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I recently returned from a two week photography trip to Morocco. The country had been on my bucket list for a number of years. I was looking for a photo destination prior to the holiday season and was working with a number of travel companies in a few different countries. I decided on Intrepid Travel, originally based in Australia but now with locations around the globe. I became interested in Intrepid when I found out that due to the end of the tourist season in Morocco, only three other travelers had signed up for the tour. I was able to find a decent airfare from Fargo/Casablanca and return. I had no idea who the other travelers were and only found out the first morning in Casablanca. Our group consisted of a couple from England and a lady from Argentina. All three had traveled extensively and were great traveling companions. I met our guide Moha the first morning also. He had grown up in a remote valley in the Atlas Mountains where his parents still live to this day without electricity or running water. Moha attended school in a small nearby village and eventually entered the university. He speaks several languages and was a great guide. Also our driver who went by the name of Smack Attack, was able to motor us around in situations that would probably cause most drivers to give up driving. The first morning we visited the Hassan Mosque II Mosque. This huge mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers. It is the largest mosque in Morocco and the 7th largest in the world. From Casablanca we took the train to Meknes and the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis. In Meknes our guide purchased camel meat when once mixed with spices was taken to a small shop with a charcoal grille. We all agreed the camel burger was tasty. Our driver met us in Meknes and we traveled further north to Chefchaouen, where its hard to get wine for supper, but hashish is readily available. From there we traveled to the amazing city of Fes. The medina, a city within a city is made up of 12,000 small alleyways and streets. The towns/cities we visited all have some sort of medina or market. The medina in Fes, consists of homes, palaces, schools, shops and just about everything else within its walls. Wondering into the medina is not for the uninitiated. Even our local guide that took us into the medina was giving directions to locals who shop there. From Fes we started south towards the desert. Here we passed over the lower and high Atlas Mountains. We were in snow in one area of the mountains. We arrived at our hotel in the desert by the town of Merzouga. Here we rode camels into the desert to watch the sunset. The next day we started our drive to Marrakesh. We stayed in a couple towns on the way and visited the Todra Gorge and the Dades Gorge. We then departed for Marrakesh and passed over the Tizi n’ Tichka pass, the highest in Morocco at 2260 meters. From there we arrived for our last two nights in Marrakesh. On the last day, the other travelers departed from Marrakesh for flights home. Since I was flying out of Casablanca, I caught a train to the airport outside of Casablanca. I bought a first class ticket and the approximate 4 ½ hour trip to the airport cost 20 dollars. Many of the photos were taken in very low light conditions with no flash. Also, many of the Moroccan people are very sensitive to being photographed. I would normally ask to take a persons photo. To get some of the shots of people along the road, I would break the cardinal rule of not shooting from moving vehicles, thus the photos are somewhat soft. When I returned home, some friends surprised me with a birthday party at the Bella Caffe, I surprised them by wearing my Jalaba and scarf.

Enjoy
Dave
Photographing in the Medina of Life