10 - Morocco
"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience." - Dune, Frank Herbert
May 2024
After the Azores, I spent three weeks roadtripping (mostly by bus) around Morocco. I’ve been brainstorming how to structure these summary posts concisely, so here’s what I’ll do. We’ll call it the reCAP:
Cities: Kicking it off with a few high-level bullet points about where and how I spent my time (cities/regions, favorite activities/tours/foods, etc.)
Accounting: Then, we’ll move to a quick summary of my expenses. Yes, I’ve been logging every single penny I’ve spent!
Pondering: And to end - any thoughts or reflections I jotted down that I felt worth sharing.
If you have any particular questions or want to know more about a certain city, tour, etc., leave a comment and I’ll be happy to elaborate…if I remember that part of my trip. I generally have a terrible memory. If you don’t believe me, so far I’ve lost:
my Patagonia jacket (on day 1)
sink stopper (for handwashing clothes)
one half of my big backpack’s sternum strap
I’ll keep this list updated as I’m sure it will grow…
Cities
I started off in Marrakesh (the Red City) and made a short detour to Essaouira on the coast for some kitesurfing and seafood. Then, I headed east to the Erg Chebbi sand dunes on a group tour. On the way, we passed man-made wonders like Ait Benhaddou, a fortified village that dates back to the 11th century but is now most famous for serving as a filming location for Game of Thrones, Gladiator, The Mummy, etc., and natural wonders like the Todra Gorge. From the dunes, I moved north, starting with Fes and its ancient medina, the Blue Pearl of Morocco that is Chefchaouen, and finally the gateway into Europe, Tangier.
Here’s a map for you visual people!
Favorites:
Marrakesh - Hard not to go with Jemaa el-Fnaa, the main square that is always lively, but really explodes with energy as the sun sets and transforms into one huge night market.
Essaouira (aka Astapor in GoT!) - Learning the basics of kitesurfing over a couple of days was HARD, but fun! Shoutout to a friend for giving me some tips. The sunsets and food were 👌🏽.
Erg Chebbi - Though a bit of a tourist trap activity, venturing into the sand dunes was a memorable experience. At one point, I could only see sand in every single direction.
Fes - I caught a stomach bug for 48 hours while I was here, so I didn’t get to take in as much of the city as I had hoped. Still, I got to visit the tanneries (Fes is famous for them!) and learn about the complex process (step one involves copious amounts of pigeon poop). A friend I met on the desert tour and I haggled at the leather shops (I snagged a suede leather jacket) and spent some of our savings on lunch and beer.
Chefchaouen - I loved every part of this city, from its cooler temperatures (higher elevation), super kind locals, to its smaller tourist crowds. Chefchaouen also has some great hiking nearby - I took a day trip to Akchour, met a fellow American who lives and works in Casablanca (he spoke Arabic!), and was blessed with incredible views.
Tangier - sunsets and seafood. I took it pretty slow my last few days in Morocco in preparation for what I knew was going to be a fast-paced time in Lisbon next.
Accounting
*Total spending for 22 days - $2,272.47 ($103.29/day)
Activities/Tours - $413.38 ($18.79/day)
Food - $475.67 ($21.61/day)
Lodging - $960.17 ($43.64/day)
Miscellaneous - $309.73 ($14.08/day). Most of this was the jacket.
Transportation - $113.52 ($5.17/day)
*Reminder that these numbers don’t include flights into or out of the country (I’ll lump those into a total “Flights” cost when I look at the entire trip’s costs next year).
Pondering
Morocco is the first Muslim country I’ve ever visited, and culturally, it very quickly felt like a foreign land. As you might know, Muslims pray five times a day. The local mosque announces the call to prayer (loudly) over speakerphone, and you’ll see worshippers start to gather together, share prayer mats with complete strangers, kneel and face the direction of Mecca, and pray. Though I’m Christian, I was touched and inspired by this act of public, unified worship, and by the discipline exhibited to do this multiple times, day in and day out. I believe that worship, to whatever force or God you may believe in, is a powerful and emotional act. Joint worship magnifies that manyfold.
Other memories that will stick:
On the first night of the desert tour, a group of ~12 of us sat around a wooden table and shared a meal of bread, water, and tajine. Several countries were represented - England, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Morocco, USA, Mexico, and Germany. I took a mental snapshot; the moment was beautiful. We chatted primarily through English, Spanish, Dutch, and hand gestures - none of us able to fully communicate our thoughts due to language barriers, yet we understood each other. We ate, we drank, and we laughed. For me, I can only describe that evening as deeply and genuinely human.
Getting lost while hiking in the mountains behind Chefchaouen. As I stumbled my way through the hashish fields (yep, hashish for days. Pretty much every local I met asked if I liked to “relax”) back to a semi-official path, I saw a local goat herder whacking tree branches with a stick. She gestured for me to walk over and then held out her open hand, which were full of (yellow!) blackberries. I took and tried some (super sweet!) and helped her pick more. She spoke no English, and I spoke no Arabic. Chefchaouen was full of kind locals like her.
And that was my time in Morocco! A friend (who wishes to remain unnamed for now) compiled and edited several video clips I took, which are up on my Instagram (here are the links for part 1 and part 2). Thank you friend 🥰.
Up next - Lisbon (more friends and Taylor Swift!), the Camino de Santiago, and a few moments of internal change/development.
this leg of the trip seems like it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! great update