Aperture

The Morocco experience

I’ve decided to write this one in English, because I trust that also the Romanian readers can decipher a bit of English. If not, and there’s a bunch of you crying out loud in the comments area that you don’t get a word in English, I might reconsider and write the French version also since that’s widely spread across Morocco.

About Morocco

Situated in the most Nord-Western part of Africa, with shores stretching both in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean divided by Gibraltar stretch, Morocco is an interesting mix of Islamic, Bedouin and Berber cultures with a twist of European influences.

The original inhabitants of Morocco were the Berber population spread across the Atlas mountain region. Then the Bedouins came from Sahara desert, then the Arabs, then the Spanish, Portuguese and finally the French.

Morocco climate is pretty constant the whole year with small variations between summer and winter. In some areas temperatures may drop to a minimum 6C, maybe 4C degrees during January winter time. Usually you’ll find temperatures of ~30C midday and ~18C during night time (possibly lower near the coast and mountain area). Therefore do not pack your bags with lots of thick clothes because you won’t need them. This is unless you’re planning a night in Sahara or a stay in the Atlas Mountains, with highest peaks at over 4000 meters and occasionally with snow covered tops.

Some definitions

Medina = old part of the City. Surrounded by thick fortress wall, the Medina’s hosts al least one mosque, a few markets, zounds of small boutiques where you can buy anything that you imagine. Most of the buildings are very old and each building had his unique interesting story.
Souk = a part of the City (usually a street) full of handicraft stores. In the Souk, everything is made in the traditional way. You’ll find here carpenters, tailors, jewelers, herbalists, etc.
Riad = garden, in Arabic language. In reality, a guest house with a small number of rooms. Inside you’ll find Moroccan arches, mosaics and a very pleasant spicy odor. The riad has an opening on the inside, where there is no ceiling so you can enjoy a Moroccan tee in the lobby while watching the white clouds crossing the skies. The interior and exterior areas are filled with all sorts of exotic vegetation. The top floor is an open sky terrace.

Local currency is Moroccan Dirham (MDh). Exchange rate is roughly 10 MDh for 1 USD or EUR. In most places you can pay with mentioned foreign money, but is healthier to buy stuff in local Dirhams. Do not worry about cash redrew machines, as their everywhere in the big cities, and major merchant have working POS machines. Have the Dirhams ready however for local markets, old Medinas, Souks and local transportation.

Morocco from the plane looks like an area covered in red brick dust, but do not be fooled by the aerial image. On the ground things are different. There are palm trees, colorful houses, modern highways, and ancient Medinas filled with earthly flavors.

Spoken languages are Arab, French (widely spread), Spanish and English (not so common, as English has been recently introduced in schools)

Moroccans are working also on Saturday until midday, so keep that in mind if you have a plain to catch Saturday afternoon as the traffic is a real madness at that hour. I didn’t know about that part and the Italian Airlines (Al Italia) is such a sweet company that will do everything possible to screw up your schedule, but that’s the subject of a different article (also in English, just to spread the word…)

Transportation is cheap in the cities. There are 2 different types of cabs: “Petit Taxi” and “Grand Taxi”. The price of the “Grand” is double. All the “Petit” are red Fiat Palios and “Grand” are yellow ’80s diesel powered Mercedes Benz. You’ll pay no more than 20 MDh to get from one side to the other within the city.

Cuisine is simple and tasty. Mainly, the Moroccan dishes are tangine & Couscous. Tangine is a covered dish (which looks like a Berber tent) with vegetables and meat cooked at very low heat. The couscous is made from different steam boiled grains. All plates can contain meat (except pork, not bundled with Islamic religion). You’ll also find fish restaurants and international cuisine, and of course McDO.

If you’re a drinker, you have a problem (like I had). There’s very rare a store which sales alcoholic beverages. The local authorities require the purchase of a special license to all restaurants who wish to serve alcohol; therefore, the majority of restaurants do not sell alcohol either.

If you’re a smoker, you’re in paradise (like I was). Everybody is smoking everywhere. There are no restrictions in the public places. Cigarettes selling boutiques are everywhere and if you got tired of tobacco, try some local high quality “H”. I haven’t and I’m left with bits of regrets.

