Morocco: Exotic and chaotic

Tanger and Tetuan

Jose and I spent the last 3 days in Morocco on a short trip visiting several of the most important cities in the north of the country, closest to Spain. The first two we stopped in were Tanger and Tetuan. This was only after a 2 hour taxi ride from Seville to Algeciras on the coast where we took a ferry across to Ceuta (a bit of Africa that belongs to Spain). Next we took our tour bus across the border to Morocco which was a slow experience since lots of people were headed home for the New Year. We weren't allowed to take photos but there were tons of people crossing the border on foot, laden with lots of bags full of things they were bringing back home. It was a stressful crossing as we inched into Africa. When we had finally gotten into Morocco late in the evening it was a harrowing bus ride to our hotel in Tanger where we arrived in time for a late dinner and sleep in preparation for the next day.

In the morning after breakfast we headed to Hercules' cave where a guide explained that the opening which faced the ocean was in the shape of the continent of Africa. We also stopped at the Cape Spartel where the Mediterranean and the Atlantic meet. Next it was off to see some camels which are important especially in the south of Morocco for transportation, work and even for eating. We had the opportunity to take a quick ride on them and I was the only one in our group of about 15 who decided to take advantage of the opportunity. It was an interesting experience, sort of like riding an especially smelly horse.

Camel ride

After the camel ride it was on to some panoramic views of Tanger and then a visit to its historic center where we walked through its extensive marketplace. In Morocco there are several important things in each neighborhood: the mosque, the communal oven where they bring their bread to be baked each day and the communal fountain which people use for water (especially those without running water in their homes). We saw several examples of each as we visited each of the different cities on our tour. 

Morocco is an Islamic country and it was interesting to learn about a different culture, especially from our native guides. We were able to hear the different calls to prayer (there are 5 through out the day) as we walked around. We also spent some time in a store which sold carpets, ceramics and other typical Moroccan goods. This was our first experience with haggling which is custom in this country. It is something expected as you try to buy from vendors. Neither Jose nor I were very good at haggling and found it to be a bit stressful.

The colors added to lime to paint buildings

Next we headed to Tetuan where we had lunch in a typical restaurant complete with Moroccan music. This was obviously something set up for tourists and I have to say that overall during our trip we were disappointed with the food. We had high hopes after having been several times to a Moroccan restaurant in Seville but what we experienced on our trip just wasn't that great. 

In Tetuan we also visited the medina (marketplace) as well as a homeopathic pharmacy where we had a demonstration of different products. I ended up buying tea (which is minty and wonderful) as well as Argan oil which is great for hair. That night we ended up staying in a hotel in a city on the ocean named M'Diq. This was where we spent New Year's Eve with the other people in our tour. We ate our grapes at the restaurant while watching a special show for the holiday.

Streets in Chef Chaoen

Chef Chaouen

On our last day we drove up into the mountains to visit another city called Chef Chaouen. This was by far our favorite place. In fact, up until that point we had been a bit underwhelmed by what we had seen in Morocco. Tanger and Tetuan are a bit dirty, not very picturesque places. We were struck by the differences between Spain and Morocco but had not exactly loved what we had seen. When we arrived in Chef Chaouen that changed. 

This was a city famous for its white and blue buildings, painted this way to avoid the heat and the mosquitos. Here it was much cleaner, the views were more picturesque. It was beautiful. If the rest of Morocco is like this then it is worth a second trip. In Chef Chaouen we had a walking tour and then lunch before a visit to a carpet co-op where Jose and I bought some rugs for our apartment and gifts for family. Then it was back to the bus for the long trip home. We didn't arrive until close to 1a.m. 

Overall I am a bit torn in terms of how I feel about our trip. It was nice to experience something new but Morocco is quite chaotic. The streets were teeming with people and cars would not stop for pedestrians. We were glad we had gone with a tour group but felt we didn't have enough free time for exploring on our own. I would probably not feel comfortable doing an entire vacation on our own but believe we saw too much in too short a time. I think in the future if we go back it will be to bigger, more well-known parts of Morocco. Happy New Year to all!