Welcome to Part 2 of my Adventures in Morocco!
FRIDAY
Friday, we had to be up early as we had a 6hr drive to Marrakech. Abdul was great at breaking it up though. 2hrs to a coffee/toilet break, then another 2hrs to a lunch stop then 2hrs to Marrakech. Both stops were at service centres so by the time it was lunch time we had a few options to choose from. One of those options was Maccas, and almost all of us decided to have this, as a change from Moroccan food. Unfortunately the menus were in French & Arabic, so I took a stab and ordered the McChicken Algérienne & Gouda cheese bites. Turns out the Algérienne sauce was a spicy sauce! The cheese bites were delicious though & they were served with sachets of Dijon mustard. Very strong Dijon mustard but yummy.
Once we arrived in Marrakech we got checked in to our rooms and went for a swim. We were so hot. It was 36 degrees and no air con in the hotel lobby. As it was our last night together, we requested a group dinner at the Medina. Abdul chose one with a roof terrace overlooking the mosque. It was a 40min walk or 10min taxi ride. I took a taxi with a friend as there is a 2 person max. It cost us 20MAD, $3AUD. Cheap as chips!
We arrived earlier than everyone else so we went for a quick walk in the Jemaa el-Fna square. This is a large open market square. By day it is a normal marketplace, by night it is a bustling dinner food market. The harassment started as soon as we got out of our taxi & started walking past all the horse & carriages. Once we got into the open square it got much worse, especially as we got nearer to the food stalls. There were lots of ladies doing henna & then we saw 2 men walking around with snakes. My friend doesn't like snakes so we bolted away from them and decided to head to the restaurant.
Our table was upstairs and it was soooooo hot. There was zero air movement. We had sweat dripping in places that don't normally sweat! It was gross! Once the sun got a bit lower they retracted the roof and it cooled down significantly. It became really nice as we could see the sunset. The food range was varied, pizza, pasta, salad, French meat & veg, burgers etc. They also serve alcohol so I ordered a passionfruit mojito, sparkling water & emincé de poulet (chicken with mushrooms & crème fraiche) with roasted vegies. The mojito was very refreshing & exactly what we needed. The chicken was also delicious. Everything the table ordered was delicious.
After dinner 7 of us headed into the Jemaa el-Fna for a walk around. 2 girls wanted to get some henna done so the rest of us kept walking around. The harassment was absolutely out of control. Abdul said the best advice is to ignore completely. If you speak, even to say no, they keep going. So we kept our mouths shut, eyes forward & walked. It was extremely busy. Morocco has a 9pm curfew so just before 8pm we headed back to find the girls. It was then that we saw a sight that made all 5 of us upset....a monkey on a leash, wearing a nappy & being walked/pulled through the square. Monkeys belong in a forest, not in a nappy in a market!!!
Then we walked back to the hotel. Surprisingly, I never felt unsafe, even during the walk back to the hotel in the dark. Upon arriving at the hotel we had a mini meeting to say goodbye to Abdul. 3 of us were finishing the tour in the morning, the other 10 were continuing on with the 14 or 17 day tour. Abdul was a really great guide and we enjoyed our time with him.
SATURDAY
Saturday I woke up super early (4.55am) as I had booked a hot air balloon flight. One other group member went as well. We were driven to a village 50mins from Marrakech, picking up a couple on the way. We were served coffee & cake whilst we waited for the balloon to be ready. Another couple were already there and they gave us females a blanket each to keep us warm. Once the balloon was ready we got in and took off. I have been in a hot air balloon once before but it was a very long time ago. It was so peaceful, until the pilot pressed the fire buttons, that is! We got to watch the sunrise over the mountains and it was lovely. If only it wasn't so hazy. It was still beautiful. We reached an altitude of around 800m. After we touched down, we were driven back to the village and served Moroccan mint tea & breakfast. Then we were taken back to Marrakech.
After a second breakfast at the hotel, a group of us walked to the Jardin Majorelle. These gardens are a desert themed garden full of cactus and desert palms. It was small but not bad. Some parts are closed because they have a one way system in place for covid.
Then we decided to walk to Bahia Palace, via the souks of the Medina. It was a 50min walk and it was quite hot by now. We were following Google Maps and had several men stop their scooters to tell us we were going the wrong way to the market & they would take us. Naturally we refused all this. It was interesting walking though the non-tourist areas. There were scooters, motorbikes, horse & carts, push bikes & pedestrians all sharing the same pathways. It got crowded at times!
