Moroccan rollin’

In May this year, five suicide bombers claimed the lives of 41 people on the streets of Casablanca. For some travellers, events like this put Morocco in the ‘unsafe’ category, or at least on the ‘maybe another time’ list. However to turn away from the north African country because of isolated disturbances would be to miss out on one of the most cultural of destinations.

Large parts of Morocco are chaotic, untamed, places that seduce the senses with a spicy mix of Arabic, Berber and African influences. It is the place to let creature comforts go in order to take in the raw sensory excitement that fills the streets.

Marrakech has been the tourist centre of Morocco for generations, with the hippie trail taking many intrepid travellers aboard the Marrakech Express. For many, thoughts of visiting a ‘tourist centre’ sends shivers down the spine leading to a search for the next bus outta there. But for those willing to take the time, Marrakech maintains a resolute, authentic Moroccan flavour, where travellers can walk through the souqs and town centre and see almost exclusively Moroccan faces.

One highlight of Marrakech is the Jemaa l-Fna market square, a lively meeting place, where tarot card readers, snake charmers, tattooists, hash sellers, amateur boxers, story tellers, musicians and even the occasional mad dentist tout their wares. Surrounding in a colourful arc of honour are charismatic salesmen offering sweet, fresh juice from locally grown oranges.

Watching the square at dusk is a curious site, when the Jemaa l-Fna is transformed in the space of half an hour from a large public square of performers and sellers to an enormous open-air food court with the manic movement of donkeys, trailers and wildly gesticulating restaurateurs. Over sixty vendors set up their plethora of tables, benches, gas cookers and animal parts in anticipation of a busy night ahead. Once the cookers fire up it is a fantasy for the nostrils to walk amongst it, as the smell of spices, vegetables and fresh meat blends in the thick twilight smoke.

Traditional western tastes are easily satisfied, although it would be a travesty to stay so safely within your comfort zone when given an opportunity like this. More excitingly, there are plenty of places offering a fusion of western and spicy Moroccan cuisine. For those seeking the ultimate authentic experience there are Moroccan meat restaurants, in which every part of the animal (usually beef and lamb) are put to use, including the heads which sit proudly on display in the centre of each restaurant. Disappointingly, vegetarians will struggle to satisfy their tastes at these stands. For the best experience here, try and avoid places that openly tout for tourists, or are filled with fellow travellers. Instead, be adventurous and seat yourself down amongst the locals to try your luck.

From Marrakech it is only a half-day by bus to Zagora, a frontier town on the edge of the Sahara desert. As is so often the case, the journey brings as much excitement as the destination. In this case, the excitement comes from the bumpy roadtrip aboard a rickety old bus, and the buzz that comes from sharing the ride with locals.

Bus trips in Morocco are entirely communal experiences, with food and drink being generously shared around amongst soon-to-be-ex-strangers. While the journey outside might seem rather perilous, particularly as the bus twists and turns through the Atlas mountains, the spirit inside is warm and comforting. Given the length of the trip, the bus usually stops for a decent break somewhere along the road. One popular town for a break is Ouzazate (pronounced wherez-a-zat, and ripe for the punning), a rather unremarkable town that for many serves only as a convenient half way point between two more stimulating places.

A little further to the south and you are in M’hamid, a tent city in the Sahara desert that offers stunning scenery. The area has been chosen by a cluster of tour operators who transport people from the frontier towns, Zagora being a popular one, into the Sahara for a day or two in the desert.

The beauty of the sand-dunes that await the weary travel in M’Hamid is that they touch on so many senses. The most immediate is the visual impact of pristine, virginal sand, which at first glance appears to be untainted by any human contact. It scatters freely and looks warm and inviting, tempting the traveller to roll through it as if taking part in a primative ritual. The sound of the wind as it hits the tops of the sand dunes is magical, particularly if you can drift a little from fellow travellers and hear nothing but nature’s breaths.

While the temperature during the day is hot, it is far from unbearable, particularly with the Berber headwear that the guides offer – think Lawrence of Arabia, but in all this season’s colours.

Once in M’hamid, the options are limited only by your imagination. The adventurous can try a spot of camel riding, the more timid can sample Moroccan tea and play backgammon in the desert tents. Finding places of solitude is easy, and in a remarkable place like this lends itself to internal contemplation and philosophising.

In stark contrast to the quiet and solitude of M’hamid is the bustling metropolis of Casablanca. Although the official figure is five million residents, locals scoff dismissively at this figure claiming there are between eight and ten million people who call Casablanca home, making it one of the largest cities in Africa. It may be because of its relative affluence and urbanity, but Casablanca has often been overlooked by travellers in favour of the more sensual and rugged Marrakech, Tangier and also the Sahara, they being perceived as being more ‘authentically Moroccan’.

Nonetheless, Casablanca has lots to offer. The Hassan II Mosque is worth seeing for its awe-inspiring architecture and spectacular location on the shoreline, which from some angles makes it appear to be floating in the sea. The city also boasts a considerable nightlife, although it can at times be rather seedy and uninviting, as well as a traditional Medina. For those looking to satisfy their Humphry Bogart / Ingrid Bergman fantasy, there are no shortage of cafes, although the rule about going where local faces abound certainly applies.

Today’s Morocco is a product of strong and often competing institutions and traditions. There are constant, sobering reminders of Morocco’s status as a monarchy under the tightly controlled reign of King Mohammed VI, in the form of omnipresent billboards on almost every street corner, which show flattering portraits of the young king being king-like.

Similarly, the distinctive green star on red background of the Moroccan flag appears in shops, homes and on streets in a way that would put the patriotism of most other nations to shame.

In Morocco the monarch also serves in a duel role as head of the Islamic faith, resulting in a pervasive religious conservatism that can be confronting, particularly for women, who will discover some social limitations remain firmly in place.

Finally, the ethnic struggle between Berber and Arabic cultures continues as a background narrative to life in Morocco, although thankfully these tensions don’t often bubble to the surface.