A brief trip to Morocco - lots of pics

[Mark Latimour]

Well, my girlfriend and I just got back from a 10 day trip to Morocco and it was great (even if it was boiling hot and I suffered from a bit of a stomach bug for a few days).

We started in Casablanca which, although its name brings up images of the cool movie, is really not the nicest of cities. Its big, its bustling and not particularly pretty. Here is a view from the top of the now unused cathedral:



and heres me being a daredevil trying to take the photo:



much more interesting is the area inside the old walled city (Medina) which is like another world of small alleyways and passages filled with people and shops:





and the giant Hassan II Mosque, completed in 1993 which is the fourth largest in the world and can accommodate 100,000 people at once. Given we were there during Ramadan, it was bustling every night.



of course, even in 40 degree heat and without eating of drinking since 4:30am in the morning, the local kids still found time for a game of soccer in the afternoon:

[Mark Latimour]

next we went to Rabat on the coast to check out the Kasbah (it rocked ) and the Medina there.



That's the Kasbah in the background:



Then we headed to a giant Mausoleum:



But most of the fun is had just watching locals shooting the breeze (which includes a lot of arguing!)

[Mark Latimour]

In the afternoon it was off to Moulay Idreiss, a pilgrimage town for Muslims which was only opened to non Muslims in the 1970s. Its set in a hillside and is an amazing place to catch the sunset over the town:







We also checked out the nearby Roman ruins at Volubilis which was the fathest west that the Roman Empire went:

[Vorago]

Nice pictures.

If someone was being an ***, just tell them 'Taboun Dimek'.

They'll understand you

[Mark Latimour]

Then it was off to Fes. Fes is another large town which has a huge Medina (with 40km of walls surrounding it). You need a guide to venture into the Medina otherwise you would get lost and never make it out. This is Fes:







This included the oldest working tannery in the world, where leather is produced (and sold all over Morocco):



and you can't forget shopping for carpets:

[Mark Latimour]

Then it was off to Chefchaouen, a town which is famous for its giant Marijuana export. Although not apparent in the photos, this place is popolated by the "hippy tourist" patrol and their ridiculous "hippy pants" that they all seem to wear when travelling....well it made me laugh. Anyway you can't walk more than 10 steps without someone coming up to you and offering dope. However, given a lot are reputed to be undercover police, its best to say "la shukran".



Not drug dealers:





We caught an afternoon local soccer game before sunset:

[Mark Latimour]

We then headed via Tangiers (a terrible place, not worth the photos) to Marakesch for some final days of shopping and relaxing. The famous souks are amazing:









as is the grand place, which abslutely pumps at night, day:



night (taken on my phone):



So yeah, there you have some photos from Morocco. Its are great place and defintely worth a visit if you have a chance. It helps to know a little Arabic (I don't), but you can cope just fine with French. Its also woman friendly, so yeah. Think about it!

[Vorago]

Do they speak Maroccan Arabic or Berber?

(NOT the same language)

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by Vorago

Do they speak Maroccan Arabic or Berber?

(NOT the same language)

Arabic and French, only the Berber's speak Berber.

[Thunderscreech]

How about a boxer trip to morocco?

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by Thunderscreech

How about a boxer trip to morocco?

Sorry, you need about 4000 more posts before you can get away with bad puns like that.

[bassteban]

[theme from Midnight Express]

[Thunderscreech]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

Sorry, you need about 4000 more posts before you can get away with bad puns like that.

Thunderscreech fails...yet again

[Captain Chaos]

Niiiice. I always wanted to visit Morocco.

[jazzy grille]

Once again, great photos Mark.

[ChiliPepper]

Originally Posted by jazzy grille

Once again, great photos Mark.

+ 1

you seem to be spending a lot of money on vacations... Actually, that's what i want to do as well the next couple of years.

[MakiSupaStar]

Nice Mark. I know you don't surf, but did you get any shots of the beach or waves? There are some really good waves in Morocco. Although, I heard that people often get mugged or robbed out by the beach when heading out for a surf. Unfortunately, because of this, (whether it be true or not) many surfers are steering clear of Morocco.

[tommyr01]

Excellent pictures Mark, thank you.
I went to Azerbaijan last year and some of your pics remind me of there.

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Nice Mark. I know you don't surf, but did you get any shots of the beach or waves? There are some really good waves in Morocco. Although, I heard that people often get mugged or robbed out by the beach when heading out for a surf. Unfortunately, because of this, (whether it be true or not) many surfers are steering clear of Morocco.

Hey, the beach and I don't agree with each other so not much time was spent there. However the coastline we mainly saw was the Mediterranean Coast which doesnt have waves that are surfable (AFAIK). I did see a little of the Atlantic coast, but didnt get to anywhere where there was large surf so no real photos I am afraid.

[Toasted]

Cool pictures Mark, the culture is famously fantastic in Morocco