We eventually found an entrance to Bahia Palace only to discover it was closed. According to a local who saw us, it was closed for filming & would be open later. He offered to take us to the Jewish spice market for free so he could practice his English. He took us to a wholesale market where people buy spices by the 100kg lots, then took us to a spice shop. The man in the shop then gave a big spiel about the spice, blends, offered tea, gave us a free gift and tried everything he could to get us to buy stuff. Some of us did, including me. I bought 6g of pure saffron threads for the price of 4g at 30MAD per gram. So the 6g cost me 120MAD, which is roughly $18AUD. Pretty good price.
Next up my friend & I walked 30mins to La Maison Arabe cooking school as we had a cooking class booked. Upon arriving we were taken to a little area with a table covered in spices. A staff member conducted a tea ceremony and our guide Hamsa talked us through the process of making Moroccan mint tea. After a glass of tea, Hamsa talked is through the main spice used in Moroccan cooking. Then it was timeto head down to the kitchen to cook. The school is purpose built with a large number of cooking stations, each equipped with a TV screen. We were introduced to the Dada (chef), a local woman who has been cooking for many years. The Dada spoke almost no English so we watched her while Hamsa explained.
First was to make bread. This was a demonstration, not a practical activity. It was very quick & easy. Then she showed us how to make the milk cream for the dessert. Then it was our turn to cook. Yay!
Step 1 was to make the tagine. We made a chicken with preserved lemon & olives. It is very simple, you just chuck everything in & put the lid on. While that was cooking we made our 2 ‘salads’. The first one was a grilled eggplant & tomato salad and the second was a tomato, onion & roasted capsicum salad. Then we were done! We were taken back downstairs to a table set for a meal & we were served our delicious meal, along with the bread the Dada made. The tagine was absolutely delicious. The salad were pretty good and the bread was great too.
After mains, we were served a milk pastilla for dessert. It is layers of crispy filo pastry with the milk cream between the layers and covered in flaked almonds. It was good but the orange blossom water was quite strong. It tasted like you were eating flowers, or perfume or soap or something. Once you got over that, it was not too bad. I think less orange blossom would be better.
We were presented with the recipes, a certificate and a gift....our own tagine! Just a little one for 1 serve but still a great gift.
Then we walked another 30mins back to the hotel where I got my bags, grabbed a taxi and headed to my new accommodation. Unfortunately the taxi driver tried to jib me when we arrived but I stood my ground with the agreed price, forced the money on him & went in search of my riad. It is a lovely riad down an alleyway. It is quite nice, has a rooftop pool & terrace, and has a teeny kitten. Oh and air con!
I spent the rest of the night chilling in the pool & my room, relaxing & enjoying some downtime.
SUNDAY
Sunday I had to get up early as I was meant to be picked up at 7am at a Riad 50m away for a day trip to Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate. After a bit of back & forth with a local operator & Viator, I went to bed last night hoping things would be ok. Waking up this morning I had an email with a message from the local operator confirming I would be collected from the riad at 7am. However, by 7 30pm I was still standing there. A local lady took me to a local restaurant at the end of the street as the man there speaks a bit of English and she spoke none. He called the contact number which didn't work and let me sit at the table while he opened his restaurant. He even gave me free Moroccan mint tea and refused to take any money. What a nice man. At 8am I went back to my riad and had breakfast whilst messaging Viator for help. In the end Viator gave me a full refund and I don't get to see Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate. Not happy. 2 tour operators in Morocco have now let me down.
On the walk this morning, I made friends with these precious kitties.
After breakfast I went back to my room for a bit, uploaded
photos to Facebook and then headed out for a walk through the markets. Several
men kept telling me ‘the market this way’, or ‘come with me I show you the
Berber market’ etc. I just wanted to walk around. I saw something that made my blood boil....a monkey in a dress on a chain! There is no culture on earth where this is acceptable. It is absolutely disgusting to treat animals this way. Monkeys belong in the wild forests and jungles, not in dresses chained up in markets!
Eventually I made my way back to the square and went to a restaurant for lunch. They had iced coffee which was exactly what I needed. I also got a trio of Briwats, which are Moroccan pastries filled with either vegies, meat (lamb in this case) or cheese. A lot of street stalls sell them but we were told not to touch street food as it isn't the best for tourists. Having them in a restaurant sounded much better to me. They were really good.
After lunch I got a small fresh orange juice and headed back to the riad to have a swim and chill.
Unfortunately this is when things took a turn....I got sick. Really sick. I think it might have been the large amount of milk but I'm not totally sure. I spent the rest of the day in bed & in the bathroom. It was awful.
