A voyage through heart of North Africa - Morocco. Highlights include Casablanca, Tangier, Fes, Chefchaoen, Marrakech and the Sahara Desert 🐫
Day 1 - Casablanca
It was my first full day in Casablanca and I started early. After breakfast I walked towards the port in order to find Rick’s Café. This fictional cafe featured in the 1942 classic movie Casablanca:
The real café was established in 2004 by an American diplomat who converted the interior of a mansion to resemble Rick's mythical gin-bar. I went inside to see the effect and I was impressed by the attention to detail. Everything had been faithfully recreated from the movie. The decor, the bar, Sam’s piano, and even the waiters adorned Fez caps. I ordered an orange juice at the bar which was served with some panache:
It was not too busy with tourists and I was able to enjoy the atmosphere and my fancy orange juice.
After leaving, I continued my walk around the port until I reached the Hassan II mosque. This opulent mosque is situated on the edge of the coast which faces out into the Atlantic ocean. It's iconic tower is over 200 metres tall and is one of the most majestic mosques I have seen anywhere - although I only comparing it to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and the Jamma Masjid in Delhi
There are tours available (one of the few mosques in Morocco that allows visitors) but I only had time to see the mosque from the outside. Instead I headed towards the old Medina for my first experience of the markets of Morocco. The Medina in Casablanca is not big, but it had all the characteristics you would expect; narrow winding streets, niche goods, livestock and noisy traders. There was also a distinct lack of signage. It took some careful navigation to get through and also out, but I enjoyed the exploration
I didn’t end up buying anything whilst I was there - there would be plenty of opportunity for this later but I did continue my walking tour towards the United Nations square and Arab League park where I took my lunch.
Casablanca in May is really humid and when it is 28 degrees, it's difficult to do a whole day of walking and exploring. I took a break from the morning expedition and used this as an opportunity to try some traditional Moroccan mint tea.
I am not normally a fan of herbal teas, but fresh mint and strong loose tea are a perfect blend. It is slightly sweetened to just take the edge off. I could really get used to this lifestyle :)
In the evening I visited a restaurant which served authentic Moroccan cuisine. The food was delicious and the chef/owner was very helpful in guiding me on which dishes to eat.
Both starter and main were meat dishes so I really had to “flex” my flexitarian status. The overall meal was a little bit expensive but I didn’t mind as the food was really good.
It’s been a fun first day and tomorrow I plan to take it a little easier now that I know what I am doing.
Day 2 - Casablanca
Today I allowed myself a bit of a lie-in. It was nice to catch-up on sleep in a comfortable bed after spending so much time in hostels.
My plan was to visit the Habous Quartier which is a famous market with an ensemble of artisan shops and boutique wares. The Habous Quartier or “new medina” was built by the French in the 19th century when Morocco was part of the French Protectorate.
As I explored the various alleyways and side streets I was able to appreciate the charm of this place and notice the small hints of French design. The quarter is not big, but there are a lot of intriguing shops crammed into the arched walkways:
The whole area is very different from the other parts of Casablanca, there is a feeling of community and tradition. Nearby there is the Royal Palace of Casablanca and two mosques which added to the feeling of community. This was no more evident than when Friday prayers started. All the shops shut up and everyone was either in the mosque or outside listening to the Imam.
I picked up mycustomary fridge magnet and I bought a traditional Moroccan outfit called a Jalaaba. I hope to make use of this when here in Morocco to better blend in.
After shopping I took a break and consumed another Moroccan mint tea before leaving, for me this is the perfect drink for the climate. Very refreshing!
In the evening I went to explore the Boulevard de la Corniche which is on the other side of town, passing the magnificent Hassan II mosque on the way. I also passed some other interesting sights on the way:
I was not sure what to make of the light circus but the kids (and adults) seemed to enjoy it and it was good to see it so lively at night.
Finding a decent restaurant was tricky but I ended up in a place which is essentially a fruit bar during the day but serves healthy food in the evening. It was pretty decent and at least the drinks were fresh.
After dinner I ventured even further up the Boulevard to check out the bars, but everything looked pretty exclusive and it put me off. I would have to leave that for now
Day 3 - Tangier
It was time for my tour of Morocco to continue north. I travelled to Tangier which is as far north as you can go, very close to Spain, in fact only only 20 miles from Tarifa. I rode the high speed train for the first time in Morocco. I was weary of public transportation but this train was modern, comfortable and clean - I could have been on a train journey anywhere in Europe. As I had to re plan my travelling in Morocco due to the Tunisia mishap, I was in a strange situation where I was staying only 1 night in the first hostel, one night in Chefchaouen and two nights in a different hostel. I had marked out a few places to visit whilst here and I would start this afternoon. The hostel was conveniently located near the Medina and the tomb of Ibn Batouta, so this became my first stop. The legendary traveller was born in Tangier and I was keen to see the tomb if I could, however it being located in the Medina made it less than straightforward to find!
