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Yesterday, here in Northern Virginia, the temperature almost hit 70 degrees.
Tonight it will probably snow.
The inevitable, upcoming cold weather makes me think of the warm places I traveled to in 2011. This year I was fortunate to visit beaches in North Carolina and Florida but one highlight was Morocco.
In Casablanca, Joel (my CouchSurfing host) said I must try a local drink.
Here is a picture of it.
This drink is a blend of five different fruits, I was told. I definitely picked out four unique colors. Four or five, does not matter. This drink was incredible.
First, I never ever would have found the place that served this drink on my own. It was a small sidewalk cafe on a hidden street in a mostly residential area somewhere near the Twin Center. I might be able to find the place again and definitely hope to have the chance to do so.
Second, I would have never tried the drink because it supposedly maybe perhaps had avocado in it. I do NOT like avocado. Being adventurous, I had to try it. If this drink had avocado in it, well, I am a fan of Moroccan avocado.
Third, it is obviously a work of art as well as a nutritious, fresh, and refreshing beverage.
Fourth, the price was seriously right. I paid 25 Dirhams for two drinks (for Joel and I) and a little tip. The exchange rate at the time was around 9 Dirhams to the US dollar. So, each drink was under $1.50. Brilliant!
Joel was my inside source for other deals, also. A hole in the wall shop had shawarmas for 7 Dh. I paid around 40 Dh two days later in Marrakech for a skimpier version. A glass of mint tea was only 1 Dh on the beach. The same mint tea costs 40 Dh at the Casablanca Hyatt.
Here is where we had the mint tea. Fantastic location.
It is good to have an inside source when visiting unfamiliar destinations. A local resident knows where to find the best food at the best prices.
For future trips, try to contact someone living there or at least get insider tips from message boards.
Happy eating, happy travels, and save money!
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
Thank you for visiting McCool Travel.
Did you miss anything this past week on McCool Travel? Topics included finding cheaper flights with open jaws, an interview with travel guru Roni Weiss, and more. Have you entered the McCool Travel contest yet? Easy and free!
The blog posts from McCool Travel this week:
May 31: McCool Travel Contest – Giveaway – Prizes
June 1: McCool Travel Tips: 5 Minutes With Roni Weiss
June 2: McCool Travel Tip: Open Jaw Flights
June 3: Fun With Capital Cities
June 3: McCool Travel: Fun with Typo Signs
Have a fantastic week. You can contact me directly by email (CharlesMcCool -at- gmail -dot- com).
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© 2011, Charles McCool
In yesterday’s post, I talked about the song from The Police with “alabaster” (Wrapped Around Your Finger) in my head for a day.
Do you ever get an annoying catch phrase or song snippet cycling through your head? Over and over and over. Well, that was me with, “I will turn your face to alabaster…”
Good thing, I knew how to replace it with another song. Still in Marrakech, I wanted to visit the kasbah.
Walking there from my hotel, walking around the kasbah, walking back to the hotel, for most of the day, the new song in my head was Rock the Casbah by The Clash. This song is more political than the other two I mentioned. Well, just the tagline rolled around my head. Again, for hours–rock the casbah, rock the casbah.
Kasbah, by the way, is a walled, fort area, usually with a medina (oh, yeah, the 4th Song of Morocco would be Funky Cold Medina–you will be quizzed!).
The Marrakesh kasbah has several entrances but none is grander than the Bab Agnaou.
The 12th century walls have countless holes that are homes for pigeons. The tops of the walls have huge African stork nests.
Life inside the kasbah is more relaxed than in the Djemaa el Fna medina. There are vendors, stores, and hustlers–just not the overwhelming amount as in the very touristy Djemaa.
The kasbah is a bit off the beaten path but still visited by westerners. In fact, I saw two different large buses stop there during my visit but no other solo tourists. Once I got off the one or two main paths where the tours visited, I really enjoyed the authenticity of the kasbah.
Here is a typical residential courtyard.
This door must be at least as old as the 12th century walls.
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
Thank you for visiting McCool Travel.
Did you miss anything this past week on McCool Travel? Topics included debunking one cheap airfare myth, travel souvenirs, and much more.
The blog posts from McCool Travel this week:
May 16: Congratulations to Donna Hull, a McCool Travel Profile Subject
May 17: Travel Souvenirs
May 18: Cheap Airfare Myth: Never Buy on the Weekend
May 19: Songs of Morocco, Part 1
May 20: Songs of Morocco, Part 2
Have a fantastic week. You can contact me directly by email (CharlesMcCool -at- gmail -dot- com).
