We spent 9 weeks in Morocco travelling in our car all over the country. We saw so much, stayed in so many different types of places and yet at the end of the 9 weeks, we felt like there was so much we hadn't seen.
Describe the country
Morocco is a Muslim country and in some areas, particularly the towns inland and in rural areas the religion has strong roots and guides daily life, from the call to prayer, to the traditions of behaviour, dress and even the food prepared and consumed. On the Atlantic coast, the way of life is more relaxed and the religion holds less sway over the community, so the atmosphere has a more laid back, almost European feel in some of these areas.
The landscape is often barren, but often beautiful at the same time. Morocco is parched with very little water flowing in rivers; the reservoirs are severely low and most riverbeds across the whole country were dry when we visited in August and September. It is either completely flat or mountainous, from the Rif mountains in the north to the neverending Atlas range that feels like the backbone to the whole country. Life in the mountains and further east is so different to that in the more populated areas to the west. Driving into some of the Berber villages in the mountains, or even as far east as the desert, is like stepping back in time; people live a traditional life without modern luxuries, relying on donkeys and ponies for working the land and transport. Children work with their family on the land, or run barefoot in the dust. Away from the Coast and large cities, it's clear that this is a poor country and there are many people struggling. Of course Tourism is the other source of revenue; everyone is a guide wanting to show you something or help you in some way. And along the coast or in the main tourism hubs there is more opportunity for income and whilst people are not rich, there is more money about and the poverty is less obvious.
We stayed in the old towns (medinas) a lot and experienced traditional riads where the hospitality and grace of the Moroccan people was obvious. The food is delicious, but quite limited really in variety. CousCous is a dish served tradtionally only on a Friday, but tagines of beef, chicken, camel or vegetables and other baked food are always available.
The whole country is littered with stray dogs and cats, but they are not generally viewed as pests. They were usually not any trouble and quite playful. The biggest pest is the rubbish everywhere, even when you're miles from people, there is litter, highlighting that Morocco is a long way from having good infrastructure.
Overall though, the country is welcoming and friendly. It is steeped in history and fascinating architecture appears everywhere. The landscape is so varied in each corner of the compass, and the culture adapts to its environment, so a stay in Fes is radically different from a stay in Agadir, or Ouzarazate, or Essouaira. Morocco is vast, it is fascinating and it is beautiful.
Was it what you expected?
For Gaz, yes in general, though he was surprised that so much of the country was reliant on donkeys and horse and cart for their transport. Driving from the port to Tetouan and Chefchouan we had seen only cars and other vehicles, so when heading south and more rural it was surprising to see more and more donkeys and carts around instead of cars.
For me no it wasn't what I expected. I knew that driving the country would be an adventure and that we would see the country in a different way than just flying in to Marrakesh on a package holiday, but I didn't know what to expect and I was nervous. I was affected by stereotyping and closed minded thinking. I was worried that the country would be so traditionally Muslim that I would not be respected as a female, or that I would feel uncomfortable in some other way (I had a bad experience in Turkey once). I was worried about appearing disrespectful of Moroccan values and wearing the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing in public.
The reality was worlds apart. Yes it is important to be respectful and mind your manners and dress and behave modestly, but I was never disrespected, in fact I was spoken to kindly and respectfully by everyone I spoke to, regardless of their age, gender or the area of the country. There are definitely neighbourhood cafes that seem to be frequented only by men, and there are places that you can only stay if you're married, but these are not common.
People are friendly, welcoming, polite and helpful.
Favourite memory?
There were so many great places we stayed and things we saw that hold a fond memory, but our time in the Sahara desert has to be top of my list. The sky was so blue and the sand was so golden and fine. I loved being in Merzouga and in the dunes. One day I hope to go back.
For Gaz, he remembers the Sahara fondly also, but top of his list is our time spent in Dahomey Plage near Bouznika, where we stayed in a house right on the beach for a week, with the sounds of the ocean to wake us and send us to sleep.
A favourite moment would be playing cards with friends on the rooftop of our Riad in Marrakesh on a warm night, the sounds of the mopeds and call to prayer in the distance.
Any regrets?
Gaz wishes that we had spent more time getting the car into better shape before we set off. Had we uncovered issues beforehand or simply given it a good service, we may have experienced less car trouble and been able to rely on it more. It would not only have saved us about £900 in car hire fees (it's not cheap in Morocco) but it would also have caused less worry.
Otherwise, I guess a regret would be not getting to see more. We didn't tour the Mediterranean Coast which is apparently beautiful, or the capital of Rabat because of rain and limited time. We would both like to have travelled further south of Agadir unto the Western Sahara. Had we known this was possible when planning the trip, we would have.
Hopefully one day we'll get a chance to explore more.
Did it have any lasting impacts?
This was the first country we had been to where the culture and language was so radically different from our own and we only had ourselves to rely on. We had to make all the decisions for better or worse and when there was a problem or a stressful situation, we needed to resolve it. So this trip definitely made me more brave. I have more confidence for the next country we visit with the same or similar challenges.
For me specifically, I think I'm definitely going to get a cat or dog when we settle down! I would have adopted several of the animals we came across if I could have. More profoundly though, I think I learned a lot about myself during this tour, how to manage the planning better to make things less stressful (Gaz's influence to approach things differently), and of course, the vast beauty of the Sahara desert will be with us both forever.
Comments