I remember when I was planning my travels throughout Europe in 2003, Morocco stood out to me. The main reason it appealed to me was for the world famous Sahara Desert, apart from that attraction I was yet to realise this country holds a lot more treasures that would touch me forever, the people, the colour, the cuisine, the shopping, its history and its religion.
Morocco was the first place I had traveled to where I experienced waking up in the early hours of the morning to a loud voice projecting across the city – breaking into a prayer. This was something I had only ever seen on movies and documentaries and here I was waking up at three in the morning listening to this foreign voice that the entire city would wake up for and embrace and follow their rituals. This is one of many experiences where I came to realise and appreciate the importance and place that the Muslim religion had on the people of Morocco.
For my three weeks in Morocco I was there during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims (all around the world) spend the daylight hours in a complete fast. During Ramadan, they do not only refrain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours but they also use this time to purify the soul, refocus their attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice. They see this as a time to make peace with those who have wronged them, strengthen ties with family and friends and do away with bad habits, essentially to clean up their lives, thoughts and feelings. Having been quite ignorant to the Muslim religion, my time in Morocco during Ramadan brought me a new respect for their dedication and commitment to their faith and way of life.
Back on the tourist track my time in Morocco started with a boat trip from Cadiz to Tangier. Not the most ideal way to get to Morocco because a 2-hour boat trip ended up taking 6 hours! I would recommend flying which is easy enough from most cities in Spain and from London.
Just a few hours from Tangier was my first introduction to Morocco – The beautiful quaint city of Chefchaouen, this is a blue city that holds a real Spanish influence and is located in the heart of the Rif Mountains, where it is surrounded by trees, hills, springs, and wildflowers. With the entire city painted in blue and the surrounding setting gives off a real remote peaceful setting. A real gem! Must see!
From here – Fes was the next point of call. A vast difference from Chefchaouen, This French influenced city holds beautiful sights, intricate and ancient architecture with the narrowest pathways to peoples homes. There is apparently 20,0000 people who stay within the walled city of Fes, the amount of people in such a confined space was something I had never experienced. Fes is a must see as to me it holds the true way of life to the people of Morocco. This is the place to buy leather too – as this is one of the places where the tanneries are situated.
From here a 3 day Camel trek to the Sahara Desert was to be had… This was an experience that blew me away – I could not begin to tell you how you could spend 3 days in a desert and not get sick of your surroundings when all you have is sand around you.. The dunes and the little oasis are where you meet the locals along the way – experiences that are unique to Morocco.
After being tucked amongst the dunes for 3 days, I then had a long bus ride ahead of me through the Atlas Mountains on my way to Essaouira. If I ever went back to Morocco – I would head to the Atlas Mountains because the scenery was just amazing, definitely a place worth visiting and stopping at to enjoy (and do some trekking)!
Essaouira is probably the most attractive and charming of cities in Morocco, it is situated along the coast with big white washed and blue shuttered houses with art galleries and little market stalls scattered amongst the ancient walls of this Medina. It has a feel relaxed laid-back feel and everything you need is within walking distance. This place is worth leaving till last as it’s a great place to kick back, soak up the sun and still enjoy the Moroccan influences ~ its food and spices, its colour, arts and crafts and of course the people!
Last stop was the beautiful city of Marrakech. When I think of this place, I think of mint tea, and freshly squeezed orange juice (for as little as 20cents) and shopping, shopping and more shopping. Spices, jewellery, leather, textiles are just a few of the things you can buy! This city holds all the treasures of the country in this one place… a real enchanted city full of markets and its famous Jemaa-el-Fna Square, which is a gathering place for locals and tourists to enjoy. At night they hold a food market where you can experience the traditional Tagine dishes and much more!!
Looking back at my time in Morocco – I believe that this place is one of the most exotic countries I have visited with so many diverse experiences that make this country so special!
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