Surprises of Morocco

This is the final installment from Silvia Latour as she has brought us along on her Moroccan adventures.

Part one shared important information all travels should know before going, like whether they need specific vaccinations. In part two she delves into why she chose a small group tour for her Morocco trip. Part three explored Moroccan Riads with part four sharing all the food of Morocco you should try! She shared her adventurous camel ride in part five. Part six explored the markets of Morocco. We explored all the colors of Morocco in part seven.

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1000 cats and dogs

Many people know I have had pets my entire life…cats, dogs, hamsters and more. At our first stop on our 10-day Moroccan adventure, I was greeted by a feline in the coastal restaurant where we were having lunch. EEEh!!!! Kiteh! Moroccan kiteh! Of course I took pictures. We bonded. I even wondered if I could get him on the tour bus. Sadly I couldn’t so we said goodbye. Little did I know… that was kitty 1 of 1000 I would see during the next 10 days.

On our first night in Rabat, we visited the Udaya Kasbah (old fortified city) and then headed to our Riad (old stately homes turned bed and breakfast) in the old Medina (old city) of Rabat.

The Kasbah was home to many cats. They were everywhere. What is going on? Most were in “ok” shape and some not so much. Many were thin. I believe the wandering cats we saw everywhere had the main job of pest control. Some are friendly and some skittish. In the garden of the Udaya Kasbah, there were several cats and I had my favorite. One with a heart shaped patch of fur on its back!

No matter where we went there were cats…in the cities, towns, villages. I also noticed on our way to the Riad on that first night, in the twisting narrow streets, many people left food scraps out for the cats. So, I guess the cats also help in reducing waste! Which probably explains why I didn’t see any organic waste bins.

In the more mountainous parts of the trip, we noticed a shift from cats to dogs. Often, in packs, you would find them roaming the roadways. I found my mind wandering to thoughts of…” perhaps I should move to Morocco and open an animal shelter….”. The dogs wander about and don’t appear to bother with humans much unless enticed by visitors. I will imagine that animal population control is not yet a high priority. Single dogs and sometimes packs of 5 or 6 dogs roam freely. This was most certainly a difference with “back home” where this is not tolerated and would likely result in someone calling animal control.

The cats and dogs were in abundance, but not the only animals. We also saw lots of goats. And where there is goats you also find shepherds. Yes, actual shepherds. People just hanging out with the goats, guiding and watching over them as there aren’t fences (or very few). From time to time when we did see a fence, it was usually accompanied with a goat on the wrong side of it. Like the saying goes, the grass is always greener.

Donkeys are also common and can be seen in the old medinas and souks (shopping areas), with backs full of either people or products, even bundles of twigs. The donkeys were absolutely working animals. Often you will see a woman walking in the middle of a field, likely heading home after collecting goods from the market, with a child on her back, and another one by her side and then the donkey hauling items. I am guessing this is her daily routine. Sometimes during the trip, these mesmerizing views would make me need to be reminded of the year. Luckily, I always had my iPhone in my hands to capture the photos that remind me how far apart and different Morocco can be from the world I live in. In my case, my luxury item is my iPhone and her case, a donkey.

Morocco was an unexpected surprise. The diversity was unexpected and it was eye opening.

As I sign off from my last post on my Moroccan trip, I want to thank Paige for inviting me blog about my trip – this was a first experience as a blogger and I was fun to recall my trip in this way. I hope you enjoyed it and found enough in these little stories to perhaps find your way their one day.

When asked “where to next?”… I don’t know yet but I can tell you the bar has been set quite high by my time spent in Morocco.

Guest Blogger

Silvia Latour lives in Montreal, Quebec. She currently works as a Sales Specialist and Business Intelligence Analyst for a major Pharmaceutical Company. She enjoys spending time with friends & family, travel, photography, volunteering and baking. Her life philosophies include: So many places to go and so many things to bake! Shoot with a camera and be kind. Follow her sweet creations on Facebook.