Destination: Morocco
Today’s Free Press offered a tepid review of Sex and The City 2, criticizing it for veering away from a formula that worked: our foursome teetering around Manhattan, bantering over cosmos (and I’m not referring to matters metaphysical) . In this latest film instalment, they vacation in Abu Dhabi.
I will see this movie, no doubt, if only because I was in Abu Dhabi a few years ago, and recently spent 2 weeks on vacation in Morocco, where, in fact, SATC2 was filmed. The Free Press predicts that the film will likely increase interest in Moroccan tourism. Caution to the SATC2 viewer who decides to head to Morocco based on what (I imagine) they will see in the film. Beautiful scenery? Yes. Wonderful food? Yes.
Creature comforts to Carrie’s liking? Only at the Mamounia.
Camel rides? Having survived 2 rides (one taking us into the desert, the other hauling us out), I can’t wait to see how they depict that experience!
Nothing prepared me for Morocco. In addition to the dozen or so travel guides I pored over, I read a few books — Paul Bowles’ The Sheltering Sky being the classic novel, A House in Fez, by Susanna Clarke, and the delightful The Caliph’s House by English travel writer Tahir Shah. Many movies have been filmed, at least in part, in Morocco, including Kingdom of Heaven, Troy, and Gladiator. Here’s a photo of the kasbah Ait Bin Haddou, where those 3 films were shot: 
The country is magnificent, offering beautiful beaches, palmeraie, four mountain ranges, lush gorges, and the Sahara. We spent time in three cities: Rabat (the capital); Marrakesh (travelling the Marrakesh Express to get there); and Fez. The medinas of these ancient imperial cities teem with people, animals, smells (both good and bad), vivid colours, and the commerce of the souks. Navigating the labyrinthine laneways is an adventure, at times scary (particularly in Marrakesh), with motorbikes careening past, and “helpful guides” lurking everywhere, waiting for the (inevitable) look of confusion on a tourist’s face. After a few days, we became acclimatized and no longer jumped when we heard a motorbike or donkey approaching us, and could avert the aggressive gestures and calls of the shopkeepers.
in the souks of Marrakesh
We met up with friends from B.C. while in Marrakesh, and together embarked on a 5 day guided tour of the Atlas Mountains, Dades Gorge, and spent a night in a Berber tent in the Sahara. Our Morocco experience in the countryside was markedly different from the medina experience. The Berbers are the predominant tribe in south Morocco, and it is hard to imagine a warmer, more welcoming people. Outside the cities, the Moroccan people practice subsistence farming, living in houses unequipped with modern conveniences. No kitchen appliances (they cook over wood fires), no washing machines (they go down to the river), but satellite dishes are found on most rooftops and the television set is often the only piece of furniture in the living room, there being no chairs, only benches along the room’s perimeter, covered in brightly coloured pillows and throws. We had a magnificent lunch at the Draa Valley home of one of our guides, Tata. Having seen their kitchen, I was amazed at how they were able to serve us such a beautiful turkey tagine: 
And always, mint tea (Berber whiskey). Upon arrival at any home, hotel or riad, and in many of the artisanal shops in the souks, you are plied with mint tea, served with great ceremony and showmanship. It is the Moroccan gesture of goodwill and welcome, and it is absolutely delicious, using loose green or black teas, adding a generous handful of fresh mint and sugar (to taste) to the water as it steeps. I planted spearmint in my backyard this spring, and now delight in serving mint tea to guests and family. Once I’ve found a tagine that I can use in my oven, I’ll be able to put my new Moroccan cookbook to the test.
Sunrise in the Sahara
-LM
