Please, come have some tea - Travels in Morocco

“Whereas the tourist generally hurries back home at the end of a few weeks or months, the traveler belonging no more to one place than to the next, moves slowly over periods of years, from one part of the earth to another. Indeed, he would have found it difficult to tell, among the many places he had lived, precisely where it was he had felt most at home.” 
― Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky

Unlike Paul Bowles, I have a regular job that roots me in one place. Granted I do get generous vacation time, but I have to reluctantly confess to being a tourist and not a traveler as described by Bowles in his novel The Sheltering Sky.  Morocco is one of many countries I have been to where I could easily see transforming from a tourist to a traveler. Many places in the world seem the same now with restaurant, retail and hotel chains; for some people this is reassuring and makes travel more comfortable for them.  However, for me that is disappointing.  Morocco felt genuine and authentic, even in the short 12 days I was able to be there and the few restaurant chains I spotted.

I went to Morocco for a Morocco Explorer Multi-sport trip through Mountain Gurus that included 3-days mountain biking through Berber Villages, climbing Mt Toukal the highest Peak in North Africa at 13, 671 feet, followed by a camel ride in the the Sahara for an overnight stay.  The majority of the time was spent in the High Atlas mountains - not nearly enough time to explore the country, but enough time to know I want to go back.

The group was small with a variety of experience, just five which included the owner of the outfitting company plus a Moroccan guide.  The first day was an adjustment to the time zone and to get a feeling for the country.  We had a tour of Marrakesh that included the many vibrant souks that specialized in carpets, metal work, shoes, olives and clothing.  Followed by three days of biking up the Toubkal Valley on dirt roads through Berber Villages.  We were invited in for Moroccan tea many times by families -  Moroccan tea is a mint, green tea with a lot of sugar and is consumed all day.

The group transitioned in Imlil, 5,200 ft, from biking to hiking.  After a night at an auberge we headed up the Toubkal Valley to the refuge at 10,350 ft.  The refuge is open year around and is popular with Europeans for back country skiing in the winter.  Early the following morning we had our tea and breakfast and headed up Jebel Toubkal.  The climb is not a technical climb, there are a lot of scree fields and loose rock.  Everyone in the group summited - at a variety of different paces.  The next morning we packed up early and walked back to Imlil, on the way down we stopped at a carpet shop and ended up each buying a Moroccan carpet.  

Back to Marrakesh for dinner, for our group that was pizza and coke at a cafe on the second floor that allowed for a dynamic view of the Jemaa el Fna where there are snake charmers and story tellers during the day and performers at night and fresh orange or grapefruit juice anytime of day.

Again an early morning, we piled into a van for the 9.5 hour drive to Zagora - the town we would travel from to ride camels in the Sahara.  The drive, while very long and curvy road, took us through beautiful country side.  We drove over the Tizi n'Tichka pass through the high Atlas mountains and into the Draa Valley.  The Draa valley has not changed much in the past centuries - it is notorious for the figs, apricots, almonds and pomegranates that are grown in the valley in the same way they have been grown for generations by the tribes.  We reached Zagora in the late afternoon, found a herd of camels and rode them through the dunes to the Berber Tent camp for sunset and sunrise viewing.  A quick note on camel riding - it looks a lot more interesting in the photos then in reality.  Camels stink, they spit, they carry diseases, and their gait is awkward to ride plus they amble along at a slow pace.  

Marrakesh market - spices

Marrakesh market - metal working

Marrakesh market - olives!

Marrakesh market - dates and nuts

Marrakesh - Jemaa el Fna, snake charmers

Atlas Mountains - views from the bike ride

Atlas Mountains - views from the bike ride

home stay - dinner

Bike break - our bike guide serves us tea at a Berber home.

View of the Atlas Mountains and Berber Villages from the bike.

High Atlas Mountains - trail up the Toubkal valley to the refuge.

Toubkal Valley refuge - 10, 350 feet

Post hike tea at Toubkal refuge

Jebel Toubkal - 13,671 feet

Camel riding in the Sahara - just outside of Zagora

Ait Benhaddou UNESCO Kasbah

Marrakesh - Majorelle Garden

Morocco is a moderate country in both their political views and religion, they have managed to steer clear of the Arab Spring uprisings.  Morocco is primarily Islamic, a majority of the women wear had scarves and long dresses, not a lot of full burkas.   I felt safe traveling in Morocco, I did not don a headscarf but I did dress modestly - at least from a western perspective it was modest.  I look forward to traveling back to Morocco and getting to know the culture better.  أنتل و ميت عجين.