I found out that the tomb is pretty modest and I learnt later that there is an Ibn Batouta exhibition in the Kasbah museum, so this is another thing to add to my list for later.
My little excursion to find the tomb attracted unwanted attention as I was foolish enough to get my phone out and use Google maps (this really does not work). It led into my first situation where I was 'helped'. I was walking from the tomb to go buy my bus tickets for Chefchaouen when a local approached me offering directions. Well I wasn't used to this and I was too polite in accepting his help for directions, but before I knew it he was taking me to various places, we had mint tea and visited various shops before I ended up buying some small carpets which I hadn't planned to! Even with some tough bargaining I still felt like I probably paid over the odds. Lesson learnt though.
In the afternoon I went back to the Medina, but this time in incognito mode, that is to say I wore the Jalaaba (traditional dress) and blended in as best as possible. It seemed to work as I had no further hassle so this could be a tactic I deploy in other Medinas.
Day 4 - Chefchaouen
Today I embarked on a day trip to Chefchouen which was recommended to me by a fellow traveller. The bus was 08:15 so I was in a hurry to leave the hostel in the morning. I was fortunate to get a taxi straight away and arrive at the bus station in good time. The buses are not as impressive as the trains - it was late and took longer than scheduled but at least it had AC and comfortable seats. I am using CTM buses which were recommended as being most reliable - the bus was spacious, came equipped with seatbelts and a sensible driver which are all good things when the journey is nearly 4 hours. I am only staying one night so I needed to try and cover as much ground as I could over 24 hours.
The obvious place to start in Chefchaouen was the Medina. It is not as big as other Medinas in Morocco, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in its unique beauty and history. All streets, walls and houses are whitewashed with a distinctive blue and white palette. Some of the pictures I managed to take of the alleyways, steps, doorways and streets are just incredible. They don't call Chefchaouen the Blue Pearl for nothing:
It reminds me mostly of Mykonos old town, but the way the houses are painted also bear similarities with Jodhpur in India (the blue city). Apparently the Jewish painted the houses blue as there were the early settlers here and the tradition has just continued for nearly 1000 years. There are alternative theories such as the blue paint helps keep mosquitoes away or that blue was used to represent the Mediterranean ocean. Either way the effect is pleasant.
I was feeling a bit under the weather on the bus - not sure if it was allergies or my lack of sleep last night. So after lunch I went back to my guest house and took a quick nap. One important lesson I’ve learnt during my travels is that you need to rest whenever you can.
In the evening I set out to the abandoned Spanish mosque for the sunset, which I found out has an interesting history. Built by the Spanish in the 1920s after they colonised Morocco, they wanted to impart their own style into Northern Africa and tried to encourage its use by the local Berber tribes. This missions failed as the Berber people were not fooled and refused to use the mosque so no prayers have ever been held in the building. They locals still believed it is cursed and avoid it.
During the WW2 it was also believed to be used by spies which may be a reason why suspicion still remains. The hike to the mosque was pleasant and it only took about 20 minutes to get to the top of the hill. As the evening came in, it became much cooler, so I was happy to stay on the hill to enjoy the best view of the blue city.
As for the sunset, it was simply stunning, one of the best I've ever seen. The way the sun dips behind the Riff mountains to create a golden afterglow is quite unique. It's such an impressive spot to look over the city, the panorama of the blue and white houses, with that golden sky is delightful
Day 5 - Tangier
I am travelling back to Tangier this afternoon. So before the bus arrived I decided to tick off the remaining attractions on my list for Chefchaouen which was a solitary item - the Kasbah. Entry was 60 Dirhams which is £5, but for this you can view the Kasbah, the gardens and the tower.
It was really nice inside the grounds, especially if you want to escape the dry heat of the Medina and the gardens are worth the entry alone. The gardens are of Andalusian design and influence, well maintained and provide an oasis of calm in the midst of the Medina.
I did one full circuit of the gardens before visiting the prison and tower. The prison is an interesting addition, not all Kasbahs were used for imprisonment. I can imagine it must have been a very public exhibition of the judicial system in action. Inside the prison there were some very old school restraints and the cells looked more like dungeons.
I quickly moved onto the tower to see what views it had to offer. The climb is about 50-60 steps to reach the top and there is an exhibition along the way. Unfortunately this is only in Arabic and French so I could make little sense of it, although I did notice that it was focused on the stories of the Berber women. The view from tower was pretty good, on one side you can see the Riff mountains which flank the city and the other offers a peek into the main square opposite so you can stealthy watch people going about their daily business.
