Marhaban/ Bonjour!  

“I quite like antiques. I like things that are old and the history they bring with them. I would rather fly to Morocco on an $800 ticket and buy a chair for $300 than spend $1,100 on one at Pottery Barn.”-Walton Goggins

Morocco welcome me to the heat I never imagine I could survive in. Sitting on average at 40+ degrees (it did get up to 50 degrees in Marrakech), but I couldn’t hide my excitement of exploring this vast and diverse country. Morocco is a unique country where both Arabic and French are spoken. The fusion of these two languages wanted me to dig deeper into the culture and society, to find what makes Morocco truly unique. My first impression was Morocco is a mix between Turkey and India? and it was bloody hot! The joys of travelling in July!

My first step onto the African continent I was lucky enough to explore Marrakech, Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, and Fes. I would highly recommend staying as long as possible in Morocco as there is so much to discover from the history all the way to food. I ended up staying in Morocco for six days and ended up splitting my time between Marrakech and Fes.

TIPS

Flying
For Australians, if you are planning to travel Morocco, use Europe as a base. It is cheaper to fly in and out. I was flying from Munich to Marrakech and I’ve used Paris as a base when I was flying out from Fez back to Perth (Fes-Paris-Perth).

Money
For Australians again, if you are planning to exchange Australian money into Moroccan Dirham, you can forget about it! They do NOT take Australian money! Instead, use an ATM or if you are in Europe before heading to Morocco, exchange your money into Euros then exchange it to Moroccan Dirham when you arrive. For the rest of you guys, your currency is available to be exchanged!

Many places such as stalls, restaurants, and cafes do accept cards but it extremely wise to carry cash with you. Not all places accept cards.

Accommodation
For both Marrakech and Fes, I stay at hostels. One of the reasons why I’ve decided to choose hostels over Airbnb for Morocco is that I had no idea how to navigate around the city. It was extremely nice to be able to ask people at the hostel questions, tips, and advice. Also on the plus note breakfast was included and the interior of both hostels are incredibly stunning.

Here are the links for the hostels I’ve stayed in Marrakech and Fes, I highly recommend staying in these places. The staff is extremely helpful and attentive, they would go above and beyond to make your stay as amazing as possible.

Surviving the heat?
Probably best not to travel in July like I did but unfortunately July is my winter holidays for my university. Make sure you drink plenty of water and avoid staying outside from 4-6pm, this is the hottest time of the day…(strange right?). Also, try to have a scarf with you to cover your head! Not only to fit into the culture but it does help to stay cool and if you have black hair like me, your head will be on fire! You can also go one step up and invest in a turban but they are mainly used for the desert but why not, they are pretty awesome?

Clothing
Yes Morocco is a conservative culture and yes is best to cover up but you are also saving yourself from getting a sunburn in the 40+ degree heat! Packing for Morocco includes long dress, shirts with sleeves, long skirts and light pants.

Shopping
Make sure you BARGAIN! One of the best ways to practice your skills in bargaining and see how low you can get it down for! Morocco is amazing place to go shopping in, with its handmade items it is hard not to buy something to take back home.

Overall Moroccan people are so hospitality and they are generous for serving their famous mint teas to guests. This includes when you go shopping! Stay tuned for more post on Morocco!

Till next time, -M

*All photos were taken by me using Fujifilm X-T10