This year I am continuing my hunt for the ultimate socialist paradise in Morocco, Portugal and France. Looking for that special place where can I spend a lifetime rock climbing with free health care and monthly stipend financed by the bourgeoisie and capitalists - those greedy bastards.
Let's start with Morocco.
Gaby and I decided on going to Morocco when I could not convince her to go to Ethiopia. My banker and a cab driver said Ethiopia were the place to go but Gaby has this thing against famines, war, stranded in the middle of a desert when the guides run away with all our money. Oh well, maybe next time we'll hit the big adventure.
So Morocco it was! All the travel media raved about Morocco and said it was the #2 place to go and I now can see why. Morocco completely blows away the mass media anti-Islam anti-Arab hype you read about in the paper.....kinda. Why?
- Ultra safe. My guide laughed when I asked about violence again tourists. "We don't do that here". FYI, I read that 67 people got shot in Chicago last weekend. Time to head to Marrakesh folks.
- Exotic: You can either shop at chic Gucci bag store with 1 billion other fanatic women, or head into the hills with Berbers where roads and electricity are just now being installed. Go back into the time machine to mid 1900's
- Food: Wow. The orange juice for 60 cents was a drug I could not stop consuming. The sauces were a fantasy. Gaby is trying to recreate and is getting close.
- Culture: The extreme cultures were something I didn't anticipate...I was naive. You can see beautiful women strutting all their stuff and proud of it and walking tents next to each other chatting on the street.
- Religion: Once again I am naive. Islam practiced by most Berbers is so liberal it is like the Unitarian church - can't we all just get along. Then there are "the beards" and the ' hypocrites" quote and unquote. Big chasm here that is bumping heads not only in Morocco but Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iran, etc.
So here is my story...take it or leave it.
The Basic Trip:
Gaby and I spent:
- 3 days Marrakesh
- 2 days sleeping with a camel in the Sahara
- 5 days trekking in the Atlas Mountains meeting Berbers in little villages stranded in a time warp
Marrakesh was....well Gaby and I don't like big cities but for a day or two its was OK. Exotic. Like Venice Beach you see people of all types, sizes, clothes,etc. VERY cosmopolitan and at the same time 3rd world.
Markets
Major Mosque
Local kids hanging out on Sunday night
Old Palace
Palace
Working with all 4 appendages
Very busy. People are all super helpful and nice. I felt more safe than at home, but Gaby was a bit worried of the unknown. The only hassle was beggars, but they were not aggressive you tell them no and they go away. The bickering over prices and yelling and shouting was fun to watch if you are not in the midst of it for us that are not use to it. Gaby was great at bargaining and made those guys work for their moola.
Sahara
It would have been super cool, but it took an 11 hour drive (and 10 hours out) in 104 F heat, to ride a camel 1 hour into the desert. Even I admit I was wiped out. Next time I would do the 5 day trip instead of 2 LONG days.
Our camels with our tents in the background
Sandstorm in the morning
Atlas Mountains and Berbers
This was the crown jewel that every kid in the US should be required to do for 1 year. We got to see the Berber culture LIVE and living color. Unfortunately taking pictures of people went against the culture so I can't show you the 60 year old women and their 7 year old granddaughters hauling hey on their backs from the mountain while the guys sit on their asses and chat. This was a trip back into the time machine that is just now being propelled to the 21st century....and its hard. You see until 3-4 years ago no roads or electricity so these people lived in the mountains doing what they've been doing for centuries. WORK! Back breaking work. If you get sick- you die. If you have a famine - you starve. If you have to much snow - you freeze. If your only cow dies - drink dirt. This is only 30 miles from Marrakesh.
Gaby and I can't say enough great things about the Berber culture. Kind, giving, smiles, gentle, hard hard working, humble, inviting...OK I know I'm boring you but you get the idea.
But NOW in just the past couple years - cell phones, roads, electricity. So now all the men are complaining that the women spend more time watching TV than working. Ain't that the pits guys?
Socialist Paradise - NOT
Morocco is a oligarchy where the king owns the major economic pie and can even dictate that you have to name your kids an Arabic name. Historically Morocco was a socialist state but in name only. The government and Islamic religion owned much of the infrastructure and wealth while the grinding poverty was distributed evenly to the 99%. However since 2000 things have started to improve with a new liberal king, privatization, de-centralizing the government, roads, electricity, etc. There is now rampant small capitalism in the markets, with foreign firms investing in the economy especially tourism. But the king still owns all the open land, minerals and has the last say...so democracy is minimal but growing at the federal level. Corruption is rampant...so much so that every older Berber I spoke with said the same thing "Bring back the French at least we didn't have to pay bribes"
There is free health care....if you can get to it and don't die waiting in line. Larger mountain towns have small clinics but if you need more than a band aid you have to wait for the next truck or mule and haul your ass about 25 miles downhill...and hope the doctor is not on siesta. So emergency care and ongoing care for problematic illnesses - I heard a saying "Berber life is good until you get sick - then you die". I think its a LOT better than 10 years ago...but I'd even take Obamacare over Morocco-care at this point no matter how free it is.
