| Page Views: 450 Last Visit to Morocco: November, 2006 | A First Experience of Morocco by kit_mc - last update: Nov 11, 2007 |
It's all Ryanair's fault... | Chefchaouen November 2006 |
It was only a matter of time before budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet started flying further afield than Bergamo, Bergerac and Malaga, and that time has come. With the offer of a Ryanair flight that was cheaper than dining out in a London Moroccan restaurant, the lure of north Africa and 12 days escape from increasingly wintery Britain was too much to turn down.
I'll be interested to see just how successful in the long term budget regular flights to Morocco will be. Fes, for example, isn't Bergamo or Bergerac and it sure isn't Malaga. It's a north African city that is struggling to cope with a burgeoning population and the strains that puts on a totally outdated infrastructure. I'm not sure how popular such locations will prove for independent travellers more used to a bargain flight to some town they've never heard of in the south of France than the culture shock that is Morocco.
I have to say that I found Morocco very tough going, the toughest place that I've been to. There are other places that I've been to that I've also found difficult, but for one reason or another I've normally got plenty of positive aspects in with the negatives. That's not to say that my experience is the only one, and there are many, many pages on here that sing the praises of Morocco. Basically, Morocco was where I just had to accept that there are just some places that I will probably never want to visit again, so just be aware that while I'm positive where I can be, these are not the pages of someone who thinks Morocco is the best destination on earth. What you'll find are honest, useful tips, including restaurants and hotels.
And I do not use the word 'enchanting' unlike certain guidebooks I could mention (ehem, Lonely Planet, ehem). |
|  | FES - CHEFCHAOUENE - ASILAH - RABAT - FESArriving in Fes, known as the religious and cultural capital of the country, we spent a few days there trying to acclimatise to any culture shock while checking out the much vaunted Medina of Fes el-Bali. From there it was a three hour bus ride to chilled out Chefchaouen up in the Rif Mountains. Laid back Chefchaouen is known as much for being a bit of a centre for hash smokers as it is for it's pretty, blue painted alleyways and provided a welcome rest from the hustle and hassle of much larger Fes.
From Chefchaouen (listed on VT as Chefchaouene) we were back on the bus, to Asilah on the atlantic coast, stopping in Tangier to change buses. Asilah, pretty, clean and manageable though its old town is, it just didn't have enough of interest to hold attention more than a day or so, especially given that it was winter, so then it was onto the country's administrative and national capital, French colonial Rabat.
And then back to Fes for a last day of Medina photo opportunities. |
| Fes el-Bali, November 2006 |
| | I've heard many people rave about Morocco, but I have to say that my feelings about the trip are much less positive. Of all the places that I've been to, this is the one country that I've visited that I've found the most difficult to digest. The main reason for this was that wherever I went, I felt under constant siege. Every few steps we would be stopped by 'faux guides', offering to show us around a Medina, or sell us something, or find us a hotel... The list went on. It meant that I couldn't stop for more than a few seconds without being approached. The result was that I either spent the whole time with my eyes fixed firmly to the ground, or trying not to focus on anything while saying 'Non merci' every 5 seconds.
Basically, spending my entire holiday trying to fend off the offers or requests of dealers, touts and faux guides, and getting wound up like a coiled spring each day is not my idea of a vacation and in many ways, there was little that I actually saw in Morocco that I felt actually warranted such effort, given that I'm predominantly an architecture and museums type person.
My main regret, apart from going in the first place, is that I allowed myself to get so wound up by it all that in the end I barely trusted anyone. The result of being approached all the time by jokers is that you end up so totally distrustful that you miss out on sincere conversations from people who may actually, yes really, want to practice their English, or simply chat with someone foreign.
After 12 days in Morocco, I can honestly say that I've never been so glad to be leaving a place as I was when I stepped back on that plane and that saddens me. When I go anywhere, I try my hardest to see the good points. In travel, there'll always be tough days, but unfortunately here every day ended up feeling like too much energy for very little return.
So my main tip for Morocco is to prepare mentally, be prepared to be frustrated and hassled and try your best to maintain a sense of humour. Be aware that while Morocco is easy to physically travel around, it can be much harder to navigate emotionally. You may need a thick skin while here, so just gird your loins and don't say you weren't warned! |
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| Pros: | "Cheaper than Europe" | | Cons: | "Very hard work!" |
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