Chasing the Sun #6: Morocco

6: Morocco

Chaouen Al Kasbah Restaurant.

Sipping mint tea, taking in breathtaking sunsets in the desert, playing tam tams with the Berbers, weaving your way through endless medinas – Morocco has so much to offer! We spent one month breathing in a wonderful culture and making many new friends along the way. From our first step in the country, we could tell we were in for a treat!

After a couple of days in Tangier and Tetuoan, we headed south to Chefchaouen to begin our true experience into the country. “Chaouen,” as the locals call it, is incredible with its relaxed, very chilled-out atmosphere. We found ourselves navigating easily through the lazy, blue medina where you can’t get too lost since the deadends are all painted. The most entertaining place, along with its good food, is Al Kasbah Restaurant. The owner, Mohamed, has non-stop energy as he takes care of all of the tables and then taps out an amazing array of beats on his tam tams at the end of the evening. The Hotel Andaluz quickly became our home away from home with a great rooftop terrace and many other friendly travelers. It is in this city that we met our guide who would introduce us to the Sahara. And what an introduction it would be!

We spent 5 extraordinary days trekking on dromedaries in the Merzouga Dunes of the Sahara. Starting at the Auberge du Sud, we listened to the music of the tam tams as we prepared for our journey into the desert. Sleeping under the moonlight where shooting stars are so plentiful; its like a dream. Yes, one night we actually dug holes in the sand and slept there. We also slept in permanent tents along the way and in a Berber family’s home. The Berber and Bedouin people that we met were all very peaceful and welcoming. We found fossils in the black desert and watched amazing sunsets every night. Our guide and new friends (there were 5 of us total) made it an unforgettable experience. Emmanuel even got to “sandboard” (snowboarding on the sand) the dunes! We didn’t fully appreciate silence until the desert showed us what true silence means.

Known for its 13th century Kasbah, Ait Ben Haddou is a treasure within the mountains. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and Lawrence of Arabia was filmed there. The Kasbah is in remarkable shape and sits high on a hill looking out on the Atlas Mountains. Everywhere you walk, the friendly Moroccans are saying hello or waving to you and inviting you into their homes for tea or just to talk.

Afternoon break in the Sahara.

The hustling and bustling city of Marrakech was next on our list of places to see. We spent a week wandering around this fascinating city and especially the Place Djema’a Al-fna (assembly of the dead). We really did see everything we had imagined, from snake charmers to exotic acrobats to dentists selling old teeth right on the spot! Hotel Essouira, right in the medina, is a cool, laid-back place to stay with its well known rooftop terrace. The breakfast with the panoramic view can’t be beat! We loved eating at the food stalls at night where wonderful Moroccan specialties are made to order. The Saadian Tombs, where the Sultan buried his 4 wives, 23 concubines and the most favored of his hundreds of children, were interesting. We unexpectedly found the Jardins Majorelle where owner Yves St. Laurent finds his inspiration in this colorful cacti garden.

The Cascades d’Ouzoud are approximately 3½ hours from Marrakech. The buses are always an adventure in Morocco, and this ride was no exception. They were doing last-minute repairs as we were pulling out of the station. We recommend taking the CFM government-run buses that are air-conditioned; however, they weren’t always available to the places we were going. The Cascades d’Ouzoud are Morocco’s highest waterfalls at close to 140 meters and are fed by 25 sources. We were there the day after a heavy rainfall and it looked like a huge chocolate waterfall right out of the Willy Wonka movie. And then the following morning it was crystal clear again. The Barbary Apes, a species of tailless monkeys, inhabit this area. You can find out more about them at this site. Although we didn’t run into any of the apes here, we did discover them in the Foret de Cedres in the Middle Atlas Mountains earlier in the trip. We fed them apricots from our hand, which was really cool.

Roman Ruins of Volubilis.

Essaouira on the western coast was a completely different part of Morocco with a charm all its own. It is a fortified city right on the water with huge ramparts surrounding it. The waves are gigantic as they hit the rocks and ramparts; they make the ocean look like a huge foaming bubble bath. The port is lined with food stalls that serve fresh fish. Essaouira is known for its wood crafting which is sold everywhere you look in every shape and style you can imagine. Place Moulay Hassan has something going on all the time and was a perfect place to sit and have a tea and watch the sunset disappear into the ocean.

We made a quick dash through Casablanca on our way to Meknes. We prefer the smaller cities and villages to the large ones on our trip. Our main reason for heading this way was to visit the best preserved Roman site in Northern Africa called Volubilis. Just 30 km outside of Meknes, we meandered through the ruins for several hours. The Romans ordered the deforestation of the area to make room for grain crops, so the surrounding area is spectacular, green, grassy hills and olive trees. Volubilis dates back to 217 AD, and it is impressive how well-preserved the mosaics are as they fight the daily elements of weather.

We stopped one last time in Chaouen as we ended our visit to Morocco. It was a good ending to a phenomenal country.