Morocco
Morocco....the country of many colors like I always thought. Definitely, one of the top destinations on my bucket list. Whenever I saw pictures from there, I wanted to go there more and more.... And finally this day came.
The flight was to Casablanca by Royal Air Maroc (not the best airline we flew). We definitely wanted to explore more than just the most cosmopolitan city in Morocco. Our itinerary (as always) was quite packed, and we had plans to visit Marrakesh, Fes, Chefchaouen, Casablanca and hike in the Atlas mountains.
Not to waste time we drove straight from the airport to Marrakesh. On purpose we chose the hotel on the outskirts of the city. It was Riad, and after this stay I really recommend it. The experience of staying in Riad is like being at home. There are not so many rooms (around 10), the staff is really nice and of course, welcome you with Berber Whiskey which is mint tea. Breakfasts and dinners are made just for you....so just say when you want to eat and you got it!
The best way to visit Marrakesh is to take a taxi for half a day. They can drive you around the most important points of interest. Our driver didn't speak English very well, but wherever he took us, people knew English pretty well.
So we drove to the most popular places like Palace el Bahia, Majorelle Jardins (gardens), Saadian Tombs, Jemaa El-Fnaa Square. Besides the monuments he took us to a place where they produce Aegan Oil and other cosmetics/spices and a place where they make leather goods.
Definitely, anybody who goes to Morocco should visit a leather market. You can see how they work with leather that smells really bad, but you got mint leaves not to smell it. The biggest leather market is in Fes, but if you want to see it in Marakesh it's worth going. Of course, after a short trip you are taken to the store to buy something.
Trading and selling is their main job. The positive thing...there are not so many homeless people asking you for money. Everybody wants to do something for you or sell you something. The problem is that they ask for super high prices, and sometimes you pay for it more than in NY. Whatever they ask you to pay, divide at least by three. Personally, I don't like it. For me it's a waste of time. To buy something small I have to spend 30 minutes to negotiate the price. After visiting 2-3 stores or market stands, I was so tired that I didn't want to buy anything else. It's sad because they can offer pretty good hand made, unique, and good quality goods.
We ended up sightseeing Marakesh on the big market square Jemaa el-Fnaa. It was too much for me....first we thought we would need to be there 2 hours. Then we changed it to 1.5h, but after an hour we had nothing to do and wanted to go back to our quiet Riad and relax.
So, my first opinion about this country was so so. People in Riad were super friendly and nice. In the city there were too many people, too much of a rush, too dirty, and too many people bothering you.
The next day, we went to the Atlas Mountains. We chose a 2 day hike to the highest peak in Morocco, Toubkal 13,671 ft. If you have time to do it in 3 days it's better. You can enjoy the mountains more. We did it in two days, and the hike was pretty strenuous, but we made it. The Atlas mountains are definitely beautiful. On our way to the top, we passed a few small villages. Berbers (mountain people) are really friendly, but they live in poor conditions. Arabs and Berbers are the biggest group in Morocco. You can also find a large group of Jewish people. The Berbers live closer to the mountains when Arabs are on the coast. Nowadays of course, they mix, and you can find everybody everywhere. They also have three official languages: Arabic, Berber and French.
If you are not so crazy about getting to the top of North Africa, I still recommend going to the Atlas Mountains to hike some valleys. Morocco has beautiful nature, and mountains so everybody can find something for themselves.
After two days in the mountains, I started to like Morocco...unfortunately, not for so long. We went to Fes after the hike. It's the oldest city and was highly recommend in the article I read before the trip. Unfortunately the welcome was really bad. When we were getting closer to the center of the city we were asked by a local on a scooter where we were heading. Even if we didn't want his help, he was still showing us the way. Our Riad was in the city center, so getting there by car was quite impossible. This is why it wasn't so hard for the scooter guy to figure out where we were heading. He showed us a way to a parking lot that they called garage. We didn't want to leave our car there, but we didn't really have a choice. We weren't sure where the hotel was, the streets were so narrow that the car couldn't go there. The locals around us were asking a super high price for parking. We told them that we had to check with hotel if this is the hotel parking.....so we got to hotel and the receptionist guy welcomed us in those words “Have tea, relax, and we will get your car out of there.”
All's well that ends well. We fixed the parking situation, and got compensated with a upgraded hotel room. We enjoyed a bottle of Bordeaux on the rooftop, and I forgot for a while that we were in a crazy country were if somebody is nice to you, they want some money. They see us as a walking wallet.
The same thing happened to us when we were leaving Fes. A different guy on the scooter wanted to show us the way.... luckily then, we were heading out of the city.
During our stay in Morocco (especially the 2 days we were in Fes) it was a big holiday for them. It's like Thanksgiving for us. They kill the sheep (or goat), by cutting the head of and burning it on the street. Then, they eat the meat for the rest of the day and weekend. Because of this holiday the city was closed...what they mean is that all the stores are closed. That's so funny. They don't think about their country as a great history, beautiful architecture, or a lot of monuments. They only want to sell you things....but how many souvenirs, bags, and shoes can you buy?
We were glad that Fes was closed. I can't imagine how many people are there during a normal day. The streets are really narrow and from every side they ask you to buy something. It has an other side as well. The city was closed, but the cleaning service also didn't work. So there was a lot of trash, and people were burning goats' heads on the streets. Everything looked a little bit scary!
Finally I found a city that I really liked in Morocco. Chefchaouen was our next stop. This is called the blue city. All the houses in the old city (Medina) are painted blue. You can't go to medina by car which made it a pleasant walk. It's definitely a place that everybody should visit. What's more this city lies in the valley, and is surrounded by the great Rif mountains.
However, it was a big challenge to get to the city. I think that from Tangier or Casablanca it's a lot better to get to. From Fes I suggest you take the longer route, and skip the R and P route. We tool the R and P routes because Google told us that it would take 3h and it ended up taking 7h. The road was horrible, and there were potholes almost everywhere. On the way we passed small villages, and even ghost towns. Did you see American Sniper? I am pretty sure that some parts were shot there.
So, if you have time stay in Chefchaouen 2-3 days. It's not a historical place, but just relax, take a hike in the mountains, relax in some restaurants, or just walk around exploring each corner of this blue city.
Our last stop was Casablanca. Probably, the most cosmopolitan city, and I do agree with this. Besides the Mosque Hassan II, there are not so many monuments. However, there are definitely more beach hotels, bars, restaurants, and offices.
We just saw a small part of Morocco. There are more places worth seeing, for example the Sahara desert and some other outdoor places. I think we saw enough......Even though, this country has longer history than Europe it's still underdeveloped. I thought that because it was so close to Europe it would be more developed. Especially it would be cleaner, more organized, and more tourist friendly. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The people are nice and it's definitely safe to travel there. They will not hurt you. The worst case scenario is that they will ask you for some money for giving you directions or they will want to sell you something for a price "10 times" higher. So avoid talking to locals, there is always business behind it. Fes and Marrakesh are definitely the craziest cities, but in other cities you can relax and feel how friendly people are.
For me, it was a dirty country. Trash was everywhere and it looks like nobody bothers picking up trash, and putting it into a bin. Not to mention they don't throw bottles in the trash when they are done drinking soda or water. The people in the small villages that we passed had Mercedes Benz and wore nice clothes, but their homes and gardens were full of garbage.
The country has great potential. Their products are good quality, hand made, and really beautiful, but they try to rip you off all the time. After one or two visits in the store, you don't want to deal with them.
The food was pretty good... however, I was expecting them to use more spices in it, especially that they are famous for them. Maybe the meals for tourists are more plain, so they like it...who knows?
Definitely a place worth visiting, but expect a less developed country. Avoid renting a car, unless you are a great driver, and drive a manual in traffic where there are no rules. You should stay in Riads instead of hotels.
The top 10 things to do in Morocco:
Stay in Riad and feel real Moroccon hospitality
Have mint tea with the locals and talk to them about history
Hike the Atlas Mountains
Visit Chefchaouen
Go to a leather market and see what hard work means
Hire a taxi driver to drive around Marrakesh and see that Manhattan traffic is nothing compared to this
Smell their spices and bring some home. It's better buy them in the supermarket than overpriced on the market
Go to the market and admire their colorful products.
Try the local cuisine
Explore nature: see the Sahara Desert, ride on a camel, and go to see the goats on the Argan tree
