Northern Morocco, the kingdom of kif? (page 2 of 4)

Hi Isabelle,

Great idea to head to Morocco! 😛

I used EasyJet for this flight. For my previous trip, I took Royal Air Maroc (Lyon-Casa).

Since you already know Rabat, it might be better to choose Casablanca as your entry point. After that, there aren’t many kilometers between the two.

I also recommend reading these three travel journals that showcase a wilder, less urban side of Morocco:

one two three

Thanks, Agnès, for the link to your three Moroccan travel journals—I’ll definitely read them when I plan my itinerary! 😊 Rabat or Casablanca doesn’t make much difference since we’ll have to visit family in Rabat anyway. 😉 We’re also going to Merzouga for wildlife photography (fennec foxes)—yep, I’ve got to dangle a carrot in front of my husband to convince him! 😆

The night passed quietly in ideal thermal conditions.

Azrou is, in fact, located at high altitude, and temperatures drop well below 20°C as soon as the sun goes down.

Once the shower issue was sorted (a plug sometimes blocks proper drainage to prevent unwanted critters and unpleasant odors from getting in), we headed to the breakfast room.

Ahhh, Moroccan breakfasts!

Freshly squeezed orange juice, strong black coffee, and those delicious holey pancakes—baghrirs.

All that’s left is to drizzle them with honey and devour them!



The flaky pancakes, msemmens, are heavier and sometimes quite greasy. One is often enough to fill up small appetites...

Full, we started up the Dacia for a quick grocery run at the nearby Carrefour.

Our goal: to find supplies to complete our picnic menus (the chorizo and two pâtés we brought won’t cut it...) and something to drink besides water once we’re in the house we rented in Akchour.

No problem buying bread, fruit, and cheese, but it’s too early for wine...

The alcohol section isn’t open yet—we’ll have to come back!

Say, Agnès, I thought alcohol was forbidden in Islam?

Well, technically (though for some, only drunkenness is prohibited), but in Morocco, everything is about appearances.

You have to act like a 100% halal Muslim in public.

But in private, it’s a whole different story...

Alcohol flows freely in some homes, couples form in secret, a man meets other men, a woman meets other women, Ramadan is forgotten—even belief in God...

The clientele is mostly local, but the wine cellar is hidden away in the store’s basement, out of sight.

With our supplies sorted, we headed toward the cedar forest, the main attraction in the area.

The venerable Gouraud cedar, 800 years old, has unfortunately died, but the forest itself is still thriving!

We parked near the Cédraie house and set off to explore among the conifers and Barbary macaques.









The monkeys are easy to find. Makes sense—peanut vendors encourage tourists to feed them, even though it’s strictly forbidden.

As a result, the poor animals end up looking like Kim Jong-un and rummage through trash instead of going about their usual business.

The trees fare better, standing majestically along the trails, providing the shade and coolness that plains dwellers miss so much.

Next stop: the monastery of Toumliline, where the film *Of Gods and Men* was shot.





We were soon approached by a gentleman who, in impeccable French, offered us a guided tour of the place—a place he himself attended as a student over 50 years ago.

Today, he’s the keeper of the temple and has preserved all its memories.

We’re not big fans of guided tours (language barriers, overly technical spiels, robotic recitations), but we decided to give it a try.

We’re glad we did—this old man brought the building to life!

We continued with a scenic drive through the cedars to the village of Ain Leuh, where we had a picnic.



Coffee?

Off to the east, toward the small town of Ifrane, a mountain resort with the feel of a quaint alpine village.

Who says mountains, says snow, right?

What if we headed to the Michlifen ski resort?

This small ski area is nestled on the slopes of an ancient volcanic crater and offers a few short runs to zoom down.



The site seems rather abandoned, a victim of an increasingly glaring lack of snow.

It’s also really poorly designed—you’ve got to really want to walk with your skis on your shoulder...

In this month of September, sheep replace skiers, shepherds, and instructors.

We climb to the top of a T-bar lift and imagine for a moment the white replacing the green.

To return to Azrou, we continue due west on the small road that slashes across the plateau.





Flocks dot the meadows, the landscape doesn’t resemble Merzouga at all, and tourists are scarce.

New ski runs can be spotted on the horizon—another ski area doomed to be forgotten, Habri.



We join National Road 13 there and head toward the Carrefour cellar.

Did you think I’d forget?

The store is open this time, and customers are crowding in.

We buy a bottle of red wine, which I carry by hand as I would anywhere else since I only have to cross the street.

Just as I’m about to go outside, a man whispers "police" to me while pointing at the carafe.

Oops, I forgot about Morocco’s sacred hypocrisy!

Drinking is fine, but showing it isn’t!

So I slip the divine nectar under my shirt to respect the country’s customs.

No one can be fooled, but who cares—the object of sin is now hidden, all is well!

We could’ve uncorked this Terres Rouges with our couscous since our host doesn’t forbid drinking (though he doesn’t sell it either), but we resist the temptation.



Cheers to Sidi Ali—your liver will thank you.

Cheers with Sidi Ali, your liver will thank you.

