Morocco This country suddenly reappeared in my mind at the beginning of this year.
1. During graduation trip, I met a Moroccan girl and she said she could go to play with him if she had the chance;
2. After reading Sanmao , the story of the Sahara years written about the story of her husband Jose living in the Sahara. It was very charming and deeply involved in the book. So I decided to seize this opportunity in Spain to visit the Sahara and visit the country of Morocco.
Preface
The first time I entered Africa, there is not much information, but because I have been there before, I save a lot of unnecessary trouble for itinerary planning and some travel guides, but I still want to record a good article and share this beautiful country with everyone. After playing in Morocco for 11 days, I feel that this country is very worthwhile to play. The overall cost is not too expensive, and there are too many things to see and feel, and my taste buds, vision and senses are all full of harvest.
This trip is not only for Sahara Desert , but also likes the light pink Marrakesh; I feel that there are endless roads in Hollywood, USA; I can watch the sunrise and sunset, and Chefchaouen in the blue mountain city.
The taste of mint tea, paired with light pink and orange buildings, is my impression of Morocco; I can’t use Google map in this country, and the country with the most alleys in the world is Morocco. You can buy an official paper map from a homestay to explore; walking on the road is like playing a national competition, and the locals’ impression of Asian faces is probably: Konichiwa! Anneyeong! How are you? You will keep calling you and ask which country you come from. But don’t easily believe the people in the local area who took the initiative to help you lead the way. All the B&B operators also gave us special explanations. They usually want to get some money from you after they lead you, and the road may not be the right one.
Itinerary preparation | Practical guide
1. Visa
Morocco has been visa-free to China from June 1, 2016. No visa is required. Pass the visa on arrival for free with a 3-minute passport.
2. Climate
You will really be hot when you come in summer. Desert climate areas are not a joke. It is still too hot when we come in late August. The locals told me that November or February to March are very suitable. It’s not too cold in the desert at night, so I’m fine with long trousers and thin coats sleeping outdoors.
3. Clothing
I don’t wear vests, after all, Islamic countries are still more decent. There is no need to prepare anything specifically when entering the desert. Just remember to take away the garbage by yourself.
long skirt is very comfortable, and a hat is a must.
We wear sandals in the desert, but in fact, barefoot is the most comfortable, the sand there is very delicate!
4. Coin
The currency here is Dh (MAD), and the unit is dh. If the redemption rate is calculated in euros, 1euro is equal to about 10.60dh, and I usually go directly to calculate it with zeros. The exchange rate at the airport is relatively low, so it is recommended to exchange a part at the airport. The market conditions for coin exchangers to go to the city are relatively good.
5. Language and time difference
is mainly Arabic, the second language is French, and the third is Spanish. Learn some simple greetings, Assalamualaikum (Hello) and Shokran (Thank you).
The summer time difference is 7 hours, which is another hour slower than Europe.
6. Mobile Sim Card Network
We did not buy network cards locally, but Marrakesh Airport offers free sim card. I took it but didn't save the value at all. Every B&B and even restaurant has wifi. If we are afraid of getting lost, we will mark the location first, and then drive GPS to walk. The paper map is more useful in and !
7. Public Security
Basically, there is no serious problem with public security here, but don’t easily believe the people who take the initiative to help you lead the way. All B&B operators also specifically explained to us. They usually want to get some money from you after they lead you, and the road may not be correct. But I suggest that girls should have a male partner in and out together, which can save some unnecessary trouble.
When paying, you should pay attention to the money you give. We met a seller and quickly pulled coins from us, but we were sure that it was not the amount we should give, so he pretended to be stupid and returned the money.
I was walking behind my friends in the alley of Fiss. At that time, I was looking for a B&B with my luggage on my back. A boy of about the age of a middle school student said he wanted to help us find a way. My two friends in front of me knew that we could do it ourselves. He then walked towards me and touched my arm. I felt very uncomfortable and shouted and glared at him fiercely.
8.Soulhouse
I am a person who rarely goes abroad to buy souvenirs, but Moroccan souvenirs are really exquisite! I was fascinated by the tiles, and I saw many tiles, dishes and cups; the handmade carpets were also very eye-catching, and some leather products were also worth seeing. I bought some cups and my travel companions bought carpets and bags. Anyway, please remember to cut the price! The price of
is free for you, and the travel companion takes 1100dh carpet home in 300dh.
