We took the train from Casa to Marrakech, it was a nice chill ride in a shared car. When we arrived we had the first of several pushy and/or sketchy encounters, where a “guide” kindly showed us to our hotel (which was like 50 yards in a straight line from where the cab dropped us off).  The “guide” (who’s services we hadn’t asked for) then got mad at Javi for not giving him enough money. This happens often to tourists in Morocco, but as we stated in a previous post we had largely avoided terribly pushy encounters, save for that one time we just could not for the life of us get out of buying a small rug in Fez. But Marrakech would humble our overly confident traveler selves and show us what a hard sale and a well planned hustle in Morocco is all about. Another story happened when young guy #1 kindly gave us unsolicited directions to the tanneries in Marrakech (he doesn’t charge a thing, just trying to help!) even though we weren’t planning on going there. As we headed down the street we were thinking well maybe we will just go and check it out anyways, and after a few minutes young guy #1 ran up behind us and said actually if you are headed here you are in luck (!) because my friend is going there right now (!) and will take you. Cue young guy #2, who was friendly enough and walked us pretty far from the main square, right into the waiting arms of yet more guides waiting to take us in to the tanneries. At this point we were just going with the flow, being brought to all kinds of shops, where we actually even bought stuff, and when the time came to give what we thought was a nice tip the guides wanted double, of course. At the time we honestly didn’t realize the whole thing was set up from the beginning, with everyone working so fluidly together. It only occurred to us later that young guy #2 was definitely not randomly going to the tanneries and that the hustle was end to end. But oh well, you live and learn. And of course we don’t mind buying a few things here and there and giving tips, it’s all part of the experience and in the end it’s not that much money. We just couldn’t believe we didn’t see it coming! Marrakech, being the gift that keeps on giving, also turned out to be the most uncomfortable medina to walk around in, because of the constant (and we mean constant) stream of motorbikes and mopeds and their delightful accompanying fumes.  The motorbikes (most bearing more than one individual) would rush down the narrow streets, knocking over children, tourists, and the elderly along the way, we witnessed so many near misses that our nerves were practically shot after just a few laps in the medina.

Suffice it to say, Marrakech was not our absolute favorite place, BUT there certainly were some bright spots. The central square (Jemaa el Fna) is pretty amazing, especially at night. There are fresh juice stands everywhere, such a lovely treat on a hot day, and in the evenings there are drummers, entertainers, women offering henna, snake charmers, you name it. It is quite the scene and reminded us a bit of our Burning Man nights. During the day, we hit up a few neat parks and museums, like the city museum that is housed in the old Dar Menebhi Palace. We tried to visit the popular Yves Saint Laurent museum and gardens but the line was insanely long so we skipped it and decided that we needed a day trip out of town. We booked a group day tour to Ourika Valley and had a lovely time visiting some natural sites (including hiking up a beautiful canyon) and visiting some locals who showed us around their Amazigh (or Berber) village. The other folks in the tour were fun and it was nice to escape the craziness of Marrakech, albeit the canyon being a little overcrowded with tourists (likely all with the same idea of looking to escape the press of tourists back in Marrakech).

After Marrakech we were definitely ready for the chill and solitude of the Sahara. We had booked a three-day desert tour in Erg Chigaga close to the Algerian border in the southeastern region. The other more popular Erg to visit is Erg Chebbi, but we heard Erg Chigaga was much more rugged and remote so we opted for that one. We arranged to get picked up in Zagora, making it about a four hour trip to the dunes.

But first we had a stop to make in Ouarzazate for a couple of nights, the “Hollywood of Morocco” as they say. We stayed at a funny little hostel/campsite run by a French couple. It was a little out of town but we were fine just hailing collectivo taxis so it worked out. We visited Atlas Film Studios and had a great time checking out sets from all kinds of movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Cleopatra, The Last Temptation of Christ, Gladiator, The Mummy, Alexander, Prince of Persia, and so many more. We also got a glimpse of a nearby studio’s castle used in Game of Thrones, but didn’t get to visit. Our guide was a really nice dude (a law student that had actually played an extra as one of GoT’s “Unsullied”) and we had a blast doing super silly photo shoots. We also visited nearby Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a major highlight of the whole trip. The views and feel of the earthen clay village is otherworldly. You truly feel like you are in a different era walking around the walled kasbahs.