Have your camera ready, as always things are taking place near you. When photographing people, I recommend a very long telephoto lens (no, longer than that…400 mm should do it), as usually no Moroccan wants his picture taken. It’s really a paradigm there teaching you that if someone is photographing your face, it will also capture your soul. Sort of science fiction, but that’s the reality for them. Really be careful with this as it’s not worth taking the risk starting Jihad for an innocent frame. Better to ask the person if he’s allowing you to capture him. Smart ones will agree for a few dirhams. If you look at the above paradigm, that’s equivalent with selling your soul?

That being said, let’s move to the first visited city:

Marrakech (Al Hamra)

Marra = red / Kech = town. “The Red Town” is in the middle of the country, close to the Atlas mountains and only 150km from ocean shore. Why red town? Well, every building is red or variations of red (dark orange, tan, etc). There is nothing of interest in the new part of the City except luxurious hotels, fancy restaurants, wide boulevards and palm trees.

You can enjoy a special Bedouin night in the tents of Marrakech’s “Palmerie” (the Oasis). The Oasis is like a forest full of palm trees, different sizes, different shapes, but however, no water pond and sandy grounds everywhere. We were accompanied by Berber singers and Bedouin horse and camel riders. The ground was filled with Moroccan carpets, the tents lit by a diffuse yellow light covered with goat fur. And there was fire:

He’s the firestarter!

And there was singing:

Berber singers. The guy from the middle looks like an Italian mobster wannabe.

And there was joy, joy of the Muslims because the Ramadan had finally finished that night. They can now finally eat, drink and smoke in the daylight. The same kind of joy we, the Orthodox have in the first day of X-mass and Easter (those that for religious reasons or not, fast).

And there was “Fantasia”. A Bedouin ritual where warrior horse riders fire ancient gun powder rifles.

Fantasia: Bedouin ritual.

Fantasia: Bedouin man filling the gun powder rifles.

And finally the narghile also known as hookah, galian or baraku in the world, the rest of us simply naming it “water pipe” filled with apple tobacco. An interesting way of smoking, common throughout Islamic countries where the smoke is taken through a bowl of water before it reaches you lungs.

You can forget everything about the new part of the city and search the Medina. There is the real Morocco. There are the people, there are the smells, the riads, the mosques, the tiny alley where only one person can cross at a time, the small houses covered in Moroccan carpets, the old two seats barber shops, the small stores filled up to the ceiling with anything that you imagine. The whole Medina looks like an anthill, full of people of different shapes and colors, everybody heading to a precise direction, by foot, by bicycle or small motorbikes.

A view over Sofitel Marrakech’s pool side area.

The entropy on the streets stops as you enter one of almost 400 riads inside Marrakech’s Medina. Silence on the inside, madness on the outside. The contrast is great. Like two Universes existing in the same space, same time, each so different and fascinating.

Riad Dar Maia, Marrakech: we just love it there.

	Expect to pay between 250 and 900 MDh for one night (depends on the standards you’re after). Each riad is different, but they all have some things in common: you can see they sky from the lobby of the house, full of vegetation and lovely terraces. Riad Dar Maia was priced @ 550 MDh (B&B)
Riad Dar Maia Marrakech: a sofa from the lobby.

You wont find many signs indicating riads, but do not worry, the locals are glad to help you find anything. You don’t have to look for someone to ask, they will look for you. Just walk inside the Medina. If you have luggage and try to read street names, they got you:
“Ça va?”
“Qui, merci.”
“France? Anglais?”
“English”
“Are you looking for something?”
The rest is up to you. Anyway, make sure you always answer to “Ça va?” even if you don’t have any interest for engaging in a conversation. Not answering to “Ça va?” is considered rude, and you’ll find yourself giving a lot of “Qui, merci”s on a simple walk on the labyrinths of Morocco’s Medinas.

Hotel Riad Sherazade: o view over the lovely terrace full of exotic flowers

All the people are nice and helpful, but if you accept help from someone, help is not for free. The most common method of reward is: money (lucky guess). A generally approved tip for small services, such as directions to a place, help with the luggage, taking a picture with Berber singers, etc. will be 5MDh (50 cents). But you can be creative there.

Shoot from Riad Dar Maia tarrace: Storm approaching in Medina

In the stores where are no price tags, means negotiation. Sales man in Morocco are not placing huge gross margin on their merchandise (depends from where and what you’re buying), so do not expect 50% off initial price after negotiating. You may be a fantastic negotiator and a great diplomat, but keep in mind they are doing this for thousands of years; they are doing this for a living. By the way, if you company’s sales are going down, hire some of this people. They can sell you anything. They can even sell you things that you don’t want. Think about it…. “Why the hell did I bought that for?” No you’re not a moron, they’re just better.