On the plus side we did not see a single obese person, diabetes is unknown, I don't remember villagers smoking, alcohol is illegal, guns are unheard of unless you are with the government, and they eat real food and not plastic drug laced hormone enhanced super sized mega burgers like us Westerners do. So while Westerners die of gunshot wounds through our size 88 pants hitting our insulin pumps, Berbers die from accidents, drought and cancer. Tomaaaaato - Tomato.
Social Security - NADA
Free Schools - Yes (hey get this, the kids learn 4 languages Arabic, Berber, French, English)
Unemployment Insurance - NADA
Welfare system - NADA
Nursing Homes - NADA
In addition I thought prices were high for a developing country.
1.5 liter of water - $1.30USD
Gallon of Gas - $4 USD
Lunch for two - vegetarian - $25 USD
Basic scarf - $2.60
Hotels were cheap though: We paid $24 USD for two people with a great breakfast. Clean rooms but basic and hotel was quaint but nice.
But we really didn't get a chance to see more prices so I think they see a white guy and prices go up 50%. And I'm too lazy to bargain and Gaby got sick of bargaining after a while.
OVERALL - I asked everyone I met "Are things getting better" and most people said yes. The king is pretty liberal and everyone likes him, but they don't like the people that influence him and Berbers think his minions are corrupt and power hungry. I saw much economic development with new roads, electricity, new buildings, modernized airport, etc. So I think the economy is booming and more people are benefiting from it than in the past.
So Morocco gets points for having some cool climbing areas...but not sure its the socialist paradise that will baby me until I die.
Culture - Arab vs Berber
NEVER! call a Berber an Arab or vice versa or you might be walking home through a big desert by yourself. Berbers have Nordic genes in them so they are basically Norwegians with tans. Arabs have Yemen and Damascus genes in them so they are Arabs. So the weirdest thing is you look around and you see all colors from white kids with blue eyes to super dark people, but you can't tell who is what! Our guide says he knows who is what, but not sure how they do it.
Berbers are 65% of the population and Arabs are 35% but Arabs dominate the government - which is a sore point. Berbers were the nomads that roamed the deserts and Arabs were the conquerors that conquered the Berbers in the 7th century. Berbers see themselves as a conquered people equivalent to Kurds, Tibetians, American Indians, Palestinians, etc. Not until 2011 did they get free speech and recognition of their Berber language which almost everyone speaks - both Arabs and Berbers. They still are required to name their kids Arab names, Arabic was the official language for 1500 years, Islam was forced on them, they had to learn Arabic tainted history in school, etc. I asked almost everyone what they would call themselves "Moroccan, Arabic, Berber" and the response was 100% Berber.
So this is the rub. Berbers feel the King is a cool guy trying to improve things. But as the king he is an Arab, influenced by external Arab forces and is also the head of state and Pope of the Islam religion which is heavily Arabic influenced. So Berbers feel the king is somewhat a puppet being manipulated by his corrupt Arab backers.
Funny thing. The French occupied Morocco from 1912 to 1956. Everyone I spoke to wants the French to come back because they made Morocco what it is today with trains, streets, and a working justice system. I don't think that is going to happen, but at least some people like the French.
I tried to find some Moroccan Arabs to get the other side of the story, but failed. So the above is obviously totally biased opinion with minimal facts I gathered from about 10 people I spoke with and compared to other trekkers chatting with their guides. Someday I want to hear the other side.
Religion - Liberal vs Conservative Islam
I went to Morocco to get away from the mass media hysteria and stereotypes and to see what Islam is all about at the ground level. I came away both encouraged and scared.
The quote that stayed with me is "I used to go to the mosque until our imam told us to kill all the Jews". You see Berbers were originally pagans worshiping the sun, then they converted to Judism (Jewish), then Christian and finally in the 7th century Islam. But until the 1950's, because of this history Berbers were/are very tolerant of all religions and the government was secular (non-religious as best they can). In fact, Moroccan Jewish people are the 2nd largest group of emigrants to return to Israel. So for 1500 years everyone just got along no problemo.
