After a very easy trip from Lisbon to Marrakech, we began our month-long journey in Morocco.We arrived early in the afternoon and decided to take a taxi into Marrakech as we knew that finding our Guesthouse was going to be a challenge as it is located in the old walled area of the city called the Medina which is primarily made up of very narrow and winding alleys lined with small shops displaying their wares.
Our taxi took us to the gate of the Medina, and luckily — once we were inside, where there are no vehicles allowed usually — someone knew where our guesthouse was located. It was very clear in those ten minutes why people say it is really easy to get lost as the alley ways have very high walls so you really have no perspective about where you are in relationship to anything else.
Our room was beautiful, but was located on the top floor which was accessed by countless big steps. It was then that we realized that our fitness plan is set for Morocco. It seems like most rooms we have had are at least two or three floors up, often with much higher steps than we have in Canada. We are finding muscles we never knew we had!! This is just as well as we have a trip in the Sahara at the end of February where we will be walking for 4 days in the desert! Luckily the fellow on reception, Azzardine, carried both our bags up those stairs!
We had our first delicious lunch which was a vegetable tagine, and then headed down to the famed square called Jemaa El Fna. Walking in the square was an amazing experience and got even more so as the afternoon gave way into evening. It is absolutely full of performers, such as acrobats, traditional Berber musicians, games of luck, snake charmers and women henna artists as well as food, nut and fruit stalls. It was packed with people in the evening and really a great immersion to being in Morocco. The highlights for both of us were the circles of Berber musicians who drew crowds around them throughout the evening. Our overall impression was that it was a feast for the senses: sights, sounds, tastes and smells, each of which greatly impacted us.
Friendly juice sellers.
One of the things that seemed to capture the most attention in the Square was this simple game where there were many bottles set up in a circle and then people paid for a try with a “fishing rod” with a plastic ring on the end to place it succesfully on a bottle. It really seemed to captivate people and clearly it was not easy to do!
One of the Berber musician groups in the Square.
We had supper upstairs from the Square where there was a balcony which gave us an overview of the all that was going on.
Our next challenge was to pick up our rental car at the airport, which would have been easy except for the fact that the company we were renting from was not one of the bigger car rental companies, so we had to call them to arrange to meet them at the airport. We tried numerous times to call, but there was no answer. In the end we went out and did find someone waiting for us and within an hour or so we were outfitted with our Dacia Duster SUV for our month in Morocco. So far, it is turning out pretty well. The next challenge was to drive from the airport out to our first destination named Oualidia which is located on the west coast north-west of Marrakech. Chris, being the more confident driver in these situations, navigated the Moroccan traffic without too much stress. His experience driving in Saudi Arabia years ago when he worked there has (so far!) stood us in good stead! There is a lot of weaving and risky overtaking by impatient drivers, but so far all has been manageable.
One of the draws to be in Oualidia was that there is a large lagoon which has flamingoes and other birds, but we discovered they are a long way away from any accessible viewpoint. That being the case, we drove north of Oualidia to see if we could get down to the seashore and eventually found a way. The ocean was wonderfully wild and we delighted in watching the play of the ocean. Many a photo was taken. Our guesthouse for several nights prepared food for our dinner which we enjoyed. One highlight was sitting on the roof of the building for our breakfast, immersed in beautiful birdsong.
Breakfast on the roof!
Some kind of Coast Guard Station near where we watched the waves.
After spending time with the waves, we explored the main beach of Oualidia and found some traditional fishing boats on the beach while we watched the sun set.
Traditional fishing boats.
After that we discovered that there were quite a few stalls still open selling local shellfish. At one of them, the owner was totally delightful and was very happy to be photographed with his stall.
Our second day, we drove south of Oualidia and found a beach on which there were lots of local people collecting mussels and other shellfish from the rocks as well as fishermen and even several men with metal detectors scanning the beach. We have no idea why, but obviously it must be lucrative.
Chris was curious about what the fisher people were harvesting. He discovered that it is mussels.
In the afternoon Chris discovered an even better place to view the waves, where they were even crazier than the first day. It was a full-on experience watching them rise and fall and crash against the rocks sending up spray maybe 20 feet above us. Keeping the camera dry was a challenge! We could feel the ground under our feet shaking at times due to the power of the waves. It was the first time that we have heard an intermittent sound much like a loud crack of thunder caused by waves colliding with one another. It certainly was energizing and we had to pull ourselves away as the sun was starting to set and we had to get back to town before dark. Driving in Morocco at night is inadvisable for sure.
Crazy waves!
More crazy waves!
Our next destination is Chefchaouen, known as the “Blue City” which is high up in the Rif Mountains in the northern part of Morocco. We look forward to sharing our experience of being there. Until next time………