MONDAY
Monday morning I had a trip to Essaouira booked. It is a coastal city with a big beach. I slept VERY badly, awake most of the night with stomach pains & having to go to the toilet. By the time it was morning I wasn’t sure I wanted to go but since I had already paid I did.
I was collected and taken to a bigger minivan where there were others waiting. In total there were 8 of us. I took the back row so I could lay down. It was a very comfy van, but it should be as it was a Mercedes.
After an hour, we stopped at the goat tree. Goats in southern Morocco climb argan trees to eat the fruit. Here, there is a large herd of goats and a large number of them in the tree. There are also local people standing around, a few with baby goats that they gave to the tourists to hold. The goats weren't tied in to the trees but I kind of get the feeling they weren't there by choice. I held the smallest baby goat and boy was it super duper cute. It was so content, curled up in my arms.
Then we drove a bit further and stopped at a women’s argan oil cooperative. I have read mixed things about these places, with some saying that some of them are actually owned by men & that the women are treated poorly and forced to perform for tourists so I was hesitant. The lady who gave the tour seemed nice. They make edible argan oil and cosmetic argan oil. 2.5kg of argan nuts produce 1L of cosmetic oil. It is very expensive too so I didn't purchase anything.
Then we continued to Essaouira. We had 4hrs of free time. My first stop.... find a toilet! As I was walking along, one of the guys on the bus decided to join me. He is from Austria and speaks German. The toilets cost 2MAD but were relatively clean so that's ok. He decided we should walk along the beach to the end and see if there any good food options. I did want to try some food as I was starving but was very hesitant to eat. We got to the end of the beach & there was a restaurant that had a lot of western tourists in it so we went on there. I decided on an orange juice. Bit of sugar for energy, not heavy hopefully ok. He had a meatball tajine. There were quite a few cats & kittens walking around & he gave them a bit of his tajine. I was wrong about the orange juice. Before we even left the restaurant my stomach was churning.
Then we walked back up the beach to the Medina. We walked around the streets of the Medina, finding the meat & fish markets. Gross. Lots of fruit & veg and souvenirs. We ended up finding the city wall and had a look at the views. Then I managed to part ways with him telling him I needed a toilet and to sit down in the fresh air, not in a restaurant. I had bought a small tin of Pringle’s because I was hungry & wanted something that was completely uncontaminated by poor hygiene or food handling. I had just a few but they still made me feel sick. Stupid stomach.
On my way to find the toilet I saw another person from the bus. An America lady who decided to accompany me to the toilet. We ended up sitting by the beach for 40mins before heading back to the bus.
On the way back to Marrakech, I laid down and had a nap. When I got back to my riad I went straight to bed.
TUESDAY
Tuesday is my last activity day in Morocco & I had a big day trip booked to the Imlil Valley & Berber villages. I booked through Get Your Guide and I was the only person. My guide Hassan picked me up & drove me to the High Atlas Mountains. First stop was a weekly Berber market in Tahnaout. Here he had me join another group for a walk around the market. We passed a section of live animals (chickens, pigeons, rabbits and.....a peacock). He assured us they take them home to our in the backyard, not to eat. I never thought I would see the day when I saw a peacock for sale at a market! We also passed the meat section (delightful decapitated goat heads & a partially skinned cow head) & seafood section (no ice, it’s 30 degrees here, yuk).
Then it was back into the car and the next stop was just a photo of an old Jewish village where Jewish, Arabic & Berber people all live together harmoniously.
Then it was a stop at another women’s argan oil cooperative. I was taken upstairs, served tea & bread with a variety of argan dips and then taken downstairs for an explanation. The main way Moroccans eat argan oil is to mix it with the crushed argon nut & honey. Not bad, a bit like peanut butter. It was expensive again but I ended up buying a 30ml of pure argan for $15. I plan to put it in my hair.
Then I declined the camel ride so he drove VERY slowly to Imlil village to wait for the other company. It was a bit frustrating because I paid for this tour but I felt like I was being dumped onto the other tour guide & my guide was only a driver. At Imlil village we waited in a lounge area of a restaurant.
When the others arrived I joined them and my guide left me to it. We began the hike to the waterfall. At the beginning it was uphill. Steep, gravelly paths up the hill along with a huge number of locals. Eventually the path evened out for a bit. The waterfall was very busy with locals swimming & people trying to sell stuff. We took some photos but didn't stay long.
