Ian Wright and Megan McCormick take a journey through mysterious
Morocco, the meeting of Europe and Africa and a land of richly
cultured cities, high mountain ranges and inhospitable desert
landscapes.
Ian takes a trip through the interior, to the walled city
of Fes and the calm mountain village of Tamtachoute.
He rides a motorbike through the desert before downgrading
his mode of transport to camel for an overnight trek through
the dunes. He makes a whistle stop visit to Marrakech before racing off to the coast for some much-needed relaxation
by the sea at Essouira.
Meanwhile Megan stops off in Tangier, a
long-time magnet of creative-minds, dodgy characters and thrill-seekers.
Then she takes to the ocean road, stopping off in the capital Rabat, the heavily French Casablanca and
finally winding up in the amazingly vibrant southern market
centre Marrakech.
While Ian embarks on a journey inland, Megan takes time to
explore Tangier, a city of outside influences that have combined
with local culture to create a city that's quite unlike anywhere
else in the country. She shops for textiles at the Berber
Sunday morning market, samples the view painted by
Matisse from the El Minza Hotel and visits
a fabulous seventeenth century palace that used to be the
royal Harem.
Meanwhile, Ian makes a pit stop in the small mountain town
of Chaouen where he relaxes over a proper
cup of Moroccan tea. Then it's a hitchhike to Fes,
the most medieval city in the Arab world, where he explores
the fascinating twists and turns of the 30 miles of Medina before a dose of questionable relaxation in a Haman, the Moroccan
equivalent of a sauna.
Megan starts her coastal trip along Morocco with a stop in Rabat, Morocco's sleepy administrative capital.
There she visits the ambitious but never completed Hassan
Mosque and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed
V, the father of modern Morocco and ouster of the
French colonists. It's a fabulous building, richly adorned
with materials from every corner of the globe.
Ian journeys further into the inhospitable but awesome interior
of Morocco, climbing high into the dramatic scenery of the High Atlas Mountains. His route takes him
through the Todra Gorge, a stunning 900ft
chasm through red rock, and onto to the village of Tamtachoute.
There he joins locals for the Id El Kabir, one of Islam's oldest and most important festivals, in which
everyone who can afford it buys a sheep and slaughters it
in celebration.
Back on the coast, Megan has arrived in Casablanca - a modern, bustling city that could be in Europe. She takes
a wander round the typically Islamic Habous quarter where she samples a local delicacy, camel burger,
and then steps into the French Quarter, with
its unique architectural mix of art deco and Moroccan motifs.
The pinnacle of the city has to be the awe-inspiring Hassan
II Mosque, the third largest in the world, constructed
on reclaimed land - true to the words of the Koran which says
that the throne of God was built on water.
Continuing his journey, Ian heads down the Dades
Valley to Zagora with a couple of
bikers and walks the last six miles to the tiny hamlet of Tinfou from where he can camel trek into
the desert. He stays overnight among the dunes and enjoys
a campfire meal.
Nearing the end of their trips, Megan and Ian turn their
sights toward Marrkech the vibrant, market centre of the south.
Ian joins the crowds at the Jemaa el Fna,
the city square that fills with food stalls, artists and performers
every afternoon. Megan goes deep into the Medina souk, the
centre of life here since the twelfth century and a real assault
on the senses; every conceivable craft is practised here including
the amazing zellij mosaic craftsmen. She meets a master-craftsmen
and learns about the intricate work involved in making these
beautiful designs. For her evening's entertainment she makes
her way to the Jemaa el Fna; every July it
plays host to the Marrakech Folklore Festival with performers from far and wide.
Ian's last leg of his journey takes him to the coastal town
of Essaouira, a sleepy fishing town that's
a perfect place to unwind after the gruelling but inspiring
experience that is Morocco. In a land of such stark contrasts
there's certainly something for everyone.
Ian hires a motorbike and heads down the Dades Valley to Zagora, following the route of a thousand
Kasbahs, an ancient caravan trail that runs out to the desert.
He embarks on a two day camel trek form the village of Tinfou,
but unfortunately a sandstorm is brewing and Ian spends the
most of the trip with his head wrapped in a shash to screen
out the blasting sand. |
