A MOROCCAN EXPERIENCE

A typical village
2 Weeks in this very different place was a step back in time. They still cart by donkey & mules, shepherds with their flock living in tents in the fields,water carriers selling in the markets,many beggars in this poor country, people living without running water in their homes & filling containers at the local well, & many, many shops, all the size of a cupboard, vying for the tourist dollar as they all sell the same thing it's just who can entice the tourist through the door to part with their doe?
It was not as hot as I thought it might be, but then that suited me just fine & I considered the weather to be just that. At least for travelling & walking which we did a lot of.
Arriving in Marrakech for 4 days, we then made an eventful overnite stop in the Sahara Desert, with a camel ride, sleeping in tents & a sand storm for the added excitement, which I can assure was no fun going to the toilet in!!! I leave that to your imagination.





The tranquility & silence the next morning was well worth the copious amounts of sand eaten during the nite!
We were entertained & fed by Berber Men of the Sahara in their striking blue turbans & jellabs & which I couldn't resist buying a turban at least.


I got a bargain but it was hard work!

But you need to be carful of the men, they are onto us white women in a second & we received many offers of marriage, I could have got lucky? but I did resist all offers.
From the Desert we headed to Essouira on the coast , where we had a little trouble finding accommodation & were led around & around by a young lad, not too sure of his real motives, until our packs got the better of us & we took the first empty hotel we found, cheap & only a little dodgy.




It was a most relaxing stop provided you stayed out of the souqs, they are torturouse if you can't bargain & so I was tortured constantly, but I tried to have as much fun, although that became my down fall as I would smile at everyone so they took it as an invitation, naturally! I can only say I'm glad I had limited funds so that I couldn't buy all that was on offer. There were some great things I would have loved to have.



We then headed North to the capital Rabat, after a short delay due to the Kings arrival & all buses were comandiered for his soldiers, & then he didn't arrive!
That was the last we heard of him as we travelled in the opposite direction.
Rabat was uneventful except for the Kasbah & its Gretian like streets which were very pretty & enchanting.


Looks just like Greece so I'm told
We then hit Meknes & Fez, an amazing maze of streets, alleys & narrow winding paths, each brimming with goods of every sort for all types, needs & desires.


Fancy an icecream?


Donkeys & motorbikes are the only things that fit in these narrow alleys

Our last stop was Tanger on the tip near Spain, & we were glad we only had one nite here, it was a very uncomfortable place, with men following & learing at you all the time.
We had some great food & I tried to try all different sorts of things that I came upon even cows kidney stuffed with offal & other things which was very tasty.
It was a very cheap place but by the time you pay for every little thing & tip every one that passes you end up spending as much as elsewhere, almost!
But I did discover that Morocco is about 5 things - SHOPPING, EATING TAGINES, SHOPPING, DRINKING MINT TEA (which was delicious) & THEN MORE SHOPPING!
SO IF YOU WANT A BARGAIN MOROCCO IS THE DESTINATION
Some photos to hopfully capture the place


The Atlas Mountains