Travelogue: Morocco [2006] – part 1 {Rabat, Atlantic Coast, Marrakech}

This, and the next four posts, are unedited posts from my old nomadlife.org blog. They’re very much a travel diary which recounts a jam-packed one-week adventure in Morocco, before Morocco became the popular travel destination it is today. This trip came about after striking friendships with the Moroccan delegation at an international conference hosted by AIESEC Malta a few months earlier. So here are the thoughts of a 21 year-old me….

I’ve been back for almost 3 weeks now but the memories from the land of a thousand and one nights are as vivid as ever. When I reflect on those seven days I feel so lucky to have experienced Morocco the way we did: on the road, with great friends, meeting wonderful people throughout, up for any adventure and no restraints, except time. However, considering that we were only there for seven days, we discovered so much, much more than anyone would expect. Of course there is still plenty for us left to discover, but that only means ample reason to return to the treasure trove that is Morocco. And in all honesty, I cannot wait!

Wednesday 21 June

All anticipation, Marion and I arrive at the airport an hour and a half before our supposed flight. However, once boarding time approached it was clear that there was going to be a delay. After that first announcement, the Moroccans obviously started complaining, and almost every time the PA started crackling, they would gather their bags and start crowding up the counter ready for boarding, while we stayed put in our seats. But their efforts were mostly in vain, and in fact we were delayed by 3 hours, so you can imagine the frustration. Turned out that there was something wrong with one of the tyres and…the lavatory. The latter of course triggered a few sniggers and jokes among us. Well, in such circumstances you’ve got to see the lighter side of things of course, but we were a tad disappointed that our Moroccan holiday was postponed by a few hours, especially knowing that our host was waiting for us in what were, by then, the wee hours of the morning.

Thursday 22 July

The flight was characterised by the loud, boisterous gossip of some of the women. To our surprise, we didn’t hear Arabic with the expected interjections of French, but a good dose of Italian instead, and with excellent diction at that. Their incessant chatter for the most part of the flight of course did not aid my attempt at sleeping, which generally tends to fail miserably on planes. On the plane we also had our first experience of eating meat cooked the halal way, which apparently means that the carcass is drained of all blood. Up to this day, we’re still not sure what meat it was as the taste reminded me of pork which it certainly couldn’t be and then we concluded that it was either chicken or turkey. What I’m sure of is that I didn’t taste anything quite like it in Morocco, so AirMalta probably has its own take on Moroccan cooking…

The 3-hour flight soon came to an end and we finally landed in Casablanca, amidst clapping (so not only the Maltese do it after all – although probably we were the only ones not clapping) and the traditional celebratory high-pitched shouting. Zakaria was of course waiting for us and after the welcoming hugs, we drove down to Rabat, and once there he took us on a quick night tour (well actually it was almost dawn) of Morocco’s capital. We also stopped outside an apparently popular take-out where we met some of Zak’s friends and were offered Moroccan hot-dogs and tea.

A few hours later, after a nice lie-in, our first delicious Moroccan breakfast and meeting Zak’s delightful family, we started off our day by visiting Zak’s university where he had just graduated the night before and also the AIESEC office of the Moroccan MC and LC Les Ambassadeurs. There we met Simo and then us four proceeded to Rabat’s Medina (the old city). Here we had the chance to discover various Moroccan artefacts such as unusual instruments made out of tortoise-shells, beautiful carpets, some of the most ornate gold jewellery I have ever seen, things which we simply associate with Moroccan souks such as the spices, the soft leather shoes (colourful is the key word here), and things which I never thought I’d see, such as the multi-coloured chickens, which frankly, took me by surprise!

We then proceeded to Oudaïa which includes a musuem with amazing antique jewellery, a lovely garden and a kasbah where the buildings are painted in white and blue – very charming. At the end of the kasbah there is a cafe where we enjoyed refreshing mint tea and a stunning view of the harbour and the facing town of Sale.