Crepuscular skies over Marrakech’s Medina

Jamaâ El Fna (Djemaa El Fna)

All the streets in Marrakech Medina lead to one place, a great opening, a place with a history: “Jamaâ El Fna”. “The square of the old Mosque”, as some describe it, in reference to the old destroyed Almoravid mosque. Day is for trade, mainly for locals, in the Marrakech souk located along one side of the square and food-stalls within the market.

Djemaa El Fna: restaurants side area

As the night falls, the party begins: Arab and Bedouin story tellers, dancers, snake charmers, magicians and ambulant restaurants with grilled goat sausages and stakes, crowded with people hypnotized by the dense smoke.

Djemaa El Fna after sunset

This place is so full of energy. If you need to take a break from the “energy” inside the “arena”, restaurants and terraces with multiple floors from which you can enjoy the view awaits you on the other side of the square.

Food-Stall: almonds, nuts, pistachios, sun dried fruits, you name it.

The least spoken thinks about “Jamaâ El Fna” is that, not so long ago people would come here to watch public executions. There was no TV at that time. “Jamaâ El Fna”, “The Square of Death” translated from Arabic language. Here, the capital punishment for acts considered crime by the Koran was… murder. If you only stole something, justice was done by cutting your right arm (so you will eat and clean your bottom with the same hand: biggest shame of all). Anyway, that was then, but still I have a strange feeling they’re still doing this today, and found a better place for it (the old “Jamaâ El Fna” was crowded with tourists anyhow).

“License to Grill”: The Arab version.

The flat tire

Renting a car is easy, just make sure you speak and understand French very well. Also make sure that you see the car before you sign the contract. We did not. The result? Gear shifting was like raising the sail on Magellan’s ship, the left side mirror started to bend once you hit over 50kph (solved with a tissue). The engine sounded like a pack of rabbit hounds. What else to say? There was an overall condition of this car that gave you the impression of speed! Yeah baby! @ 90kph felt like 200kph and @ 90 with a flat rear tire, I really felt like hitting almost 360kph, therefore I had to stop and catch my breath (What’s that? You never drove with 360kph in your life so you have not idea about how fast your heart is pumping to push the adrenaline to you muscles! so shut up!). The tire change was a real hit (less than 7 minutes), but there were no “second chances” now. We had to buy a new tire, but who will pay? Watch this… By the way, “tire” in French is “roue”, not “enveloppe” like we thought.

European tourist in Africa changing a flat tire on a rented car in the middle of desert.

“Hello, Fatima?”
“Qui”
…
“Nous avons un problème avec l’enveloppe”
“Excuse-moi? Un problème avec qua?”
“L’enveloppe!”
“Est que vous pouvez rappeler Hassan?”
“Qui, merci beaucoup”
With Hassan the same story, only that Hassan spoke French worst then me. Hassan seems to understand French (but not “enveloppe”), on the other hand, the only words he can reproduce are “Qui” or “Non” (mostly “non”).
Finding out how to say “tire” in French was a time of great enjoyment and fulfillment. Even Fatima was so happy that she burst out in a river of tears and promises to cover all expenses for the “enveloppe” (sorry, tire). Of course was the “roue”! How can you have a flat “enveloppe”? Not possible. “Enveloppe” never, ever go flat! And even if you try to deflate an “enveloppe” on purpose, you are so screwed my friend! The “enveloppe” is going to get you! You’ll see…

The goat and the tree of life

Direction was set. The Morocco Atlantic coast. A distance of 170Km. As you approach the coast area, you’ll find a lot of argan oil manufactory. The region is one of the few areas in the world where the argan trees grows. The “tree of life” as the Arab calls it. What is so special about this tree? Do not know. The trunk of this tree is gnarled and twisted allowing the goats to climb on it (yap! Goats on a tree). The goats don’t just sit in the tree playing backgammon. They eat fruits, have a couple of mojitos and make fun of the pour Sheppard who exhausted all negotiation techniques for bringing the goats down. Let’s go back to the fruits eating part. The fruits are the argan tree fruits, they are green, covered with a thick layer of fibers. The fibers are digested, but not the pit. The pit, having an extremely hard shell gets eliminated. The Sheppard collects them from goat’s poo and they are sold to one of the argan oil manufactory.

