted another day in Marrakech so we booked a taxi into the city in the morning. There were two historical sites on our agenda and then we had a pretty open schedule for the rest of the day.

Not everything over here is old, the Bahia Palace was built in the 1860’s and served as the local rulers home, until the French Protectorate, during the French Protectorate it served as the governors home and offices.

When it was being built the Sultan employed the most gifted workers and artist in Morocco to work on it, and the detail on the walls and floors is impressive.

Unfortunately, the tourist season is starting to ramp up and the palace was mobbed with people. Ton had a hard time getting pictures that weren’t full of heads.

Morocco had a serious earthquake two years ago and both the palace and the Saadian tombs suffered damage. The damage at the tombs was pretty severe.

The Saadian were under going significant repair work due to the earthquake. The tombs are used for the burial of family members of the local Sultans family. After we entered there were a couple of side chambers open, but there was a long line at a door that we presumed was the entry to the main chamber.

It was not until we got nearly to the front of the line to what we presumed was the entrance that we realized that you did not actually enter the tomb, but were only allowed to observe it from this doorway. The doorway was only wide enough for two people at a time. Your time to view the room was limited as you had the pressure of knowing there were hundreds of people waiting behind you.

After our run of the historical sites we decided to head to a restaurant near the souk that was famous for its lamb, and Tagines. Today Ton taught me that there are Tagines, and Tangines. Tangines are the normal meals cooked in the conical clay pots you see all over Morocco. Tagines are similar, but the food is cooked in a slightly different pot over a longer period of time, sometimes in the hot water rooms of the Hammams or bath houses.

We ordered a lamb and a Tagine, the lamb came first and we realized it was plenty for two people. Once again we walked away from a restaurant over full from the giant portions in Morocco.

The souk in Marrakech is immense, but we have learned that there are souks within the souks where artisans who ply the same trade are grouped together. There are leather souks, pottery souks, spice souks, and many others.

Ton had read about a different type of coffee in Morocco called Sahara hot sand coffee. The stall was buried deep in the souk and we would never have found it without google maps. The first thing that struck us was that this shop was run by women. Nearly every stall and restaurant in the souk and the surrounding streets are wholly staffed by men.

The coffee arrived a very dark brown color and the consistency looked almost like hot chocolate. The young lady explained that they used a mixture of Turkish coffee and special spices to make it. It was delicious and I think the best coffee I have had in a while.

We still had some time to spare and someone mentioned that the tannery area was near by. As we were headed the wrong way in the souk for most tourists several Moroccans would point the other way and say the square is that way. When we said we were looking for the tannery they would point us in the general direction of the tanners. Finally a young man told us he was headed that way and led us to one of the tannery yards.

The tannery yard consisted of a series of pits filled with different kinds of liquids including acids to remove the hair, pits full of pigeon dung to turn the hides white, and then several more steps to cure the hide. It was an interesting process to watch and a bit malodorous. The “guide” (that word again) even handed us sprigs of mint to hold over our noses to cover the smell. In the end we ended up in a leather goods and rug shop. Ton was impressed how we had been passed seamlessly along after expressing mild interest in the tannery to a stranger and three (or possibly four) people later we were in a nice shop where we could easily drop a couple thousand dollars on leather goods and carpets. This time we escaped with only a small tip to our “guide” who was waiting for us when we emerged from the shop.

At this point we were pretty tired as we had covered over 6 miles on foot and the temperature was in the 90’s. So we spent the last 45 minutes in a KFC nursing Pepsi’s and enjoying their air conditioning before heading back to the campground.

We took a day trip today into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The Ourika Valley is easily accessible from Marrakech and has been transformed into a heavy tourist area.

The valley is mostly settled by Berbers or as they call themselves Amazigh’s which means free people in their language. They are the indigenous people to the area. In Morocco it is estimated that 40-60% of the population is Berber. It is difficult to get a precise estimate as Berbers and Arabs have coexisted in Morocco for so long most Arabs have some Berber in them, and most Berbers have some Arab.

A few miles outside of Marrakech we began climbing into the mountains and the road narrowed as we followed the course of the Ourika river. As we drove our driver asked if we wanted to climb to the water falls above Ourika. Ton and I discussed it and decided to give it a shot. He then strongly recommended we take a guide, so we had to have another discussion, but decided to go with the guide.

Before taking on the climb we had lunch at a riverside restaurant where you sat next to the river to eat. It was a bit of a tourist trap, but still fun.

After lunch we set out on our climb to the waterfall. The Ourika falls are a series of 7 waterfalls from a tributary of the Ourika river. We met our guide Idder who looked like a mountain guide he was wiry, and a little shorter than Ton, but looked like he could climb forever.

