So, like I said earlier, tonight is my last night in Morocco as I am headed to Turkey tomorrow. Now that I have some down time, I wanted to talk about Morocco from my perspective.
When I got here it was not really what I was expecting. I pictured small houses and buildings, most of which are built out of mud, shops lining the street and more animals then vehicles. I was wrong. Casablanca is a big city, with some of its influence coming from when Morocco was under control by the French up until about the 60s. People in Morocco speak both French and Arabic. The streets are WAY overcrowded, with no real traffic laws, aside from surviving, in play.While the traffic is hectic, it gets the job done, and I saw only one wreck. It will definitely put some grey in your hair fast.
The 4 days spent without my big pack were actually nice. I was forced to live in something that was unplanned and out of my control, truly helped break me into the whole backpacking experience.
Our multiple trips to old Medina were so cool because that area is exactly what i expected Morocco to be. Really small pathways that were mostly muddy and not lite on the trash, but one hell of an experience that always had us on our guard, I could see how easy it would be to disappear there, Taken 3? The shop that I got some things from was amazing, so many cool things ranging from doors, rugs, to guns.
While I was there, I wanted to spend my time doing things that a fellow Moroccan would do, e.g., no tourist activities. The Moroccan food is really good, I never had a bad meal. The dishes all incorporate bread and you typically eat with your hands, using the bread as your spoon. The mint tea is also really good, if you ever get a chance to visit, definitely get some. Another great dish is called a Tagine. It is similar to a crock pot, but is used to cook in shorter time spans.
Our road trip through southern Morocco was great. The countryside is really beautiful and the large mountain range provided a great backdrop, some of which had snow on the top. We didnt really spend that much time in Agadir, as there was not much to do. Our hostel was between Agadir and Taraghout and filled with many surfers from around the world. Eating in the main area and meeting people from The Netherlands and Italy was a really cool experience. We were there during the main surfing season, so the place was packed with people from as far as Australia. The waves were really big, too big for me to learn on. Our day spent in Marrakesh was brief. I was not a big fan, the locals are very rude, and always trying to scam you. It would have been more fun if I was there with a group and doing like a desert expedition or something, which is very popular there.
Common things are relatively inexpensive, the currency is called the Dirham.We would eat huge meals and it would cost around 7 USD for the both of us, not too shabby. There is also a lot of partying to be done in Casablanca, I did not experience any of it because we were constantly having to get up early to get things done. I have had my far share of late nights and early mornings in the States, and I dont want to start my trip off with a drag. Trying to drink beer for beer with a Moroccan is not easy, and I am from the South.
One of the things that I wanted to do was learn to surf. Unfortunately I did not get to surf, I really wanted this to learn before my travels. But the weather and waves did not provide the right weather for a surf, too big and choppy.
My overall experience in Morocco was great, primarily because of Youseff. He took me in as if we had known each other since childhood and exposed me to much of the Moroccan lifestyle. Since I had never been to a Muslim country, the regular Muslim call to prayer took me by surprise, but was a great introduction into the religion. There is a huge mosque right on the coast that is beautiful, and apparently everyone in Morocco donated at least one Dirham to help fund the construction.
The majority of the people are nice, except while on the road. They are religious and follow the peacefulness that the Koran promotes. Everyone greets you with "As-salam alaykum", which means "Peace be upon you" in Arabic. There is a lot of trash on the streets and many of the roads are not maintained, which does take away from the city, but you just have to take it for what it is, something new and different.
Feels like I have been here for a while, but I have more than half a year of the this still left to tackle. I have from January 25th to February 10th to get to get to Delhi, India. I start a 28 day tour of all of India in February. I think I will be making a pit stop in Dubai, but it all depends on who I meet and what happens in Istanbul. Only time will tell and anything is possible.
When I got here it was not really what I was expecting. I pictured small houses and buildings, most of which are built out of mud, shops lining the street and more animals then vehicles. I was wrong. Casablanca is a big city, with some of its influence coming from when Morocco was under control by the French up until about the 60s. People in Morocco speak both French and Arabic. The streets are WAY overcrowded, with no real traffic laws, aside from surviving, in play.While the traffic is hectic, it gets the job done, and I saw only one wreck. It will definitely put some grey in your hair fast.
The 4 days spent without my big pack were actually nice. I was forced to live in something that was unplanned and out of my control, truly helped break me into the whole backpacking experience.
Our multiple trips to old Medina were so cool because that area is exactly what i expected Morocco to be. Really small pathways that were mostly muddy and not lite on the trash, but one hell of an experience that always had us on our guard, I could see how easy it would be to disappear there, Taken 3? The shop that I got some things from was amazing, so many cool things ranging from doors, rugs, to guns.
While I was there, I wanted to spend my time doing things that a fellow Moroccan would do, e.g., no tourist activities. The Moroccan food is really good, I never had a bad meal. The dishes all incorporate bread and you typically eat with your hands, using the bread as your spoon. The mint tea is also really good, if you ever get a chance to visit, definitely get some. Another great dish is called a Tagine. It is similar to a crock pot, but is used to cook in shorter time spans.
Our road trip through southern Morocco was great. The countryside is really beautiful and the large mountain range provided a great backdrop, some of which had snow on the top. We didnt really spend that much time in Agadir, as there was not much to do. Our hostel was between Agadir and Taraghout and filled with many surfers from around the world. Eating in the main area and meeting people from The Netherlands and Italy was a really cool experience. We were there during the main surfing season, so the place was packed with people from as far as Australia. The waves were really big, too big for me to learn on. Our day spent in Marrakesh was brief. I was not a big fan, the locals are very rude, and always trying to scam you. It would have been more fun if I was there with a group and doing like a desert expedition or something, which is very popular there.
Common things are relatively inexpensive, the currency is called the Dirham.We would eat huge meals and it would cost around 7 USD for the both of us, not too shabby. There is also a lot of partying to be done in Casablanca, I did not experience any of it because we were constantly having to get up early to get things done. I have had my far share of late nights and early mornings in the States, and I dont want to start my trip off with a drag. Trying to drink beer for beer with a Moroccan is not easy, and I am from the South.
One of the things that I wanted to do was learn to surf. Unfortunately I did not get to surf, I really wanted this to learn before my travels. But the weather and waves did not provide the right weather for a surf, too big and choppy.
My overall experience in Morocco was great, primarily because of Youseff. He took me in as if we had known each other since childhood and exposed me to much of the Moroccan lifestyle. Since I had never been to a Muslim country, the regular Muslim call to prayer took me by surprise, but was a great introduction into the religion. There is a huge mosque right on the coast that is beautiful, and apparently everyone in Morocco donated at least one Dirham to help fund the construction.
The majority of the people are nice, except while on the road. They are religious and follow the peacefulness that the Koran promotes. Everyone greets you with "As-salam alaykum", which means "Peace be upon you" in Arabic. There is a lot of trash on the streets and many of the roads are not maintained, which does take away from the city, but you just have to take it for what it is, something new and different.
Feels like I have been here for a while, but I have more than half a year of the this still left to tackle. I have from January 25th to February 10th to get to get to Delhi, India. I start a 28 day tour of all of India in February. I think I will be making a pit stop in Dubai, but it all depends on who I meet and what happens in Istanbul. Only time will tell and anything is possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment