Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Vudak on April 26, 2006, 12:57:36 AM
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Warning, spelling of countries/place names will be abhorent in this post. It's 2am. Gimme a break :D
Apparently one of my professors is taking a group of students with him to Morrocco next winter... The cost would be $1,800USD and it would probably be a week or two excursion. He's never been to the place, and neither has the other professor who's going, so there should be plenty of humor, and, possibly, a healthy dose of calamity.
The tentative schedule includes going to some oasis 100 miles into the Sahara and climbing the Atlas mountains. Marakech and Casablanca would also be visited. I hear there are some pretty neat Roman ruins outside of Marakech that I would like to see. I'm sick and tired of flying halfway across the world to not even see some ruins!
Has anyone ever been to this country? If you had the option, would you go? If you've been there, would you recommend it, or not, and why?
Finally, if I do end up plunking down the tax return for this one, any advice on what to do/not do/drink the water?/etc.?
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I have a colleague who regularly goes trekking in the Sahara. I'll ask him for a list of tips.
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I've been to Casablanca. Was there in 2001. The Palace area is nice and the worlds largest Mosque is there which is very impressive. Other than that I found the rest of the city reminded me of a sewer, literaly. I watched people squat down on the sidewalks and take a leak or a dump. Trash was everywhere, and the air polution was pretty bad. You always have little kids following you around begging. I wouldn't go back.
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was there in the late 70's it's a great place to go see just how peaceful, progressive and good islum is. you want to pay to go there, they should pay you. wild horses couldn't drag me back.
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Europe is crammed full of gangers who FLED Morocco..WHY would that putz want to take you there?
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One of my colleagues decided to take a girlfriend on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. He chose Morroco.
He will never, ever go back there.
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Sounds like you better know the ropes to having a good time there.
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Looks like you better choose a new target for the tax plunk.
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I was there for about 2 hours once......lets just say that an armed security contingent was assigned to us....not sure if it was to keep others out or to keep us in :huh (was in USMC OTW to Egypt at the time)
I'm sure my experience there was not indicative of what a vacation there would be like.
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Yep most likely it's not a very safe place for an American at this time.
I wouldn't go there regardless of the fact.
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Ok, well, I guess it looks like I'm probably not going to Morroco! :rofl
I have no idea why, of all places, Morroco was chosen, but the prof. doesn't have the say in that sort of thing so much as the various student groups do, so I dunno...
Then again, once in awhile it's good to take a vacation from hell. Like driving down to FL with everything on the car breaking along the way. Just makes life that much more interesting. From what you're all telling me, this place would fit "that" bill quite nicely lol.
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Originally posted by deSelys
I have a colleague who regularly goes trekking in the Sahara. I'll ask him for a list of tips.
What is wrong with him ? He likes to walk but hates nature ?
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Originally posted by Suave
What is wrong with him ? He likes to walk but hates nature ?
A desert isn't part of nature?
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Spent three months in Morocco in the 70s, mostly Tangiers and Marrakesh and down the coast, Essaouria and Agadir. I thought it was beautiful and historically fascinating. Poverty certainly exists as it does in a lot of places in the world. The kids can beg in five languages though which is remarkable in itself. The lingua franca of the country is still French but a lot of English is spoken.
I don't have a take on safety in light of current world politics. I probably wouldn't wander off deep into the medina by myself anymore. I would certainly take the opportunity to go.
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I spent 2 weeks in the North, around Tanger and Tetouan in the late eighties. I had an uncle teaching there at a spanish high-school (remnant of the colonial era). People were nice, children begged (and called my other uncle "the American" for getting angry about that), food in restaurants was cheap and nice, but of course you shouldn't eat the fly-riddled sheep brains in the medina.
I stuck to bottled water and still crapped my guts out.
Filth is always relative, for me it wasn't any worse than any other poor place. In particular, I had the "opportunity" of visiting quite a few public WCs which were extremely clean and quite safe and well stocked, as many were guarded by a policeman with a roll of toilet paper stuck to the barrel of his SMG :rofl
I enjoyed the visit, but of course my uncle was an excellent guide having lived there for a few years.
About the Atlas thing, my brother went to climb the highest mountain there a couple of years ago. By his account it isn't your regular pic-nic: strong winds had him crawling as walking upright wasn't possible anymore and one night he had to join some locals that lived in a cave for dinner and refuge against freezing. I can't picture my usually squeamish brother grabbing rice&goat from a common pot in a cave, but well hunger can be a great mover.
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I have been to Tunisia a couple of times, i think that those sort of countries are the stunninghunk of the world. Really didnt like it. Pollution, rubbish (trash) everywhere, people pestering you for your money constantly.
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Vudack
I was really "down" on Morroco in this thread, but take what "I" said with a grain of salt. I was simply relaying second hand information.
I think you should go...unless you are extremely concerned about safey.
You are young, you should get out there and experience everything you possibly can. Travel, experience and above all learn everything you can from it.
With your refund cheque you can either buy yourself a new computer and sit around doing the "same old same old", maybe buy a new gun and put some holes in paper or animals...or you can have an amazing life experience (good and/or bad).
You may never get the chance again man. My advice is go.
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Not without first hand advice from later than 20 years ago..
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If one day I suddenly woke up in morocco, you know what the first thing I would say to myself would be?
"****!"
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Went with a Raid (20+ planes) to Er Rachidia, bordering the Sahara, and had been to the north before. Both my parents are from the spanish colonies in Africa (Ceuta and Melilla), so I have visited several times.
If you really want to enjoy Morocco, avoid tourist spots such as Casablanca and Marrakech. The real Morocco is where tourist don't go so often. You'll find plenty of extremely welcoming people there, not much begging, and a lot of history.
If you have to go to a big city, try Fez, the medina is something to see.
As for danger... I don't think an american will be in danger there. I would perhaps avoid Tanger, but that's all.
Daniel
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What Daniel said , btw learning a bit of French would help greatly :)
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Maybe you can ask beetle. If he has been there he can tell you how much better he is then the natives.
Plus after only 10 minutes there he is an expert on the culture and customs.
:rofl
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lol, just read all the replies here made me laugh hehe
I have been to the area around Agadir 2 times now and i got back from my most recent trip 2 weeks ago, i was there for 3 weeks on a surf trip, surfing anker point and a bunch of other world class surf spots, as morocco is a cheap uncrowded surf heaven.
Morocco used to be berber, then the arabs came, then, french colonial and some spanish colonisation depending where you are.
Main languages are French (young people) and arabic/berber/english, older people dont speak such good french it seems in the areas we went to.
If you learn just a few arabic words like thankyou 'shokran' and see you later, no problem etc you will be welcomed alot more, more so than just trying to speak french i found, and we had many humorous chats with locals about language, history just because of trying a little to speak 'thier language', we even asked if 'durka durka jihad mohammad' (from team america' actually had any sensible meaning which had everyone laughing :-)
The people are very very friendly, and its common to be invited for dinner (a tagine) or to come in for a mint tea and a chat, and we made many good friends in taghazout last year who remembered us this year when we returned.
around this area (kinda south west) they are more Burber than arabic and they arn't all crazy islamic fundamentalists!!
Merrakesh = amazing experience walking around the market (souk) the smell and aroma of spices and bartering with the store holders is funny,
(tip: wear sunglasses if you dont want to get hassled as much as you look around as they cant make eye contact, but remove them to build trust when bartering or when talking to the police/officials)
High Atlas mountains are amazing, we drove the 'Tizi n test' mountain pass, to get from agadir to merrakesh, if you suffer vertigo dont do it!!
would i go back, without a moments hessitation, its an amazing place.
but like any poorer country, dont be flashy, dont wave hundreds of Dirams around, and have button up pockets ;-)
Also buy loads of Pens to give away to the little kids, as they are always asking for 'Un stylo, un stylo' and for a pen that cost a few pence, you'll help kids with school, and make friends with the locals.
anyway, i'm going back to my place i lurk in again, carry on :-)
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only very briefly.
dont drink the water, dont eat anything that isnt piping hot enough to burn your mouth, dont speak to people who look like they could hide a dagger in thier cloaks.
visit the mountains, and hunt down the source of the legendary morrocan hash farms buried deep into the wilderness, and gaurded by very relaxed people with guns. (no, of course we didnt find them)
take some sun screen and a decent reuseable water bottle.
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2 words: Katma valley.
mhhhhhh :)
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Originally posted by B@tfinkV
only very briefly.
dont drink the water, dont eat anything dont look at anyone dont talk to anyone dont walk on the soil dont step on any weird animals dont use the lavatories blah blah blah
Isn't it a lot simplier just to stay the heck away? :D