Cracking an argan nut is not an easy job. Auch!

	The process for making one liter of argan oil can take up 20 hours. Each pit is cracked open (using a stone with a lot of precision), revealing up to 3 smaller almonds. The almonds pealed and roasted to bring out the flavor. The roasted kernels are crushed between rotating stone disks, giving birth to a dark colored paste. The paste is mixed with water and the oil is collected from the surface of the tank.
Smashing the roasted argan almonds
	All this manufacturing process is done by hand using a traditional method and the working community is composed mainly by women. And since I know you’re curious, no, not all the pits are collected from goat’s poo, part of fruits just fall on the ground and the other part are just picked directly from the trees (but this happens only when the Sheppard just had enough of bullshit).
Stop laughing at the camera! Watch your fingers!

And the final product: The expensive Argan Oil!

The argan Oil comes in 2 kinds: gastronomic and cosmetic. Difference between the two is made during the manufacturing process (yes, I knew, but I forgot what it was). Both have a strong peanut butter scent. The one for kitchen use is especially great in salads (all kinds). The cosmetic can be kept with lavender or other aromatic plants for different scents.

Planning to buy? Buy from some of these places. Try to avoid this purchase from markets within cities, cause you risk having a bottle of only 20% or less argan oil and the rest 80 or more olive oil (if you’re lucky; I heard that merchants tend to be very creative in this area).

Essaouira (Mogador)

Next stop, Essaouira, an old Portuguese town. As in any other Moroccan cities the real thing is within Medina. But this time, the Medina is placed exactly on the ocean shore. During high tide, the waves are smashing the old stone walls. There is a strong sea scent all over the place and every noise sounds better accompanied by the background music from the seagulls.

He knew is being shoot, so he just stood there.

The locals know this town by the name of Mogador. The City of Winds. This fortified seaport was one of the major trading posts of the 17th and 18th centuries, linking Northern Africa to the rest of the world. The whole Mogador Medina is declared a Unesco heritage since 2001.

The Mogador Medina is so much different. Mainly because a more careful distribution of commercial area was done. Wider spaces, not so crowded. The sun was different, the smell, the sounds. People seemed to have a different rhythm, a different style, more calm, more peaceful, more smiling, more music, more colors, more…”h”… my kind of city. Relaxed. Nobody was running nowhere, no motorbikes, no exhaust gases.

A small square near city walls by the sea

On the southwestern part of Medina is the fisherman’s port and the fish market. Never seen so many seagulls in my life. There is a strong smell of fish combined with gasoline. Each boat is unloaded by a chain of mens giving the fish crates from one to another until loaded in freezer trucks.

Essaouira port side view

If you like freshly cooked fish and sea foods, there is no better place to be than the chain of small terraces near the port entrance. Do not expect anything fancy there: no music, no candle lights, no table arrangements just a bunch of wooden benches, and nothing romantic, but the sea food and fish grilled with nothing than salt and lemon. Is really everything that you need. For 100 MDh you can eat a plate full of stuff, and that’s the place I’ve tasted the best grilled sardines ever.

Essaouira fisherman’s port

Want a bottle of wine so the grilled fish won’t get bored? Not a chance! Go for your drinking needs in one of the local bars (not that many though). There are some nice terraces just outside the port, pass the parking lot.

Sunsets behind the port

Searching for romance? Plenty of it, but it comes at a price. Between 500 and 1000 MDh depending on what you’re up to. And speaking of wine, always ask for a “Carte de vins”, because is not for granted that every restaurant has the license for selling alcohol.

The hotels and riads are very nice; some of them have the most impressive view over the Ocean.

Riad Mimouna terrace view over the ocean

Prices varies between 200 and 1500 MDh for a double (B&B). The most expensive was of course the best (Riad Mimouna). Really nice service, great rooms with sea view and a big terrace where breakfast is served and you can enjoy a sunbath even in late October. Mimouna is one the few riads who’s walls are directly hit by waves during high tide or serious sea storms. They even advise you to close shut the windows on stormy periods if you stay on first two levels. That is if you’ll not fancy to be waked up in the morning by a bucket full of fresh sea water

Mogador clear skies. Waves smashed on Medina’s walls

This city suits every possible state of mind. Need a little time for self reflection? Nothing like a walk on the rocks outside Medina. Just you and the sea…Beware the tide cycles though, not to get home all wet with a jelly fish in your underwear. Feel like shopping to get rid of your overwhelming depression? Not any Bvlgari boutiques, but you can do that even at 3AM. Stay focused! Your goal is to get rid of the depression, doesn’t really matter what you’re buying. Look at the fancy pillow cover! I’d bet it fits on your living room sofa like a glove.