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
In yesterday’s post, I talked about the song Marrakesh Express flowing through my brain as I waited for the train.
The following day, my first full day in Marrakech, I took a private tour into the Ourika Valley. The highlight of the tour was a two hour hike to view the seven waterfalls from the village of Setti Fatma.
The tour starts by crossing the Ourika River on a rickety bridge. I was there in March, so the water level was low. I was told that the water level is much higher in the summer.
After crossing the river, the guide lead me through the small village, including many vendor tables.
My guide spoke a little bit of English but more French and Spanish. My French and Spanish are much less than passable but we tried to communicate. He kept saying that the vendors, I mean artists, made trinkets, I mean crafts, out of alabaster. Well, alabaster made my think of that song by The Police (Wrapped Around Your Finger). Unfortunately, I don’t really like the song and it stuck in my head for the entire hike and the rest of the day.
After a couple of vendors, I told him I was not going to buy anything and we do not have to stop at any tables. I did not count the waterfalls but it was a wonderful hike.
Lest you think I did not actually go on the hike, here I am at the last waterfall (the turn-around spot).
The scenery was spectacular along the entire hike but I loved seeing this remote, ancient village nestled in the Atlas Mountains. The only way in and out is by foot or “donkey path” as my guide said. In fact, you can see a couple of people walking into the village.
But I kept humming and saying that alabaster line in my head for hours–the rest of the hike, the rest of the tour, and most of the day and night.
That is, until I encountered the third song of Morocco. Can you guess it?
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
About 24 hours after landing in Casablanca, I bought a train ticket to Marrakesh.
Waiting for the incoming train before boarding, the melody of the song Marrakesh Express naturally flowed through my brain.
The train ride to Marrakesh is about three and half hours. Lucky for me, our train was luxurious. The first class compartment had nice single seats in an open car, versus the six cramped seats in a compartment (as on the return trip).
The first class fare was 140 Dirhams, which was less than $20. In between talking to people and walking around the train, I listened to songs on my iPod Shuffle. I did not have Marrakesh Express in my library but I did have other CSN songs. Anyway, Marrakesh Express stayed in my head until the following day.
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
In Old School Trip Planning, I said that I would not use any apps on my trip to Morocco. How did I do?
Well, I succeeded. I visited Morocco without using apps and made it home in one piece.
I did pre-trip research in guidebooks and online, so I had a basic plan for my four short days in Morocco.
My new Couchsurfing friend in Casablanca gave me a couple of tips for visiting Marrakech and helped me decide not to see to much. I considered zipping through Marrakech and visiting Rabat and Sale on my last afternoon and evening. Instead, I spent more time in Marrakech and the last evening in Casablanca.
On the train ride to Marrakech I talked to several locals. One was a merchant with a tour guide friend. It seems that everyone in Morocco has a cousin, brother, or friend who knows the sights better than anyone else. I was cautious and skeptical toward the merchant and his friend–but it worked out. The merchant suggested a decent hotel in a great location and the tour guide (with a private driver) drove me there from the train station. I got an impromptu tour of Marrakech and saved on the taxi fare.
The next day the tour guide and a different driver took me on a tour into Ourika Valley–including a stop at a Sunday market, Argan oil shop, Berber house, and 2 hour waterfall hike. All for less than price of me renting a car. Nice deal!
OK, I did not use apps but I did use email, Skype, Facebook, and Twitter. I did not use an international plan or any fancy service. For my iPhone, I turned off notifications and switched to Airplane mode. I was able to use wi-fi when available, including at the fantastic Arsat Moulay Abdessalam (Cyber Parc) in Marrakech.
As I listed in my recent 8 Great Travel Lessons post, my trips are more memorable when unwiring, doing minimal research, talking to locals, and walking and exploring.
What are your experiences? Do you find apps useful or unessential? What great travel apps do you use?
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© 2011, Charles McCool
I was short 5 Dirhams (less than 1 US dollar) for my last night’s hotel room in Casablanca.
I had just arrived on the train from Marrakech and was flying to Madrid the next morning. It was after 6pm and the nearby Cambios were closed.
The hotel clerk said there were no nearby ATMs and that the train station would not change money. Later, walking around, I found a couple of ATMs but no matter.
Earlier that day, I changed $40 at a Cambio in Marrakech. I asked the hotel clerk if he would exchange $20 at a little better rate (for him) than the Marrakech transaction. The Marrakech rate was near 7.9 Dirhams to the dollar. I proposed 7.5 Dirhams.
