Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Speechless in Morocco

I'm having the hardest time writing about Morocco and I'm not really sure why.

I don't even know where to start other than just admitting that to you.
We took this tour last April. That's nine months ago and 
I still haven't blogged about my week in Morocco.

I gushed about the three days we l spent in Spain.  I absolutely loved it!
And I've shown you some of my favorite photos from Rabat.
Most of my other photos are edited and it's time to start blogging about Morocco.

But.  I don't know where to start.

So.   I'll start at the beginning.

Tangier, Morocco

From Ronda, we took a train South along the Andalucia Express Route,
passing storks and the Rock of Gibraltar along the way.
We arrived at the southern Spanish port of Algeciras and boarded a large ferry.
We set out to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.

Once on board, we waited in line to show a stern faced immigration officer our passports.
Dee pointed out the mosque on board the ferry.  Dee was our tour leader.  I'll tell you more about her later.

We were conspicuous among the crowd.
A group of seventeen very white tourists among people from more exotic locales.
We purchased some Pringles and went out on deck to enjoy the sunshine.
We could easily see Morocco in the distance.

We arrived at the new commercial port about an hour from Tangier.
We were quickly shuffled into vans for the ride into the city center.
I buckled up and turned away from the group to gaze out of the window.
My first taste of Morocco and I wanted to savor it in my own little bubble.

I tuned out all of the voices and got out my little notebook.
It was with me throughout our entire journey.  To jot down notes, sights, impressions.
Short, succinct words that I hoped would contain a memory for me.

This is what I wrote during my first hour in Morocco as we drove along the coast.

First word I heard - "Welcome."

Gorgeous Ocean.  Green Hills.  Such different sights.
Pack Mules.  Beach Resorts.  Traditional Islamic dress.
Man praying on a mat off in a field.  Goats.  Children.

Low Stucco Buildings.  More Color.  Turquoise water.  Low Green Shrubs.
Fast, curvy drive.  Up, down and around.  "Beep.Beep."
Berber Market. Families picnic on the side of the road.

Cows.  Small fields and crops.  "Honk!!" Big city on the coast.
Cruiseship in port.  People in gym clothes jogging.  Camel.

For me, Morocco was the definition of juxtaposition.

Tangier, Morocco

We soon arrived at the bustling city where we would only be spending one night.
Tangier is a rapidly developing modern city in North Africa.
Located where the Med meets the Atlantic, it's known as the Gateway to Africa.
It's an eclectic mix of North Africa, Spain, Portugal and France.
It was once the preferred destination for poets, artists, writers and spies.

Tangier, Morocco

More notes from my feeble attempt to capture it all.

Kids playing basketball.  Kids playing on the beach.
Some people are covered in traditional garb.  Some people in western clothes.
Pizza Hut.  Little Girl staring at me with big dark eyes.  Smiled.

Cats.  Curious glances. 
A group of little boys say "Bonjour" and then run away giggling.
Kids catching a ride on the back bumper of a van.
Loved Spain, but this is a completely new experience.

Tangier, Morocco

After dropping our bags at the hotel, it was time for a guided walking tour of the Medina.
Market squares, back streets and an energetic bustling atmosphere that was almost overwhelming.

We're not in Kansas any more.  Here is where I resort to photographs.
Like my notes, they capture memories for me.  I hope they tell you a little bit of what I experienced.

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

We stopped at a 100 year old Anglican Church and played with the turtles in the graveyard.
The church had a distinctly Moorish style.
Beside the Lord's Prayer in Arabic are carved quotes from the Quran.
Our guide told us that Tangier is a place where all religions come together.
Islams, Christians and Jews all live and worship side by side.  

Then it was time to explore the Medina and the Kasbah.
The Medina is the old walled city where people live and work among narrow streets and alleyways.
The Kasbah is the old walled fortress of the Sultan.  It's the most amazing and beautiful place.

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

I was very careful and respectful with my camera.  Many people did not want their picture taken.
I would make eye contact, smile and tap my camera,
if they smiled back I'd take a quick photo and say "Shukran".

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

We stopped for dinner in a lovely little restaurant.
My head was spinning with all of the sights and sounds from my first day in Morocco.

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, Morocco

I distinctly remember having one of those travel moments in that little restaurant.
Tears filled my eyes and I didn't really even have a clear thought.
All I could think was "Oh, my God, I'm in Morocco."

Everything else was just jumbled up.  All the sights and smells.
The faces and the children.  And it's still just all jumbled up in there.

And I don't know how to tell you about it.  I don't know where to start.


Did Morocco leave you speechless?



31 comments:

  1. This sounds very similar to how I felt about Mumbai, Jaipur, and Agra in India. {Darjeeling was quite different so I didn't want to lump that one in with the others.} Juxtaposition is the perfect word to describe India as well. I just didn't know what to think, so I know how you feel not being sure quite how to write about it!

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  2. I'm really curious about your week in Morocco as I will be heading there in May this year. Thanks for describing your first impressions! I really like your photos!

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  3. Beautiful photographs! My aunt just went to Marrakech in November and loved it. Look forward to seeing more!

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  4. This is exactly how travel changes you. How do you express these new emotions?
    I'm quite curious to see if you just overwelmed? Or disliked it?

