Morocco: Marrakech

If cities were like women, Marrakech is a woman wearing red and gold. She is passionate, vibrant, mysterious and exotic. She is realistic and dreamy at the same time.

Built in the 11th centure as a capital city, she has seen her share of visitors. From rulers to traders to poets and artists. In modern times, it is tourists like us who keep it bustling.

We arrived in Marrakech at about 8pm. It was raining cats and dogs, making our search for the riad even harder than it would have already. The GPS helped us find the medina and we knew the riad was located close to one of the medina's bab (gate). My boyfriend was getting extremely stressed by the traffic, the rain and the recklessness of people who were driving there. I think anyone who can survive driving in Marrakech should just be given a driver's license.

After a good 45 minutes without luck, we stopped to ask for directions, despite being very reluctant to do so. No one knew where our riad was. We tried calling them but no one answered. We were honestly prepared for the worst.

Then, as we were stucked in a narrow carpark for bout 15 minutes, we spotted a very old man with a young boy about 10 years old. We asked them for directions and were relieved when the small boy said he knew where the riad was. Somehow, even though they spoke english, we could not find our bearing. So the old man told us the little boy could come with us in our car and show us. Well, we thought, he is a little boy. So we can pay him a good tip. Perhaps EUR5 or something like that.

Off we went with the little boy sitting in the back seat. He leaned forward to fill the gap between our seats. He was excited and spoke simple but clear english. He pointed to the left, the right...straight ahead. I started to think he was a cute smart little boy. About 10 minutes later we arrived  at a gate of the medina. We had no idea if it was the right one but we had to check it out.

I took EUR5 from my purse and gave it to the boy. I asked him if he could find his way back to his grandpa. He did not take the money. Instead he tapped my boyfriend on the shoulder and said to him "30 Euros". We were both shocked. I told him he has to take what I was giving and leave. He refused to leave the car.

Right about then, a group of teenagers about 12-15 years old gathered outside our car by the driver's seat.

One of them knocked on the window and asked my boyfriend if we needed help.

I thought "Great! This is like Fés." My boyfriend told them NO and ask them to leave us alone. Meanwhile we were speaking danish and wondering what to do with the little boy in the car. We did not want to get into trouble by throwing him out and inviting the others.

I felt like a prey inside the car while the predators are waiting for the right moment to strike. It was a very strange situation. There we were, two adults against a bunch of kids. How ironic. But I tell you, when you don't know where you are and what happens to you if you lay a finger on these boys, then you have a predicament in your hands.

So we shoved the little boy out of the car with the EUR5 and made a call to the riad. Someone picked up! We were told someone would come to the gate in bicycle to pick us up. So we waited inside the car while the boys waited outside.

We were very relieved when the riad guy arrived. He took us through the bab and then zig-zagged through a network of little streets. The riad had a very big wooden door but it is obscure. As we came to find out, that was not the back door. This is how it is in the vicinity of the old medina. One small door on a tiny obscure street opens into a spectacular courtyard and dwellings. Riad Dar Abiad was our most luxurious accommodation in the entire trip. I was glad we saved it for the last.

The host showed us our room immediately. We were pleasantly surprised. It had been such a long day. The drive and then the drama with the boys.

We went to bed tired.

The next day was a fresh start! It was my birthday. We were served a very nice breakfast by the little pool in the courtyard.

We took our time before getting very good instructions to get to the souk (market) which was 10 minutes walk away. The host assured us that there would be no usslers.

The souk was easy to find. We walked around for a while before stopping for mint tea. There were potteries like tajine pots, scarves, bags, lamps and some unusual delicacies such as lizards and leopard skin. I bought a T-shirt for my grandfather in bright red. This is our game. I buy him a t-shirt every city I go to. He is too old to fly.

Next on the agenda was the Saadian Tombs. Malaysian students would be very confused as here, we have to introduce yet another Sultan Mansur. Except this time, he was the sultan of Morocco in the late 16th century. The tombs here are of his family. The tombs were found only in 1917. It is no wonder that in our Malaysian history books, the Malay government kept reminiscing about the glorious Arabic times. If you are standing before these decorated tombs and admiring the architecture of the buildings, you would want to associate yourself with these cultured people of the past too.

Not so far from the tombs was the El Bahia palace. Here, we see more of the glorius Arabic culture and art. Decorated walls, carved ceilings and marble floors give a glimpse into the luxurious lives of those who lived here once. I was trying to imagine how all the women of this harem lived together yet apart. Were these rooms filled with the kind of drama which can span 100 episodes?

