I would not recommend travelling to Morocco solo as a girl - I know plenty of people do but I would not. I went with my boyfriend on a Travel Talk Tours and the first night we arrived in Marrakesh there was a riot. We later were told by two girls that were on our same tour they were practically kidnapped in Marrakesh by a local man who whisked them away on a motorbike and held them ransom until they agreed to buy a 'handmade scarf' for the equivalent of about $70. When they bought the scarf and were released they saw the label said 'MADE IN CHINA'. Regardless, Moroccan people are intriguing.
Our guide, Marwan, was 27 years old, didn't own a car, lived at home, and when he wasn't showing tourists the sites he was working as an optometrist. He'd never been outside Morocco and said it was difficult when the average annual wage was about $260 a month.
Moroccans appear smart and family oriented. Marwan, spoke 6 languages - Moroccan, Berber, English, French, Spanish, and Dutch - and said most Moroccans spoke 3 - 5 languages. When a girl on our tour mentioned she didn't like kids, Marwan told her: "In Morocco, children are life. Parents are the architects of their children's lives. We mould them by the way we act around them and by the way we treat them." He said despite some children acting naughty with their friends (and they do - a couple threw rocks at me while I was riding a camel through their village!), they have the utmost respect for their parents.
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| Despite first impressions, Marrakesh is stunning. Reminds me of Aladdin. |
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| World-renowned Marrakesh Markets are a hive of activity. |
2. Chigaga
The Chigaga desert camp lies at the meeting point of flat desert terrain and endless Moroccan sand dunes. After arriving in 4x4 jeeps and spending the afternoon frolicking (that's the best word for it!) in the sand dunes and watching the sun set over the horizon, we were treated to traditional music (utilising empty fuel containers for drums) and dancing (of which we were encouraged to participate). It was then requested that we, Aussies and Brits, perform a traditional song for our Moroccan hosts. What better compromise of our two nations than a Kylie Minogue number?! Our rendition of the Locomotion was bloody terrible. Sorry Kylie! Anyway, the tents and mud huts were fantastic accommodation, however it was kind of scary going to the toilet (i.e. a hole in the ground behind one of the sand dunes!).
And just on the whole ' I would not recommend travelling to Morocco solo as a girl' thing... Two British girls were travelling around Morocco while we were and we bumped into them quite a lot. They hired themselves a local guide at the last town who brought them out to Chigaga and buried them up to their necks in the sand dunes in the middle of the night. No joke. He did some crazy dance around them under the moonlight and said it was some sort of tradition. We did see them again but I thought that was a little freaky...!
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| Soften sand found in Sahara Desert |
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| Night time entertainment in the Sahara |
3. Nomad life
The Nomads are an amazing, thriving, albeit minority community in Morocco that are truly inspiring people to meet. In the Sahara Desert these people live in houses made of dirt or clay and straw.
Traditionally the Nomads wondered the desert in search of the perfect place to live and housed themselves in tents made of woven goat hair. Some still live this way, but a few centuries ago most of them came together when bandits got so bad it was necessary to build a great big wall around all their homes to keep the thieves away from what little possessions they owned, like donkeys and vegetable crops. These villages are known as kasbas.
We visited a kasba near M'Hamid that had a population of about 2800, though the place looks deserted. It's so big and the dirt structures are so shielding it's hard to picture what's happening inside. Oh, but they have satellite TV! And fans and refrigerators! It was only in the past 10 years though that this has been possible.
During a regular day, the kids play soccer - barefoot - on a dirt field marked with stones and long sticks are used as goal posts. The men tend to their animals and vegetable crops while the women stick to domestic duties.
4. Argan tree goats
It's the most unusual site. A herd of goats scrambling to get on any branch of the tree they can. What more can I say?
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| The goats climb the Argan trees to eat its fruit that the locals use to make oil. |
I only tried les massages d'Argan but OMG... best experience for a bargain price! Read my review.
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| At les massages d'Argan they even make their own oils and products on site. |
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