Mad in Morocco

One of the countries that was high on my list of visiting, was Morocco.

I somehow did know what to expect, in terms of cultural differences, way of trading, food, etc.
Still, it was a cultural shock. I didn't expect the old centre to be so poor. Just sandroads; trash everywhere, horrid smells, people walking bare foot or barely on foot, donkeys, mopeds, you name it. Quite the opposite from the new area, where you'd find luxurious hotels, Gucci and Prada stores, beautiful clean streets and buildings. The only thing being odd where the Peugot 305 cabs, which all seemed to have a dirty camel color (sure that's no coincidence?)

Another contradiction was our Riad downtown Marrakesh which is called a Medina. A Raid is similair to an hotel, the difference is that it's usually a typical Moroccan house, which has appr. 4 floors. The entrance floor, the bedroom floor and the rooftop being the terrace. Ours also had a basement where the owners lived. The Riad was beautifully decorated, with everything Middle Eastern style. Just like you see in the magazines.
The rooms aren't locked. Ofcourse, keys are provided when asked, but as our group of friends occupied 4 out of 5 rooms, we didn't feel it was necessary.

It truly felt like an oasis, a centre of peace in the middle of the crazy Medina. The road to it was a tunnellike street, seemingly leading nowhere. Just a door on the left which you'd knock and hello! Paradise!

The owners and their staff where amazing and even provided beer for us when we'd be so desperate to find a nice cold can of beer, but can be quite impossible in a Muslim country. Only at evening meals in expensive restaurants we'd be lucky enough to get a 28 euro bottle of wine or a 6 euro bottle of Heineken. Ouch! Having said that, it was worth it every little cent.

I've had cuisines I've never tasted before, like lamb with cinnamon, or chicken pastries with sugar or beef with dates. It truly was a mindblowing experience. If it was up to me, I'd spent all day eating!

What I didn't expect to be so exhausting was the haggling. Seriously. You could be spending half an hour trying to pay 4 euros less. First it's fun, later you just want to pay whatever and get out.

The Medina has Souks right of the big square Jemaa el Fna. Each Souks has it's area and are usually divided by trade. One area has only leather, the other wood, cotton, shoes, jewelry andsofort. Jemaa el Fna has a lot of stands where you can find freshly squeezed OJ or you can have your body decorated with henna. The favorites are the snakecharmers and the monkeys. Moroccans see a great deal of humor in it to chase after tourist with these animals. I however, was not so amused...

The Moroccans can be quite friendly. Most of them will come up and talk to you, just to know where you're from. Others use this as a way to lure you into their shop. Truth is, you can not walk around having thoughts to yourself for more then 2 minutes. Someone WILL interupt them.

The real challenge was not to get overrun by a bicicle, moped or donkey. They don't stop. Period.

And they don't go slow neither. They just dodge you...well...sort of. You learn fast enough though. You keep to the walls and hang on to your bag. Watch where you step in front of you (mind the holes, puddles, mudd, poo, kittens, peoples feet) and look left, right and backworths. It's a skill you master with time.

I think we had such a great time, because we where with many friends. 12 people. So you'd always had someone to talk to or you'd go and visit the same places of interest. If you don't go with a plan you will be a little lost in the madness of it all.

If you asked me would I go back to Morocco? I honestly don't know. It's definitely something you should do at least once in your life, but I find so many other things interesting aswell. And frankly... more alluring.

Nevertheless, I'll re-consider it when my upset stomach and yes... the runs have dissapeared.