Morocco - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Somnambulation** · 06-04-2004, 04:23 PM

Another thing I was thinking about was possibly heading to Morocco after the Running of the Bulls. Is Morocco worth taking a couple day detour from my original plan to visit? It would also be awesome to visit the rock of Gibralter and just travel from one continent to another. Who here has done the ferry crossing before?

**tumblezweedz** · 06-04-2004, 10:31 PM

I have, from Algeciras. It's awesome, go! Just spent Easter on the Costa de Luz (on the Atlantic side of the southern coast) - not as crowded or expensive as Costa del Sol. When you head south, you'll pass through Seville, Cordoba and possibly Granada - all worth time. You can stay relatively cheaply in Cadiz, sample the sherries of Jerez, too. We stayed overnight in a grubby hotel in Algeciras - I can't remember the name, it was 13 years ago! Took the ferry to Tangier, got hassled all to heck by university graduates who can't get jobs doing anything else. It's such a waste of potential, but umemployment was terrible then. Don't know if it has improved much. Anyway, we were "escorted" into the suq, which was a magnificent, baffling place, but as we had a train to catch, we didn't stay for long. The guy tried to get us to buy stuff, and we did have one rather threatening experience, but the guidebook said to yell at troublemakers (in Arabic or French, if possible, so others know what's going on), which I did in French, and it worked. Apart from the one bad encounter, everyone else we met in Morocco was amazing. Hospitality knows no bounds and we were treated like royalty. Of course, I must add that we had a friend from Casablanca who had invited us to stay with his family, and that made things much easier all around. Still, the ticket guy at the train station took us to tea (after seeing the negative incident with the other guy) and we took the overnight train to Casa, watching camels wandering, and the moon rising over little desert villages, while the travellers in the next compartment played guitar and sang Algerian love songs. Images like that don't fade very quickly!

Give yourself time to get out of Tangier (that's all most tourists see, and many don't care for the pressure), go into some of the other areas, and see the real country, meet the real people.

If you do go, see if you see my favourite road sign of all time - it's somewhere on the road from Cadiz to Algeciras - a directional sign pointing east and all it says is "Africa". Wish I had a picture, but the bus windows were too dirty!

Oh, I just reread your post - the ferry crossing is about 2 hours, it's a big boat, but I was surprised at how much spray came over the bow. I love the water, and rough seas, so I was up front, licking the salt off my lips, but my landlubber companions preferred the relative stability of amidships. If you don't care for sea travel, you'll still feel better on the deck in the fresh air than indoors. I loved seeing the dolphins jumping alongside. And watching the Rock come into view was pretty spectacular. GO AND ENJOY!

**Somnambulation** · 06-07-2004, 07:59 PM

Wow, that sounds great tumbleweedz. I think you may have convinced me. That sign sounds like one of those defining travel moments.

**tumblezweedz** · 06-08-2004, 04:17 AM

It was. You have to go.

**joanofarc** · 06-08-2004, 07:52 AM

i have some sand and shells from morocco in a water bottle... my girlfriends brought it back for me a few years ago. morroco's also the only place they sent me a card from - ditto a picture.... what does this tell you? haha- if you go, try this dish called bastilla - it's delicious!

**Carisia** · 06-08-2004, 09:56 AM

When I was in Granada, I met a lot of folks who were either headed to or returning from Morocco.

Everyone loved it! Actually, a Moroccan guy gave me this itinerary for when I went, I'll go dig up the notes for you Som.

For the ladies, I met this fantastic, strong and independent young woman who had just returned from traveling alone in Morocco. Of course she loved it! But she did say that it was hard to be traveling alone as a woman in Morocco, it's possible, but it was hard. She got groped and harassed all the time... it comes with the territory.

Also, she was there during Ramaddan. It's a great experience, but if anyone has special dietary needs, or, hypoglycemic? (low blood sugar), you may want to avoid this time, b/c you cannot find anything to eat during the day and can only eat at night, unless you smuggle food, and eat out of sight...

**Somnambulation** · 06-08-2004, 02:01 PM

That'd be great Carisia, thanks. Whats in Bastilia Joan?

**joanofarc** · 06-08-2004, 02:03 PM

these kind of weird greenish eggs, almonds and chicken and other stuff. all of it wrapped in a pastry crust/pie thing and then dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon - the place i eat it at actually makes a cinnamon camel in the middle, ahaha! it's good.

**tumblezweedz** · 06-11-2004, 03:42 AM

Quote:

For the ladies, I met this fantastic, strong and independent young woman who had just returned from traveling alone in Morocco. Of course she loved it! But she did say that it was hard to be traveling alone as a woman in Morocco, it's possible, but it was hard. She got groped and harassed all the time... it comes with the territory.

I went with a couple of guys and still had a few uncomfortable moments - goodness knows what the locals thought of me! We went after Eid, missed ramadan but got in on the feasting. Definitely take the fasting into consideration when you're travelling!

**Carisia** · 07-03-2004, 10:05 AM

Hey tumble... I just re-read your description of Morocco... it just sounds delightful...