Wyles Walkabout

Chilling in chilly Essaouira

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Am actually starting to feel a little tired already as pretty much since arriving in Morocco, it has been non stop adventure, exploring and exhausting heat. Can’t believe am saying that as am not even one month into this Walkabout and I know there will be a lot more exhaustive travel ahead. It sounds strange as most of the actual travelling in Morocco so far (1,430 miles / 2,300km) has been in a comfortable air conditioned minibus, but where we have stopped or stayed it has been pretty full on.

Heading over to Essaouira, a colourful fishing town with 15th Century Portuguese forts on the windy Atlantic coast, we drove the twisting and turning Atlas Mountain road which look like they were left on the cutting room floor from the opening scenes of The Italian Job.

Opening the doors of the minibus and the temperature difference was noticeable immediately, even with the air-con on full. After sweltering in the Sahara heat, to be suddenly faced with cold winds I was glad I packed a soft shell jacket and long trousers. But the cool air was so refreshing I could have stayed for a few days more as the heat had penetrated my bones and I needed to cool down to a more acceptable ‘English climate’. Saying that, I do not know when I am going to experience a temperature below 30 degrees centigrade again.

The hotel was right on the beach and in a funny sort of way, reminded more of Monaco than Morocco. The medina is UNESCO-listed and it was a pleasure to wonder around as the streets were a little wider, had fewer motorcycles wizzing by and it seemed far less hectic than the medinas and souks of Fes, Chefchaouen or Marrakech. It also didn’t smell anywhere near as bad (despite being a fishing port) and the cool temperature made it comfortable to wonder around. We found a fantastic Italian restaurant and had pizza which was amazing. There are only so many tajine or skewers you can eat… Unfortunately with all the change in temperature, in and out of the minibus, or if it was just tajine withdrawal symptoms, I found myself coming down with a head cold so I dosed myself up with lots with fresh squeezed orange juice and really didn’t venture out of the hotel that much. Pity, as I didn’t come travelling to spend time in a hotel room, no matter how lovely it was. The head cold didn’t stop me from joining my fellow travellers for a refreshing beer on the roof terrace though.

It was a shame to leave Essaouira but we needed to head back to Marrakech, to where it all began. Difficult to believe that in only 15 days have experienced a country so diverse in landscapes, climates and people, from mountains to deserts, to ski resorts and chilly coastal towns, to hot and busy crowded towns and markets with crazy drivers. Everyone I have met here is so friendly and welcoming, certainly appears more so than back home. But there were still more surprises to come. On the drive back to Marrakech, I thought the head cold was playing tricks on my eyes as I was certain I saw a tree full of goats. I had heard rumours that they do climb trees here, but never thought I’d see it. Sure enough, there was a tree full of goats and I got to hold one…

Wyles Walkabout

Fes, Sahara – Action!

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Ask anyone from England what Morocco is famous for and they’ll probably say Fez and then do a Tommy Cooper impression, “Just like that”… In reality, most people here have never heard of Tommy Cooper. Though when they find out you’re English, one of the first things they say is, “Lovely Jubbly”.

Fez (with a Z) is the red hat, Fes (with an S) is the city. Fes is the oldest and largest medieval city in the world. Similar to Marrakech and Chefchaouen its streets are a labyrinth, crowded, busy, hot and a severe assault your sense of smell. There are, apparently, themed tourist routes to follow and I did see signs but it is so easy to become severely disoriented in the medina, even following a guide. There are shops selling all sorts from fresh produce, clothes, carpets, silverware, pottery, snacks and sweets to electrical goods. What I wasn’t expecting as we were led through the twisting and turning streets, was the butchery section. I’m a carnivore and will happily continue to eat meat but if I was of a more sensitive nature I may have turned vegetarian. I cannot begin to describe how it smelled but in close to 40 degrees, I will say that my gag reflex kicked in early and I had to make a sharp exit as best I could, but not knowing where to go, I had to wait for the guide and group a little further on.

Unfortunately, one of the next places to visit on this medina tour was the tannery. Again, I have no issue with leather things, but it smelled really bad. Hot, dry animal skins, urine, pidgeon poo, sweat, rubbish, the lot. It was vile and is one of those smells that penetrates your clothes. Even the donkeys carrying the skins made me wish I had a scuba tank on my back so I could breathe some clean air.

In the evening, there was some organised Moroccan entertainment, music belly dancing etc. However wasn’t really in the mood for that – after the smell assault and also it was the night Croatia beat England 2 – 1 so just sat quietly and had a beer with a few of the others.

Next day we began our journey towards the Sahara but totally surprised by the Alpine style town of Ifrane. Had no idea that Morocco had a ski resort. But had an absolutely fantastic coffee and chocolate cheesecake. A couple of hours later we stopped by a river for a picnic made up of cheese, chicken, tomatoes, salad and watermelon. I know all this travelling is hard… When we got to our hotel in Midelt the exterior was fabulous and wall really excited about staying there but the rooms were a little shabby, and we’re in Morocco, not 5* in London but it was really nice and there was a pool which was a god send. Skipped the afternoon hike and relaxed by the pool with a beer instead.

