A Christmas and New Year spent in the gate way to Africa. Experiencing christmas day with a childhood friend, heading off for our first adventure since we last made 'dens' in the cliffside woods. Morocco has a lot to express, from its capital of hand crafts, dwarfing atlas mountains, banana beaches, mazing Medina's, echo'ing traditions to vibrating mint teas and an abundance of REAL food. Though all seemed pristine, wealthy and happy for the "larger" than life tourist population, take a breath and a small walk outside of the hustle, your faced with whats left from the efforts to attract the western world.
Malaga struck me as a city struggling to cope, it being the off season when we passed through, there was no life, no get up and go attitude or a smile. Maybe that works for the Malagians... It was to be a Christmas "plunge", well not quite the root chakra Atlantic plunge, but a visit to the ocean was in need after the past days airport congestion.
Common scenes as we passed through the villages of Tanger, Fes and Meknes. No matter where in the world you are, doing your bit to support the small guys as they do their best to bring you the finest crop in season, Its a step closer to paying with your currency and making YOU count!
The Moroccan's Architecture is...unique?.. It may take a lot of energy to reconstruct the Historic Medina's, so maintenance with a few poles and narrow bricks it is then, the character sparks out from the people and the homes they sleep in.
Finding or the affordance of food was never an issue. If its REAL food your looking for then Morocco stems the finest; from sweet sugary Agadir bananas, figs and dates of the berbers, a traditional Harira soupy like dish and herbs and grains to suite even the most confused celiac, and not missing the "fresher than morrisons" animal products around
The neediness in me wanted to keep moving. With an ideal concept to 'live in the now', after every few days or so i was struck with the sense to keep going onto the next place. Our days where packed, from the first prey at 5.30am to the sounds of streets emptying with only the cats roaming, we moved and moved, if we could afford it we did it, and with that concept of 'living'..Sophie rode her first camel!
Mint teas are the best, especially during the bitter streets in Fes. The small guys always produce the best in anything, this mint tea stood out above them all.
Maybe putting your religion/faith or shoe shin before the planet isn't something I agree with. After all what religion would stand if we hand no soil to grow food, water to travel on or fish in or air to feed our needy cells. The common sights seen 3km outside of Marrakech, kids dodging open glass, horses and dogs competing for the fresh waste and plastic lining what should be the entrance to the atlas mountains... The hospitality and smiles I was welcomed with out numbered my whole trip through Morocco_ at first you think they have nothing, but they know they have something to live for.
Travelling doesn't mean you have to stop doing what you do, handstands and anything whilst using our bodyweight to create some adaptational physical stress on top of our already "stressful" experiences.
Ah yes you couldn't escape the 'bargaining' culture that the Moroccans live by, down every ally, in every taxi, camel rides and even within the famous Ell Faa Na square in Marrakech if you where good and stuck to your guns you could hustle your way down to 50 dirhams a kilo of the finest Medjool dates.
North Africa certainly hasn't found a solution to its pollution, but we can help ourselves by taking away aspects of of their culture and ways of life that have the potential to impact positively upon ours...
Beautiful experience
Morocco.
No comments:
Post a Comment