It was then time again for some mint tea! We found a very nice tea house overlooking a square. Lazying on the sofa surrounded by colourful Moroccan carpets and cushions, we sat there drinking mint tea and people spotting. I saw a woman in a burka begging for money in the square. She sat on a bench and waited for people to pass. Then she got up and approached them for money.

It didn't surprise me how many french people we heard and saw in Marrakech. Most riads are owned by retired french people. In fact, some even wrote books about living in Marrakech. I didn't buy them. I just didn't find it interesting to read books about french people talking about their lives in a former colony, as if it is still a colony. Prejudice on my part, perhaps?

After a good hour or two (I know, we're lazy bums), we took another route towards Djmaa el Fna. It was a big square filled with people all the time! There were snake charmers who would demand for money if you take any pictures of them. There were people selling drinks. Tourists. The crowd built up as evening approached. There was a huge crowd gathering in a circle taking the fishing the coke bottle challenge.

Then when the sun started to set, I hear the azan from Koutoubia Mosque which stood in the background like it is watching over the square. In a dedicated part of the square, some locals started to set up tables and food stalls, getting ready for the night feast. Malaysians would be familiar with this concept of pasar malam with food, except this venue is the exotic Marrakech with a 1000 year old history.

My boyfriend and I chose one of the tables and that's where we celebrated my birthday. One of the most special ones I have had. I could not have asked for more.

We retired back to the riad for more mint tea by the pool. Did some reading and chatted.

The next day, another wonderful breakfast. We spent the morning getting a massage at the riad before driving off to Rabat. At Rabat, we spent the night at the airport hotel and flew back to Copenhagen early in the morning. Happy Birthday to Me.  :-D

Morocco: Merzouga to Todra Gorge, Tinehir

After a wonderful experience in Merzouga, we drove towards the west to a town called Tinehir. The intention was to spend a night at Todra Gorge, enroute to Marrakech, in time for my birthday celebration.

Todra Gorge is at the edge of the High Atlas mountains.

The drive from Merzouga's flat land of sand towards the gorge was quite easy. So even though we left Merzouga late in the day, we arrived at Tinehir by tea time.

Driving 30 minutes longer, we stopped at our hotel which was right in the middle of the narrowest point of the gorge. Hotel Yasmina was not a good hotel but it has the sole advantage of location. Due to its remote location, it is powered by a huge generator. In the afternoons, the generator needs to charge for 3 hours to prepare for night time. Hence, no electricity during the late afternoons. We managed to check-in just before this time.

Since the room was warm, we decided to take a walk around the area. This was clearly a tourist spot.

For an hour or so, we explored the place like two kids playing on an exotic playground. We climbed rocks and walked along the little green strips of green plants. We hops on rocks to cross the narrow rivers.

There were stalls selling accessories and berber products along the narrow road which slides through the gorges. We stopped by a stall where the owner, who claimed to be a berber man, offered us mint tea. Afterwards, we got into a friendly conversation. When we started to bid him farewell, he invited us to his home for dinner. Thinking this was Moroccan hospitality, we were tempted to accept. It was good we asked about transportation. He gave away his intention by telling us we can first go to his friend's carpet shop. We were briefly reminded of the horror of our day in Fés. So we declined and headed back to the hotel.

Our room at the hotel was extremely basic. There was a very dim lightbulb. The corridors are very dark. But whenever we could see outside, through a hole in a wall or a window, we saw the rough walls of the gorge. Our room was clean enough but given the location of the hotel, there was little privacy from the tourist and local crowds right outside.

Not very exciting but a nice little stop before Marrakech. We were preparing ourselves mentally thinking that Marrakech would be a big tiring challenge like Fés. I did not sleep well that night. The hotel's walls were so thin and the guests next door was a family with kids who ran around, laughed and cried the whole night.

We left right after breakfast the next morning, knowing that it's a long drive to Marrakech. When we started off, there was drizzle and heavy mist. The top of the palmeries were a blur.

The drive from the edge of the Atlas meant that we had to once again drive through it to the other side to get to Marrakech.

It took us a long time. I remember I have never seen such vast changes in weather and landscape on a driving journey before. The start of the journey was flat land with a lot of sand. It was hot that we could see heat rising from the tar road.

Then we started driving up the foot of the atlas mountains. He saw villages and people on donkeys. At one point, we drove under a big cloud and was covered in rain for 10 seconds. Then it was gone. An hour later, we arrived at a village where the wind blew so strongly, villagers were running home as if expecting a storm.