After the Kasbah trip, I had a relaxed lunch and sampled some more of the local cuisine and tried the orange juice which is very nice here:
On the bus back I met another solo traveller and we ended up sharing a taxi back to the Medina before I checked into my new hostel. As I had no other plans I went for dinner with my new friend and we went to a place that served good, cheap food. They didn't have everything available on the menu but the food was decent, it was definitely the cheapest meal I've had so far - only 32 Dirhams which is less than £3.
Day 6 Tangier
It wass my last day in Tangier and I hadn't really decided what to do. The options included museums, the beach or an excursion to the Herculaneum caves on the other side of the city. In the end the museums were narrowed down to just the American Legation Museum which was open on Tuesday and then I spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Plage Municipale is just across from the marina and fortunately it is very big because there were a lot of people already there. It is also clean and randomly had a couple of camels just chilling in the sand. The weather is really warm here 30+ so I really needed to go into the sea. I did a bit of swimming before going for a walk on the beach to dry off. I decided to take a leaf out of the camel’s book and just chill on the beach for a few hours.
Finally I went back to the hostel and put my feet up on the terrace, with a nice cup of tea to reflect on my time here . It was not long before I met some fellow travellers and we exchanged stories, but as dinner time closed in, talk turned to food and as they had no plan yet, I suggested the restaurant I went to yesterday. We had fun and I got to try one of the dishes that was not available yesterday. The evening went by very quickly and later we went back up to terrace to have more tea, talk and listen to music late into the night. It was a really fun evening and I was a little bit sad to be leaving them and Tangier behind…
Day 7 – Fes
Today I ventured into central Morocco. However, before I left there was just time to have breakfast with the group from last night. We went to Grand Central in Petit Socco. It was a good breakfast with eggs and traditional Moroccan side dishes and bread, we enjoyed the calm of the morning here before it was time for goodbyes. I hailed a petit taxi to take me to the train station and finally I was given a reasonable fare - only 9 Dirhams which is less than £1.
The train is not like the fast one I travelled to Tangier in, it is very old school and the journey had a lot of stops.
As soon as we got closer to Fes I could feel a rapid change in temperature - I actually thought someone had turned the heating on! It had gone from 30 degrees to 38 degrees which is very noticeable.
At 4 hours it's the longest journey so far here in Morocco on the trains but despite it being an old train the journey was relatively comfortable.
I arrived in Fes in the early afternoon and decided to head straight to the old town (Medina) after checking into my hostel. The Fes medina sprawls across 300 neighbourhoods and over 9000 alleys, so I was careful to stick to the market area for fear of getting lost on Day 1. It was good to spend an hour so just wandering around and seeing how this Medina differs from the others I have visited. The wares which are sold are certainly more diverse and it would take several days, possibly weeks to see explore all the side streets.
I came back to the hostel in the evening to book myself onto a Sahara tour which I was keen to do whilst I'm here. It was a real shame I could not visit Tunisia for this purpose but I was keen to get to the desert before I left this country. It meant sacrificing a day in Marrakech but I was okay with that.
The hostel offered a free soup meal for dinner, which I have to say it was pretty good. I went for second and third helpings, eating the heavy Moroccan bread to fill me up. It was also an opportunity to meet the other people staying at my hostel. Later we decided to experience the night life in the new town, but I was skeptical of this. I can safely report that it was as rubbish as I expected, if not more so. This really is not the country you come to for partying, but it was interesting to see the other, slightly less conservative side of town.
Day 8 - Fes
This morning I joined a walking tour of Fez with the rest of the folk from the hostel.
The guide (Ahmed) was a true local, born and bred in Fez; he had walked these streets for over 40 years. To add to this he had an infectious personality, which was good because we spent the whole day with him. I liked his passion for the city and the extra knowledge he was able to impart on us. As we had Ahmed to guide us through the Medina, we were not hassled as much and it was a more enjoyable experience overall. Incredibly the tour was actually 8 hours long but it did include stops for tea and lunch. We visited the largest tannery in the world, mosques, a carpet store and a school.
Although I saw many shops and souvenir opportunities I only bagged some natural perfume (Amber soap). After the walking tour we went to the Merenid Tombs for the sunset, we kind of got this wrong but we were able to find a spot to watch the sunset over the other side but it did not have views of the city.
After such a long day everyone was tired and we wanted to just go back to the hostel to chill but our taxi driver ended up dropping us off quite far away. So we needed another ride to get back. We found this local who had a goods transport vehicle and hopped into the back of this ride. I’m not sure how to describe it - part-scooter, part pick up truck with trailer attached.