Handmade rugs are also fascinating!
Buy some traditional clothing as souvenirs.
Traveling around cities
Marrakesh｜Marrakesh
I like this city quite a lot, like the tones of this city, the city is full of pink and orange buildings everywhere, and the scenery you see in front of you is covered with fog. You can almost always reach all the attractions here by walking. It’s just a good time to stay here for two days, visit several different attractions, the tiles are very worth a look; or shuttle through the traditional market (souk market) and watch the lives of Arab people. If you are tired in the afternoon, you can go back to the homestay to rest and come out again in the evening. One evening we sat in the rooftop restaurant next to the night market, watching the sunset turn into lights, and observing the crowded Djemma El-Fna Square. The soju snails, grilled lamb chops, traditional soup harirau, fried fish, tagine and other foods in the night market, and we almost tasted the food in the night market, and were "challenged" there, that is, they would grab each other's business and pull you into their stalls to eat. It was such an interesting night market!
s0s sit on the balcony waiting for the sunset.
lively Djemma El-Fna
Ouarzazate
I took a 4-hour bus to this ancient city. The scenery of the mountain road on the road was breathtaking. I was only in some way sick, and I felt very uncomfortable throughout the whole process. Come here only for one night to go by, because it takes about 13 hours to take the bus from Marrakesh to Sahara, so we chose to stay in this city to taste it carefully. We chartered a car to Aït Benhaddou, a World Heritage Site. Along the way, we will pass many castle buildings in ancient medieval villages, which is even called the most beautiful village in Morocco. Many Hollywood crews have come here to shoot, and the scenes in the recently popular American drama Game of Throne are also filmed here.
We met a tour guide here and asked us if we needed a tour guide. Thinking about it, because we didn’t know the information here, we agreed to let him tour guide. The fee was only 100 DH. I explained the history there and took us to visit the locals' accommodation.
Compared to attractions, I have always been obsessed with the scenery on the road, so I like this road very much!
This mountain seems very steep, but it is actually not too difficult to climb.
Merzougah
Sahara｜Saharahml6
In fact, I did not do any homework for the desert group at all, so I directly booked a desert itinerary with Chez Youssef recommended by my friend.
reminds you that it is better to book a desert group itinerary in advance, otherwise you will only book it when you think of it. I think it is not guaranteed. Although people will ask you whether to participate in the journey from Marrakesh, I don’t like the feeling of being asked on the road, so it’s safer to book in advance.
You may be curious if it is expensive to participate in a desert group like this? In fact, there are really affordable groups and advanced groups! The one I chose was really affordable and the CP value was very high. One person was 450DH (about 40 euros) for 2 days and one night.
So the desert experience group with different prices depends on your needs and abilities!
Our camp equipment is complete and advanced, and it actually has a double bed and a toilet! There are also wash basins~ but no one can brush their teeth in the desert. In the evening, you will take a shower at the homestay before entering the desert, so you just haven’t taken a shower in one night!
I would not describe the mood of riding a camel into the desert. It took quite a long time to enter the desert when a camel that had been sitting for 1 and a half hours. I'll always be in os in my heart. Am I really in Sahara? Everything will become very unreal. The camel is very shaking. It is difficult to take photos with the camera and the wind and sand will float into the camera at any time, so it is most convenient to hold a mobile phone; or you must take protective measures for the camera!
myopia 1000 degrees I am always unconscious when wearing glasses~.~
camel's rope is tied together.
There are only 3 tents. The boss said that he likes the itinerary customized by the small team, so he will only accept a group of 10 people at most. When I arrived at the camp, there was a chef who was a local who had always lived in the desert and was responsible for the traveler's meals. The boss said he was responsible for his food and accommodation, and would pay him a basic salary if there were no passengers entering the desert. It was about 8 o'clock in the desert, and the chef prepared traditional tajine and harirau for us. This is the best tajine I had in Morocco!
, but because they were not very familiar with English, they were a little embarrassed to talk about it.
Then we climbed up the dunes, lay a carpet on it and lie on it to shoot the star tracks.
starry sky photos I did not edit the picture, all the original picture was output.
A whole large-scale Sahara starry sky, I can't tell whether my eyes can't see clearly or there are thousands of stars, flashing and illuminating. Occasionally, drums and music from another camp in the distance came, and then the whole night was so peaceful. I have been suppressing my emotions, but I am actually very excited.