The trail was only about a mile long but we climbed up about 500feet in altitude to reach the main waterfall. The beginning of the walk is thru a small village with both sides of the trail featuring stores.

After the village you followed the stream bed. The trail was pretty clear and at tough places rocks had been placed and anchored to make sure it was fairly easy to climb. Near the top there were a couple of places where you had to climb up fairly steep rocks.

Idder took charge of Ton and did a great job of getting her thru tight spots. She had a lot of confidence in his direction and his firm grip on her arm so she easily made it to the top.

When we reached the main waterfall we stopped and took pictures. There was a nice pool at the base of the waterfall but it wasn’t large. Ton had to be patient to get an unobstructed view of the fall as many people would go into the pool to get their picture taken.

At this point Idder told us a secret. He said there is a much easier trail just a little higher up the mountain. It is the trail they use to carry in the supplies for the restaurant at the falls. So following his direction we climbed up for another 100 yards and came to a easier trail that did not involve scrambling over rocks. The drops from this trail were steeper so he kept a close eye on us to make sure we stayed on track.

Everywhere you go in Morocco you are confronted by “guides” who want to show you around. We are skeptical of this as we like to explore on our own. But today the investment in our guide Idder was a good one.

Great cities have an energy that sets them apart, New York, Bangkok, and Paris come to mind, Marrakech is part of those elite cities that have their own special energy.

The traffic is chaotic, the souk is a loud and frenetic zoo, and the main square despite being under construction overloads the senses. It is a truly cool city that you will either love or hate immediately.

I’ve been driving in Europe, North America and South America, and the traffic going into the city center was world class chaos. I thought it was my opinion, but our English neighbors who have been in the country for 60 days told us they were so glad they didn’t drive into the city.

We started out by visiting the main Mosque in Marrakech. Koutoubia Mosque was built around 1100 AD. It is the tallest Mosque in town. Like most buildings that are 900 years old it is undergoing maintenance. Ton had to walk a long way to capture a picture that did not have scaffolding or construction equipment in it.

We next entered the souk, without a plan, Ton wanted to look for some soap that is famous here. It is hard to describe how immense this marketplace is. We spent about 4 hours walking, and I guess we may have covered 10% of it. It is full of hidden alleyways and side rows with different merchants. It is a fantastic place to visit. The alleys are throbbing with energy, it is a mix of tourists and locals shopping together, but for very different products usually.

The roads in the souk or only 8 to 10 feet wide with shoppers, shop keepers ,and motorcycles and bicycles all vying for space to move, or talk. It has a throbbing energy, and you have to be aware of what is going on at all times.

We eventually found the cooperative that we were looking for that sells soap, perfume, and spices for food. It is a way for women in villages surrounding Marrakech to market their products and to get a fair wage.

After an extensive shopping expedition in the cooperative we asked for recommendations for lunch. The salesman we were working with took us about 300 yards thru the souk to an old restaurant that used their spices.

What was amazing about this place was one minute we were walking down this crazy narrow alley way full of people and motorcycles and our guide suddenly turned into a nondescript door and we entered a peaceful beautiful, and immense space.

After entering the enclosed courtyard we were led thru a series of hallways until we entered the open air garden of the female riad which had been maintained in its original state. This was the restaurant we would have lunch in. It was a beautiful setting and we were a bit overwhelmed.

We settled in for a three course lunch. Our waiter had a sense of humor when we ordered a bottle of sparkling water with lunch he declared it to be Marrakech Champagne and mimicked the wine tasting process with the water. He explained that alcohol cannot be served within 150 meters of a Mosque in Morocco which means in the Medina of Marrakech it cannot be served anywhere as there are so many mosques that no place is more than 150 meters from a Mosque.

We spent another couple of hours happily exploring the souk, before heading back to the campground for the evening. We think there are a few more days to be spent in Marrakech.

We shifted about 300 kilometers today to a city whose name always conjured up images of the exotic to me. The drive over was on a very modern toll road. Once we left Casablanca it was a very relaxing drive, I was able to set the cruise control and enjoy my coffee. Not what I expected on the road to Marrakech.

We arrived at our campground about 2pm, and basically did research on future legs of the trip, and Marrakech for the rest of the afternoon. The temperatures are going to get pretty toasty (after all we are only about 100 miles from the Sahara desert) so we moved to a shadier spot in the evening to prepare for our next 3 or 4 days here.

We decided last night to pass on Rabat, but to instead explore the town we are in. Ton had done some reading and discovered that the souk (market) here was fun, so that became our destination for the day.

We started out by doing a load of laundry and just kind of chilling in the morning. We arranged a taxi with the campground while we were doing our laundry. The young lady who helped us also gave us some good tips on how to shop in the souk.