It was cheap (only 10 Dirhams) and an interesting way to get around the city, but very bumpy and dangerous! We were lucky that only hats were lost on the way :D
The original plan was to grab some food (French tacos) and then go back to the hostel, but after coming back we ended up trying the British bar which for me was a disappointment, but it was the last night for some of the guys and they wanted to go out. I just hope I am able to get some good sleep tonight before my trip to the Sahara tomorrow.
Day 9 - Fes / Sahara
It was an early start for my Sahara tour. The pickup was at 07:30 and it took over 10 hours to get to the desert. I was joined on the tour by a couple of others, a guy from the hostel and a random. We got into the shared transport in the morning and hit the road straight away. The driver did fortunately stop at various points on the way so we could stretch our legs, feed the monkeys in the Atlas mountains or just take pictures of the Valleys and some of the incredible views along the way
As I was doing the tour that was 2 days and 1 night it was going to be a bit of a compressed visit. I was taken to a hotel before carrying on my journey to the Berber camp that night. As usual nothing is ever simple in Morocco (or Africa in general) and there was a mis-communication regarding the transport to the Berber camp so I arrived after the sunset in the pitch black. At this point all I cared about was getting some food and a bed which thankfully was provided. The camp was not what I expected. The tents were very large and spacious, there was electricity and also normal toilets. I was expecting something a bit more authentic, but I guess this is for the benefit of the modern traveller.
I was told there would be some music and dancing later so after some much needed sustenance, I went over to the other side of the camp where a campfire had been started and enjoyed the Berber entertainment. This evening the entertainment consisted of Berber music, drums, singing and dancing. I even had a go playing the drums myself before turning in at midnight.
The plan for tomorrow is to ride a camel to Merzouga, catching the sunrise before getting a bus back to Marrakech.
Day 10 - Sahara / Marrakech
It was another early start today. I somehow missed my alarm in the morning and was surprised by a loud knocking on my tent door at 6am. The Berber guides were concerned that I would miss the sunrise so hurried me to breakfast. I must have been really tired to have missed my alarm like that. I had a rapid breakfast and gathered my belongings so we could get on to the dunes and make our way through the desert to Merzouga.
The camel ride experience was interesting. I was glad it was only an hour or so because I could not do more than that. My camel was well behaved but the constant undulation of the sand dunes was particularly unpleasant and I was holding on tightly to avoid falling off. Downhill was the most uncomfortable. However, aside from the terror, it was quite an interesting experience. I really didn’t expect to be riding a camel through the Sahara and there were some truly spectacular views along the way as the sun came up over the sand dunes.
When I arrived in Merzouga my guide told me my bus had already left and this latest issue capped off what had been a pretty farcical tour so far. I was told to jump on a quad bike with this guy who would take me to a different transport - it was pretty dodgy but I didn’t really have much of a choice as I was literally in the middle of nowhere. We pulled up next to a minibus and I joined another tour group which was going to Marrakech. I didn’t care as long as I was able to get to Marrakech and I could work things out when I was there.
After quite a long journey we finally arrived in Marrakech late in the evening, so when I checked in to the hostel I decided to sign up for dinner too. At dinner I bumped into a few people I met at the Fes hostel who had left a day or two before me, it’s a small world when you are a traveller! Tonight was about recovery, I needed sleep after travelling 22 hours over the last 48 hours!
Day 11 - Marrakech
Today is my first and last full day in Marrakech. I wanted to make the most of it so I got up early and headed straight to the markets. I spent nearly 3 hours wandering around Medina. First I explored the souks near the Jamaa el Fna, then I took refuge in the Youssef Madrassa before finally visiting the Le Jardin Secret (secret garden). The Madrassa and the Garden were a welcome break from the madness of the Marrakech Medina, there is only so much you can endure. I did a bit of shopping but not a lot in the end as I have bought most of my souvenirs already but I did purchase a fridge magnet.
In the afternoon I had some choices - visit a traditional Hammam or watch the football. As we could not find a reasonably priced Hammam I ended up watching the football in a nearby cafe. It was the last day of the Premier League season and Liverpool or Man City could win the title today so the stakes were high. For me it was a disappointing result (City won) but it was a long shot for Liverpool anyway.
After the cafe we grabbed some street dinner near the hostel, which was cheap and cheerful, followed by a stroll around the Djemaa El-Fna. It was quite something to see the transformation of the market square at night time. During the day it is quite empty with a few performers and merchants but at night it is completely different. The place comes alive with all sorts of activity in a vibrant and lively atmosphere. Live music, food markets (serving unusual dishes), dancing, gambling and street performers are just some of the attractions. Even though it was Sunday it was still busy and the entertainment continued into the early hours of the morning.
Tomorrow I fly out to Lisbon so this was a nice way to round off my trip to Morocco.
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