Then in the 1950's with the birth of the Israel and the Arab/Israeli conflict, things got tough. The Arab King Hussein was a big bad dude and used his Islamic Pope like powers to force the Jews to leave. There are still Jews left in Morocco, but very few. The part that scares me is that imams are required to read these edicts from the central Islam authority which is basically the Pope King. So now even the new liberal king is advocating state sponsored genocide of an entire race of people - kill the Jews. The Berbers don't like this new religion because their religion is liberal, peaceful, secular, inclusive....and heck they were once Jews too!!! Islam is a religion of peace and that is how Berbers want to practice it as they have since the 7th century. Genocide is a different religion Berbers don't recognize.
One more thing. I am still disappointed with how Moroccan Islam treats females. In Marrakesh females could do what they want. But in the mountains it felt like females got the short end of the stick - they did a lot of heavy work all day, had to cover up, can't go to advanced school, fairly subservient to men, can't date before marriage. Our guide said that Islam says women are equal - except they must cover their body, polygamous marriages favoring the guy, can't inherit land like the guys, etc. BUT HEY - If people are free to choose their destiny and enjoy being subservient and faithful to their religion - then its not my problem and I wish them a good life.
On the brighter side, we were visiting the Jewish cemetery in Marrakesh:
and people in the streets were yelling "Shalom!!!" The cemetery was being cared for by an Arab? family that has been doing it for eons. So it was nice to know that at some level, people can still get along.
Summary
Pack your bags and go now. Berber country is changing fast and if you want to see the old and new you better do it soon while things are somewhat inexpensive.
And forget the stereotypes.
This was the crown jewel that every kid in the US should be required to do for 1 year. We got to see the Berber culture LIVE and living color. Unfortunately taking pictures of people went against the culture so I can't show you the 60 year old women and their 7 year old granddaughters hauling hey on their backs from the mountain while the guys sit on their asses and chat. This was a trip back into the time machine that is just now being propelled to the 21st century....and its hard. You see until 3-4 years ago no roads or electricity so these people lived in the mountains doing what they've been doing for centuries. WORK! Back breaking work. If you get sick- you die. If you have a famine - you starve. If you have to much snow - you freeze. If your only cow dies - drink dirt. This is only 30 miles from Marrakesh.
Gaby and I can't say enough great things about the Berber culture. Kind, giving, smiles, gentle, hard hard working, humble, inviting...OK I know I'm boring you but you get the idea.
But NOW in just the past couple years - cell phones, roads, electricity. So now all the men are complaining that the women spend more time watching TV than working. Ain't that the pits guys?
Satellite TV all over now
Electicity
Clinging to edge of mountain and no roads
Berber Whisky - Tea
Not bad for 95 years old - still hikes the mountains
Cute kids
Why aren't they wearing chic Gucci clothes?
Too busy keeping food on table.
This was our typical lunch served by our mule driver
This guy could cook
Our poor mule
Atlas waterfall
Socialist Paradise - NOT
Morocco is a oligarchy where the king owns the major economic pie and can even dictate that you have to name your kids an Arabic name. Historically Morocco was a socialist state but in name only. The government and Islamic religion owned much of the infrastructure and wealth while the grinding poverty was distributed evenly to the 99%. However since 2000 things have started to improve with a new liberal king, privatization, de-centralizing the government, roads, electricity, etc. There is now rampant small capitalism in the markets, with foreign firms investing in the economy especially tourism. But the king still owns all the open land, minerals and has the last say...so democracy is minimal but growing at the federal level. Corruption is rampant...so much so that every older Berber I spoke with said the same thing "Bring back the French at least we didn't have to pay bribes"
There is free health care....if you can get to it and don't die waiting in line. Larger mountain towns have small clinics but if you need more than a band aid you have to wait for the next truck or mule and haul your ass about 25 miles downhill...and hope the doctor is not on siesta. So emergency care and ongoing care for problematic illnesses - I heard a saying "Berber life is good until you get sick - then you die". I think its a LOT better than 10 years ago...but I'd even take Obamacare over Morocco-care at this point no matter how free it is.
On the plus side we did not see a single obese person, diabetes is unknown, I don't remember villagers smoking, alcohol is illegal, guns are unheard of unless you are with the government, and they eat real food and not plastic drug laced hormone enhanced super sized mega burgers like us Westerners do. So while Westerners die of gunshot wounds through our size 88 pants hitting our insulin pumps, Berbers die from accidents, drought and cancer. Tomaaaaato - Tomato.
Social Security - NADA
Free Schools - Yes (hey get this, the kids learn 4 languages Arabic, Berber, French, English)
Unemployment Insurance - NADA
Welfare system - NADA
Nursing Homes - NADA
In addition I thought prices were high for a developing country.
1.5 liter of water - $1.30USD
Gallon of Gas - $4 USD
Lunch for two - vegetarian - $25 USD
Basic scarf - $2.60
Hotels were cheap though: We paid $24 USD for two people with a great breakfast. Clean rooms but basic and hotel was quaint but nice.