We arrived at the souk during lunchtime so it was pretty quiet, but most of the stalls were still open. You can get almost anything you need for a home including pots and pans, kitchenware, furniture, and small appliances. Of course all kinds of food are available.

We spent a very happy hour searching thru the nooks and crannies of the souk. Our ostensible purpose for visiting was for vegetables, and a soap dish. We found the vegetables, and while we found a soap dish Ton didn’t like the design.

We were relaxing after the market when Ton declared that she wanted to visit the waterfront for another sunset walk. The sunset was nice but the other night was better. As we were walking we came across a food cart that we had looked at the other night. It sold escargot soup.

After seeing it Ton had googled the soup and learned that it is a common street food in Morroco. We decided to try a cup of the soup, but I had left my wallet in François so I went back and grabbed my wallet while Ton waited.

The snails are simmered in a large pot of broth with spices such as licorice, thyme, and anis added to it. It is a strong favor, but I found it delicious-unlike anything I had tasted before. It would be perfect on a cold evening or if you were fighting a cold. There will be more of it in my future.

When I went to pay for my broth I tried to give the owner a 20 dirham bill. He waved it away and held up one finger. The cost was 1 dirham which is 11 cents in US dollars. So another trip to François was necessary to find a 1 dirham coin, but it was worth it. A great culinary experience for a dime, that is why you travel.

We booked a taxi to take us into Casablanca yesterday and were quoted a quite reasonable price for the day. In the morning Mohammed one of the family who owns the campsite asked if a French couple could join us, we of course said yes. Then the other good shoe dropped- our price yesterday was for the taxi, so now we were paying half the price.

It turns out the French couple were Monsieur and Madame Poitiers. The first night in Asilah they had parked next to us and we had struck up a conversation. They are from Poitiers and as we had stopped there on the way down we could talk about their hometown. Denis had spent a year as a student in Worcester Massachusets which is my mothers hometown, so we also had that to talk about. Yesterday I saw them pull in here and gave them a wave, I told Ton that Mr and Mrs Poitiers had arrived and she knew immediately who I meant So we were really pleased when they turned out to be the French couple.

Our first stop was the Hassan II Mosque. It is the highlight of Casablanca for visitors. The Mosque is the third largest in Islam and can hold 25,000 worshipers inside and 80,000 on the square outside.

Morocco is known for its moderate approach to Islam, but this is the only Mosque in the country that non-Muslims can visit. It is open only in the morning for escorted tours.

The Mosque is modern having built from 1977-1983. As a result it has some interesting modern additions such as a sliding roof that is opened during Ramadan, and on Friday services to provide natural ventilation.

The Mosque is built on land reclaimed from the ocean. It is an impressive building in size and structure. The wooden balconies where the women attend service were also quite beautifully carved.

We finished the tour by going in the basement to visit the purification room. Before attending prayer Muslims must go thru a ritual wash to cleanse themselves which they prefer down here.

After the Mosque we headed over to the souk in the Medina. The souk is the old market in town and I knew Ton would love it. We started out with a lunch of Tagines again, I had chicken and Ton had fish which turned out to be fish meatballs. We ended up swapping plates as we each liked the others food better than our own.

The souk was great fun. We had no shopping in mind but did leave with a very small bag of pickled lemons. But we spent a very happy hour taking in the smells and sights and sounds of the market.

The old market was nice but was mostly aimed at tourists. Next to it was a street that was for the locals to shop in. It didn’t have the old columns and narrow passages of the souk, but it had more interesting things for sale.

After our taste of the market and seeing the restaurants in this part of town we wished we had waited to eat here, though there won’t be any camel meat in our future.

The city had been pretty quiet during our drive over in the morning. On the way home it had woken up and the traffic was quite a bit more intense. Our driver Yunus was able to navigate the crowded and free form traffic while having a spirited conversation with Denis in French. I would have been a nervous wreck.

Today we moved about 200 kilometers south to a campground between Rabat and Casablanca. Our plan is to use this campground as a base to explore both cities.

The drive was on a very modern and good toll road. The road was actually better than the last couple of hundred kilometers of freeway in Spain. The vehicles on the road though varied in quality and I had to be on my toes as the variation of speed was quite extreme. There were cars and trucks on the road only going 50 or 60 kilometers per hour when the speed limit was 120. We travel around 95 kilometers an hour so I had to watch in front of me to see how fast I was coming up on the old truck in front of me, and watch my mirror to see how fast the new Mercedes in the left lane was coming up behind me, to determine if I could pass the truck before the Mercedes caught up with me, or I should hit the breaks. It kept things interesting.

