Wednesday 27 October 2010

Let's begin in Morocco

Colourful souks hidden in the Medinas, glorious sun, sea and sand along the coast and miles and miles of
stark, dry Sahara - Morocco is a country of colour and contrasts, and most certainly adventure.
The glamour of Sex and The City movie and other Hollywood productions has made Morocco very popular,
not with the younger generation but the middle aged people, people who crave adventure in a safe and
scenic environment.
It is not the most exotic, beautiful or even strange location on the globe but Morocco is attractive, mysterious
and full of surprises. In a country where women are expected to cover up on the street but lounge naked in a
hamman, where the call to prayer can be heard from every corner of the land five times a day but prostitution
seems the most popular choice of career at night you can find yourself in rich luxury or in a battle for survival!
Two white (almost see through) Irish ladies headed to this Royal country on the northern tip of Africa for a
ten day trip that took in the pretty coast of Agadir, the relaxing Essauria harbor, confusing Casablanca, the
overwhelming markets of Marrakech and the a night in the Sahara.
In just four hours my friend and I were transported from the Emerald Isle where everything is tinged with
green to a country which at first glance seems dry, barren and infertile. But it wasn't just our physical
surroundings that had changed, two lone females had arrived in a Muslim country, one where the majority of
women are expected to cover up, where men are the dominant species and where royalty rules the land.
For the majority of our holiday we felt we were looking in on this country, we never felt we were experiencing
it, driving through market towns busy with animals and people, horses and carts transporting people, in late
night souks with locals doing their shopping, where you had to search so hard to find a female's set of eyes
and camping out in the Sahara in a camp full of Arab men - we never felt part of the experience, we were
always just looking in.
But we did have an unbelieveable holiday, eleven days full of colourful pictures and memories and some
very colourful experiences. Over my next few posts I will details some of the places we visited, things we did
and stuff we observed during our eleven day meanderings in Morocco.
The two best modes of transport in the desert!

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