Romain and Tanja in Morocco (Part I: How I accidentally climbed a mountain)

Place Jemaa El Fna, Marrakech

Dear blog readers,

At the end of May, I accidentally climbed a mountain in Africa. That might sound unlikely but it's actually true. I decided to join my friend Romain on a trip to Morocco. Romain had been to Morocco many times, so he offered to organize the trip. I was busy with work and every time I got an email with links to sustainable travel sites and ecotourism information, I quickly replied to Romain that it was great or perfect. I have to admit here that I didn't really read all of the email attachments. I like to live by the motto "Trust each other." I didn't really think of the next line in the book "Trust but verify."

A few days before our trip, Romain and I both read the email from Terres Nomades, our ecological travel agency in Morocco. A certain Marie was telling us that we needed to be ready for -15 degree temperatures and tons of snow. Who knew there was snow in Morocco? Why had I been paying so little attention to the world around me? And I also noticed that we would be climbing Mt Toubkal on the second-to-last day. I finally realized that the whole trip revolved around getting to the top of Mt Toubkal. For a second, I thought about calling off the whole thing. But luckily, I didn't. Of course, I didn't.

To get used to the climate, we spent a day in Marrakech before taking off to the High Atlas Mountains. Marrakech appeals to the senses. To all six of them. We had dinner on Place Jemaa el Fna, which is said to have been an old slave market.

Though there obviously are a lot of tourists, Place Jemaa el Fna feels oddly authentic. Maybe it's because the food stall owners make sure they stay very genuine. Romain told me that dining here is the best way to blend in. He's right. It took me about an hour to make the switch and to let go of things and just enjoy the colors and the light. And honestly, a couple of germs don't kill you if you're in good health. But of course, you have to be smart about it. So: never order salads or fish on Place Jemaa el Fna. And don't worry if you're surrounded by cats when eating dinner in the middle of the square. They'll clean the table after you go. And you don't even need to tip them. After dinner, go meet the numerous snake charmers, fortune tellers and gnawa musicians playing trance-inducing music on the square.  

Halal butcher.

I took this picture in the neighborhood close to the Lezama synagogue. Mellah is the Jewish neighborhood of Marrakech. Morocco has historically been one of the most tolerant environments for Jews in the Arab world. 

King Mohammed VI welcomed us. Although not personally.

Romain hesitated about getting a haircut before leaving for the mountains.

We looked at the latest swimwear...

And visited some riads...

 

Until the sun went down and we decided to get a good night's sleep before our big trip into the mountains.

I'll tell you more about the big hike in my next post. I can already tell you this: I still can't believe that a country can be as amazing as Morocco.