Back in 2007, Erik and I visited Morocco for the first time. We rented a car and drove around the country taking in all of the unique aspects which make Morocco popular. It was a trip filled with highs and lows, making it a very memorable one. We wanted to share that adventure with the kids and so we replicated some of the best parts. Tourism in the country has changed since then, for good reason, so we were not able to do all of the same things. In fact, we were able to add some new destinations to the itinerary, giving Erik and me some fresh things to experience with the kids.
We arrived by ferry from Spain. The sailing time was only an hour and we spent a good portion of that hour clearing immigration and customs on the boat. When we docked, we were free to go. We grabbed a taxi from the port to a bus station and then caught (with only a minute to spare) a bus heading to Chefchaouen. This city is a tourist hot spot for its white and blue buildings in its old city. Like many medieval cities, the streets are narrow, steep, and twisty. The colours make the area feel like a Greek island but the sights and smells are very much North African. We made sure to try some tagine, a glass of zaa zaa (avocado smoothie with toppings), and some almond-based sweets while we watched the sunset. We heard a number of simultaneous calls to prayer from surrounding mosques and got to absorb the sounds from the rooftop area with the setting sun. Lovely.
We planned for one full day in Chefchaouen so that we could explore the old town. It’s a maze. You’ll get lost. But there were many friendly faces to help you find your way out. We noticed that store owners were very quiet. Many said hello or welcome but didn’t seem to try and usher you into their store. In the afternoon, we attended an oud lesson. The oud is an Islamic instrument that looks like a guitar from the front and a polished wooden egg from the back. It has five sets of double strings and our teacher was amazing at strumming both or just one as needed. He patiently taught us all to play Do Re Mi etc. We also had our hands and arms decorated with henna using symbols of Moroccan culture. For example, my arm was adorned with many desert flowers and honoured the nomadic cultures of the southern part of the country.
One day disappears quickly! Our next day was a travel day. We woke to the news that there had been a big earthquake near Marrakesh and the initial reports were suggesting severe damage. We sent quick texts to family to let them know we were unaffected. Then we made our way to the bust station where we caught a bus (although it wasn’t a very straightforward process) from Chefchaouen to Fez. At the bus station, the girls were introduced to squat toilets. If you’ve never had the experience, think of peeing in the woods and how you may go about doing so, then picture a hole in the ground that you hope to aim for. Little did they know that this was just the beginning of many, many, squat toilets of all shapes and sizes and levels of cleanliness! The bus ride was tough – the suspension was very bouncy and the roads were full of dips and holes so we found ourselves needing to keep our eyes up and look outside. We also wound our way through the landscape up and down hills and valleys. One little boy was sick on the floor and we had to contend with the smell for a while before the bus stopped for a break. But we survived the trip and squeezed into a tiny taxi, bags and all, and were delivered to the edge of the medieval city of Fez. Our Riad wasn’t too far into the maze of the city and Erik miraculously guided us to their door with only a few uncertain turns. Yay! We treated ourselves to a fancy meal at a neighbouring hotel that was absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could share flavours through blogs – the food was amazing!!
For our first full day in Fez, we booked a cooking class at a spot that Erik found online which offered family classes. We LOVED this experience. It was hosted within the family’s newly renovated space that was designed to offer both catered dining options and their cooking classes. Mom, Fatima, was the head chef and teacher. She did not speak French or English. Her sons translated and demonstrated as well as helped keep us on track. We were each given a station and a dish to prepare. Simon and I worked on the couscous dish while Erik, Claire, and Molly made chicken tagines. Before we started, we walked to a small market to get a few items. Our host showed us some of the main spices used in their cuisine as well as the typical vegetables.
We got right into it! We washed, peeled, chopped, stirred, seasoned, and cooked the dishes for over an hour. When everything was finishing up on the stove, we were served mint tea and told to go up to the roof. Wow! What a view! We relaxed and sipped our tea while they plated our dishes and served them to us. Not to be too braggy, but it was amazing!! We did an incredible job following Fatima’s instructions because the food was so delicious. Stuffed to the gills, we waddled home and called it a day!
