Morocco. The very word brings to mind visions of exotic inns and crowded markets and wonderfully aromatic food, vibrant colour and decorative mosques. And deserts with camels of course. Casablanca with Bogart and Bergman. Crosby, Stills and Nash’s Marrakech Express. And adventure. This is how I envision my coming visit to Morocco.
I am travelling with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), a competitor of Road Scholar, my usual choice of tour company. There will be 15 in my group plus a 34-year-old Moroccan gentleman named Issam who has already contacted me to welcome me to his country. We will travel in a circle around Morocco starting in Rabat, the capital. A couple of days in Fez is followed by a trek across the Atlas Mountains and a camel ride to a tented camp in the Sahara Desert. The next stop is Ouarzazate, then on to Marrakesh and finally to Casablanca. I am taking a 4-day trip extension (route not marked on the map) to Essaouira on the coast south of Casablanca.
“Why Morocco?” friends have asked. Well if you really want to know…
It was a dark and stormy November night. I sat and listened to the rain beat against my window and drank a glass or three of wine. A trip to somewhere exotic and beyond my experience suddenly seemed an excellent idea. Heaven bless the internet and online purchasing! I’m happy to report that the excellence of the idea has only grown since then.
A couple of books on Moroccan life have made for fascinating reads. Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood is delightful. Narrated by a 9-year-old girl and set in the early 1950s, the protagonist discovers what it means to be female in Morocco, the frustrations but also the delights. 
The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca is reminiscent of A Year in Provence; how an English writer manages upon moving to Morocco. If you liked Peter Mayle’s Provençal tale, you’ll enjoy The Caliph’s House.
An excellent video on the founding of Morocco as a Kingdom by the Almoravid Berbers who were succeeded by the Almohad Dynasty is The Kingdom of Morocco, a BBC documentary.
I leave for Morocco on Monday, impatient to get going. I will update you on my travels as time and internet connectivity allows. I hope you will travel along with me and enjoy my posts. Feel free to comment. I love hearing from you.
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