I remember as a kid hearing about the Sahara desert and always wondered what it would be like but never thought I would ever visit it, let alone stay overnight there. We arrived late afternoon, but even so the temperature was pushing in excess of 45 degrees centigrade and the camels were ready to take us in to the desert to a Berber camp. I really don’t like camels and my one was giving a look as if to say there is no way you’re getting on my hump! So we kind of silently and mutually agreed that I would walk and the camel would carry my bag. The trek into the desert was only about 1.5 – 2 hours but if you got lost or separated, it could potentially be a death sentence.

Once at the camp we watched the sunset but there was quite a bit of wind and sand in the air so it didn’t look as spectacular as I expected, but still an awesome experience.

After a dinner of meat skewers (no idea what the meat was…) and veggies, there was some music and drumming etc around the camp fire as if the guides were possessed and it went on until after midnight.

I had hardly any sleep – the tents were too hot and the millions and billions of stars shone so bright as there was little light pollution but I was amazed by the amount of shooting stars I saw. Wish I could have spent longer there, but it would have been a tough experience.

Waking up before dawn, the group rode camels (and I walked) out of the desert. Still picture the film ‘Ice Cold in Alex’ and feeling the relief of reaching civilisation and having a cold drink.

After the intense heat and experience of the Sahara, we drove to a really nice hotel in Todra Gorge – apparently Morocco’s Grand Canyon, but on a much smaller scale. The hotel was perfect and I must have spend about an hour in the shower cooling off. Had probably once of the nicest and most refreshing dinners here, lots of fresh salad and juicy tomatoes. Ideal to try and fully rehydrate after the desert. A lot of Moroccans visit the gorge in the same way most English would head to the seaside on a sunny bank holiday weekend. The cliffs were about 1000ft high and all made of limestone – which brought back GCSE Geography memories.

So after a lovely night at the hotel by Todra Gorge, we travelled to Ait Benhaddou and visited the film studios in Ouarzazate where they filmed the likes of Gladiator, Last Temptation of Christ, the Living Daylights and Lawrence of Arabia to name a few. I know it was a film set but some of the sets did feel real until you touched or picked up props which were made of polystyrene or plaster. However it did feel more like Life of Brian…

Wyles Walkabout

Casablanca to Chefchaouen

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So am a few days behind in updating the blog so this is quite a big one. Sorry about that, but it has just been non-stop so far, visiting exotic and exciting places, doing tours and exploring so have not really had the time or in some places, the WiFi available. But am not just travelling to sit in a lovely sea-fronted, air conditioned hotel in Essaouira (which is more like Monaco than Morocco) drinking an ice cold beer just to update a blog but guess it has to be done. Hard life for some eh…?

Leaving Casablanca early-ish, we drove straight to Rabat (Morocco’s capital city) and visited Oudaia Kasbah, Hasan Tower, the Royal Palace and Chellah. Thankfully the minibus is air coniditioned as we’re all struggling with the heat, now at approx. 40 degrees centigrade. Covering up with a massive hat for some shade and factor 50, am thinking I should have packed an asbestos suit and a welders helmet instead… Fortunately there are stalls almost everywhere selling watermelon or fresh squeezed orange juice which is so refreshing in this heat.

Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, it is near impossible not to be impressed with the scale and grandeur of the mosques and palaces here. They are beyond comprehension.

After Rabat and Meknès, we headed towards Chefchaouen stopping off at the UNESCO listed Roman ruins in Volubilis which date back to AD40. I have visited other Roman ruins in England before, St Albans (aka Verulanium) and Bath but these are so well preserved it was easy to imagine how Roman life may have been. Really felt like I was in Gladiator, or with the characters in this group, Carry On Cleo… 🙂

Perhaps one of the most surprising towns in Morocco, is Chefchaouen. It’s located high up in the Rif mountains and is characterised by the blue and white walled medina, originally a Berber post. To me, the ‘streets’ are near impossible to navigate, are narrow, cobbled, uneven and all look identical. All are blue and white, all stall holders sell the same sort of things and there are very few identifiable landmarks except maybe a central square or a fountain – if you can find them… Add the heat and a little dehydration and it can become an overwhelming and stressful experience. At least the stall holders are not like those in Egypt who hassle you to come into their shops to buy something.

So not wanting to by some ‘tourist tat’ I left the group and spent at least 1-2 hours alone trying to find my way back to the main square. Getting lost in places like this was an experience, but not one I’d like to repeat. Down one street, up another, round the corner, carry on, go down, turn left, change level, down another street etc. And I end back where I started even though I was adamant I was heading in the right direction. In the end I conceded and had to ask for help from one of the shop keepers. I guess they are used to tourists getting lost.

Next morning, we successfully navigated the town then hiked about 30 mins to visit a Spanish church high up above Chefchaouen so you could get a view of this incredible place. It does impress…