Yep, that’s right! We touched another continent – Africa!
And it was AMAZING! Morocco was such a unique experience, very different from all of the other countries we’ve visited. The number one thing I have to say about Morocco is that the people are SO INCREDIBLY FRIENDLY! On one of our trains we had complete strangers teach us how to speak some arabic and even taught us how to write a few words in arabic – man was that interesting, as they write right to left. We also had Moroccans share tangerines with us on the train, invite us to a home-cooked meal for dinner, meet back up with us to show us the best restaurant around and order the best food for us, help us get taxis going the right direction at local’s rates, and more! They were all so welcoming and kept saying “Thank you for coming to Morroco, welcome!”.
Their friendliness was so foreign that several times we didn’t realize someone was trying to help us or say hi. Coming from SF where the only random people that talk to you are either asking for money, saying something inappropriate or just jibberish – I feel ingrained to ignore shouts from strangers. But here in Morocco, it was just people genuinely trying to tell us we are going the wrong direction; or saying “Hi, welcome to my country, I hope you like it!”; or “Let me show you where your house is!”. Were their people trying to sell us stuff? Yes, definitely, but they too were friendly, happy, and when you said no (for the most part) they left you alone.
Eric and I spent 4 days in Morocco, with almost all of the time spent in Fés – an awesome old city know for its leather, ceramics, metal work, rugs, and other crafts. We were able to see a lot in the 4 days we were there!
We stayed at Dar el Ma, a typical Moroccan Riad (house) and we felt like kings! We had the whole place to ourselves and the house was huge, beautiful, and full of cool nooks and crannies. Check out this video tour of our Riad!
We stayed in the medina of Fés – which is the old town. It’s a part of the city that is only walkable, no cars allowed, and is surrounded by an old ancient wall. The streets are TINY, dense, and confusing. But it didn’t matter that we were always lost, because there was so much to look at! Stall after stall after stall of markets, fresh food, crafts…etc. We were able to see a working tannery, got an exclusive tour and showing of a rug factory (they thought we were going to buy one of their rugs and showed us and explained all the different styles… sorry guys we don’t even have a home right now! haha), and devoured some of the best food yet! A $1 pita jam-packed with stuffed camel spleen and veggies anyone? 50 cents for a kg of tangerines? 60 cents for a honey filled Msemen? Traditional mint tea for $1 in a cool cafe? I’ll take it! Our favorite dish? By far the tagine kefta from Thami’s Restaurant, SOOO GOOD!
We had an amazing time and would recommend a trip to Morocco to anyone! The food was delicious, the culture interesting (see next blog post about that :) ), the people great, and it was SO cheap! Here are a few more pictures from our time in Morocco, each with a little description…
Wow! What an amazing place you stayed in. Sounds like you had a fantastic time there and crammed so much into four days?
OMG- this place looks awesome- so cool – You find the BEST locations…..