Anyway, it looks delicious! 😛

Yes, it was delicious! 😛

On the other hand, I couldn’t get lamb couscous, lamb skewers, or any part of that animal at all during the whole trip. 🤪

And yet, it’s everywhere you look.

On the other hand, it was impossible to get lamb couscous, lamb skewers, or any part of that animal at all during the whole trip. 🤪

Yet, it’s everywhere.

Maybe because lamb is one of the most expensive meats? A restaurant would more easily sell a chicken couscous—the price of lamb is probably too high for a dish that sells for an average of 80 dirhams. Maybe also that breeders wait for the animals to grow bigger to sell them during Eid celebrations? 😕

It's just a hypothesis... personally, I've asked for pork couscous many times—no way to get one! Yet I saw a photo from a member of this forum—I don’t remember the username 😇—but he was lying on the beach with a very beautiful sow. There must be a way to get it, right?

But I don’t really care about the price!

In a dive frequented by people with limited means, I can understand.

But not in places where the clientele is either well-off Moroccans or foreigners—usually both.

It's the big missing item on menus.

Even more taboo than booze, that sausage! 😄

I get the feeling only ex-Muslim atheists eat it, but it’s still taboo for those who twist the Quran to suit themselves while still calling themselves Muslim.

But I don’t really care about the price!

In a dive frequented by people with limited means, I get it.

But not in places where the clientele is either well-off Moroccans or foreigners—usually both.

I don’t know, I don’t go to touristy restaurants 😛

Those that call themselves "chic" just because they have white tablecloths and candles, with a deconstructed modern couscous, aren’t always as good as Mma’s couscous. Anyway, if you’d ordered it the day before, you could’ve had one with lamb. Especially in a small restaurant frequented by locals. That’s actually where you eat the best...

But I saw a photo from a member of this forum... can't remember the username 😇, but he was lying on the beach with a very beautiful sow.

Olivier? Yeah, but it was a beach in Polynesia, I think...

I only went to regular restaurants.

Not high-end, not low-end.

With or without foreign tourists.

The hostel in Azrou requires meals to be reserved before eating.

And no luck...

No luck, though, when it comes to traveler’s diarrhea in places not frequented by tourists...😇

I’ve always heard that if you want to eat good couscous, you have to go to a local restaurant… only on Fridays… they wouldn’t serve it any other day, and in other restaurants, it’d just be a tourist trap. Oh well, couscous isn’t my cup of tea anyway 😏

Not so lucky when it came to traveler’s diarrhea in places not frequented by tourists...😇

You weren’t lucky! My only memorable bout of traveler’s diarrhea hit after lunching at a touristy riad during Ramadan (local restaurants were closed). I think the myth holds here too... Standards aren’t always a good indicator! At a small local spot, turnover is quick, ingredients come straight from the souk that morning, and you often watch the cooking.

I'm boarding... The Clermont-Ferrand to Fès route is gone, but Lyon isn't that far...

Yeah, lots of places we went to only served couscous on Fridays.

But that was just word of mouth...

Their menu should mention that. You build up all these expectations and end up with chicken skewers...

I guess in my case, the traveler’s diarrhea came from the drink since my partner didn’t get sick and drinks Coke. My previous partner too.

Locals are immune to tap water, which is generally labeled as drinkable. Not foreigners...

Anyway, I wouldn’t have had any issues with a glass of wine, but a fruit juice cut with water was definitely my downfall!

The culprit was in Al Hoceïma, far from the tourist and luxury highway...

Morocco is my nemesis when it comes to traveler’s diarrhea.

One out of two trips, and not just mild cases! Last time, it was because of an orange juice in some godforsaken village...

Still, I never stop drinking fruit juices. It’s even more effective than "Comme j’aime", tastes better, and is cheaper too! 😏

Just make sure you’ve got a toilet nearby, a day to spare, and some Imodium in your suitcase...

Anyway, I only got traveler’s diarrhea this time. My host in Fes told me about an expat he knew who died within 24 hours from eating rotten fish at the market... 🤪

I saw oysters being sold at an inland market—three ice cubes for a basket, 35°C outside—and even if they paid me 1,000,000 dirhams, I wouldn’t have touched them! 🤪

Yes, the Clermont-Ferrand to Fez route is no longer available, and even if it were, I’m not sure I would’ve taken it...

Ryanair isn’t my cup of tea. Too capitalistic for my taste (extreme cost-cutting on staff and financial opportunism with local subsidies).

Air France from Clermont isn’t necessarily overpriced for some Moroccan destinations if you book in advance.

From Lyon, EasyJet and Royal Air Maroc are good options, and parking isn’t too expensive.

Maybe Toulouse too, but it’s a bit farther.

Anyway, Morocco is a very affordable destination, even if accommodation is pricier today than it used to be.

Maybe the north is also more expensive than the south?

A lot of well-off Moroccans live there and visit for holidays and weekends.

I guess in my case, the traveler’s diarrhea came from the drink since my companion wasn’t sick and drinks Coke. My previous partner also stayed healthy.

They both figured they needed an effective antidote...

I guess in my case, the traveler’s diarrhea came from the drink since my companion didn’t get sick and drinks Coke. My previous partner didn’t either.

So honestly, after all this time, you’re the only one boozing?!?