Morocco Tour - May 2007 Volkswagen Driving experience General information on Morocco Morocco is a land of extremes covering an area of over 710 850 km - in terms of its people, its landscapes and its climate making it almost twice the size of Germany. It has a population of roughly 27 million. The country's languages are Arabic, French and various Berber dialects. While there are highly developed cities, especially those on the Atlantic coast (e.g. Casablanca), moving further into the hinterland, you find towns that retain their medieval charm. In rural areas, customs and traditions have survived for centuries, giving visitors the impression of being transported back in time. Although only the Strait of Gibraltar separates Morocco from Europe, the country has a very distinct character in which Islamic culture plays a dominant role. Numbering among the major attractions are the royal cities of Marrakech, Fez, Meknes and Rabat with their labyrinthine streets. Here one finds the opulent royal palaces standing in stark contrast to the medinas, the historic city centres, and the poverty of their inhabitants. Geography There are four major mountain ranges in Morocco: the Rif mountains in the north with their highest peak at 2 200 m, the Central Atlas extending from north-east to south-west, the High Atlas situated to the east of Agadir, which rises to 4 165 m at its highest peak, and the Anti Atlas in the south. Many of Morocco's rivers are completely dry in the summer, although melting snow and sudden cloudbursts can quickly transform them into raging torrents. Climate In the summer months, there is virtually no rainfall in the Central Atlas and Rif mountains, whereas in winter these areas experience much more frequent rain and snow than other parts of the country. The rainy season lasts from November into January (sometimes even into March). Temperatures in the mountains may fall to -20 °C or even lower in winter. Flooding and snow can often make the mountain roads un passable. Food Traditional Moroccan dining is still characterised by simple home cooking and, not surprisingly, the kitchen is one of the largest and most important rooms in a Moroccan household. Main courses frequently consist of a wide range of tagines, traditional stews with various types of meat and vegetables, cooked over an open fire in a clay pot. Couscous, hard wheat semolina served with various types of meat, is a dish adopted from Arab cooking. Peppermint tea is probably the most widely drunk beverage and completes every meal. Currency The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan dirham. A dirham is divided into 100 centimes. Exchange rate (on 10/04/2007): 1 Rand is equivalent to 1 DH. Interesting facts Mobile telephone networks are now available in towns and cities. Most dwellings have electricity and water supply even in the outlying areas. Bear in mind that in traveling to Morocco you are entering part of 'Dar al-Islam', the House of Islam, which is made up of all Muslim countries. Your clothing should therefore conform to local standards. For women it is highly advisable to dress in a conventional style, You should generally ask people's permission before photographing them. Adults and children are usually pleased to have their picture taken, but nevertheless expect something in return. OUR TRIP Volkswagen Germany and their marketing company Process One, offer a number of interesting trips around the world for prospective buyers as well as dealers and journalists. We were lucky enough to be included into one of these trips and our destination was Marrakech, Morocco. The vehicles are shipped in from Germany for the trip. Our meeting point was the hotel Le Méridien in Marrakech, a pleasant setting for the beginning and end of the adventurous 'Volkswagen experience Morocco Tour'. We spend the first evening getting some local flavour by visiting the very popular market and having a traditional dinner alongside the market orientating ourselves to the Moroccan night life. The next day the group of 6 LHD 2.5 diesel Toureg Expeditions set off for the Atlas mountains traveling south. The Touareg Expedition model is not available in SA and has a number of extras the local ones don't have like aluminum protective plating underneath, a winch on the front and custom made roof racks with the usual low range and diff locks. The trip over the mountains was a fairly good tar road but dodging the pedestrians, bicycles, over loaded trucks and donkeys was the challenge. Once we were over the mountain and onto the gravel the trip became more interesting. The scenery immediately changed becoming more barren and less inhabited than the north side. Our first nights accommodation was a semi Westernised Kasbah which is a traditional dwelling made of compacted mud left to dry. The walls are boxed and mud is forced into the cavity where it is compacted and when dry forms the outer walls. The evening meal was a traditional one with a variety of starters and hot dishes