"Why would you want to go there?"
This is the question we are most commonly asked when we tell people what part of the world we're off to next. Usually our answer is; "um why not?" Our decision for going to Morocco goes back quite a few months. First we had thought of going to Burma, Venezuela or Tunisia. I’m not quite sure ultimately how we decided on Morocco for this trip, but usually it goes something like this.
As some of you know I have an obsession with maps. I can sit around for hours just flipping through a world atlas. So after staring at a map of some region I usually get the need to figure out what the heck it actually looks like there. I start thinking "wow, check out the dramatic increase in elevation south of Marrakech! I gotta go see this." Hey that's entertainment when you don't have cable. Usually that leads to me sending Jordana an email with info and pictures to some random country that I have decided we need to see. She replies saying, "you're crazy, we can't afford it." Then we get home and I continue the sell. We walk over to Chapters and read some travel guidebooks and about 30 minutes later over coffee were talking about how to find the cheapest way to Morocco. Selling a trip idea to Jordana is about as tough as selling beer at Oktoberfest.
Right, so why Morocco? I've always considered Morocco as one of those must see countries of the world. Morocco has almost everything a traveller could want and while somewhat touristy, you can still find your way off the beaten path. Boasting Exotic cities, snowcapped mountains, the Sahara, Mediterranean beaches and even Roman ruins, Morocco looks to have it all. I also heard that it's the second coolest place in the world and everyone knows how cool Jordana and I are. Seems like a good match. Our other motive for this trip is that we have a couple of stains on our living room carpet. Since Berber people make up almost half of the population I'm guessing these are the same people that make Berber carpets. I'm hoping we can swing a better price dealing directly with the Berbers than with Ikea. Let's hope so, because Morocco is a long way to go only to find out that berber carpets are cheaper at Ikea.
So lets all thank Al Gore's "creation" of the internet, because now everyone can travel vicariously with us for the next 20 days through Morocco. Bookmark our blog "Carpets, Camels and Mohammed" and check back often for updates.