We stopped at one of the quiet villages and had lunch. It was a remote restaurant which was built like a big tent. The food was cheap and filling.

Still we charged upwards, higher and higher. Then we reached some peaks on the mountains where it was hailing. The road became slippery and the slopes around us were covered in snow. This went on for an hour or so. In that cool weather, hot mint tea was the best beverage there was. So we stopped at a roadside berber stall for tea. It was quiet and people were very friendly, waving at us. Prices were extremely low.

Afterwards, we descended and saw peaks of other mountains highlighted by the sunlight. Everything else around it was in the shades. We drove past palmeries and flooded roads. And there was a occasional herd of camels. We stopped and photographed them. They were shy but not afraid of us. Such beautiful animals they are!

As we left the magnificent mountains behind us, we knew we were close to Marrakech. This means that we'll be close to the west shores. This means no more Atlas, mountain Berber villages and amazing landscapes. I was seriously wishing Marrakech will not disappoint us.

Morocco: Erg Chebbi, The Dunes

When we left Ouarzazate, we had no idea we were driving to the highlight of our entire Moroccan trip. Although we knew we were to see the edge of the sahara, nothing prepared us for the next two days.

This time, we were able to speed up a little more. We drove for a long time when it was just us, sand and the one road we were on. So when we finally saw an auberge (inn), we stopped for lunch. It has a big restaurant and the set lunch menu or tajine, kebab, olives, salad was so big, I had to take a walk around its backyard before sitting in the car again. Here, in the middle of nowhere, the auberge had a pool! I was tempted to swim but had to continue our journey as the sahara was calling.

Driving past many more interesting villages, we arrived in Rissani early in the afternoon. I read on Lonely Planet that only a few years ago that a road has been built to connect Rissani to Merzouga, our destination. Prior to this, many locals were able to make a high profit on organizing tours or transportation to the Dunes at Merzouga.

Since the completion of the road, some locals who lost their income resorted to manipulate road signs to confuse driving tourists. So here, we relied heavily on the GPS. True enough, we did see some local "guides" waving at us, offering us "help".  

Once we got off the main road into the trunk road, it felt like we were driving on an endless horizon of sand and nothing else. Sting's Desert Rose came to mind.

When we finally see blocks of square yellow ocre buildings, we turned off the road. Then we saw it. Before our eyes, the dunes. So soft yet so intimidating. So beautiful, yet vastly. I felt so small (well, more than usual).

Nasser Palace, our riad, was one of a handful in this small settlement. When we were parking the car, I could see little strings of camels far away up in the dunes. It must have been about 3pm. We were greeted by our friendly host and offered mint tea. The riad has a swimming pool at the center. The rooms surround the pool on two floors. As we made our way to our room which overlooked a camel stable, I noticed a lot of young students from Spain. I wondered how the riad could accommodate all of them.

Later, I discovered that there is a camping ground in the Riad, filled with colourful berber tents. The students gather around a fire, sang and danced and sleep there, if they sleep at all.

We had dinner at the riad and then sat on a platform on the second floor. On the side of the dunes, we saw stars. On the other, a rai band started playing by the pool. The contrast made me feel like there is no one out "there" and all living beings are in the riad. It's like the movie "The Village". A creature could have came out of the dark of the dunes and attack those who are drunk from the siesta in the riad.

We went to bed early. At 4am, we woke up and went out to the entrance. It was dark and cold. We could hear music playing from the camping ground. Our guide, who is a berber man waited for us alongside two camels. We rode the camels towards the dark, with our berber guide walking quietly next to us.

About 5 minutes into it, I looked up and saw the brightest stars I have ever seen in my life. The sound of the music and the light of the camping fire became more and more distant. The wind was blowing softly. It was quiet except the little noises the camels made once in a while. I could feel when the camel's legs stepped on the soft sand dune. It adjusted its weight, swaying left and right. I don't know how much time we went on like this when we reached the bottom of the highest dune. The berber guide helped me get off the camel.

As it was too steep for the camels, we had to start climbing to the top by ourselves. It was still pitch dark. So the berber guide helped me. It seemed effortless for him. I kept losing my balance as with each step, I sunk my feet too deep into the sand. So the berber guide pulled me. He was extremely strong for a small man.

After some time, we started to see a faint light coming from the other side of the dune. We were in the shadows. The berber man told me we had to hurry to get to the top. And so we did. We made it to the top in good time. It was very windy and I had to cover my face with a scarf. At first I could not see much of my surrounding. No..not because I covered my eyes! It was simply too dark.