We stopped for fuel at a very modern rest area. The gas attendant was charming and spoke English well. When we travel over here the one business that is really thriving is fast food. The rest area had a McDonald’s which was not surprising, but what we never expected was to see a Krispy Kreme Donut place in Morocco, but this rest area had one.

After we arrived we arranged for a taxi to take us to Casablanca tomorrow and then spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy around the campground and the beach in front of the campground.

Ton wanted to go to the beach at sunset. It was quite busy as a lot of other people had the same idea. There were several food carts selling interesting food as a lot of the Arab dishes have a French influence here.

Ton loved the location for the sunset. Not only did it have natural beauty, but it had a lot of people doing interesting things. After the sun set the sky lit up with really beautiful colors so it made her day.

It’s nice to be settling down into enjoying the place instead of worrying about the drive. Morocco has made a very positive first impression on us.

For the first time in about 2 weeks we were able to sleep in, and not have the bulk of our day spent in François. Our good friends Fred and Denise Cook had visited Asilah in the spring and their blog pictures on www.diplostrat.net convinced us to spend a day in Asilah ourselves.

We did decide to move to a campground in the city. So we packed up and shifted about 7 kilometers to a very rustic, but functional campground close to the center of town.

After we were set up we headed to town on a beautiful but nearly empty waterfront promenade. The interesting feature were probably 150 flagpoles with flags of many of the countries of the world. We entertained ourselves as we walked by identifying flags. We would have failed a test if it was a test as we were probably around 45%.

We chose to head towards the Medina which is the old fortified part of the town. The walls were largely in place and it was interesting to contrast them with European city walls. The differences were pretty minor to us.

The Medina was very well preserved, and the occupants clearly take pride in maintaining the buildings. There were a lot of interesting doors to homes and businesses that Ton loved photographing. We spent a lot of time just meandering thru the narrow streets of the Medina.

The Medina area was also full of murals by talented artists. We found several that we both admired for several minutes. It looks like this was a recent project, but they are all well done and add to the charm of the town.

As we have quickly learned this is a cash economy, so we also needed to find an ATM to get more Dirhams. We had to venture out into the modern part of the city for this. I was worried that the banks might not be open as it was Friday which is the sabbath day for Moslems. When we went by the Mosque in the Median service was going on. But when we turned up at the bank it was open for business.

With money in our wallet we set out for a late lunch. Ton picked a seafood tagine, and I went for fried seafood. Tagines are a Moroccan specialty cooked in a conical shaped earthenware pot. The result is a heavily spiced stew like dish with a mix of vegetables and meat or seafood.

After lunch we headed back to François for a rest. Ton decided to see if there was hot water in the shower (there was) which set off a rush to the showers in the campground as an eyeball check of the showers would not lead you to believe hot water was part of the package.

A couple of orange kittens have adopted us as I am a soft touch and fed them. One even climbed into my lap after feeding and demanded to be petted for a while. The promenade is only 5 minutes away so we decided to head there for sunset. It was a beautiful cool evening and the promenade was much busier than this afternoon.

Asilah was a very pleasant surprise and a great introduction to Morocco.

We made it to Morocco. It has been a long journey from Amsterdam to get here, but the first impression is that it was worth it.

We had one important chore to complete before we boarded the ferry in Algeciras. I wanted to replenish the propane, as we cannot fill our tanks in Morocco. So we left a little early to go to a fuel station next to an Oil refinery. The attendant showed me how to connect the LP using my Spanish adapter, so this important chore taken care of we headed to the ferry terminal.

We picked the least expensive ferry available for the trip and were rewarded with an old and slow ferry. We were the first one on, but as anyone that has been in the Navy or Marines knows the first one on a boat is the last one off. But this meant we were at the front of the line to clear Moroccan immigration. But immigration was the fast part.

As we drove off a guy in uniform checked our passports and vehicle documents and waived us on. In front of us was a three lane road that led to the freeway. Just as we were thinking we had escaped, we came around the last corner and there was a customs checkpoint. We were routed to the line to have François go thru a giant x-ray machine. The machine was impressive, but it took us about 40 minutes to get our x-ray.

After the x-ray we hoped we were done with customs, but when we went back to the customs check point they were manually inspecting all of the vehicles. While we were waiting our turn Ton noticed some vans that the customs guys had had the owners remove everything on the inside. Ton said if we have to do that we will be here hours. Fortunately, for us they only did a quick visual check, and had a drug dog do a pass around François. After another 15 minutes we were released to Morocco.

By the time we cleared the port it was about 4pm so we headed down the toll road to our overnight stop at a well reviewed campground. It is part of a large hotel complex. We are the only camper on site, and I believe we may be the only guests in both the hotel and campground, but the service has been impeccable.