I got up early and checked out to catch a taxi back towards Tinehir, in order to catch my 8.45am bus to Ouarzazate. As I reached the bus station, guess who I saw! The same irritating guy from yesterday waiting at the bus station. I happened to catch a glance of him and immediately just ignored him, and caught him saying something smirk about going off without him. He gives tourists a bad impression of Berber and Morocco, such a disgrace!
The bus journey towards Ouarzazate was about 3.5 hours, and on the way, I met a lady from Netherlands who had spent the last few years travelling in Morocco whenever she has leave from work. She shared with me about her experience in Morocco and the people – very similar stories of what I have heard from others as well as my personal experience till date. The locals will constantly hound you and will rip you off where they can, which is a huge turn-off for tourists.
We soon arrived in Ouarzazate, and hopped on a taxi and asked the driver to take me to a hotel which I had pulled off from a travel guide. I was surprised when we arrived that the taxi driver demanded 10 Dirhams for the short distance as the people at the bus company had told me that it should cost only about 5 Dirhams. Being in a foreign land without the ability to argue my way through, I had to pay him the 10 Dirhams.
The staff at the concierge was really friendly and showed me a very clean, modern and comfortable looking room. Finally some western comfort!
I headed towards the bus station and a guy approached me on where I would like to go. I told him I was going to Ait Bin Haddou, and he said that the Grand Taxis at Ait Bin Haddou wasn’t working, and offered a promotional rate on a private car, which will cost 100 Dirhams return (about S$14.50). I said I do not have that money, and if that was the case, I will just stay in Ouarzazate.
As I walked out of the bus station, the guy came after me and told me the Grand Taxis are working. It was so clear that his previous excuse was such a scam! He led me to a bus and asked me to board and said that the bus ride costs 10 Dirhams. Not being able to communicate to the bus driver, I just had to give him the money, but suspected that part of it was pocketed by the guy as the ride probably only cost 2 Dirhams.
I soon arrived at my destination and climbed up the Kasbah. For all the stories I have heard about this place, I was disappointed, as my expectations were very different. I had assumed it to be much more elaborate and being a popular filming location, something with a lot more grandeur. However it was just a hill with a fortress on the top, though there was a good view of the surrounding area from the top.
I spent about half an hour walking around the Kasbah, before making my way down and started walking on the main road, while keeping out for someone whom I could hitch a ride with.
After about 5 mins, a van that had stopped at a scenery viewpoint had its window open, and one of the guys at the passenger seat asked if I needed a ride back to Ouarzazate. I quickly hopped on, and in the van were 2 French guys (Pierre and Jiluc) and 1 Moroccan.
Jiluc was the chauffeur and the Moroccan guy sat in the passenger seat in front, while Pierre and I sat at the back. Further in the back was their “home”, where I saw a stove and beds in the back of the van (very messy!), and a travelling Siamese CAT!!!
Pierre shared that they have been travelling in Morocco for the last 3 months in the van, and only got to know the Moroccan guy (Berber origin) 2 days ago, whom have agreed to be their guide over the next few days as they head towards the Sahara desert.
While on our way to Ouarzazate, Jiluc said that they were going towards a lake in Ouarzazate and asked if I would like to join them. I didn’t know there was one, and without any plans for the day, I agreed. We arrived just in time to see the sun set at the lake.
We stayed around for about half an hour before heading back towards the main town of Ouarzazate. Jiluc asked if I was keen to join them for dinner, as they are planning to cook tagine in their van. Sounding like a really interesting concept, I agreed.
Jiluc drove to an open site just next to the highway where preparation for the tagine dish started. Pierre marinated some mince beef with some sauces and rolled them up into a ball, while I helped Jiluc with cutting some of the vegetables. The Moroccan guy on the other hand, opened up his bottle of the wine and started drinking, without even offering any to us. Before the meal even started, he had finished his bottle!
While preparation was underway, Pierre, Jiluc and I discussed about the behaviour of Moroccans, and how they would take advantage of you, and the Moroccan guy’s example was just a classic example. He was already drunk by the time he finished his wine, and soon started on the one which I had bought for everyone to share. He did not offer to help with the cooking preparation and according to Pierre and Jiluc, had also been asking for money to buy cigarettes and even “chocolate”. I exchanged my travel stories and said I have seen similar examples.
By the time dinner was ready, it was about 9.30pm and I was starving. The meatball tagine cooked in a campervan smelled really good and we dug in together with the wine.
I also saw for the 1st time what a “chocolate” was and how it was being prepared for consumption. And if you are wondering if I attempted to try it, I am proud to say that I am still drug-free and will continue to be!
By the time Jiluc and Pierre dropped me off at my hotel, it was already 11.45pm and everything around the area was pitched black. I was worried as the main door of my hotel was closed. I knocked on it and a hotel staff came to the door with huge curiousity on where I had gone, as everything around had been closed for sometime!
It had been a really interesting day, meeting different people and hearing other foreigner’s impression of the locals. I wasn’t sure if it was a relief to have other foreigner’s feeling the same way, as it meant that I would have to expect more such experiences in the 2 more weeks I have in Morocco, and keeping my guard up with locals every single minute is a really draining affair.
Are all Moroccans really like that?
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