Then...when the first sunlight came through the horizon, I was flabbergasted. I had never seen such magnificence. The berber guide was as excited as we were. Imagine. Being there so often and still he was excited. I can understand it though. We sat and waited some more. And finally the sun rose before our eyes, creating the light and shadow play all around us. We were on the highest dune looking down at the other smaller ones. It was like being in a sea, except it was all sand. We stayed for a longer while.

As we turned to descend, I finally realized the climb we made. And as if to mock the whole romantic sunrise episode, a bus of Americans arrived. The first to get off was a group of overweight women in the 40s. They were talking so loud, not even the wind of the sahara could shut them up. I'm glad we had our special moment before they arrived.

We took it as a sign to return back to the riad. The berber guide told us we could ride the camel around more. So we did...along the dunes, passing a tiny patch of green. We also bought some rocks from our berber guide. It was our second Berber dealing and it went like this...

Me: EUR6 for 2?

Berber: No no. EUR 6 for 3.

I paid him EUR8 for the three. 

We later went back to hang out at the riad. Mint tea, a lunch and chatting with a group of Spanish tourists who were eating some food they brought from Spain. We also went to visit the culture centre in the village. Bought a Moroccan mirror and some carpets. Again, the prices were much lower than Fés.

We checked out late in the day. I promised myself that I will be returning to this place for my next trip to Morocco. 

Morocco: Ouarzazate

Leaving Cascades d'Ouzoud, we drove towards Ouarzazate.

This part of our journey proved to be the toughest but very rewarding as well. On one hand, we were excited about driving through the Grand atlas of Morocco, crossing its highest peak at an altitude of 2500m.

On the other hand, the roads twisted and turned up and around the great mountains. Driving on average about 40-50kmph, it took us twice the time to get to Ouarzazate. 

At first, we counted as the GPS indicated our altitude. After a while, our attention was drawn to our surroundings instead.

Although the drive was long, we were constantly presented with beautiful views and sights. The atlas with its snow mountains, the villages and amazing nature kept us excited at every turn. This journey itself was a wonderful experience.

It was during this drive that we were able to observe how old the nature around us was. We had earlier visited Iceland. If you make a comparison, Iceland is a baby when compared to Morocco. The Atlas Mountains have been shaped since more than 300 million years ago.

After about 8 hours drive, we finally arrived in Ouarzazate just before sunset. If there is a colour I can attribute to Ouarzazate, it would be gold. We were greeted by the sunset and different hues of pink, yellow, orange.

The town known for its kasbah (fort) and movie studio. Films like Gladiator, The Mummy, Asterix & Obelix and Babel were filmed in Ouarzazate. Obviously all the international interests has resulted in Ouarzazate being one of the most clean and developed city outside of the imperial ones. The Muhammed V avenue is wide and clean. The buildings were impressive with the kasbah dominating the heart of it.

We checked into Riad Salam. As I look back now, this was not a real riad as such. By Asian standards, it would be classified as a 3-star hotel. It was basic and clean. The big plus is that it is 20 minutes walk from the kasbah and a little bit more to the night market.

We enjoyed the night market and zouk as it had a nice mixture of locals and tourists. We also had a good dinner there. Later on, we bought a few small items at the market after some bargaining.

One thing I remember specifically about Ouarzazate is that we were approached by a group of children who were begging us for money. This is stucked in my mind because when one is standing on the avenue, with the kasbah behind, poverty does not come to mind. This made me think that Ouarzazate is dressed up for foreigners and movie makers. Some locals obviously have not reaped the benefit of foreign investments brought here.

Morocco: From Fés to Cascades d'Ouzoud

This is basically our planned route.

The distance between key Moroccan cities can be found here, among other useful information.

The first long drive for our Moroccan trip was from Fés to Cascades d'Ouzoud. It was during this drive that I decided that despite all the fuss in Fés, Morocco is a country that is a must before one dies.

The landscape, the ambience and everything about it is pure beauty. Its colours encompasses every hue in the rainbow. It is passionate. It is cold. It is cool. It is breathtaking.

The roads were much better than we had expected. Along the way, we "ooh" and "ahh" with every sight before us. There are the majestic mountains capped in snow, while the ocre yellow covered our immediate surroundings. There were the occasional palmeries in the middle of nowhere.

The drive from Fes to Cascades d'Ouzoud (Azilal) was mainly on low lands. We covered about 300km's taking about 6 hours, stopping briefly for lunch at Beni Mellal. On the way, the drove past many one-street villages, each had a small mosque in them. We also drove passed a number of children who suddenly dashed into the road to sell us something or just to wave at us. We slowed down a lot due to this.

