Morocco

cocodrilo · Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Posts: 494 Location: Western Japan

I spent 3 fabulous weeks in Morocco back in 2001 and was even there when the World Trade Center bombings occurred. (Thanks to that incident my friend from San Francisco was unable to catch her flight back home!)

I arrived in Casablanca and stayed at the clean little Hotel de Noailles. My friend wasn't arriving til the day after next so I got up early the next day and took the bus to El Jadida. The "90-minute ride" took 3 hours(buses usally take longer than expected!) but when I arrived I was amazed at the beautiful little seaside town with its very well-preserved examples of military architecture- the Portugese fortress, ramparts and impressive maze of streets. Hung out at the beach for a bit as well.

Oh, because of the French influence, the hotels serve a FANTASTIC breakfast- big, crunchy French rolls AND pastries(better than I had in Paris!), lots of coffee and hot milk to go with it and freshly-squeezed orange juice.

When my friend arrived we saw a bit of Casablanca, not entirely a noteworthy place for a long stop, yet the Hassan II Mosque was magnificent. Did a bit of dancing at the Hyatt at night, and the local hookers seemed envious, as if we'd be competition????! (Good women stay home at night in muslim countries!) Casablanca is also one of the rare places women can sit alongside men and sip coffee at a cafe without feeling uncomfortable. It is just not done anywhere else.

We then took a bus ride from hell(meaning like 2 stops in 8 hours, no air-con, lots of flies, but what the heck, a good experience nonetheless!) to Marrakech. We stayed in a riad, which was formerly a lavish townhouse restored into guest quarters. VERY cool, very cheap! It was called "hotel Sherezade". (Watch out, as their visa machine might decide to "go out of order" at the last minute as it did on us!) Marrakech is a magnificent city- the markets- with their spices and dried fruits and jewelry souqs, mosques
and the main square in town, the Djemaa el-Fna, which comes alive at night with street stands selling everything from steamed couscous and kebabs to fresh-squeezed orange juice and sheep heads. Beer? No way, not in muslim Maroc, but we brought our own cocktails in plastic soda bottles...
There are also discos, casinos and, if ya really feel drained by the heat and want to relax in a lush garden, go take a stroll in the exquisite gardens of the La Mamounia hotel. Note that you will have to be at least a bit dressed up to even get through the front doors, as this is a very exclusive and pricey establishment.

We then headed to Fes, where we stayed 4 nights at the Hotel Grand. Fes
was a lot of fun, although the streets were maze-like and had us running around in circles. Met some folks who took us dancing(at their friend's wedding!) and then to a disco till the wee hours!!! Fes has an asolutely amazing labyrith of approximately 9400 twisting alleys, and it is best to get a guide to at least help you get out! All of it is bustling, parts of it are dirty, and dark and one must beware of pickpockets. (I found the entire experience fascinating!) Great carpets, ceramics, woodcraft and silver jewelry abound in Fes. Don't forget to do some serious haggling if you are purchasing expensive items.

After Fes, we headed to Meknes, known as the "Versailles of Morocco", but we didn't think the place was that hoppin'. (Some cool shopping in the souqs and a visit to the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail made the trip worth it, though!) Our main purpose for heading out that way was to see the Saturday market at Moulay Idriss, a charming town (they don't want visitors staying overnight, so you just hire a car and make a day trip of it) and Volubilis, a magnificicent site with the largest and best-preserved Roman ruins in Morocco, which lies about 33km north of Meknes. It was declared a UNESCO site in '97 and I was amazed at how few people were there in 2001. It's hot as hell so bring some sunscreen AND a hat and your bottle of water. Be sure to look for the mosaics- there are some which are in pretty bad shape and then some which are beautifully preserved, a bit of a walk from the central site. You can see the whole place in a couple of hours, longer if you enjoy strolling.

The capital of Morocco, Rabat, was a very cool place- the Kasbah des Oudaias, Le Tour Hassan & mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Royal Palace, and some really fantastic restaurants and street stands! We regretted not staying a couple more days...

Heard of the news of 9/11 while in Rabat which shocked the heck out of us
and spent a few hours checking the news and contacting family at an internet cafe. The locals were very sympathetic.

I have a few recommendations for travel in Morocco-

1. Dress modestly. If you want to go into the mosque in Casablanca (most
will not allow non-muslims anyhow) you should cover your shoulders. Forget about wearing shorts or strappy tees. It's just disrespectful.

2. Brush up on your French.

3. If you are a group of women travelling without a guy, expect men to come onto you big time, wolf whistles, propositions, etc.

4.If you like to drink alcohol, it is available, but usually sold in dark little shops on the outskirts of town. Go there to "stock up" and put the stuff in plastic bottles if you are on the go. Juice and soda is sold everywhere. Some of the American chain hotels have a "happy hour"- we found one at the nice, clean Sheraton in Fes one night!