Thankfully and surprisingly, he accepted. I thought that everyone bargained back and forth in Morocco!
The room rate was 120 Dirhams. My $20 paid for the room and the clerk gave me 30 Dirhams.
If you are keeping score, I paid $16 for that hotel room across the street from the Casablanca train station. With a better exchange rate, I would have paid only $15.
Casablanca station from my hotel
I am not saying the room was worth more than $16. It was NOT a great hotel but I survived and did not even get sick. Nearby is an Ibis that charged more than 6 times this rate (I checked there first).
Sure, I could have splurged on my last night but then I would not have had this adventure. Besides, I had a better view. Note the location of the Ibis hotel.
Another Story
This exchange reminded me of the time my wife and I visited the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany. We had a couple of brews and wanted one more but did not have enough money.
This was in 1993, before the Euro. We had some coins from Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The place was cash only–no credit or debit cards were accepted. I had US dollars and wanted to exchange a $20 bill. 
The waiter led me to a secret back room, a currency black market. A bunch of guys were sitting around a table but none wanted to exchange for US money.
So, back to my table. We tried to explain our plight to our fellow diners / drinkers. There were Germans and Italians at the table. We ended up trading various amounts of our Italian and Swiss currency including an Italian phone token, for enough Deutsche Marks to pay for another giant beer.
Summary
Just being able to whip out plastic to pay for goods and services might be convenient but is not usually a memorable experience. Transactions are more memorable when there is interaction with other travelers and locals, perhaps with little obstacles for good measure.
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© 2011, Charles McCool
I just returned from a short trip to Morocco and Madrid. I did not have to travel thousands of miles to learn these lessons but the trip helped reinforce them.
- Limit Research. Too much planning results in less fun. Be spontaneous. See what happens. Before the trip, I spent too much time reading guidebooks and trolling message boards. I hardly (truly!) used much of that advance knowledge. In fact, I left half my notes at home and did not miss them.
- Locals Rule. Having someone local (a new contact through Couchsurfing) show me favorite spots in Casablanca made a huge difference. Plus, I had FREE lodging for a night.
- Walk. Take time to explore by foot. Get lost. Especially in the Moroccan medinas, it is easy to get lost; it is scary, adventurous, exciting, but also safe. Two of my recent travel BFFs, Samantha Brown and Bruce Northam, are huge walking fans. So, believe them if not me!
- Money. If your home currency is strong, don’t stress about getting the absolute best deal. I spent too much time worrying about 10 Dirhams (about $1.25). I paid the equivalent of $75 for my own luxury car, driver, and tour guide for a day. The cheapest rental car was $70. I still spent too much time wondering if I was paying too much. Silly!
- Unwire. I also spent too much time looking for wi-fi locations. Why? To update Facebook and Twitter? I should have limited online time to a few minutes in the morning and evening–which is what happened anyway. I spent too many minutes searching for wi-fi during the day.
- Back Door. Rick Steves has long preached traveling “through the back door”–trimming expenses by using local resources, including lodging, eating, and sights. I had a glass of mint tea for 1 Dirham (about 12 cents) on the beach served by Berber women with local music playing in the background. I also could have paid 40 Dirhams for a glass of mint tea at the Hyatt. That is just one example.
- Too Much. I have a tendency to want to see too much. On my first trip as an adult to Europe, I practically drove straight from Amsterdam to Courmayer because I wanted to see everything. As a result, I saw nothing. I decided to only see Casablanca and Marrakech during my three full days in Morocco.
- Professional Musician is an Oxymoron. (WARNING: rant) Watching any act in Marrakech’s Djemaa el-Fna is an unwritten invitation for a collection plate being thrust into your face within seconds. Forget about trying to take a picture or video without hassle. Yes, that is the price for being a visitor here. I could not help but compare it with two nearby performances. First was a child’s chorus in the amphitheater at Arsat Moulay Abdeslam (Cyber Parc). The group had unabashed joy and infectious songs. Second was a drum circle group around the fountain at Parc Lalla Hasna. This group of young men were superior to the many drum circles in the Djemaa. They had more energy, better variety of tunes, and females danced alongside–acts in the Djemaa are more, let’s say, “traditional.” I listened to both groups for more than 15 minutes and remain highlights of my trip. I would have gladly given these groups several times the amount of Dirhams that the Djemaa acts requested but neither group wanted money; they simply played for the love of music. Fantastic! Unfortunately, most the portions that I recorded are on the Flip Camera that I left on the train. Below is one shot of the crowded Djemaa just before sunset.
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© 2011, Charles McCool