For our second day, we hired a guide to take us around the walled city and to teach us about the history and culture. Milouda was full of interesting facts and stories. She kept us thoroughly entertained while we wandered the medina and saw so many unique and novel spots. She shared her knowledge about the differences between the Arabic areas and the Jewish areas. She bought us some honey-based sweet treats and introduced us to a fabric maker who uses the fibres of the agave plant to make fabric. She took us into a Madrasa where we saw the rooms in which the religious students would sleep. We visited a bathhouse, wood makers, iron workers, and fibre dyers in various corners of the city. We also visited the famous tannery where animal skins are prepared and dyed to be used for clothing, tools, purses, and shoes. Having been there once before, I was prepared for the kids to want to leave immediately. The smell is very strong. It’s a mixture of animal smells as well as heated pigeon poop – yep, pigeon poop. They use the poop mixture to help set the dyes in the skins. Yum. We searched for some slippers for our Grandmaman and Claire almost bought a leather jacket. Sadly, packing space is very limited and we were facing months of summer-like weather. No room for a jacket. It was a big day full of sights, sounds, smells, and a desire to buy one of everything we saw! Sleep came easily to all.
To get to our next couple of edventures, we decided it would be best to drive ourselves, so we rented a car – the largest one on offer – and squeezed ourselves into the spaces. We managed to drive the 7+ hours south through the High Atlas Mountains to reach Merzouga, our third destination. It was a lovely drive and a nice change from trains and buses. We had great weather and were excited to see the first signs of the desert sands. Unfortunately, there were high winds when we arrived and we couldn’t get out to see the dunes until the winds died down. Our hosts made us a lovely dinner and we headed for bed to sleep off the travel day.
The first order of business was a driving tour of the dunes. Our host called up Atma who took us out in his well-loved SUV for a joyride along the dunes. The kids had mixed emotions. Simon giggled and hooted the whole time. Molly wanted to bury her head. Claire was stoically silent. I had a blast! But was also concerned about rolling over. We got out to get a view from the top of one dune. Then Atman drove us to a Berber village and we were greeted graciously with tea and some madfouna, affectionately referred to as Berber pizza. Simon played some soccer with one of the boys and Mohamad sat with us to explain how the nomadic Berbers live their lives. It was a wonderful, cultural experience.
Next, Atman showed us a copper and coal mine that was privately owned and still operating. The mine was blasting channels into the ground sampling the rocks to seek out sources of copper and coal. There were many abandoned buildings close by which used to house families of those working in the mines. Once it was sold to a private company, the families were evicted and the houses went into disarray. He had some strong feelings about how mining was being managed. Next to the mine area were several piles of rocks, presumably some of the blasted waste. Amongst these rocks were many marine fossils as the area used to be a seabed. We found lots of fossils and Atman knew where the coolest ones were!
We relaxed for the afternoon and then, around 4, we were loaded up onto some camels and trekked to a desert camp for dinner and a night under the stars. Again, this was something that Erik and I did 16 years ago, and something that we wanted to share with the kids. As this excursion is now a very popular thing to do, the government has since regulated the locations of the camps and how they are to be managed. Therefore, instead of a rugged tent, we slept quite comfortably on beds with linens in a tent with a bathroom and shower. Luxury!
But before that luxury could be lived, we first had to get there. The kids were feeling a bit nervous about being on a camel. I’m not entirely sure why, but once the camel stood up and they got used to the rhythm of their gait, all was well. Except, after about 15 min of riding, the wind suddenly picked up and we found ourselves being pummelled by grains of sand. We hadn’t been given any protection either. Simon, Molly, and I had some scarves that we wrapped over our faces, but Erik and Claire had nothing. Simon had bare arms and legs. We weren’t prepared for the change in weather. Then, when it was time to take a break and get some photos, our guide motioned to the sky, made gestures for rain and lightning, and said that we will stay on the camels for a picture and then keep going. I agreed. The sky was looking quite angry all around us. Sure enough, it began to rain. We stayed out of the lightning but found ourselves in the unusual scenario of being rained on in the desert. We laugh about it now, but I’m not sure we could have orchestrated a more unique experience even if we had tried!
Dinner at camp was fantastic but was served quite late and the kids had lost their appetites to fatigue. At 10:00, after dessert was served, the staff gave everyone a music demonstration with their drums and singing. Only Simon and I managed to stay awake for the show. Simon even took a few turns trying the different instruments. And one of the best parts, for me, about the evening was how gorgeous the sky became when the weather blew away and we had nothing but a starry sky. The kids have very rarely been able to see the Milky Way. We all got a great view of it that night!
