Whew! Just returned from a fast track tour of Morocco, and apart from an upset stomach nothing bad happened. Upon arrival, it was obvious that I was going to have to throw away all of my inhabitions about safety, germs and smells. While Morocco has an amazing landscape and culture, it is not exactly the cleanest country.
The whole trip to Morocco was all Paul and Andy´s fault. Andy´s recounts of his Jeep excursion across most of the country had me sold, and Paul telling me how easy it is to get there and around (which it is) didn't help deter me. I took a ferry from Algeceras to Tanger which should have put me within walking distance to the Marrakech Express train. Either I am retarded or the Lonely Planet map was way off, because I walked for over an hour along the beach (yep, long beach) and never found this elusive train station. So, with my tail between my legs, I hailed a taxi and he took me back to the train station which was just a few blocks away from the ferry port.
I ended up buying a cheap seat for the 10hr train ride to Marrakech. This turned out to be a big mistake. The train wasn't too busy but I wanted to find a quiet car so that I could get some sleep on the ride there. Towards the front, I found a car with only two people in it. One in the front, and one in the back. I took my seat in the middle and positioned my bag so that I could sleep on it and protect it from anyone passing by. Shortly after the train starts moving, the guy from the back of the car comes up and sits down next to me. I say hey, he looks around, then guestures: a point to me, a fist to his face, slitting his throat, and finally money. I'm probably not explaining this well, but it was obvious that he was trying to communicate that he was robbing me. Fortunately, he didn't speak any English and I spoke no Arabic, so I played dumb for as long as I could. Finally, I offered to make him a peanut butter sandwich, to which he declined. So, pull out my: jar of peanut butter, loaf of bread and my trusty Leatherman multitool. After seeing the knife, he becomes less persistent which lasts till the next stop. Once their I was able to get some Moroccans on my side and the ordeal was over. Whew! Now I am able to get some sleep.
The Marrakech medina was easy to find from the train station and I was checked into my rijad/hotel within an hour. I could have haggled for a cheaper rate but it was hot and I wanted to drop my bags and explore the souqs. Still, the room wasn't more than dh60 (<$10) and it had a great roof top in the middle of the medina.
I quickly realized that, taking pictures in the close confines of the souq network, is not a good idea. It is the fastest way to paint a target on yourself for the all the hawkers. It wasn't until I returned later on with some locals that I met in Essaouira that I was able to take some pictures. You can buy anything in this market. In addition to all the plastic nick knacks, Moroccan rugs and Moroccan souvenirs there were people selling dentures, clothes, herbal remedies, drugs, animals (turtles, hawks, chickens, etc.) of all kinds (real skins too, of leopards or cheetahs, snakes, bird wings). Dusk and night time are the real treats as this is when all the food vendors and performers come out. The aromas were pleasantly overwhelming.
There were some very talented musicians in addition to the not so talented performers. I'm still not sure if this guy was a performer or just some drunk guy that drew alot of attention. Either way, he is wearing jorts!
After a few days in Marrakech I decided to get out of the city and head for the quiet coastal town of Essaouira which was highly recommended by Andy and Jane. This turned out to be a very good call! I needed the change of pace. Upon arrival, the town was packed with hippies and dreaded Rastafarians who were on their way out after the Gnaoua and World Music Festival. Apparently it was a good time and I missed the week long celebration by one night. Oh well, maybe next time. There was still a great deal of activity on the beach with official soccer games going on along with kite boarders and wind surfers taking advantage of the high winds and protected waters.
And yes, there were camels at the beach. At the far end, past the "board walk", I found these camels resting while their owner/sheppard (or whatever you call a camel guy) was passed out in the sand.
The port of Essaouira had both large (100ft) and small (20ft) fishing boats. They boats were always coming in and you could get fresh fish any time of day. The fisherman would even sit there and clean the fish for you. The port had a great feel to it and the fishermen were kind enough to answer any of my questions in broken English or sign language.
After a few days in Essaouira, it was time to start heading back to Sotogrande so that I could make my flight to Barcelona where I was to meet Eric. I gave myself almost two days to make the journey and it was on my way back that I meet three Moroccan guys: Brihym, Adhil, and Hassan ending their holiday. They gave me the behind the scenes tour of Marrakech and showed me the cheap eats. Here, at some street vendor, the four of us were able to eat some sort of goat intestine soup with pita and mint tea for less than dh20 ($2.50). Now that is cheap!
After a 4 hr bus ride, 10 hr train ride, 30 min ferry and 20 min car ride (thanks Jane) I was back in Sotogrande. The view of Jebel Musa from the ferry was one to remember and the fog in the straight of Gibraltar made the crossing more interesting.
Recomendations:
-Watch out of pick pocketers. They usually work in groups.
-Bring TP
-The hawkers are very persuasive so, when being hassled, you can really throw them off by telling them you are from Iceland (learned this from some english travelrs).
-Don´t be afraid you´ll offend a Souq salesman by offering them 10% of their asking price.
-Visit a handful of Rijads/Hotel/Hostals, before committing to one. They will usually bring the price down as you walk out the door.
No comments:
Post a Comment