cooked in a tagine (a clay cone shaped pot). The following morning we rose to a traditional breakfast of local fruit and breads before being guided through the adjoining oldest Kasbah in Morocco. It is said to be 500 years old and areas are still inhabited today by local folk. An interesting observation was the two entrances one used by the Arabs and another by the Jews who lived there until the mid 1950s. The tracks then took us through some local villages and onto the desert. The rocky desert (much like the Richtersveld) took us through very arid land where we saw very few local outside of their mud villages. The kids run out to the cars as they do in SA causing a bit of confusion and shout at you in French for sweets, pencils or just anything. As we neared the Algerian border we passed an army outpost in the late afternoon and then drove into the dunes where we camped under a clump of palm trees for the night. The day seemed very strange to us as we had not seen a single bird or wild animal bar camels and donkeys. We were visited that night by some locals who played us some music on a drum, prepared and served a peppermint tea ceremony for us and the local mayor who came for a dop (and promptly forgot to go home after he got into the wine). The next morning we headed south west into the sand desert via a local town when we stopped for a snack and fill up. On entering the sand desert we became part of a sand storm making visibility fairly dangerous. In the late afternoon the wind had began to die down so we stopped in amongst the dunes and camped for the night. By sun down the wind had stopped completely and we had the most beautiful full moon night in the desert dunes. Some folk stayed at the vehicles were others decided as it was full moon to spread their stretchers on top of the dunes and enjoy the scenery. The next morning was perfect for some really good pics of the dunes and the sunrise. Our drive out of the dunes took us onto a very large pan heading north now on our way back to Marrakech. The day took us over a section of the Paris Dakar route at a fraction of the speed the competitors travel to a spot where Uta Kleinschmit (the Touareg factory driver) had taken her and her car out of a previous Dakar race. Our final night saw us in a small town closer to the anti Atlas mountains where we stayed in a local dwelling. The area is more populated and the local subsistence farms seemed a lot larger. The area is also famous for its growing and preparing of Saffron, a very sought after and very expensive spice which comes from the stigma of a flower. The last day our guide took us off the normal track into an area she had discovered which sees very little vehicle traffic and no tourists. The track took us over semi arid areas of mountain down into a very small village. It was pictures that we had seen of this village that prompted us to do the trip. The very basic clay Kasbahs, windy narrow streets build on the hillside and amazingly no red 'Coco Cola' signs. The kids seldom see cars and so one has to be extra careful when passing through as they all come out to greet you running in the track wanting something from you. From here the trip back to the city saw us traveling back on the tar road over the mountains and into Marrakech. A final visit to the night market for some presents and a last look before a good bye meal with the group and an early 4am departure out of Morocco back to Germany. Highs and Lows Visiting a new place with a different culture, seeing amazing scenery and the desert. Being in the wild but not seeing any wild animals, insects and very few birds.   Pictures.    Click here for the PHOTO'S 001 - Tracklog of our trip 002 - Marrakech trading market at night 003 - Touareg Expedition at the hotel in Marrakech 004 - Some of the group 005 - Leaving Marrakech with atlas mts in the distance 006 - Typical village on the main road South 007 - Closer view the Atlas mountains 008 - Bareness of the south side of the mountains 009 - First night accommodation in a modern Kasbah 010 - 500 year old Kasbah still occupied 011 - Inside the Kasbah 012 - Holes in the wall are for construction purposes and the sign show it is the Jewish entrance 013 - Muslims entrance 014 - Real desert camels 015 - First night in desert camping 016 - Stoney desert 017 - Pass dropping down into the sand desert 018 - Burned out Mitsubishi Pajero 019 - Local desert transport 020 - Local Bedouin / Berber camp 021 - Sand storm 022 - Second desert camp 023 - Section of the Dakar route 024 - Desert riders (note the KTM on the right) 025 - Landscape 026 - Desert village 027 - Mountain pass 028 - Modern Village 029 - Desert village 030 - Desert village 031 - Local kid with traditional gown 032 - A friendly local with his mate 033 - Modern village 034 - Village on South side of Anti Atlas mountains 035 - Subsistence farming along the rivers 036 - Subsistence farming along the rivers 037 - Notice the mountain rock formations 038 - Local castle 039 - Sign home