But we really didn't get a chance to see more prices so I think they see a white guy and prices go up 50%. And I'm too lazy to bargain and Gaby got sick of bargaining after a while.
OVERALL - I asked everyone I met "Are things getting better" and most people said yes. The king is pretty liberal and everyone likes him, but they don't like the people that influence him and Berbers think his minions are corrupt and power hungry. I saw much economic development with new roads, electricity, new buildings, modernized airport, etc. So I think the economy is booming and more people are benefiting from it than in the past.
So Morocco gets points for having some cool climbing areas...but not sure its the socialist paradise that will baby me until I die.
Culture - Arab vs Berber
NEVER! call a Berber an Arab or vice versa or you might be walking home through a big desert by yourself. Berbers have Nordic genes in them so they are basically Norwegians with tans. Arabs have Yemen and Damascus genes in them so they are Arabs. So the weirdest thing is you look around and you see all colors from white kids with blue eyes to super dark people, but you can't tell who is what! Our guide says he knows who is what, but not sure how they do it.
Berbers are 65% of the population and Arabs are 35% but Arabs dominate the government - which is a sore point. Berbers were the nomads that roamed the deserts and Arabs were the conquerors that conquered the Berbers in the 7th century. Berbers see themselves as a conquered people equivalent to Kurds, Tibetians, American Indians, Palestinians, etc. Not until 2011 did they get free speech and recognition of their Berber language which almost everyone speaks - both Arabs and Berbers. They still are required to name their kids Arab names, Arabic was the official language for 1500 years, Islam was forced on them, they had to learn Arabic tainted history in school, etc. I asked almost everyone what they would call themselves "Moroccan, Arabic, Berber" and the response was 100% Berber.
So this is the rub. Berbers feel the King is a cool guy trying to improve things. But as the king he is an Arab, influenced by external Arab forces and is also the head of state and Pope of the Islam religion which is heavily Arabic influenced. So Berbers feel the king is somewhat a puppet being manipulated by his corrupt Arab backers.
Funny thing. The French occupied Morocco from 1912 to 1956. Everyone I spoke to wants the French to come back because they made Morocco what it is today with trains, streets, and a working justice system. I don't think that is going to happen, but at least some people like the French.
I tried to find some Moroccan Arabs to get the other side of the story, but failed. So the above is obviously totally biased opinion with minimal facts I gathered from about 10 people I spoke with and compared to other trekkers chatting with their guides. Someday I want to hear the other side.
Religion - Liberal vs Conservative Islam
I went to Morocco to get away from the mass media hysteria and stereotypes and to see what Islam is all about at the ground level. I came away both encouraged and scared.
The quote that stayed with me is "I used to go to the mosque until our imam told us to kill all the Jews". You see Berbers were originally pagans worshiping the sun, then they converted to Judism (Jewish), then Christian and finally in the 7th century Islam. But until the 1950's, because of this history Berbers were/are very tolerant of all religions and the government was secular (non-religious as best they can). In fact, Moroccan Jewish people are the 2nd largest group of emigrants to return to Israel. So for 1500 years everyone just got along no problemo.
Then in the 1950's with the birth of the Israel and the Arab/Israeli conflict, things got tough. The Arab King Hussein was a big bad dude and used his Islamic Pope like powers to force the Jews to leave. There are still Jews left in Morocco, but very few. The part that scares me is that imams are required to read these edicts from the central Islam authority which is basically the Pope King. So now even the new liberal king is advocating state sponsored genocide of an entire race of people - kill the Jews. The Berbers don't like this new religion because their religion is liberal, peaceful, secular, inclusive....and heck they were once Jews too!!! Islam is a religion of peace and that is how Berbers want to practice it as they have since the 7th century. Genocide is a different religion Berbers don't recognize.
One more thing. I am still disappointed with how Moroccan Islam treats females. In Marrakesh females could do what they want. But in the mountains it felt like females got the short end of the stick - they did a lot of heavy work all day, had to cover up, can't go to advanced school, fairly subservient to men, can't date before marriage. Our guide said that Islam says women are equal - except they must cover their body, polygamous marriages favoring the guy, can't inherit land like the guys, etc. BUT HEY - If people are free to choose their destiny and enjoy being subservient and faithful to their religion - then its not my problem and I wish them a good life.
On the brighter side, we were visiting the Jewish cemetery in Marrakesh:
and people in the streets were yelling "Shalom!!!" The cemetery was being cared for by an Arab? family that has been doing it for eons. So it was nice to know that at some level, people can still get along.
Summary
Pack your bags and go now. Berber country is changing fast and if you want to see the old and new you better do it soon while things are somewhat inexpensive.
And forget the stereotypes.
