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Morocco

A country of diverse environments, cultures and people.

By Tim Wilson

August 20^th, 2016

Traveling into the unexpected...

In early 2013 I started thinking about going on another trip, I considered going back to Europe but ultimately decided I should travel to a place I had never been before and try and experience something completely new. I shortlisted the Middle East and North Africa and ultimately decided on Morocco as its diversity in landscape appealed to me (also it appeared stable and safe compared to other places in the region). I joined a small tour group and travelled through the country over 12 days. We started from Casablanca and moved east along with the north of the country before travelling south towards the deserts before going west to the coastal city of Essaouira.

Casablanca

18-20 May 2013

I arrived in Casablanca early after a gruelling 30 hour flight. Travelling from the airport as we weaved through the traffic (where lane markings would appear ‘advisory‘ only) I saw first hand the chaos I would be entering. The city is a mixture of new developments through to slums. The old part of town has a Parisian feel with wide avenues, although there is a heavy art deco influence. However I never felt completely comfortable walking around on my own, and was glad to depart after a couple of days.

Hassan II Mosque

The size of the Mosque is impressive (the 2nd largest in the world) with a capacity of around 50,000 people

Meknes

20-22 May 2013

We travelled by train from Casablanca to Meknes. We were warned that there was no way of knowing if our train would be on time or not, but not only was it on time is was a fantastic experience. The rain network appears to be undergoing a modernisation with new stations and comfortable trains. The medina of Meknes is a maze of narrow alleys and passageways containing shops and apartments. At times the medina opens up into markets where meat, fruit, vegetables and deserts are sold. The medina is quiet with no cars or motorbikes, the peace is only disturbed by the children playing on their way home fro school. After Meknes, we were back on the train heading for Fes.

Fes

The medina of Fes was much larger than Meknes and with motorbikes and donkeys to contend with, a bit harder to navigate. There was more variety in goods for sales through out too.

The most peaceful moment here was inside a mosque deep in the medina. The sound of running water in the otherwise quiet space was a welcome rest from the hustle and bustle outside.

Volubilis

21 May 2013

I took a day trip out to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, it was a few hours drive from Fes through beautiful countryside. The rolling hills were mainly used for agriculture with livestock and crops growing.

The ruins were mind-blowing when considering they were around 2000 years old, it wasn‘t just the fact that parts were still standing but the fact that in some ways the architecture and engineering were so advanced for the time.

Moulay Idriss

Just up the road from Volubilis is the small town of Moulay Idriss. We had lunch here and then had mint tea from the rooftop of one of the houses. The town overlooks Volubilis and has a wonderful view of the valley below it. It is worth noting that in the northern parts of Morocco, all buildings are painted white (hence why ‘Casablanca‘ is named). As I travelled further south, the colours of the buildings change - usually matching the colour of the soil in each region.

Fes to Merzouga

23-24 May 2013

We left Fes and started heading south. As we travelled the environment slowly changed from the soft greens of the Mediterranean climate to the oranges of an arid landscape. We stopped overnight in Midelt and whilst there visited a near-by Berber village. The villagers were incredibly friendly and the children were very curious.

The most striking memory however, would have to be the valley full of palm trees, it was like nothing I could have imagined seeing in the middle of such a dry landscape.

Merzouga Desert

24-25 May 2013

The landscape dramatically changed as we got closer and closer to the desert. Finally we arrived at a hotel next to the sand dunes. The sand dunes spilt on to the rocky arid landscape, there is no gradual transformation to the dunes, they just appear. We mounted a camels and trekked about an hour into the desert before arriving at a beduin campsite. We then hiked up to the top of a sand dune (much harder than you expect) and watched the sun set. It was an incredibly peaceful moment, surrounded by nothing but sand, and the shadows extending over the complex pattern of the dunes.

The next morning I awoke with moments to spare before the sun rose over the desert, bleary eyed I ran up the nearest san dune to try and capture as many shots as I could.

Road to Marrakech

25-28 May 2013

It took several days of travelling to return from the desert and arrive at our destination of Marrakech, the largest city in Morocco.

Along the way we passed through the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Benhaddou. The most memorable experience was walking through the gardens and crops of the villagers in Todra Gorge, once again the simplicity and tranquility was amazing.

Personally, I didn‘t really enjoy Marrakech that much, the medina there wasn‘t as interesting as the ones in Meknes or Fes and the rest of the city wasn‘t any more interesting as any other city we visited. I took the time to rest and recover and get ready for my final destination of Essaouira.

Essaouira

29-31 May 2013

We took a public bus from Marrakech to Essaouira. This old fortified coastal town built by the Spanish offered up another contradiction in Morocco, just days earlier I was sleeping in the desert, now I had my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. The architecture had a very Spanish feel, with white buildings and blue highlights. A bustling market ran along the middle of the town selling everything from clothes to food. At the end of the town was the harbour which was home to a large fishing fleet.