After back tracking a bit, we crossed to the other side of the valley and continued walking. It was extremely windy, hot, sunny and as I had not eaten for 2 days, I did not feel well at all. By the time we finally got to the restaurant, I had to sit as I felt a bit faint. We had lunch in an enclosed terrace area overlooking the valley which was lovely. We were served a tomato & capsicum salad, bread and a chicken & veg tagine. It was delicious. They also had a ginger cat who I made friends with.
After lunch we went to the guides house to have tea with his family. His house is made from mud and plants and was lovely & cool inside. His daughter is 4 and shy, but very much daddy’s girl. It was lovely.
Then it was time to go back. We only had to walk to the main road as the drivers met us there. I had booked a hammam for 6pm so my driver took me straight back. He dropped me off just down the road which was good & I got there early.
I booked this as my original hanmam but due to the change in restrictions, I was concerned it would be cancelled, which is why I did the one on Fes. This one was at a day spa place and cost nearly double the last one. Firstly, I was taken to a change room, given a robe, slippers & disposable undies. Then I was taken straight in. After taking the robe off I was taken into a hot room. Then into another room, like a sauna. I sat down and she drowned me in hot water. Then she covered me in the black soap and told me to lay down. I did. In here, everything was heated. The floor, the bench, the walls, everything. And it was HOT! My sweat was sweating! I don't like saunas so this was very hot. After a while she called me to go the next room which was cooler thankfully. I sat down and she scrubbed me. Hard. From top to toe. Then she rinsed me and put a mask on my whole body & left me for a while. Next was a shower to rinse the mask off. Then I got a green tea gel out on me and showered off. Lastly I was covered in some sort of oily gel, put my robe on and taken to a lounge area. I was given mint tea & a bottle of water. After 10 mins or so, I was taken to my final indulgence, a 60min full body relaxing massage. Here I was given a towel to cover up, unlike the last time, which was nice. It was lovely. She even gave me a head massage, which is my favourite.
I only had 1hr 15mins to curfew and I hadn't had a Moroccan couscous so I went to the square to find somewhere. I ended up in a restaurant with a rooftop terrace where I could see the square and sunset. I chose the Royal Couscous, which has beef, lamb & chicken with veg. Moroccan couscous is served with a broth. It was still very dry but the meat was nice. I didn't eat much as it was super filling & I still felt unwell. The sunset was gorgeous and I got a few good photos. Then I had to go to the atm because they don't accept card but don't tell you until you go to pay. Frustrating.
By the time I had paid it was 9pm, which is curfew. I walked quickly through the streets back to my riad, and got yelled at by a local man for ignoring him. The men at the stalls always say “excuse me” to get your attention but this guy was screaming it as I ignored him and hurried off. No I do not want your day trips, no I don’t want your discount for next time, no means no buddy. Stop screaming at me.
Then I went straight to bed, deciding to pack in the morning, hoping I was feeling better and looking forward to going home.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, my last day of the holiday. I woke early, packed, had breakfast and went to the airport. I had booked a transfer which was good and fairly cheap (£10). I had a short flight to Casablanca, before the longer flight to London. Casablanca had a few food selections & I was super starving so I ended up getting a taco. But then I felt sick again. Great.
By now I have had to unpack, x-ray & repack my backpack twice. Before we boarded the plane at the gate, we had to have our bodies scanned with metal detectors, our bags searched and electronics swapped for bombs. Geez, they certainly take their security really seriously here!
We board the bus & were driven to the plane and then sat on the plane for an hour before we finally departed 40mins late. The flight was ok, kid vomited not long after take-off across the aisle from me, little kids screaming, crappy in-flight meal, stinky people. You know, the usual. When we got back to Heathrow, they disembarked quite orderly, and it took all of 10 minutes to get through the line and e-gates. There was zero checking of paperwork for the passenger locator forms, whether we need to isolate, if we have booked the day 2/day 8 PCR tests. Ridiculous. Being double vaxxed, I have to take a PCR on/before day 2 and do not need to self-isolate, but the non-vaxxed have to isolate for 10 days. Very lapse covid control from the UK side of things. Then it was straight onto the train and home. We disembarked the plane around 5pm and I was home by 6.15pm. Yippee!
Morocco is an interesting place. Much less desert-y and more green than I was expecting. The harassment was bad in the markets, makes you not want to buy anything because even looking at something means you want to buy it. But I am glad I went and saw most of the places I was interested in.
Well there you have it. My 13 day adventure in Morocco. I hope you enjoyed it. Not sure what I am up to for the rest of the holidays (3 weeks) but stay tuned for more to come!