Photos: Morocco

ladyantik — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:38:00 GMT

Djemaa el Fna

My Travel Writing Scholarship 2011 entry - Responsible Travel

ladyantik — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 03:57:00 GMT

I have always been fascinated with Morocco since my college days and i had the opportunity to travel to that beautiful country last October. As I look back on that trip, I always assimilate Morocco with the tagine pot and couscous. A tagine is water-based meat dish served in a tagine, which is a clay pot with a conical shaped cover.The hollow inside the cone cover keeps all the flavors of the meat and vegetables intact while cooking. Couscous is a wheat dish mixed with vegetables and chickpeas. Tagines and couscous are two of the very famous dishes served in Morocco.

What i like about Morocco is that it is so full of contrasts. From the northern side of the country where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, it houses a colorful history, stunning architecture and designs, centuries old kasbahs or prison,and colorful and vibrant medinas. Where the land of green meets brown as you head south to cities of Meknes and Fez, Morocco's medieval cities.Strolling through this ancient cities spell magic and old history where donkeys are the means of transport and people from all over Africa come to this places to sell their products in their caravan. My favorite city is Marrakesh. It's a charming city where houses are in monotone brown pinkish red. The Djemaa El Fna comes alive at night where magicians, snake charmers, henna tattoo artists,acrobats, vendors, so called" dentists" meet and greet the thousands of visitors daily. The food stalls come alive with their succulent smell of barbeque and food. Local cuisine include the tagine, couscous, harira and pastilla to name a few. The shopping experience in the medina is simply splendid where bargaining is fun. And Moroccan interior design is stunning and uses a fusion of colors, lines and angles and symmetry. Visiting Morocco has been fun and i will not never forget the hospitality and the kindness of the people i have crossed paths with in my journey to their country. And i have realized that it is very important to be a responsible traveler always. And to always take part in the preservation of our heritage sites and the environment.

Tagine and Couscous

Photos: Morocco

My Travel Writing Scholarship 2011 entry - Responsible Travel