Essaouira north square (near port entrance)

Feeling lonely? Enter one of the antiques stores. For sure the owner will offer you a fresh mint tea and tell you a couple of stories about the merchandise provenience. Adrenaline junkie? The beach outside Essaouira’s Medina is famous throughout the surfers’ community and shark’s presence is announced in advance (just kidding. Craving for a “smoke”? Just walk on the street and listen! On a 300 m distance, you’ll find at least one offering of “h” during day time and up to five after sun sets.

View from a jewelry shop window

	With regrets we had to leave this marvelous fortress and head for our final destination.
Looking for next destination

One thing about the roads. It’s really fantastic feeling when you’re driving in Morocco’s wasteland. Ever seen “Mad Max”? The only difference is that in the middle of the rocky desert there’s an asphalt road. The soil is so arid that not a single plant could live out there except cactus trees, some olives and of course the argans. By the way, all the roads are flawless, without a single crack in the asphalt, the same goes for the highways. Ah! And very important: always read the signs!

Moroccan rocky lansdcape

Casablanca (Dar El Baida)

	With a population of ~4 millions, Casablanca is Morocco’s greatest and most modern metropolis. Casablanca is Morocco’s biggest trading port and is accountable for producing almost 60% of country’s income from local industry. Wide boulevards, skyscrapers, luxury shopping areas, clubs, lots of people, the usual modern city stuff.
Palm tree boulevard: keep straight for the port

A colored Moroccan chandelier. That’s from Marrakech, but there was no place for the picture there and I still wanted to share this with you. Do you mind? Thought so… Lovely, isn’t it?

	The only similarities between Casa and other Morocco cities are the Medina and the traffic. You see, traffic in Morocco is something special. There aren’t so many rules, or could be that the only rule is no rule. If you’re used with driving in Europe or the States, you’re up for a surprise. It’ll take you some time to get used to it because everybody seems to drive around you and you just can’t seem to find the right lane. Relax, there is none. The only lane that I saw are on the highway, and big boulevards from major cities so just let it go and do like the others do. Need to turn left and you’re on the right side of the road? Not a problem, just signal for it and go! Nobody will horn you since that’s their way also. The only thing that you should pay attention to is in the case you’re a pedestrian. The good is that you can cross the street anywhere, but do not count on drivers for stopping; you’re on your own. One word that summarizes all this: Make no assumptions! Is that red sign with a white horizontal stripe in front you reminding of something? Should you… Like I said, stop making assumptions!
This picture has nothing to do with the text on the left, but desperate imaginations can make the link.
This is taken from inside the store, in order to facilitate the reading of text from the window. You can now read it normally: from left to right.

	There is nothing special about accommodation in Casablanca, ordinary modern hotels that do not induce in anyway the Moroccan atmosphere found in riads from other cities.
The smallest apartment in Casablanca’s Medina

We originally booked a room in Hotel Central, found in the old Medina near the port entrance. The price was extremely cheap (300 MDh per night for a double), but so was the hotel. The only good thing about it was the receptionist. The guy was so funny and you can tell by its way o being that he enjoys life so much! “Tout est possible!” Parking space revealed by removing a metal pole from the ground, dinner at 11PM when the kitchen was closed, beer, although no alcohol was served there. Everything was indeed possible. Unfortunately we had to leave this guy because the rooms were kind of disappointing and settle for a more common 12 story, all glass, 800 MDh per night hotel.

Berber mirror in one of Casablanca’s souvenir shops

What’s to see in Casa? There’s the Medina, the mosque Hassan II, the port and yes, Rick’s Café. If you’ll not disguise yourself as an Arab, for sure you’ll be encountered by a local guide inside Medina. The guys are ok and they can drive you around the Medina explaining a bit of everything: history, products, show you places that are less likely to find by yourself, and of course drive you in all sorts of boutiques (if you’ll make a purchase, there’s a small commission for the guide too).

He’s name is Maradona and it’s for sale. He doesn’t play football that much, but he’s an essential ingredient for eggs and his specialty is soup

It’s best to set the financial expectations with the guide at the beginning, to avoid the barter at the end of the tour. They are not doing this for free or because they love tourists. If they are satisfied with the payment, they will kiss you four times (man to man, never with a woman). Not a French kiss, just cheek to cheek.

