The High Atlas Mountains

Imlil is a small village in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains, about a 2-hour bus ride south of Marrakesh. The town is at an elevation of almost 2,000 meters, and even in the summer you can see snow on nearby Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa. I ended up spending 4 nights in Imlil, going for mountain hikes during the day, then before dinner stopping at the local hammam (Moroccan public bath) for a scrub. When I first arrived in Imlil I bought a trail map of the region, but then decided I would try hiring a guide for a few hours to see what that was like. For 350 Moroccan dirhams (about 45 US dollars) you can get a mountain guide in Imlil for a few hours, including lunch. I instead went for a budget deal. I asked around town and was eventually introduced to Hussain, an older man from a nearby village, who was willing to be my guide for about half that amount (excluding lunch, and bring your own water). Hussain proved to be very familiar with the local mountain trails and villages so I got a good hiking tour of the region. The photo above is of Hussain, and I included the one above that because though it's common to see flower planters and sandals made out of old tires, that's the first time I've seen them used for pitchers, cups, and water pots. Also, those little brown clay pots in the waterfall photo are a kind of old-fashioned Crock-pot for making tajine, a popular Moroccan dish made by slow cooking vegetables and/or meat with spices over charcoal.

The thing about Morocco ...

I have been in Morocco for about 3 weeks now, and my plan was to move on to Tunisia after about 4 weeks. The thing is as I travel in Morocco I keep changing my travel itinerary, adding more places to explore. Considering the many places to see in Morocco: the Atlas mountains; the numerous fascinating cities like Fez, Marrakesh, Tangier, Meknes, and Casablanca; the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, two months now seems like a more adequate amount of time for exploring the country.

Rather than depart for the High Atlas mountains this morning as planned, I decided to extend my stay here in Marrakesh because voting is taking place today on the new proposed constitution, so likely the city will be very lively this evening after the voting is done and, as appears inevitable, the constitutional referendum has been approved by the people. It seems the King/government has been putting out a lot of propaganda encouraging the Moroccan subjects to vote yes, but some reformers are boycotting the election today, claiming that the proposed constitution is the same old same old, failing to take the required steps toward true democracy. One clause mentioned in the proposed constitution states that rather than continue to consider the King as "sacred," he would henceforth be regarded as the "Commander of the Faithful." :
http://en.news.maktoob.com/20090000848224/Morocco_urges_voters_to_back_curbs_on_king_apos_s_powers/Article.htm

Moulay Idriss and Volubilis

Located north of Meknes near the Middle Atlas mountains, Volubilis is Morocco's best preserved archaelogical site, and one of the Roman Empire's most remote outposts. Volubilis is only about 2 miles from the pleasant mountain town of Moulay Idriss, so I found a room for the night with a family living there. After waiting out the hot afternoon, I spent several pleasant evening hours before sunset exploring the vast ruins of Volubilis. While there a young man selling hats and postcards approached me and, after some bargaining, agreed to show me around the site. Having a guide brought the place alive, plus I got the added advantage of practicing my French. By the way, the above camel photo was not taken in the Moulay Idriss region. I took that photo in the old market area of Marrakesh when I returned there yesterday, en route to the High Atlas mountains.

Meknes

Located at the edge of the Middle Atlas mountains in central Morocco, the small city of Meknes is about a one hour train ride west of Fez. Though it resembles Fez in many ways, Meknes is smaller and more laid back. I bargained hard at the Majestic Hotel in downtown Meknes, but still went a little over budget as the room ended up costing me 220 dirhams per nite, or about 27 US dollars. For that price I do not get breakfast, but the hotel clerk did agree to throw a small electric fan into the bargain since the room has no air conditioning and it is about 104F in Meknes right now during the long afternoons.There do not seem to be many tourists in Morocco right now, likely due in part to the late April terrorist bombing in Marrakesh which killed 15 people (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13226117) and also due to fears of political uprising as in neighboring countries like Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, etc. There are articles in the Moroccan papers every day about King Mohammed VI and his proposed constitution for Morocco, and yesterday there were protests across Morocco as reformers say that the King is not relinquishing enough power. In contrast, as shown in the above photo, there were also large groups of shirtless youths out on the city streets waving photos of the King to show their support for the monarchy:

http://en.news.maktoob.com/20090000838452/Moroccans_protest_for_and_against_new_constitution/Article.htm

Maybe the proposed constitution will be enough to appease King Mohammed’s subjects for now, but if not what will follow could be similar to other "Arab Spring" uprisings that have erupted across North Africa and the Middle East.

The Middle Atlas Mountains

Azrou is a Berber town in the Middle Atlas Mountains, about a 2-hour bus ride south of the city of Fez. It's a good place to lay up for a couple of days, exploring the town and the countryside and relaxing at the streetside cafes. After arriving on the bus from Fez, we checked into the Hotel de Panorama, an inexpensive older (and supposedly peaceful) hotel in the woods a short walk from town, but not long after settling into our room the roar of machinery started up for a nearby road repaving project. The following day things leveled out -- the paving work was done, so we could enjoy the mountain setting without all the commotion from the machinery. By chance we arrived in town on Monday, the day before market day. This is an important large weekly market for the region with numerous goods on offer including colorful Berber carpets, fruits and vegetables, new and used clothes, plastic flowers, live animals, watch repair, tools, etc. Azrou is about the end of the road for my travel partner. From here it is back to Casablanca to fly back to Abu Dhabi, so it is time for me to adjust to solo travel mode ...

Fez

If Casablanca is Morocco’s economic center and Marrakesh the country’s artistic soul, then Fez represents the very essence of the country, “regarded with a certain amount of awe, perhaps tinged with jealousy by the rest of the country.” It’s a widely held belief among Moroccans that anyone born in Fez is “more religious, cultured, artistic and refined.” Located near the Middle Atlas Mountains, east of Casablanca and north of Marrakesh, Fez is hotter than the former and cooler than the latter. The city’s old section is Morocco’s first World Heritage site. It’s the world’s largest living medieval city and the biggest car-free urban environment on the planet. During our wanderings in the ancient souq (market) we would inevitably get lost in the huge maze of narrow streets and alleyways, eventually ending up outside the city’s walls where we’d make our way back to our hotel. This place, the Hotel Menzeh Zalagh, is a faded old resort past its prime and full of character with its colorful tile work, old marble fountains, Moroccan artwork, and balconies with mountain views.

Marrakesh

Considered by many to be the crown jewel of Morocco, the city of Marrakesh is about a 3-hour train ride south of Casablanca. This time of year it's quite hot (above 100F during the afternoons) with strong winds. Though there were some tourists visiting Marrakesh, many of the numerous hotels in the city seemed fairly empty, likely due to the recent terrorist bombing at the top floor of the touristy Cafe Argana in the main square, Djemma el-Fna. This huge open area in the old part of the city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Marrakesh. Here's what Lonely Planet Morocco has to say about the square: "Some of the best Djemma dinner theater acts haven't changed much in a millenium including astrologers, healers, and cross-dressing belly dancers. Storytellers recite ancient tales alongside dentist booths displaying jars of teeth. For bringing urban legends and Morocco's urban history to life nightly, Unesco declared the Djemma el-Fna a "Masterpiece of World Heritage" in 2001."