Putting a Finger on Morocco…

Hello from the road somewhere between Essouira and Casablanca, Morocco. It’s Thursday afternoon (had to check the day with my traveling companions, it’s one of those trips where one loses track of what day it is) – we landed in Marrakesh on Sunday, spent a day and a half there, then drove to Essouira, on the coast.

Marrakesh is a big city, chaotic and colorful and super interesting. It’s full of art and smells and colors, almost sensory overload. Essouira, in contrast, is a much smaller, slower, gentle city. It has a bit of a hippie vibe, and the history to match – Jimi Hendrix and Cat Stevens spent time there, along with The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Paul Simon, and Jefferson Airplane. It also has a long history of filmmaking – all the way from Orson Welles to Game of Thrones. So is it Americanized?

Not at all.

There are a ton of French in Essouira (Morocco is a former French colony in the south, and most people speak French, along with Arabic), and it’s a popular destination for European travelers. So does it have a European feel?

Sort of, but not really. Morocco, in general, is hard to pin down.

I think I expected, by way of lack of experience, a less multi-dimensional place. Morocco is a Muslim country, which for an American (such as moi) carries with it a whole host of assumptions, many of which are proving false, four days into our trip.

Yes, I am dressed more conservatively than my normal travel attire (we were advised not to show shoulders or knees), but I’m finding that it wasn’t really necessary – respectful, sure, but not mandatory. The food has been terrific (which I expected), as have the wine lists (which I did not – and turns out Moroccan wine is actually quite good). I have felt safe everywhere I’ve been so far, and while I’m grateful to be with two girlfriends and have a guide with us, I’m not feeling like that it would have been problematic not to have a guide – just more work.

I’m also finding Moroccans to be surprisingly inclusive – frankly, more so than Americans seem these days. There is an embrace of the multitudes of religions here that I would not have expected, and a pride in not just the Muslim heritage, but the Jewish and Christian histories as well. King Mohammed VI’s top advisor is a well-known Jewish diplomat named Andre Azoulay, whose daughter, Audrey Azoulay, is the Director General of UNESCO. According to our guide, the third biggest ethnic population in Israel (after European and Russian) is Moroccan, and the Moroccans seem quite proud of that statistic – it’s been quoted to us three or four times already.

And did you know that Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of the United States in 1777? How about that.

I think it was Walt Whitman who said (some version of) “I contain multitudes”. Don’t we all. I sure do, and I detest being stereotyped. At the same time, I love having my preconceptions proven wrong when I travel, in an ooh-how-delightful-I-didn’t-expect-that sort of way and it is finally occurring to me…

Would it not be easier and more respectful to simply not have preconceptions?

Yes, I know other Muslim countries are different, stricter, less safe maybe, whatever… but again, they are different in their own way. All countries are.

Still.

Is it possible to travel with what the Buddhists call “beginner’s mind” and just take it all in as it comes? Easier said than done, I think, but worth a try.

From Casablanca we head to Chefchouen, the “blue city” then on to the Sahara. Tents in the desert and camels and all. No idea what to expect and I think I like it that way.

Wishing you more of the unexpected, traveling friends.

Cheers!

Traveling Girl

PS… I have to add, because it was so damn good.. a restaurant recommendation. Caravan Cafe in Essouira was outstanding. Order the Charcroute de Mer. Trust me.