A few hours later we drove down to Bouznika, which is a beautiful beach between Rabat and Casablanca. A luxurious residential complex and sea-side bungalows surround the long stretch of sand, which is coarser than that found on Mediterranean shores. This was my first time on the Atlantic coast and here I realised my dream of swimming in the ocean 🙂 which is somewhat untamed compared to the calmer Med. Here we met up with several other AIESECers some of whom had attended WENA Newies in Malta, including our good friend Amine and his friends Fanny and Ronnie, and together we spent a couple of relaxing hours. We also met Omayma (or Mayma), who was going to be our travelling companion for the remainder of our trip. We immediately hit it off and when we were back in the car she inducted me in the world of Arabic music, and thanks to her real-time translation I discovered what beautifully romantic lyrics their songs. On the road back to Rabat we stopped by some other beaches, including one particularly splendid and secluded bay where the tide was still out, and where we watched sunset. This was the highlight of the day and definitely a good precursor to the amazing sights we would see in the next few days.

In the evening, after a delicious meal prepared by Zak’s mum and a minor incident on the front steps of his house where I nearly sprained my ankle (the start of my klutz phase?), we headed off to a club called Le Privilege, which reminded me of Buddha Lounge in Paceville, at least in terms of décor, and met most of the others. As is to be expected in Muslim countries, alcohol was pretty expensive, but the atmosphere was good, although perhaps not conducive to too much dancing! The crowd consisted of a considerable amount of young foreigners but there were plenty of Moroccans too, including a guy with some rather particular dance moves 😉 We didn’t stay out too late as the next morning we were to set out on our journey proper, but it was definitely a good end to our first day in Morocco.

Friday 23 June

The road-trip begins! The plan was to head south towards Marrakech where we’d spend a night and then go further south and into the desert! After picking up Mayma we started our long drive to the city whose name alone evokes images of adventure, spices, snake charmers and tales of Arabiaaannnn niiiiightttssss (insert music from Aladdin here). Although mainly passing through the highway, the drive was still an enjoyable one, mostly due to the interesting conversations we had, including the history of North Africa and the Middle East (which inspired me to read more about in the near future) and religion, where we compared Islam and Christianity, and I found myself not only learning about Islam but more about my own faith. In fact, it was very interesting finding the similarities, which we also thoroughly enjoyed finding between the Maltese language and Arabic! When we weren’t talking we were fully enjoying the music, whether Arabic, French, Spanish or American, or absorbing the scenery especially as we approached Marrakech where it all got dryer and exotic with several palm trees in sight.

After a 6 or 7 hour drive, we finally reached Marrakech, the red city. Here you’re not likely to see any white paint on constructions – otherwise the law is being broken. Even the zebra crossings and road-markings aren’t white – they were yellow instead. In keeping with the traditional building style and heritage, and thus also for aesthetical reasons, all buildings, old and modern alike, have this beautiful terracotta colour which we so associate with Moroccan architecture and definitely adds character to the city.

Our first stop was at…McDonald’s – well, we were hungry! Although the change in menu is not as drastic as in India, they still of course take into consideration the Muslim culture and Arabic cuisine, and so like I did in India, I go for the region’s “speciality”, and this time it was the McArabia – well, they always get the spices right 🙂 There, we met Zak’s young uncle Hamza, who would be joining us during our stay in Marrakech. We then moved to the apartment which we were renting for that night, a nice place done up in Marrakechi style in a residential complex with pools and a Mosque too.

After a cooling dip in the pool (Marrakech is HOT) which, as we discovered from the disgruntled security person, was after-hours, off we went to Jemaa-el Fnaa, the famous town square of Marrakech. This is one of the major highlights of Marrakech, especially by night, and with good reason. Even the road leading to this large square, which was teeming with people, showed that Marrakech is a city that doesn’t sleep. The square is somewhat an entertainment mecca for Moroccans and tourists alike, with stalls preparing all types of food and entertainers of all kinds: snake charmers, story-tellers, fortune-tellers, belly-dancers in drag (these were particularly funny), jugglers and musicians. It was crazy and highly enjoyable: the Moroccan version of Piazza Navona, but definitely spicier and more varied!

After a meal of kofta, liver and olives (zejtun) we headed to Chez Ali, situated in the outskirts of Marrakech, with the intention of watching the Fantasia, a nightly cultural show representing a festival done at harvest time. This is extremely popular with tourists – in fact, the car-park was packed with coaches. However, we were rather disappointed to find out that we had arrived too late and that the show was soon ending and therefore not worthwhile paying the admission fee. Thus, we decided to stay another night in Marrakech as Fantasia is something not to be missed, and Chez Ali is the definitive place in Morocco to watch it.

