Hot days, cool evenings filled with the scent of late summer blooms. The mysteries of Arabian Nights, Casablanca, Rickâs Bar, camels, and the all-enduring Fez.
Your vision of a visit to Morocco?
Maybe, but what if it turns out to be more of a Spaghetti Western – you know â the âGood, Bad and the Ugly.” This was the travel adventure a couple of my friends experienced on their recent trip. A trip with dangers they really didnât expect or want. Dangers that brought the tour group closer together as they faced life threatening situations. A bonding adventure they will never forget.
(Photo provided)
Morocco is located on the Atlantic/Mediterranean coast of North Africa, approximately 10 miles off the tip of Spain. If youâre visiting Spain, head on down to Tarifa. Ferry service will take you to Tangier in about 35 minutes. Most tour guides now state that modernization has unfortunately caused Tangier to lose its Moroccan flavor, but itâs still likably exotic and worth a day. To get a real taste of the âoldâ Morocco, you have to head inland; south into the desert region.
Morocco was once a French colony. Entire cities were constructed outside the original Moroccan medinas in a French Art Deco manner, the second language is officially French, the food is heavily influenced by the French, and the educational system is totally French, and to top it off, yes, the attitude – Quite French. If youâre a photo bug, caution, do not take people’s pictures without asking because some are afraid of the evil eye or soul-stealing in the event. Remember, youâre in their world now.
The tour started in Rabat, the capital, then headed for the Roman town of Volubilis, the southernmost reach of the Empire and Hadrian’s Wall (the southern version), and it was impressive. Some of the houses were 6,000 sqft. The mosaics looked like they’d just been built, though are actually very old. After a few hours in the intense sun, the tour was glad to move on to Fez.Â
Fez oozes Moroccan authenticity and is very conservative when compared to Marrakech. When you walk through the souks you really could be back in the 1200s or even earlier. In numerous narrow, little alleys the tour group fought for space with donkeys and push carts.
It was totally disorienting to some because there was no line of sight and you couldn’t even see the sky in certain areas. The group was quickly convinced they should NOT venture back to the area to shop after dark. While generally safe, it was better to err on the side of caution.
The accommodations in Fez were in a riad, a traditional, upscale North African house. As they say, do not judge a book by its cover. Upon initial inspection, the riad looked like a dump at the end of a nondescript alley. But when you open the door, the magic began. The courtyard was open to the sky with a central fountain, marble floors, tile works up the walls, and balconied rooms facing the courtyard. Really impressive indeed!
The riad was built in the 1400s, but has been updated. All the windows face into the courtyard, which made it a little dark, but since Fez and Marrakech get to over 100 degrees in the summer, dark is good.Â
The next day, the tour struck off for the desert to a town called Erfoud. And that, in retrospect, was where all the trouble began….
Erfoud accommodations were in a Kasbah, a fortified house, but it started raining rather hard, especially hard for being in the desert. To further complicate the situation, the wind picked up and matched the rain in intensity. Fortunately by morning, the rain had stopped and a caravan of 4x4s picked up the group and headed into the desert.
Iâm sure everyone has seen pictures of dunes, possibly even seen real dunes in the US, but the Sahara dunes are extremely impressive, and everyone marveled at both their size and endless progression across the desert. And the best way to see them is obviously from the back of a camel. There was as much enjoyment is seeing everyone âtryâ to mount the beast, as it was exploring the dunes. Back at camp dinner was served in a dining tent. Overall it was splendid, and the meal most tasty.
However, shortly afterwards, several people were down hard with G.I. trouble and retired for the evening. The rest of the group was entertained first by a group of local Berber musicians then a juggler with all the refinement of dish spinning you can think of. The entertainment was interrupted by a huge clap of thunder and suddenly the camp is engulfed by a massive thunderstorm. The 4x4s were called to get everyone out of harmâs way as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, this was complicated by more of the group with stomach issues. So now itâs a major race against time. Those with stomach issues needed medical attention, and the storm caused widespread flooding. Previously dry river and creek beds were now awash with flood water. In several situations the flash flood waters nearly overturn the 4x4s as they traversed the waters.
The group was asked to move to the upstream side of the vehicles to provide more traction as they drove into the raging water. Needless to say, the groupâs safety was a major concern, and they did arrive safely at a backup location for the night. At breakfast the next morning, roughly 50 percent of the group was now debilitated with the very nasty G.I. affair. The group really starts to pull together sharing Lomotil, Cipro, and Imodium. Unfortunately several members needed hospital care for their condition and left the tour.
Those that remained were scheduled to view the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, which is known for its roses. To cut to the chase, the gorge is flooding, the valley is being inundated by flood waters, and the tour bus is in dire straits, regarding the rising waters as they had to navigate 16 flooded wadis (creek beds), some with water over the tires of the bus. Prayers were the constant companion at this point in the tour. After finally navigating the last of the wadi, the driver continued the tour with visits to the High Atlas Mountains, offering spectacular scenery. The night was spent in Ait Ben Haddou in an area with movie studios where Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones, Gladiator, The Game of Thrones, The Queen of the Desert, and others were filmed. The next day, Marrakech.
Marrakech is a case study in worlds colliding. In the medina, the main square, old Morocco rules: Snake charmers, storytellers, Barbary Apes on leashes, food stalls, and women doing henna designs. In the new city, high-rise hotels with multiple dance clubs and bars per block. Women totally veiled, eating breakfast at the hotel next to a table of girls in mini-skirts and skimpy tops, not the usual expectations. The group spent three days exploring the city before heading to Essaouria and Casablanca. Unfortunately, the group felt let down by Casablanca, as most expected the town envisioned by Bogart. One additional night then off to the airport and return home.
Was the trip exciting? Yes. Would they recommend it? Yes, but with certain precautions regarding food and medication. As with most trips, the things they thought they would enjoy the most they didnât, and the things they did enjoy the most were unexpected. But their most memorable was the bonding experience of the group when everyone pitched in to possibly save lives and address the medical issues some experienced, a true Arabian Adventure.