Then the camp leader asked us if we wanted to sleep under the stars? Of course it was a good time for such a rare moment. I just moved the mattress out and fell asleep watching the starry sky.
The next morning was woken up by the wind and sand. The sunrise in the desert was not particularly spectacular or romantic. I prefer the beach.
There are too many stories hidden in the Sahara, everything is so fascinating and attached to me, I would like to do it many times. I have the opportunity to do it again with my lover, family and best friend.
Fes｜Fes
Fes took another 9-hour night bus from Merzouga. It was 330 in the morning when we arrived in Fis. We got off at the train station and had to wait for dawn. Because of this, I saw the morning appearance of Fies, the sun slowly rose, and the town with white buildings had a peaceful atmosphere. Before we arrived in Fies, we were instilled: be careful of Fies! Most of the people here are Arabs rather than local berbers, so they are more treacherous and expensive.
The advice in Fis is to ask a tour guide to take you there, the alleys here are more complicated than marrakesh! It is known as the city with the most alleys in the world, so we met a local tour guide at the B&B, who took us to climb the mountain and see the entire town and also took us to taste food that only locals could eat. If you have the chance, you must visit the tiling factory!
Chefchaouen
The first time I saw the photos here, I felt like a small town in Greece! It is said that the houses here are painted blue to drive away mosquitoes. Although it is a tourist town, local vendors will not ask you to buy things or disturb your time in the town like the marrakesh people before. The whole town is not too big, but you can stay there for two days and walk slowly.We originally booked a one-night stay, but when we arrived, we bought the return ticket and found that the tickets for the next day had already sold out! I had to book a night here, which wasted my stay in Fes.
Currently, I see this kind of blue is the most in the town, giving people a kind of quiet and gentleness.
There are many cats in the town, meow.
Although the alleys in the town run through all directions, you will not feel oppressed, and even get lost will become interesting.
Walking all the way up the mountain, you can reach a Spanish church, where you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the entire town.
I think the interesting thing about Morocco is that different cities have completely different colors and their own characteristics. 11 days are not too long. If you have more time, you should also visit the capital of Morocco - Rabat, Casablanca, which is famous for the movie Casablanca (translated by: Casablanca), or you may also want to see the coastal city of Essaouira, where you should also see Morocco of different looks.
Accommodation
This time the accommodation booked is from Airbnb, and each room comes with breakfast.
detailed itinerary lists each accommodation. Here are a few points to pay special attention to:
1. Marrakesh accommodation in summer, please find air-conditioned accommodation, otherwise it will be really hot.
2.Sahara I would rather recommend our B&B, Chez Youssef. Only at that time did the boss tell us that the dinner fee would need to be paid extra, which made my friends more difficult, and his water actually sold us for 15dh!! It was the most expensive water we bought! But the quality of the desert group and the B&B are really great :)
3.Chefchaouen recommends living in a place that can be connected to the road with vehicles, because if you choose to live in a small town, it will be a bit difficult to find a B&B, so I recommend Dar Zman we stayed in.
food
The things here belong to Mediterranean food, so every meal comes with the current olive dish. Next, there will be bread in every meal, and mint tea is called morocco whisky. The staple food is cuscu millet rice and tajine.
We always try roadside stalls or hawkers selling them. We buy local ginger tea, cactus, and roasted lamb almost once and once, and we also love local milk and yog!
The orange juice here is super delicious and super cheap! You can drink a cup in 4dh,
We dare not drink tap water here, so we buy mineral water throughout the process. The cheapest price currently is 6dh, and the expensive one is 15dh, and the cost of spending money to buy water is about 10 euros.
Local milk and cheese vendors, cheap and fresh!
The square is full of vendors with orange juice. We probably buy it from whoever we like it.
Recommend everyone must taste the local fried fish! Such a rich meal is less than 10 euros~~
has been back for a month, but from time to time I still remember the days when I was so hot there that I couldn't stand it, tired of eating bread, and being asked by locals every day where I came from. Morocco is a country that makes me want to go back again, and I can't forget the scenery I saw there for a long time. Then I wanted to re-watch Sanmao's Sahara years. Although I didn't go to Ayong where Sanmao lived, I could always imagine all the pictures under Sanmao's pen when I saw the desert. This trip was really enjoyable and very happy.
