After 7 days in Marrakech and Taghazout, Morocco, we are delightfully ready for our next destination, Amsterdam in Netherlands. Morocco was our first trip to Africa so I was quite nervous as much as I was excited. I didn't have any ideas how Morocco would be like and what kind of experience we would get there. All I know were the country is relatively safe within African countries and we could taste bit of African culture which would be extremely special and different to us, a European and an Asian. Therefore our curiosity and interests about the contry and its culture were gone through the roof.
Most of Moroccan are Muslim. This different religious background made me (as a woman) bit uncertain about the trip but at the same time I wanted to see and experience the difference. As always time steps faster than we can handle, the 7 days of trip in Morocco have already become a part of our past and I am on the spot that I can remember the journey and talk about it with you. Morocco has been a very interesting and also challenging country to me. I know 7 days would not be long enough to know well about this mysterious country but I would like to share my personal view and experiences with you.
To tell you the truth, I can't say that I enjoyed staying in Marrakech. It was simply too overwhelming for me to accept the completely different culture. I didn't know how to comprehend the sudden changes. Men dominated culture made me feel tense most of time. It seemed to me that 90 percentage of people on the streets are male and only 10 percentage are covered female. Except tourists and children, most of women were covered by long and shapeless clothes and some of them were even fully covered that I could see only their expressionless eyes. No one really bothered me to walk around with my husband but I couldn't get rid of the pressured feeling. I didn't feel free which I totally deserve to have anywhere. I couldn't understand the way of life in the country where there is no equality between men and women, and it is accepted naturally by people, men and also women. While I was staying in Morocco, I felt that there were permanently big and heavy stones in my stomach. I couldn't wait to get rid of the feeling.
Our second destination, Taghazout where we decided spend three extra nights was beautiful place to stay and I was glad to be close to nature instead of millions of people, dust and unbearable smell in Marrakech. Taghazout has stunning beaches and unbelievably beautiful surroundings. One side is open ocean and the other side is surrounded by the deserted mountains. The views were so different from what I have ever seen that I cannot stop admiring the beauty. However, very unfortunately people still don't seem to know or care about how to keep the nature clean and look after. Sewage was going directly into the ocean so smell was unbearable. Anywhere we went were full of rubbish and disgusting odour. I permanently felt like walking in the middle of rubbish tip or sewage. It was very sad to witness the beautiful nature is being destroyed by human beings when it rewards us such a pleasure and joyful moment. I desperately hope that the people start being aware of the importance of the nature and changing their attitudes as soon as possible so more people visit there and enjoy the magical views without disappointment to the people. I couldn't stop questioning how human beings can be so irresponsible to the nature. I was very disappointed with the people's attitudes.
Another thing I felt hard was dealing with people in Morocco. I personally felt that it was very hard to negotiate with them. Every time I had to buy or shop anything, I felt that I was a their main target to get ripped off. They seem to see tourists as only dollars which they can trick on and make money on. They don't seem to care the tourists who wish to see their country and learn culture. It was very disappointing to be treated like that. Personally I do like negotiating prices with sellers so I can reach the good price for both of us but I stopped trying to negotiate prices after couple of tries as I didn't want to spoil my holiday by the aggressive sellers. Of course, not everyone was bad and aggressive. We were very lucky to meet Mr. Fantastic who offered us his fantastic ocean view apartment for very reasonable price so we could enjoy spending time at the place in Taghazout. He was such a nice person who smiles all the time and provided best services whenever we needed. However, most of time we had to be ready for getting ripped off by others in Morocco. I have to understand that male dominant culture create strong rights for men in Morocco but I felt their behaviour were sometimes far more aggressive than I can accept.
Bit too negative, wasn't I? Some people would take and experience diffently so I don't want to limit your expectations by my personal opinions. All I wanted was sharing my honest feeling with you so, please don't go too far. Morocco is definitely worth to visit and see, and I am happy that we made it. I believe that even our unfavourable experiences should be treated as great experiences so these negative ones should not stop your plan to visit Morocco. As I mentioned earlier, people still keep thousand years of culture and habits, and live on thier strong religious belief but remarkable changes and developments seemed to be going on in Morocco. I was very impressed with current development of the country. Sorry for my ignorance that I expected far worse living conditions. The high way from Marrakesh to Taghazout completely changed my prejudice. The road was excellent. It was new and very well maintained. Not only roads for the big cities. Most of main roads were keeping excellent conditions. Undeniably the country is moving towards to the bright future and new changes are happening there. It was an eye opening surprise to me.
One more thing to mention about Morocco is its potential power. The country is absolutely beautiful and the unique nature can take anyone's heart. The beauty of nature is so unique and different from any other places that could easily attract many people in the world. Costal views while I was on the local bus were indescribably amazing. I couldn't stop admiring the beauty like a man in front of a stunning beauty woman. If people in Morocco start looking after their OWN nature, cleaning up the mess and being open for the tourists from the different backgrounds, I believe they will have a bright future.
As a food lover, I shouldn't forget to mention about traditional Moroccan dishes such as couscous, tajin and salad before I end this blog. There are many different types of couscous and tajin dishes with variety types of meat so meat lovers would enjoy the food. Unfortunately, I felt bit bored to eat same dishes (vegetarian meals) as I am not a big meat eater so I ended up buying fresh vegetables and fruits from the market for most of dinner. Morocco has absolutely fresh and yummy fruits and vegetables which you can't get from the supermarkets. Especially, cactus fruits (It was my first time to taste such an unique fruit) and grenade apple were divine. Moroccan traditional bread was the best thing to have and I enjoyed the most. Every meal will be with the warm and fresh bread... My mouth is already full of saliva only thinking about the taste.
Maybe my expectations of the trip to Morocco was too high so reality disappointed me little more than actual. I expected more African culture due to my lack of knowledge about Morocco but it was actually close to the Arab culture. I am glad that I made a visit to Morocco and see how the people live and keep their long history and culture. However, it will be hard to convince me to go there again in a near future unless they are really ready for accepting other people from other cultural and different religious backgrounds.
On the way of flying to Amsterdam, I was unusually excited for having ordinary people around and feeling comfortable and safe. I was almost missing walking around clean streets which I don't have to close my eyes and squeeze my nose to avoid the mess and incredible smell. I thought that I could handle the mess and the differences better but it was honestly uneasy to me. Our last trip to India will be another challenge to face but I will try not to worry earlier and more than necessary as I will know soon.
I hope my review of the journey in Morocco will not stop your curiosity and plan to visit the country. As I said beginning, Morocco is beautiful country and it is definitely worth to visit.
However, be ready!
