Into Africa: Back to Casablanca

Sunset in Morocco is beautiful. Sunset on the coast even more so. And luckily, it just so happened that we timed our trip back north from Essaouira to coincide with sunset over one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline it has ever been my privilege to behold.

Pictured: beauty.

We had to pause for a photo-op.

The lighting was really cool.

Finally going down.

Sunrise at the airport.

We also got the chance to stop in a tiny ocean town called Oualidia, which is apparently pretty famous for its seafood. And we found our way to an excellent restaurant. Somehow, probably not in small part due to our haircolor and incredibly stressed facial expressions, we received salads and dessert on the house. I'm not used to getting free things, but I have to say, I didn't hate it.

Into Africa: Essaouira

Essaouira is a city on the west coast of Morocco, about two hours due west of Marrakech. The ride out that way is beautiful. And you can feel when the ocean is getting close; desert turns to scrubland, scrub to trees. And in case anyone was wondering, goats really do climb trees- we saw some. Unfortunately we were unable to stop and snap a picture, so you'll just have to take my word for it. But it does happen, and it's every bit as ridiculous as it looks in pictures you see online.

On the road again.

Essaouira (pronounced Ee-sa-weer-ah) is the Berber name for the town, meaning 'the wall'. It makes sense- the walls that surround the city are both ancient and massive. Since the 16th century it has also gone by the Portuguese name Mogador. It has long been an important port town, having been in use since the 5th century when the Carthaginian navigator Hanno founded a trading post there. Today it is not used much commercially. It's more of a surf and fishing town, and home to a pretty big music festival in the end of June.

Though we were only there a little over a day, that was long enough for me to fall in love with the place. I thought the people in Marrakech were friendly. Well they ain't got nothing on this place. It's way more relaxed than the big city, and it's actually possible to walk through the markets without people trying to sell things to you. Pretty great actually. Pluss the weather and the ocean are both warm enough to allow swimming. In the Atlantic. In March. 

Even the little kids could get into playing around in the waves.

Caroline and Laura enjoying the view.

We met a bunch of friendly locals here, including a surf instructor named Sam, who was kind enough to show us around a bit, and who also just so happened to have made a few appearances in the latest season of Game of Thrones. I think it's safe to say that I now know a celebrity. The massive jetty protecting the harbor is beautiful at night. Some of the best stargazing I've ever done. Also, for those of you keeping score at home, the old battlements of Essaouira feature in season three of Game of Thrones. Check out the slave market scene- I've been there.

Also, a big shout-out to Ismail and Abdel, two other new friends.

One of the main streets at sundown.

Just a little guy out for a stroll.

An old door.

Some pots. I wish I had had enough room in my backpack for some pottery. The colors and designs were fabulous.

That tower. Game of Thrones.

The port.

Back to the city.

Tired of pictures of doors yet?

Into Africa: Hiking in the High Atlas Mountains

Things I didn't particularly expect to encounter in Africa, even northern Africa, include snow-capped mountains. But encounter them you will. You can even see them walking down the street in Marrakech if you look to the south. And if you head about an hour and a half south you can wind your way up through the surprisingly lush foothills and arrive in the mountain town of Imlil in the middle of Toubkal National Park.

Check it out.

Keeping with the theme running through the past few posts, everyone in the town was incredibly friendly. We met some adorable little kids on the road who insisted upon holding our hands and walking with us for a ways. However, after we offered them a couple chips from the bag we were snacking out of, they preferred to commandeer it and scamper off.

Actually, there were little kids everywhere. This little dude happened to be herding some sheep. Or maybe just playing with them.

There were some bewildering street signs. Apparently there's a chance your tires may abruptly switch sides.

Fun fact: north Africa's highest mountain, Mt. Toubkal is located in this very creatively named Toubkal National Park. It's 4,167m high, which isn't particularly high. But the ascent involves quite a long approach, making the climb more than a one day activity, so unfortunately we didn't get to bag that particular peak. Actually if we get technical, we didn't summit a mountain, only making it up to a yoke on a ridge. But the views were still amazing, so none of us were particularly upset by this.

Looking down on the villages in the high valley.

There were quite a few trees.

Oh, more mountains.

Finally made it to the top. Discovered a small cafe run by Berbers. They served whiskey berbere. It was great.

About whiskey berbere...

It's not whiskey. It's a joking nickname for mint tea, and not just plain old mint tea like I would have expected, but really sweet yet slightly bitter. And delicious- I love it. It's pretty much the official drink of Morocco, consumed constantly there. Breakfast? Whiskey berbere. Meet a stranger on the street and get into a conversation? Whiskey berbere. Hike up a mountain? Whiskey berbere. This is a tradition I can get on board with.

