Things to Do in Morocco

A little late, perhaps, but just in the nick of time I found a great website filled with advice of all kinds for Western travelers to Morocco. (The site is marocmama.com, in case you're interested.) I had a few ideas of what to do during my travels, but mostly I had visions of simply wandering the markets (souks) and maybe buying a few things. Otherwise, I wasn't sure what else to do, other than the obligatory camel ride -- in case I didn't already stand out as a tourist. Apparently no one rides camels other than tourists. I really don't care; this will certainly be my first opportunity to ride a camel, and maybe the only one. So, yeah, might as well.

After browsing the site (and others) and gaining a better understanding of the culture, I will probably buy more than I thought! But also I learned about other cool things to do that are unique to Morocco. One is the hamman, an exfoliating bath experience offered in varying degrees of luxury, from none at all to full-service. I'd be fine with the low-luxury kind, but I'd have to bring a laundry list of supplies and I'm not sure I'm up for that kind of shopping. If I forgot something, after my bath would be a bad time to remember. I'll likely go for something in between.

The other thing I want to do -- and this isn't completely unique to Morocco -- is get henna tattoes on my hands and maybe my feet. I've always loved these, though most of the ones I've seen have been Indian. I'm not sure how the Moroccan ones differ. One word of warning I saw was to avoid the reddish type; it has toxic chemicals. There's a cafe in Marrakech -- called, appropriately enough, Marrakech Henna Art Cafe  -- where the henna quality is good and the food is (allegedly) terrific. I'm all for trying new things, but my preference is for non-toxic things. Also in Marrakech (where I'll be nearly half the time I'm in Morocco) are many art museums and examples of Moroccan architecture, which I've always been drawn to.

I'm mostly past the nervous part and on to the excited part. Travel is always a little stressful, and because this is my first time abroad, I'm sure that would be true no matter where I was headed. One of my sons told me I should claim to be Canadian to avoid political discussions. I probably won't do that, but it's not a bad idea. Also, I'm not sure how much I'll keep up with the blog. I'm telling you that so, if I don't write every day, you don't assume I'm dead. I will do the best I can, but I plan on savoring my travel experience and I'm not sure how often I'll have internet access. Unless you hear otherwise, assume I am safe and having a great time!