Arriving in the afternoon at Riad Cascades d'Ouzoud, we felt fresh and relieved to be in a small village called Tanaghmeilt, away from the hustle bustle of Fés.

This was also the first time we saw the mountain people, most of whom are Berbers. They are called the village or mountain folks. Unlike Moroccans we meet in the city, these mountain people are soft spoken with intense eyes. Their exotic looks coupled with the backdrop of the surrounding mountains made me feel like I was in a movie.

Call us under-exposed, but we got excited even by our room in the riad! We were served tea by the friendly staff.  We spent the afternoon exploring the riad and its surroundings. The riad has an impressive and cosy roof terrace with quite a view, since the riad itself is located right on top of the cascade/waterfall.

As it got dark, we met other guests at the riad. There was an Italian couple, a Swedish photographer who specializes in taking pictures for hotels all around the world, a British back-packer. We had a wholesome Moroccan dinner of tajine, chicken and sweet sweet wine. The whole golden ambience where candlelight flicked, maroon patterned carpets and clay walls is simply hard to illustrate with words. We went to bed happy.  :-D

The next day, breakfast was served promptly. We got on the short trail leading to the waterfall. Along the way, there were stalls selling carpets, accessories and potteries. There were also these special looking monkeys. I remember because both my boyfriend and I are fascinated with monkeys. I read somewhere that there is a geekiness correlation to fascination with monkeys.  :-)

Water travelling 100m down reaches a pool of water below, where locals offer rides on decorated bamboo platforms for a small fee. Some had chairs built onto them. This ride can take one to the other side of the pool, to a Berber village and some camping sites above. We got there and decided to trek around to get back to the riad. On the way, we passed a villager in a donkey and a lot of olive trees. "Ouzoud" as we came to find out, means olive.

Our exploration around the area took most of the day. By late afternoon, we were once again back on that wonderful rooftop, sipping mint tea, chatting and admiring the view. We left the next day, after breakfast. We were sad to leave but anxious to see what was to come. We bought some souvenirs from a Berber man. The price was less than half of that in Fés! Ah...the Berbers...we love them.  

  

  

Morocco: Fés

Morocco, to me, is the land of great culture, history and architecture. In light of this, I decided to visit two out of the four Moroccon imperials cities.

Leaving Rabat in the late afternoon, we arrived about four hours later in Fés. It was dark and our riad was not on the GPS. There was no one who knew where the riad was. So we did what I knew i.e. I hopped in a taxi and by boyfriend drives the car following the taxi. It was a good plan except the taxi driver did not drive slowly or at normal speed. I was scared as hell when at some point I could not see my boyfriend tailing us.

Well, we got there in the end. After all the mess with the visa, we were both so estatic to be in Morocco.

Nothing could spoil our mood...

We got a nice room at the riad Sheherezade. In Morocco, all the riads have unmarked doors on back streets, making them hard to find. It is worthwhile to print marked locations on google map. Our room was impressive but there was a faint stench from the wall where water once leaked. But we were too overwhelmed and tired. So we got a good night's sleep.

The next morning, when we got down to the courtyard for breakfast, it finally set in. We were in Morocco!

The birds were chirping and the food was good. If we had tails, they would be wagging big time.

Then we got out into the real world. The first thing that we had to take care of was to pay for parking. An old man who wore a glow-in-the-dark fluorescent vest demanded for parking fees. So we paid and took the opportunity to ask for directions. At that moment, we made the biggest mistake of the entire trip. We told the old man it was our first time in Morocco. Soon after, his grandson was following us as we stumbled towards the medina (market). The teenage boy offered to be our guide.

I read warnings in the Lonely Planet that we should only take qualified guides with the right documents. So we declined the boy's offer. But yet, he continued following us, trying to convince us.

When we finally entered the medina through a side entrance, three other teenage boys joined in. They all knew each other. With the boys, all about 15-16 years old, surrounding us, it was hard to move along.

When we went into shops, they would wait outside. The convincing turned aggressive after a good ten minutes. Then they began hustling. At first, my boyfriend was the target. They called him names aimed at white men. Then as they noticed I had a role to play in the decision-making, the targetted me too. One of their tactics were to separate my boyfriend and I, standing between us. Their words became stronger, angrier.