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  5. I LOVED Morocco and while we only visited Marrakech, it's a country I've love to go back and explore more sometime.

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  6. Even though you may be somewhat lost for words your photos are wonderful.

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  7. Thank for bringing back memories of Rabat! I had a great time there a few years back. Love all of the colors and textures.
    http://liveitinerantly.com/

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  8. I think you said it through your photographs - it is a good post and gives a feel and flavour of what you saw.

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  9. What an awesome post! I really, really want to go to Morocco and you just fed that fire. I love that feeling of just being so overwhelmed by a place. I feel like once you have traveled a lot that feeling can be harder to find, but it's great to hear you haven't lost it. I remember the first time I went to Europe, standing in Schipol Airport in Amsterdam and hearing everyone speaking Dutch and German and Turkish and whatever other languages around me -- it was surreal. Great post. Thank you!!

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  10. I had a strong desire to go to Marrakesh months ago. But then a friend went and her blog posts completely turned me off. I don't think it was her posts though because she did some great stuff while there. I think I am so familiar with Europe that it seems scary to me. Scary to plan. Scary to visiti. You were able to get me on board with St Petersburg... you think you can do the same with Morocco?

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  11. So we honeymooned in Marrakech and...we were underwhelmed. It was a great trip, we enjoyed it, it was an amazingly different country to anywhere we had been (and we have both traveled a lot) but it wasn't one of those trips that I think back on and say wow, this was one of the best places I have ever been, you know? Saying that I wouldn't tell anyone not to go, and as always your pictures are amazing!

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  12. I'm also curious as to if this is just an overwhelmed feeling or a dislike. Love the colors and faces of Morocco! Especially the lady peeking down at you!

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  13. Beautiful photos! I have noticed that Morocco seems to be a colorful country no matter what city you're visiting and I love that!

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  14. Thank, Jenn. I was definitely the most exotic place I've been so far. So many amazing sights!!

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  15. I think that's where I'm struggling. My feelings are so mixed. I certainly didn't dislike it. I was completely overwhelmed and there are some things I struggled with. But I wouldn't give anything for the experience. There were so many special moments. Writing this first post helped and I hope to go more in depth and figure out how I really feel about it as I go.

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  16. Wow! That's one hell of a honeymoon!! I know exactly what you mean. It easy to write about the places that you adore (Ireland!) It's much more complicated to write about the ones that challenge you. I'm looking forward to writing about it some more.

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  17. So many people love Marrakesh and I expected to be blown away by it. But I didn't love it. I'm soooo glad that we went, but it was so different from what I expected. I'm still trying to figure out what it was. It was certainly a challenge and Marrakesh was probably my least favorite stop on the tour. I have so many more posts to write!

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  18. Thanks so much, LaRaeRae. When I go back through my notes and look at the photos I still can't believe I was actually there. It was a once in a lifetime experience and such a challenge. Thank you so very much for reading & commenting!!! xoxo

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  19. I'm so glad, Molly. I was afraid it wouldn't make any sense :D

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  20. Thank you so much! These are absolutely some of my favorite photos. Especially of the people.

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  21. It was such an experience for the senses, wasn't it? Almost surreal. So gorgeous and exotic in all of the little details.

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  22. Hi, Ria! Thank so much for commenting. Now I have a lovely new blog to read. I look forward to learning more about you & your travels. We found Marrakesh to be very geared towards the tourists. Fez was much more interesting and authentic in our experience. I would definitely recommend a visit. It was pretty special, if challenging.

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  23. I didn't really dislike it. But, I didn't love it as much as I expected to. It's the most exotic place that I've visited so far. I'm still working through my reactions and I think writing about it will certainly help. It's made me realize how little I really know about the world.

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  24. Thanks you so much, Louise! I have about a dozen more posts planned about Morocco :D I'm so glad that you read and comment!!

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  25. Thanks, Tanya. Do you plan to visit? Everyone really raves about Marrakesh. But we enjoyed several of the other cities as much if not more.

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  26. Ha! I have so many more posts planned about Morocco! So much to say and so many photographs! You must be getting sooooo excited!!! If you have any specific questions, just let me know. I'll certainly try to help. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!!!

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  27. This was the first post on the thread and I was sooo relieved! I didn't know if anyone would understand how I was feeling. It's hard to explain, isn't it? It helped to know that I'm not the only one :D

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  28. I'm not sure if we will make it there. Do you think its a good place for children to visit? I had some concerns about that. Also, I'm not sure how much longer our expat gig will last. So we are trying to squeeze in lots of places in the next 5 months in case we go back to the US this summer. :(

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  29. It was a tough for me, so might be challenge for children. Although it is fantastic! So many places to see. I hate to hear that you're moving away!!

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  30. Beautiful pictures! I would love to visit morocco but will leave it until next year as I want at least 5-7 days exploring there.

    http://www.itsallbee.com

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  31. Bianca, you must go! But, you are so right. You'll need about a week to really travel around and experience everything there is to do and see. Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Your blog looks wonderful, I can't wait to read more. And I've followed on Twitter & Instagram. You should join our London Bloggers Afternoon Tea!! 

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