Small barber shop inside Casablanca’s Medina. Usually the place is a small neon lit hallway with only two chairs. (please excuse the purple fringing near the neon tube)

	Our guide was quite a figure, age around 45, short hair, no beard, just mustache, ex-Cobol programmer for an accounting company, spoke five languages and new every single seller in the market or souk area. It’s kind of nice to have a local show you the surroundings, than constantly checking the area map and asking yourself what the hell is that building or what are they frying there?
Arab merchants from a tailor shop. They were so happy to see us!

Other strange things that can be seen in Medinas are the famous “Teleboutique”, a room filled with public phones (this reminds me of my childhood). The locals are using them intensively. “TV bars”. You have a space inside Medina and no idea of business? Install a TV-set on a carton board, place some inside and wait. They will come. You can even think about a “happy hour” concept and show some porn. On the road to the port there are some great bars and terraces. Do not miss the local beer called Casablanca which is a really great lager beer.

Casablanca Premium Lager Beer. Can be found in areas outside Medina. The password is “Walahha!”

The food, the Arab and the wine

If you enjoy fish dishes the best place to eat is “Restaurant de Port de Pêcher” the restaurant from fisherman’s port. Great atmosphere, great service and great fish dishes. If you didn’t make a reservation, expect to wait for a free table between 5 and 15 minutes.

Fresh oyster plate from Restaurant de Port de Pêcher

Since I knew that in our hotel is impossible to find alcohol, I’ve planned to take the bottle of wine ¾ still full from the table. Looks that “they’ve” observed us. Just when we’re about to go, one of the waiters said:
“Pas le vin!”
“Pourquoi?”
“Parce que est la loi!”
“Quel loi?”
“La loi! Si la police a trover sa bouteille de vin le conséquence sont grave!”
I just left the fruity bottle of dry white wine on the table and left, thinking that is not worth it to start the Jihad that night. Maybe tomorrow. Anyway, no police chase me on the streets to see if I have an open bottle of anything in my backpack. The guy should’ve just said that he in his mates wants that bottle after the place is closed and I’d gladly gave it away. Hope you enjoy it!

Tired of regular food? Why not try something fancy? ”La Maison du Gourmet”. We made a reservation and when we finally got there, someone opened the door for us. Inside there’s a warm and diffused light, jazz music and fancy table arrangements. A tall creole guy with curly black hair and a pony tail, all dressed in white, is showing us to our table. The candles are lit; the wine arrives, as well as the starters. Foie gras fingers with caramelized forest fruits sauce.

Foie gras fingers from La Maison du Gourmet

Well, it was no “gras” at all, not to mention that there was no taste of “foie”, it was something more like a vegetable or soy pâté. The main course was also disappointing, just a piece of grilled sea bass fillet with steam cooked vegetables. We enjoyed the red Algerian wine “Cuvée du President” and the mint tea. Also, we were not disappointed by the check. 1100 MDh. Is that a lot of money for a dinner? Yes, it is. Was worth it? No it wasn’t! No offense, but if I enter in a place called ”La Maison du Gourmet” I expect the food to be indeed orgasmic to my taste buds.

The famous mint tea, always a refresher, even in torrid summer times.

I can’t say much about Hassan II mosque or Rick’s Café because I’ve only saw them on our way to the airport. What I know is that inside Rick’s everything is preserved just like in the movie, except the big plasma screens where Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are restlessly playing the roles of Rick and Ilsa (I saw the movie before getting there. It’s kind of good, I guess).

Different message for different nations: For English people: The elevator is not used in fire; For French: Do not use if you’re smoking; For Arabs: yeah, right!

The last experience was that we lost the plane and we were stuck in Africa for another night. This was because our stupidity combined with the excellent customer orientation of Al Italia ground crew which managed to squeeze an extra 500 Euros from us for booking the flight one day after. Al Italia sucks big time so avoid them if you can.

Overall, I enjoyed this eccentric country with lots of beautiful places to see and very friendly people whose life style is so much different than you imagine. Just be there and hear the stories. If there’s a place where I’d return to in Morocco, I’ll choose Essaouira. If there’s something I regret not seeing that would be the Sahara and the city of Fes.

Arab Paparazzo. This guy was a pain in the ass the whole trip. Sometimes I hate being a celebrity

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