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Al-Maghreb al-Aqsa, or "place of sunset", is an old definition of Morocco, one of the areas of ancient Maghreb. It takes a few hours by plane to get into the Eastern fairy tale and Agadir, the most highly regarded and the most hospitable of all Moroccan Atlantic seaside resorts.
To tell the truth, flying carpets have been out of fashion for ages
and "Boeing" has come into action instead. Genies have traded copper
lamps for the welcoming luxury of a five-star hotel (they are still
able to fulfil any wish of a beauty). In childhood we were told not to
go for a walk to Africa... Just forget it! Morocco is a modern and
absolutely safe country.
Stardust
Morocco has seen the
whole lot of celebrities. Churchill, Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle,
Charlie Chaplin and Marlene Dietrich stayed at the most expensive
Marrakesh hotel. The iconic musician Jimmy Hendricks purchased a house
at the Essaouira coast. His arm-chair is well preserved in his
favourite cafe, and cafe visitors can use it for a while. Small town
Varzazat is often reffered to as Moroccan Hollywood: such films as
"Cleopatra", "Gladiator", "Asterix and Obelix" were shot there. It was
Morocco, where Mel Gibson discovered true "Palestinian" landscapes for
his "Passion of the Christ". At different times luxurious natural
scenery was used by Alfred Hitchcock, Bernardo Bertolucci and Martin
Scorsese.
To the sun!
Agadir is the main health resort of
the country: it has 300 sunny days a year! It is known for its endless
sandy beaches. Agadir in Arabic means "the white city". People come
here looking for sun, sea and tourist amusements: water-skiing, golf,
horse back riding and night entertainment. Local restaurants lure
customers with diversified seafood cuisine. Inexpensive wine is sold
everywhere. 170 km away from Agadir, beaches of Essaouira attract
surfers and windsurfers. With constant winds from the Atlantic, good
waves are guaranteed!
1001 nights
Shez-Ali is located not
far from Marrakesh. It is a small town, famous for its bedouin nights,
when dancers, jockeys and jugglers demonstrate their skills in
traditional Arabic arts. Everyone can take a lesson in juggling with a
sharpened Arabic blade. Delicious pilau is served along with domestic
wine, and a belly dance by an Arab beauty is for dessert. To your
liking, you can choose some horse back riding in the mountains or
desert safari. It usually takes the whole day: during the trip you will
see not only sandy barchans, but also mountains, waterfalls and oases.
Talking about exotic East, one cannot but mention numerous market
places. Shopping here is very picturesque: precious stones, silver and
gold, copper articles, silk, clothes embroidered by hand, wonderful
woolen carpets, wooden crafts, earthenware and rock roses from Sahara.
Bargaining is appropriate and even required!
My grey-winged dove
Restaurants
of Moroccan cuisine are found all over the world. However, only here
you will be able to taste such traditional delicacies as a baked pigeon
with nuts and honey. Meat is the basis of Moroccan cooking. We
recommend trying chariru (soup of lamb with beans), meshua (fried
lamb), tadzhin (beef stewed in a special pot), or hen with quince,
prunes or dates. Moroccans cook delicious vegetables: for example,
stuffed eggplants and extraordinary vegetable salads with oranges.
Patties with the sweet fillings and crunchy pastry "beshkito" are usual
for dessert. Moroccans have learnt the art of wine making from the
French, and they learnt it well. Affordable decent wines are sold
everywhere. Moroccans don't consume wine themselves, as it is
prohibited by Islam. They prefer strong mint tea or coffee.
Three
must-haves in Morocco are (1) to see a mirage in the desert, (2) to buy
some Berber pottery, and (3) to ride a camel over barchans.
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