In the morning, while breakfast was being prepared, we went out to climb the dunes to see the expanse of the desert. It was quite a walk – talk about a workout! – and we had fun climbing up, running down, and feeling the sand between our toes. After a while, we got hungry and headed back to camp. After breakfast, Atman picked us up and delivered us back to our riad in town. We had a quiet afternoon by the pool and spent our time recovering from the excitement of the day before.
Back on the road, we headed a few hours Northwest of Merzouga to the ancient ksar (fortified village) of Ait-Benhaddou. This was a new destination for both Erik and me. The ancient portion of the village sits on one side of the river and is home only to 5 original families. The town has only two guest houses and we were very fortunate to be able to stay in one. The home did not have electricity, only a few hours of power from a small solar panel. But our host has tried to keep the property as authentically original as possible. We were fed an incredible dinner and some almond desserts by candlelight. We slept in pure darkness. It was glorious.
We were given a great tour of the ancient town, along with many excellent stories, by a local man who is also a decorated distance runner for Morocco. He was raised in the town and shared some insightful lessons about the village’s history as a key stop in the caravan route. Traders from the North would arrive with donkeys and trade with the traders from the South who arrived on camels. Ait Benhaddou would house and feed weary travellers and even store their animals if they were traversing from desert to mountains or vice versa. The river was an excellent source of drinking and cleaning water and the location was nestled at the base of the Atlas Mountains, making it the perfect transition location.
What really stands out here, however, is the architecture. The village has been a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1987 for its earthen clay architecture. Our host was in the midst of repairing some damage from the earthquake and walked us through the many steps needed to make clay walls the traditional way. It’s an impressive process and requires several dry, hot days to help set the clay. We gained a new appreciation for the grand house in which we were staying knowing what it took to build so many years ago!
After our tour, we did a bit of souvenir shopping. We chose a hand-woven rug from a women’s collective and ate lunch at their collective’s cafe. One painting store agreed to give the kids a quick lesson on tea painting just after closing time. They were given a chance to make their own paintings using traditional techniques. Black tea is sweetened with sugar and then used as a paint. Once the picture is complete, the paper is waved carefully over the fire. The heat from the flame burns the sugars in the tea and makes those strokes turn dark. The finished product is quite striking. We got to keep our paintings and made sure to buy a few as well for souvenirs.
Our two-night stay went by much too quickly. For our final dinner, we found an Italian spot owned by an Italian and ate some of the best Italian food we’ve ever had! We told him so. The restaurant also had a beautiful cat walking around which definitely helped sell it as our dinner spot.
The next day we drove from Ait Benhaddou through the Atlas Mountains to Casablanca. It was a long driving day, but a very beautiful driving day! Erik and I had fond (and stressful) memories of driving the narrow, switch-back roads from the south to the north during our last visit. The first couple of hours were much like we remembered (although a different part of the country) and we saw many landslides and tumbled boulders from the earthquake. The villages were so lovely and we saw the men out working hard to clear debris and blocked paths. They worked by hand!
We joined a larger, more modern highway for the rest of the drive. Although the big highway lacked some of the charm of the smaller one, the views were still incredible.
Our stay in Casablanca started on a sour note. We were looking forward to a modern hotel with a pool and laundry. The website and photos certainly suggested as much. Upon arrival, however, we were disappointed to see all the “false advertising” and were quite bummed with the rooms. Our first room smelled strongly of sewage. The second room they offered had a broken toilet. The third room was fine but far away from the kids’ room. Also, they didn’t have linens for the extra bed in the kids’ room and weren’t sure they’d be able to get us any by bedtime. The “pool” was a small soaking pool in the downstairs spa and was already closed. Coming off five nights in the desert, we needed laundry. Nothing was available at the hotel. Sigh. Erik found a laundry spot not too far away and we grabbed some dinner to help bring up the mood. Not all was lost. The staff opened the pool for us when we got back from dinner.
The only outing we did while in the city was to see the Hassan II Mosque, and that was only Erik, Claire, and Simon. Otherwise, we did some admin, mailed home a box of souvenirs, and picked up laundry. We had a late flight the next day and the staff let us keep the kids’ room until we left for the airport, which was very helpful.
We expected Morocco to be a whole new experience for the kids, with its different and distinct sites, smells, and tastes, and it lived up to the anticipation! We had a few tummy issues but nothing too severe. Vendors were calm and respectful. The weather was great (except while we rode camels), and the history was rich and colourful. Thanks, Morocco, for your adventurous hospitality!