"Why come to Morocco if you don't want to deal with locals?""Are we not good enough for you?""Fuck you!""You're an ugly jew"...All these and more were shouted to our face. When we could not stand it anymore, he picked the softest of the boys with the condition that the rest leave us. It was the second biggest mistake we made. We had, at that point, went down the path that Lonely Planet was trying to warn us against.

The boy brought us to a carpet workshop. After a mere ten minutes of "cultural talk", the carpet dealer tried to sell us carpets at European prices. The boy obviously saw a commission in his pocket. We had no idea where we were as we got there through a whole maze of back alleys which make us the network within the walls of the medina. We bought a small carpet and then he showed us the southfort, except on the way "we need to see the leather dye workshop too".

This time, we played interested but insisted on NOT buying anything. Finally, we were led out of the workshop to a "special" place for lunch. Although the restaurant was beautiful and the food was good, the prices were danish prices! I remember it being the first Tajine I have had in my life but also the most expensive.

During lunch, I tried to talk to the boy. I figured that we might as well get cordial since he may be the only local I will have lunch with. He was conscious not to eat "our food". I tried to tell him that Malaysia is a muslim country but non-muslims can also have their own way of life.

I think he found that hard to digest. Then he slowly opened up. I think the temptation was too strong that he couldn't help speaking his mind about Islam and how the west is rotten. There is a certain hatred towards the french in particular. But he also made a joke that he was a berber. I didn't know if it was a joke. Later, I would learn to tell them apart - the arabs and the berber.

After lunch, we headed out to the stalls. Midway, our guide started retreating and after a few minutes, we realised we were back tracking. So I asked and he told me there were police. They are there to ensure that unlicensed guides do not operate. I smiled at the irony of his frankness and the situation we were in. We found shelter at a tea place. While we were sipping mint tea, our guide left briefly and came back. He told us that the police found him and are waiting at the door. He asked if we could help him pay some money to the police. He tried to tap into our sympathy. Being Asian, I did consider for a while. Not that I'm into bribery but I got the idea that these boys are poor, brainwashed and have no future.

My boyfriend looked the boy in the eyes and told him to go. We end it for the day and he can go home. The police cannot arrest him then. I offered to buy him one more cup of tea. He smiled, said goodbye and left.

We enjoyed our tea alone in peace, wondering what the rest of our Moroccan journey holds. We were both emotionally tired as we walked back to the riad. The old man was there and so was his teenage grandson. They both waved and smiled like nothing has happened. I actually stopped feeling angry. Was it some sort of Stockholm syndrome?

The next day, we checked out after breakfast and left Fés towards the south.

Morocco: Introduction

Last year for my birthday, I decided to get out-of-town to celebrate my entering the 30s. 

As I had earlier required a visa in only ONE occasion in all my travels, I made the mistake of booking the trip before getting a tourist visa. When I was imformed the process would take a month by the embassy, I had a bad feeling I may have to flush the air tickets and hotel vouchers down the drain. It certainly looked that way until the day before our travelling date.

I received a call from the embassy at 14:00 while I was in Helsinki! To top up the adrenalin rush, the embassy was closing at 17:00. So I had 3 hours to fly from Helsinki to Copenhagen and get from the airport to the Moroccon Embassy in Hellerup. I still cannot fathom how it was done. I vaguely remember my boss who sped me to the embassy in record time while I got my boyfriend to wait at the embassy to prevent them from closing. Poor guy. I bet he felt as useful as a paper weight during those 30 minutes or so.

After a whole fortnight of stressful wait to see if I could get a visa, I finally arrived in Rabat to kickstart our 10 days trip.

Arriving about mid day in the administrative hub, Rabat, we picked up our car and headed inwards east towards Fés.

This was a drive around trip with stops we have chosen. We were to spend two nights and a day in Fés. And then head south, with stops at Cascades d'Ouzoud, Quartzazate, Erfoud (the edge of the Sahara) and then head north through Marrakech.

We had earlier downloaded a Garmin GPS map for Morocco. Even though it is not as detailed as other European countries, I cannot express enough how much this has helped us. In the following posts, I will share with you pictures of what to expect to see driving from one place to another in Morocco. As much as we were in awe of Morocco's endless changing landscapes and nature, we also sometimes felt lost in the middle of nowhere with no mobile phone connection or anyone to ask for directions. In some places, we also had to avoid local hustlers who tried to sell us various quartz stones.

Looking back, I would say Morocco has so much to offer that it is hard to recommend a specific route or programme. But I would recommend driving like we did, seeing places way outside the imperial cities.

So are you ready to go to Fés?