Question Time - Morocco

1.    What were your impressions of Morocco before visiting?

My initial impressions before arriving in Morocco was that it was going to be a lot more behind European standards and less developed than it turned out to be. I also thought it was going to be a beautiful country, which it turned out to be. But I was in general terrified about everything; the water, the food, the people, the roads, the fact that it was a scary thing to do, and the actual cycling in Morocco.

2.    What surprised you the most about Morocco?

The fact that it wasn't as far behind European standards as I thought it might be, and that the cities were a lot more developed. I was also surprised with the road and travel infrastructure; it was very good and the public transport, although we did not use it much, seemed very reliable. The guidebooks are partly wrong about Morocco I think.

3.    What was your favourite city in Morocco and why?

Rabat was definitely my favourite. It was modern, laid back and had that Capital feeling. There was no hassle as you walked about, which was common in most other big cities. Also the street food was lovely and there was plenty of choice. The fact that it had beautiful views overlooking the sea was a nice factor too. If I was going to live in any city in Morocco, from what I have seen it would be Rabat.

4.    What was your favourite sight?

The Cascades D'Ouzoud. They were well worth the very hard cycle to get up there. They were beautful, especially seen from above away from the touristy bit, with no hassle and no other people. It was really peaceful and made for a lovely spot to sit and just relax.

5.    What didn't you like about Morocco?

The hassle. By the end of it I was fed up of all the staring and people wanting to guide and sell you different things. I also didn't like the very strong male culture. Although I didn't encounter it much personally, I didn't like the way they treated their women. I would not like to be a woman in Morocco.

6.    Was the language barrier ever a problem?

Not as such, you could get by with everything you needed with English and just a very few words of French. But I would have liked to have known more French as people were really friendly and wanted to talk to you, but we were unable to because of this. This was more so in the smaller villages outside the cities as a lot of people in the cities could speak English.

7.    Are the Moroccan people friendly?

Moroccan people are very friendly, most of them try to talk to you wherever you are. Whilst cycling along the roads everyone was saying bonjour to you and waving, and they are very happy to share their culture. A good example of this was at a riad where we were invited for a mint tea and homemade biscuits whilst having a chat with the owners, it was a really nice experience.

8.    Was there enough choice of food? And what was your favourite food in Morocco?

In Morocco there was plenty of choice of food, street food is everywhere and it is soooo good. Choosing a favourite food in Morocco is tough, they were all so good. The breakfasts were a highlight, with amazing breads and especially the pancakes. The pancakes were amazing, they were probably my favourite of all. But special mention must also go for the weirdest food I tried, which was camel tagine, also really good.

9.    What was the highlight of your time in Morocco?

The highlight for me was the morning when we cycled from the woods where we had wild camped outside a small village called Sidi Moktar to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. What made it such a highlight was the road, it was very smooth and quick, we completed 60km in 3hrs and had some lovely views along the way, the best being at the top of the last hill before entering Essaouira where you saw the village right next to the sea. It was also especially good coming after a very bad day the day before.

10.    What are the roads like for cycling?

That depends, they vary from extremely good, where they are newly paved, smooth, wide and with a cycle lane to very bad, with loads of potholes, which make cycling a pain as they kill your speed. But overall I would say Morocco is a good country for cycling in, and they have a lot more cycle lanes than I was expecting.

11.    What piece of equipment would you say is most essential if cycling through Morocco?

Apart from the obvious; the bike, I would say good strong panniers, with strong clips for the different terrains you have to go on where it can get bumpy, but also ones that are waterproof and hard to get into, with plenty of room to store food, as it's so cheap and you need plenty of energy when cycling around!

12.    Would you recommend Morocco as a destination for others to visit?

Yes definitely, it's beautiful, it's cheap, the people are really friendly, the food is amazing and you feel really safe, I never felt at all threatened at anytime, even when wild camping.

13.    Would you do it again? Do you have any regrets?

Yes I would definitely do it again, as there is plenty of parts of the country we have left unexplored. The only regret would be that I did not speak French, as I think it would have been much better if I was able to interact with the locals. It would have made it more interesting and fun, and probably would have learnt a lot more about local culture. My other regret would be my knee injury, which made some cycling days rather unenjoyable and cut the trip short.

14.    Any other comments?

Try the hammam, it is awesome, and don't be put off by the nudity, it's a big part of Moroccan culture and it's amazing how clean you feel afterwards.