Morocco/Sahara Pictures and Travelogue
(a quick unedited summary) Traveling through Morocco is a fascinating and at times frustrating experience. The beauty of the landscape and totally different culture are captivating. But a person must also be somewhat on guard at all times for potential trouble. My trip began with a ferry ride from Algeciras, Spain to Tangier, Morocco. We passed the Rock of Gibraltar, that remaining piece of colonial heritage still a point of disagreement between the UK and Spain. On the bus to Algeciras I had met an American, Sean who was from Harlem. He had been in Morocco before and helped fend off the taxi touts at the dock once we hit Africa. A taxi near the outside of the station cost 20 dirham ($2) total. We parted ways as he went on to Casablanca and I stopped near Tangier at the beach town of Asilah.
In Asilah I met some Moroccans who were going to Paradise Beach nearby the next day. We went by donkey cart (rough ride!) and had fish tajine cooked in a nearby village. It was a good time although at the end they wanted a ridiculous amount of money for expenses which I gave about $25---a fair amount in US terms but still alot for Africa. Nevertheless it was a memorable experience. I caught the train from Tangier to Casa and split over to Marrakesh, arriving at about 6pm.
The bazaar in Marrakesh was crazy, contrasting with the quiet beach town I had just left. The square, D'Fna, is a magical storm of storytellers (in Berber language), potion makers, fresh orange juice stands (20 cents for a glass), food stands of every kind from snails to sheeps head stew, dancing monkeys and even what appeared to be a Bin Laden tea product. Occasionally in the background you can hear the Muslim call to prayer from the mosques thoughout the city. After arriving amid all this chaos I went to check my email as Murph, an Aussie I previously met in Lagos, Portugal, was supposed to be in town...I found an internet cafe and he was sitting right there!...
Marrakesh is surrounded by a reddish desert. Further out on the horizon is the majestic snow-capped mountain range of the High Atlas. I hopped on an older bus which from the outside looked fine but it fell apart occasionally.
The plan was to cross the High Atlas pass to Ouarzazate and then proceed to the Sahara. I'm not a big fan of heights and the trip across the pass was damn high up! The bus driver overcompensated once during the highest part and went off the side of the road, wedging the bus into some vertical rock, opposite the cliff...I cranked up the headphones to a faint radio murmur of classical Arabic vocals and kept my eyes off the vertical drop. From Ourzazate I took a bus to Al-Rachidia, where I was swarmed by many guides who wanted to take me to Merzouga...in the end it seemed the only way to get out there as it was getting late and I was continually being harassed by guides and other unsavory characters. I contracted a guide and we took a taxi to Erfoud an hour away. In Erfoud we took a Range Rover jeep at a highly inflated rate (still only about $20) to Merzouga in the desert. The song "Africa....Oh Africa" was blaring from the jeep, as well as some Dire Straits stuff and Classical Arab music. The road wasn't good so we offroaded through the Negra Desert toward the dunes. Once there I stayed in a Berber hotel (tents on the edge of the sand dunes), drinking Berber whiskey (mint tea) and eating tajine and Berber pizza (a fresh highly spiced potato/pizza-bread concoction). At last I was in the Sahara. The pictures can't do justice to the ocean of smooth, color-changing dunes as far as the eye can see. I had a nice hike along the periphery but the guides were getting a bit crazy and there were no tourists around so I decided only to stay two days. The guides weren't too happy I wouldn't take a multiday camel ride, then my return jeep never arrived. That morning the situation was quite tense as a fight erupted between guides, culminating in a tea kettle brawl, which I stayed a distance away from. Finally the jeep arrived (after some wrangling) and I was on my way back to the cities. What an adventure!
The rest of the Morocco trip was spent comfortably on the Atlantic coast with few problems. I enjoyed Essouiria, a sleepy beach town with windsurfers from afar and beautiful beaches. It also has a well-known yearly music festival which attracts performers from throughout Africa. Agadir, where there is a Club Med, is a tourist friendly town, a nice break but not real Morocco. My last stay was in Rabat, the captal of Morocco.... From there I had a marathon trip back to Spain beginning at 7am in Rabat to Tangier by rail, then Tangier to Algeciras by ferry, Algeciras to Cadiz by bus...I arrived in Cadiz at 7pm in time for beginning festivities of their famous Carnival celebrations, but only tasted them briefly, for I couldn't find a room they were all sold out...I left for Jerez at around 10-11pm and by 1am had a room in Jerez.
I'm sure I will go to Morocco again as it is one of the best adventures I've had on this trip so far...but at the same time it's nice to be back in Spain sipping .50 euro sherry glasses and devouring tapas...without a guide.
Other Morocco Photos:
|