This was the view we got to enjoy during our whiskey break.

Wouldn't you enjoy having the view these people get to enjoy every day?

Farming plateaus.

Rugs drying on the banks of the stream.

And now, some pictures of the animals that you find in the area. They include flocks of sheep, roving herds of goats, and of course many, many mules. They're used for transportation between villages and for hauling gear and food up through the mountains.

Behold, a mule, casually grazing. They all sport very colorful rugs. Very snazzy.

Some very cute and frolicsome kid goats.

Last but not least, a lamb and its mother.

Into Africa: The Souks of Marrakech

Marrakech is pretty widely known for its large and bustling market, also known as the souks. It's located in the old part of the city, called the Medina. That's also where the main mosque is. I wasn't really sure what to expect on our first trip into the labyrinthine streets. At first it was a bit overwhelming being surrounded by a crushing river of humans and bikes. And I have to admit, as a quartet of blond girls, we did stick out just the slightest bit, so that added curious questions and friendly greetings to the already high level of noise- people trying to sell things, or just talking loudly, and of course the constant cacophony of motorbikes. 
Especially coming from Scandinavia, I was at first taken aback and even confused and a bit annoyed by everyone trying to start a conversation with me. But it grew on me, and was actually quite nice. I didn't meet a single unpleasant person there- on the contrary every person I met was very genuinely nice, and totally willing to go out of their way to help someone out. The amount of people we asked for directions who then dropped everything to take us where we were trying to get rather than just explaining it to us was staggeringly high. I now understand how it is that Morocco is consistently at the top of the list of the world's friendliest countries to foreigners. 

Yarn drying on the rooftop of a dyers' workshop.

While we were wandering around the souks, somewhat lost, we met a young kid named Karim who took us to his family's dyeing workshop. Is there a word for that? Like 'dyery' or something? I feel like there should be. Anyway, we were shown around and got to see all the dyes and the drying yarn. Karim's cousin even showed us the proper ways to wear all the different kinds of scarves they sold there. And then he took us to the shop where he worked which sold jewelry and artifacts from the Tuareg people of the Sahara. Super, super cool stuff. And the Tuareg guy that worked there was fascinating, and really nice, just like everyone else we met.

Some stalls in one of the squares.

The mosque.

I made a new friend.

Another lovely door.

And another. Seriously, beautiful doors everywhere.

The souks are even bustling at night.

Really bustling.

And, the mosque at night.

Into Africa: Jardin Majorelle

I have returned from my triumphant first foray into Africa. I've finally made it onto my third continent, and I'm very excited about it.

The website I used to make this informs me I've visited a mere 9% of the world's countries. Clearly I have a ways to go.

Though we flew into Casablanca, we spent no time there. Rather, we immediately headed south to Marrakech. If I did this all again, I would definitely just fly there directly. After being in a city of around one million people and witnessing the bustle and disorganization there, I have no desire to visit one six times that size.

Heading down to Marrakech, I was really struck by how different this place looked from anywhere else I've ever been. Not only that, but it contains a surprisingly large variety of biomes for such a small place. You can go from desolate, post-apocalyptic looking scrublands to lush hills to snow covered mountains in just a few hours. It also contains a pretty significant bit of Sahara, though sadly we didn't get out to see that. I'm sure many people are familiar with the saying 'if you don't like the weather in New England, wait five minutes'. Something similar can be said about Morocco. If you don't like your surroundings, drive about 50 kilometers down the road.

Anyway, after getting settled in Marrakech, our first move was to go visit the fairly famous Jardin Majorelle. This was a good move; the gardens are absolutely beautiful, and very peaceful. We were a bit in shock after negotiating the very busy city. I could go off on a complete tangent about the insanity of Moroccan roads, but this is neither the time nor place for that.

The garden was designed in the 1920s and 30s by Jacques Majorelle, a French artist who relocated to Morocco during its colonization. The very vibrant blue used throughout the garden was specially designed by him, and is called Majorelle Blue in his honor. From 1980, the garden was owned by designed Yves Saint Laurent. After his death, his ashes were scattered there.

Entering the premises. You're immediately struck by the colors.

And the amount of blue. It really is everywhere.

I was particularly excited about the palm trees. I'd never seen one in real life before.

An artsy leaf shot.

There were a lot of these urns everywhere. All bright colors.

This picture doesn't do the blue justice.

Just one of many gorgeous windows and doorways we saw on this trip.

A little close up of a window grille.

One of several fountains in the garden.

Some cacti. 

The house, now home to a museum and gift shop.

Fun Fact: Morocco is on roughly the same latitude as Georgia and Florida. Blew my mind when I found that out.