Prior to my trip, I watched many YouTube videos on Morocco. European and American travelers tend to exclaim “Africa!” “exotic!” “ancient!”, enjoyed tagine and medina shopping, were annoyed by persistent pseudo-guides and touts while a Nigerian content creator was hugely impressed with how “advanced” and “clean” the country was.

What is Morocco really like, then?

I found Moroccans kind, polite, generous and respectful. Nobody hassled me and I felt completely safe walking alone with a big camera. I enjoyed nature much more than cities. Tap water is chlorinated and safe to drink. Public transport (buses and trains) is well organized and well run. We feasted on inexpensive and delicious street food whenever we could.

Three things left the most lasting impressions on me. First, Moroccans love cats. Second, it’s not nice at all to be a donkey in Morocco. Last but not least, the economy is severely and uncomfortably skewed: I have never experienced such a wide gap between tourist prices and local prices anywhere in the world. For example, a small glass of mint tea at a restaurant costs a minimum of 20 dirham (2 euros; 40 rand) while hole-in-the-wall shops charge 1 dirham (0.1 euros; 2 rand) for the same amount of equally tasty mint tea.

Here are my top 3 in three categories.

• Top 3 destinations – the Sahara Desert, High Atlas, Volubilis (Roman ruins)
• Top 3 food – snail soup, msemmen (traditional flatbread), fish balls in pita or pastilla (North African pie)
• Top 3 cities I could have happily missed – Meknes, Tangier, Chefchaouen

モロッコ人は親切で寛大で礼儀正しい。大きなカメラを持って一人歩きしても、まったく安全だった。水道水は塩素処理してあるので安心して飲める。バスや鉄道は管理・運営とも優れ、快適である。いつもながら、できるだけストリートフードを堪能した。

モロッコで一番心に残った3点。モロッコ人は猫が好き。モロッコのロバにはなりたくない。観光客価格と地元民価格の差が、今まで行った世界のどこの国よりも大きい。例えば、レストランでミントティーを頼むと最低でも20ディルハム（340円）。ところがストリートでは、同じ量の美味しいお茶が1ディルハム（17円）で楽しめる。

気に入った場所は、一位サハラ砂漠、二位ハイアトラス（山脈）、三位ヴォルビリス（ローマ遺跡）。

気に入った食べ物は、一位カタツムリのスープ、二位ムセメン（パラタに似たパン）、三位魚のつくね入りピタパン、四位パスティーヤ（パイ）。

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Day 1: Johannesburg – Istanbul

Day 2: Istanbul – Marrakech

Day 3: Marrakech

Day 4: Marrakech – Essaouira – Marrakech

Day 5: Marrakech – Imlil – Marrakech

Day 6: Marrakech

Day 7: Marrakech – Tizi n’Tichka – Aït Benhaddou – Dades Gorges

Day 8: Dades Gorges – Todra Gorges – Tinghir – Merzouga – Erg Chebbi

Day 9: Erg Chebbi – Merzouga – Erfoud – Marrakech

Day 10: Marrakech

Day 11: Marrakech – Tangier (night train)

Day 12: Tangier

Day 13: Tangier – Chefchaouen – Fez

Day 14: Fez

Day 15: Fez – Volubilis – Moulay Idriss – Meknes – Fez

Day 16: Fez – Marrakech – Istanbul

Day 17: Istanbul – Johannesburg