Thomas and I agreed that before we start trying for kids, we wanted to go to Africa. Morocco sounded exotic enough that we could feel like we were just stepping on the edge of another world. It’s not that young kids can’t be taken there (we did see some brave tourists with some), but some travel is a lot easier without kids in tow. We kept this in mind throughout our trip – wondering if we would have felt comfortable taking a kid with us, if we had waited?
For most of our trip, kids would have been fine. We stayed in nice hotels, traveled in an air-conditioned jeep on paved roads, and people were very friendly, mostly hoping we’d buy something from them. The only big challenge we saw was that strollers were not really part of the culture.
I had been expecting Morocco to feel edgy, and for most of our trip, it didn’t…that is until we arrived in Marrakesh, our last city. Marrakesh made me feel tense, exhausted, and physically ill. It’s a large city known for it’s very active market that runs late into the night. Like Fez, there is a maze of shops with people trying to sell you their goods. Within our first hour there, we got so lost that we had to pay some kid to show us back to our hotel – of course he ripped us off. The next time, we took our GPS with us and eventually became familiar with the route.
My least favorite part of the Marrakesh market was a big open area filled with street performers – musicians, actors, snake charmers, etc. If you took photos of any of these, they would demand money, even chasing you down to get it. I especially couldn’t stand the performers putting monkeys and snakes on us so we would pay for a photo. There were also henna artists harassing me to paint my hands. When I turned one down, she sprayed me with the staining ink. To say the least, I was very upset.
Needless to say, I would not take a child to Marrakesh – it was too crowded, too noisy, too dirty, and too smokey. I’m glad I went, but it was not representative of the beautiful places we visited throughout the rest of our trip.
If you’d like to see the final set of Morocco photos, I’ve posted on Flickr:
- Marrakesh, Morocco (23 photos)
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When I was in Marrakesh, I totally ended up with an accidental henna tattoo. The good news is it was lovely. And it was free, because I refused to pay them since they had ambushed me. We also could not shake this guy who kept showing up at our hotel and offering to be our guide. The next 4 days we hired a company to drive us through the atlas mountains through the gorges and to Erfoud, and that was remarkably peaceful and free of incidents compared to Marrakesh.
As for children, I don’t know about traveling with babies. But my two aunts took 3 kids ages 8-13 with us when we went to visit my cousin in Ecuador. They adapted very well to the backpacker lifestyle, hopping in and out of public buses, hiking into the rain forest to stay with an indiginous family, staying in hostel-like places.. we did get a lecture from one on what they taught her in school about drugs when she found out we were all going to drink the “shamans drink”. They really went with the flow..
.-= Becca´s last blog ..Blog slacker. =-.
Traveling with little babies is pretty easy – we always used a baby carrier instead of a stroller. Only hard part is keeping up with supplies like diapers and formula/bottled water. Toddlers-preschool is tough. I’m waiting for my 2 to get old enough to be able to walk longer distances before we do much traveling. I’m thinking when the youngest gets to 7 or 8 I will start taking them more new places.
sounds like a crazy place. I think you will find that with kids you adapt and they do too. Probably good you god Marrakesh out of the way, but babies and children travel pretty well. It is all up to you and your mindset. Plus seeing new places through your children’s eyes is one of the very best gifts.
.-= Reid´s last blog ..Christmas Caves in Valkenburg =-.
Wow..just looking at the pics of Marrakesh stresses me out…especially the SNAKES. I would have been scare beyond belief to see those just out on the street.
Hey Dallas! I’m trying to catch up on some of your entries. You’ve been traveling a lot.
I think a lot of traveling with kids depends on the temperament of the child and how you deal with it. Ava is not a great traveller (likes her own bed with her familiar surroundings) and I get stressed out easily, so not a great combo! You guys will figure it out.
.-= Dotty´s last blog ..Two =-.
I travel with my kids everywhere, but I definitely wouldn’t be taking them to Marrakesh.
When we went on our honeymoon to the Carribean, there was a guy who wouldn’t leave us along till we paid him $1 to stop playing his banjo. Hell, I would have paid him $5, but $1 seemed to do the trick.
.-= Sabrina´s last blog ..My Favorite Picture =-.
Sounds alot like my experience in some of the big cities in India! Probably best that you didn’t have children on this trip. Shannon and I have figured out that Reagan’s vacation threshold is about 4 days…after that she seems to become quite run-down and a bit cranky! It’s been fun traveling with her for the most part as she’s pretty easy going and loves exploring already at her young age! I’m sure you won’t have a problem when that time rolls around!
.-= Ali Meyer´s last blog ..Playdates (Oct and Nov) =-.
Wow! I would be upset and stressed too! Don’t blame you a bit!
[...] flew into Fez, drove through the Middle Atlas Mountains, through the desert and gorges, and on to Marrakesh where we flew back home. It was a wonderful trip full of new cultures, beautiful scenery, and [...]