My Adventures: Morocco

A new series of posts I'd like to share is my adventures abroad. Obviously the last couple of years have seen some major disruption to my desire to see the world. But, I do have a lengthy list prior to it all. So, I'll start with the country that really blew me away more than the others, and that's Morocco, specifically, Marrakech. Which is what you see in the image above.

My adventure in Morocco was from a few years back, so do correct me on any changes that have been made since I went. But, this is more opinion based than factual.

Prior to booking this holiday I wanted something that was totally different to anything I've experienced living in the UK, but also remaining on a budget. I checked over Europe and plenty of destinations caught my eye, but I eventually came across a page that advertised Morocco. The pictures were stunning and I fell in love. So I did plenty of research and settled on Marrakech as my base in Morocco. Casablanca, Fes, Rabat and a few other locations did appeal to me, but I didn't have the time to visit them all. In fact, there is more than a weeks worth of things to do in Marrakech alone, or at least in the surrounding areas.

Where we stayed

So we stayed in an area just outside the hotspot of Marrakech, which would be the souks. There was nothing entirely significant about the area, but we were advised to stick to main streets as much as we could, especially at night. We stayed in a place called a riad, which is a house built around a central courtyard. Often a riad will get described as an oasis as it offers a place for serenity in an otherwise very busy area. It was actually quite hard to find the place as it looked very unassuming from the outside, just another large door against a wall. But, there was a small engraving on the door which advertised our riad.

Just as a note for a first time traveler to the country, it's clear you're tourist to the locals and some will use that to their advantage. Marrakech has a lot of streets and alleyways and it's extremely easy to get lost and with all your luggage you can start to give off the feeling of desperation. The younger generation will seek to help you and attempt to lead you to the place you need to go, but will seek financial gain. If you don't provide it then things can turn quite ugly. As soon as we sat down inside our riad, the owners warned us of such things and I happened to see a few children gathering close to us when we were searching.

However, that's a minor issue and you can't blame them really. On to the riad itself. The owners greeted us straight away and sat us down with some Moroccan tea which was poured in the traditional way. It's green tea, which I've never really drunk before, but it was incredible. I couldn't get enough of it. They were French and had lived in Morocco for 15 years, so they were extremely knowledgeable and offered us a complete rundown of what to expect of our stay. They gave us options for day trips, nights out, local attractions and much more. They even offered to help book some trips for us, which we accepted for one of them.

So what you see in the image above is the Atlas Mountains, which I will touch on later when I discuss what we did.

The room we stayed in was incredible and wasn't too hot despite being in 40 degree weather. They had a lounge area just outside our room with seats and a chess board which actually became a good area to chill out after a day of walking. If we then went upstairs to the roof, they had sun loungers and a hot tub with a view that looked over the city. In the evening sun, it was an incredible experience and it truly brought that oasis feeling.

Every morning they provided breakfast which had a variety of cooked items and sweet treats, mainly pastries. It was all fresh and tasted amazing. Then on one of the nights their in-house chef cooked us a traditional Moroccan meal. It was a variation on a tagine, which again had a lot of incredible flavours. But, I will say one unforgettable experience we had, and that was to enjoy the last night of Ramadan. I'm not a religious man myself, but to see the small community come together and celebrate was an experience like no other. Our owners had friends who owned a local restaurant and they hosted the celebration which we were invited to.

What we did

The obvious place to start would be the souks. The world famous street market that hosts many exotic stalls and shops for you to browse. From the hand made to the fake brands, there is something for everyone. But, one thing you must not do is get lost in the souks, especially during the day. Low and behold, we got lost when the sun was at its hottest and only managed to get out because we took a turn we didn't realise was there when we passed it some 30 minutes before. That experience taught us that the best time for us to go and explore the souks was the early evening. The sun setting and more shade emerging was ideal. In my opinion that is also when the souks are at their most beautiful from a visual perspective.

I recommend getting a meal from a restaurant on the outskirts of the courtyard that the souks begin in. It will be a bit pricey and busy, but it's an extraordinary thing to watch as you eat your meal. The hustle and bustle of shopkeepers selling their goods to locals and tourists. When you visit these souks, and really any sort of marketplace in Morocco, they will expect you to haggle. They will have 'prices' up, or they'll tell you an initial price, but you don't accept it. You haggle to get the price down and the most common method is to offer a fee far lower than their 'price'. We adopted a few approaches and we cracked it by time we were due to leave. Our most common tactic was to suggest leaving and taking 'business' elsewhere which would eventually force the hand of the shopkeeper to give you his best deal. All business is good business for them.

It is a really fun thing to do and we spent most nights taking a set amount of money with us and seeing what we could buy for it. We ended up with entirely random objects, but we knew we'd find someone back home who would enjoy it.

Coming away from the souks, we found a small piece of paradise not too far from where we were staying, known as the Jardin Majorelle. It's a botanical garden designed by French artist Jacques Majorelle. It's full of gorgeous scenery with an abundance of colour. It also holds a small museum dedicated to the history of the Berber people. Which ties in with the photo of the Atlas Mountains.

One of the excursions you simply have to experience is traveling to the Atlas Mountains and seeing the way the Berber people still live their lives. The Berber tribes have their history rooted in North Africa, and it dates some 4000 years ago. Much of how they live their lives would be similar to their ancestors with some traditions dating thousands of years back. They do welcome tourists through their villages and are happy to invite them into their homes. We were served Moroccan tea and interacted with a couple of the locals. But, out of respect, you should leave your camera in your bag for this section.

The Atlas Mountains are incredible and is well worth the day trip. We were also extremely lucky to get a guide who went off the itinerary list. We traveled in jeeps and there was about four of them, so while the other jeeps made their way back to their starting point, we took a couple of diversions. He didn't do this for everyone, so we tipped him extra at the end. He took us to a place where the women of the Berber tribe made pottery and showed us how they do it. It was really great to watch them use methods that have long been forgotten by the modern world.

Speaking of the modern world, Marrakech does have a few shopping centres nearby that do boast some world recognisable brands. It's a stark contrast between the souks and the shopping centres, but tourists do like the variety or at least feel like they have that option. I can't overly remember what the centre was called that I visited, but I'm 60% sure it was the Al Mazar Mall.

There was loads more that we ended up doing, but one excursion which I wanted to do, but never had the time to do, was stay overnight in the Sahara. Something which many operators in Morocco do offer. So, if you find yourself in Morocco and you have the time, then please experience it for me as it looks incredible.

Summary and extra points

To summarise our experience in Morocco, it's like nothing you'll experience if, like me, you've lived most of your life having not stepped foot out of Europe. It's a liberal country, but you must still show respect to the religions that live in peace with another. For example, we arrived during the last days of Ramadan so we didn't take water bottles with us wherever we went and also had to hide certain bits of skin. So, do prepare for that.

It's a gorgeous country and it maintains its historical roots which I always think is a good thing to do. If you're on a budget and still want to explore somewhere completely different then it should be near the top of your list. It's not too far on the plane too, I think our flight was around 4 hours. So for those who want to explore a new continent, then you're on to a winner here.

So, if there's any questions you want to ask then leave a comment!