We moved on to Zagora, a nice little desert town where we just spent one night and then we were off on our Sahara adventure. In a nutshell, IT WAS AMAZING!! There are a lot of desert tour operators to choose from, and we were so lucky with the one we used. Laura’s parents were kind enough to give us an early Christmas gift which bumped up our tour budget and it made all the difference. It wasn’t one of those super luxury camps but it wasn’t the cheap tours (and sometimes half-assed ones according to our research) that we would have likely booked. We had an excellent guide named Mohammad, and a driver incidentally also named Mohammad. On the way out, they took us to a few stops with nice views and a few hours later we were at the site. They have room enough for 10 or 12 people at the site but we were the only ones there at the time, so it felt like our own private spot. The tents were nestled in the dunes and you couldn’t see any other structures or people around. It was INSANELY quiet and out there, and very dark at night. We had downloaded some star gazing apps so the first night was spent eating yummy food, freaking out over the incredible night sky, and learning new constellations. The next day we took a ride on some dromedaries (not camels because they only have one hump). It was everything we imagined and more. The dromedaries were hilarious to watch and very gentle. Omar, the dromedary handler, was sweet natured just like his charge. Omar and Mohammad took us even further out into the Sahara from camp on the dromedaries, and set up a nice chill spot with an AMAZING lunch, including bread that Omar made in the sand. It was the perfect day. That night was spent eating a second delicious dinner, more stargazing, and the guys (including the Mohammads, Omar, our chef, and another helper) got together and made some music with traditional tribal instruments. We tried our hand at the drums and Laura showed them some poi moves, which the chef was especially excited to learn. The next day we drove through an ancient dry lake bed and picked up some fossils, stopped for tea, and said a sad goodbye to the Mohammads. All in all it was the absolute best part of our Moroccan adventure. Although these tours take a lot of money and effort (research, travel time, etc.), for us it was a necessary part of our trip, and of course the level of awesomeness of our tour was thanks mostly to a generous Christmas gift. None of these pre-planned tours and tent setups are necessarily “authentic” of course, these guys are running businesses and it’s not like you are going out there into the bush and assimilating into tribal culture. BUT the guys made us feel like it was as authentic as it could be, and they had a love for the Sahara that was infectious. They truly cared about showing us a good time and cooking us good food and it made the experience really special and fun.

After the desert, they dropped us back off in Zagora, where we immediately hopped on an overnight bus all the way to the Agadir on the Atlantic coast. Our last few days were spent in a couple of beach towns. The first was a tiny surf town called Taghazout. Javi got some surfing in and Laura relaxed on the beach. We also snuck up the hill to the fancy Hyatt Place to have a cocktail. Best decision ever. After that it was off to Essaouira, a much bigger town with a European/hippie feel. It was a beautiful place, and the coast was all done up with a beach walkway and all kinds of restaurants and hotels, but still had a nice relaxed vibe. We hit up some really cool restaurants and shops, listened to some street music, and walked around enjoying our last destination before heading back to Casa. We wished we could have spent more time in Essaouira, and also more time where we didn’t feel like we already had one foot out the door to the next place. It had been a long and wonderful month, but we were looking forward to going back to Spain for a couple of weeks. It was tough to stay focused on the moment knowing we were leaving so soon. But now we know Essaouira is super cool, and if we return to Morocco we will definitely go back there.

We took our final bus ride back to Casablanca, and ironically said goodbye to Morocco with a delicious cocktail at Rick’s Cafe. Rick’s is a copy of the famous lounge restaurant in the movie Casablanca. It was a fun little spot and we had a great time sipping one of the few drinks we had during our time in Morocco. We spent the evening looking at pictures and discussing our favorite parts of the trip.

Morocco was so many things to us, it was at different times beautiful, dynamic, interesting, strange, chill, delicious, friendly, inspiring, frustrating, wild, and utterly unique, among many many other adjectives we could use to describe it. We are so glad we made the trip, and that we made it a long one. We had never experienced a place like Morocco before, and it will stand out as an incredibly special experience during this grand adventure.

And now… back to wine and pork in southern Spain!

Morocco Part 3