Thoughts on Morocco
Casablanca, Marrakesh and the
Sahara
July 2008
I booked an 8-day trip to Morocco where I planned to travel completely
by myself with no set schedule. I was 53
and I wanted to see if I still have enough nerve to travel on my own, completely
unrestricted. When I arrived in
Casablanca, I left the airport and was immediately surrounded by taxi drivers.
“Where do you want to go?” one taxi driver asked me.
“I don’t know yet. What do you suggest?” I replied.
He showed me a binder of hotel options. I picked one and he
took me there and waited until I had a room.
That’s pretty much how I spent the next week: flying on the seat of my
pants.
Things that I remember about this trip:
- · The old Plaza; the Old City
- · outdoor night restaurants that popped up and broke down in a matter of minutes
- · delicious teas: cinnamon, jasmine, mint, orange
- · the hot, hot sun burning my face
- · smelly camels, drooling long strings of saliva
- · herbal pharmacies
- · Henna artists wanting to paint my arms, legs and face
- · Street musicians playing traditional instruments
- · Long stretches of roads leading to the desert
- · Starry nights in the desert
- · Colorful hand-woven rugs and pillows
- · Spices in all colors and fragrances
- · Couscous offered at every restaurant
- · The smell of grilled meats, fish and vegetables waffling through the air.
- · snake charmers, kissing snakes and encouraging me to do the same. I declined each and every offer.
- · water boys selling sips of water for just a few pennies. They carried this water in pouches made of animal stomachs.
- · scooters zigzagging through the crowds of people, just barely running over us
- · lots and lots and lots of people
- · street noise all hours of the day and the night
- · mint tea served in a small glass
- · sheep heads soaked in warm gravy
- · intricate alleyways that seemed never to end. I was lost a lot.
- · lots of merchants selling lots of wares: slippers, tea pots, beads, scarves, spices, teas, leather goods, pillows, rugs, jewelry
- · not much beer to speak of and it was too light for my taste
- · the sounds of the mosque, calling people to prayer
- · families sitting together, in the Plaza, until late at night
- · lots of men named Mohamed