We then decided to go to La Palmerai Golf Palace, a deluxe residential complex which also contains night-clubs, restaurants, shops, etc., with stunning architecture and design, situated near the long stretch of palm trees known as La Palmerai. After exploring the grounds (and a photo-shoot) we decided to stay in one of the lounge-bars where there was entertainment. Enjoying our drink (literally, one drink – prices were sky high) as other patrons enjoyed their Jack and shisha, we had the pleasure of listening to a man with a beautiful voice belt out popular Arabic ballads, to which Mayma and I occasionally practised our dancing skills. He was then followed by a belly-dancer, who gave a rather provocative show, and another traditional singer.

As we drove away, the multitude of high palm trees in the dark was mystically beautiful. We got back to our flat just in time to hear the mezzaouin call out to praise Allah at the break of dawn. Another day was over, but a better one set to begin.

Saturday 24 June

In the morning we decided to revisit the old part of Marrakech, which we could appreciate better in daylight. One of the major landmarks of Marrakech is the Koutoubia mosque, which is also one of the most important in Morocco and over 900 years old. The mosque can be seen very well from Jemaa el Fnaa to which we returned. Although not as lively as at night, entertainers were still around and this time the most evident stalls were those selling fresh orange juice. There are plenty of restaurants and cafés lining the square from where you can enjoy a good view. We then visited the beautiful Menara garden with its large reservoir, which is truly serene. It is home to a spectacular light-show (hence the name) in the evening.

In the afternoon we drove down to Ourika, a valley in the High Atlas, not far from Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in the Atlas. On the way we passed through some impressive scenery. Amidst greenery, houses dot the sides of the mountains which are a rich red colour, and below us we could see the treacherous river flow through,. Along the road, colourful Berber carpets were strewn at the side of the valley to attract passers-by. We finally reached the end of the valley and Setti Fatma, the site of seven waterfalls high up in the mountains. I was really looking forward to it as I simply love waterfalls, and I was promised by Zak that this would be just as impressive as, if not better than, Ouzoud, a popular waterfall site in Morocco. Setti Fatma is more popular with the locals while Ouzoud is more touristic. What I didn’t quite anticipate was the high climb up the mountains, and this was my first attempt at real rock-climbing. Now I’m not exactly the most sure-footed person on earth, so while the locals, including a rather old woman, scaled through with apparent ease, I stumbled along, got wet to my waist when I slipped in a stream, and crossed bridges which could hardly be called steady. But I eventually made it, and not with too many bruises, mainly thanks to the great help of Hamza. What I can say is that it was amazing fun and I couldn’t quite believe that I was there, experiencing it all. It was exhilarating! So, after a steep climb, somewhat uncertain how we’d go back down (which was the main deterrent to continue further), we reached the first waterfall. Splendid. It was how I imagined and more. To just sense the spray of the waterfall on your face is a peaceful yet exciting feeling. I could stay there forever and be immersed in the astounding beauty of nature.

We were soon disturbed by a man offering us to take photos with his snake. Now, usually, I would immediately refuse and move away, but perhaps because my adventurous spirit had completely taken hold of me, I first touched the snake, and then had it wrapped around my shoulders! Never before would I have dared, as I have a general disliking of reptiles, but here, I decided to give it a try. And I discovered that snake skin is actually rather smooth and not as scaly as I had imagined.

After the descent and the drive back, where I stopped to buy a couple of Berber rugs and where some haggling came into action, we got ready quickly to make sure that this time we do not miss the Fanatsia at Chez Ali. Once again, the car-park was packed, and once we experienced the show it was easy to understand why it is so popular. The complex itself is beautiful with many interesting features including an Ali Baba’s cave. Inside there are several sections, each serving food from different regions of Morocco. Different tribes of Berbers, Touaregs and other Moroccans in traditional dress, sing and dance around the tables. Then, the actual Fantasia begins and people swarm around the arena to watch the show which includes acrobatic horsemen who were simply astounding, the tribesmen who’d gallop downwards and then shoot their guns in the air – the bangs giving us a fright each time, a wedding procession, Aladdin(?) on a flying carpet (oh yes!) and fireworks to round off. It was indeed magical and I was really glad to have stayed on and watched it – the perfect end to our stay in Marrakech.