Miserable in Morocco
As the plane touched down my excitement grew. It had been awhile since I could say that I was visiting a continent for the first time and while Morocco is in North Africa at the very top of a huge and diverse landmass I was stoked to start exploring a new place.
I grabbed a taxi and was dropped off at the edge of the bustling Medina where I wandered through the chaos of humanity looking for my apartment host. Finally finding him he led me through the labyrinth of alleyways to my small studio on the second floor above a busy side street. It wasn’t fancy, but I was looking for local accommodation to spend the next week and a half getting a real feel for the old city.
Unfortunately almost as soon as I settled in I started to feel like I might be getting sick. I fought it off and ventured out into the night air through the throngs of people crisscrossing the main plaza. The energy was electric with tourists, performers, street vendors, and beggars on every pathway and in every nook and cranny. It was truly one of the most vibrant, chaotic, and unique places I had ever been.
Unfortunately the next morning I felt worse not better. I grabbed some groceries from a local market and prepared to wait out the sickness in the solitude of my apartment. After a day or two sequestered in bed I felt good enough to get back to work so I built a standing desk on front of my window and spent the days catching up on work and watching the street life below.
Having rented a low cost local apartment meant that I lacked some much-wished-for amenities like air conditioning. Each day the temperature climbed as I alternated opening and closing windows to keep the heat of the sun out while still craving fresh air. The constant traffic on the street below kicked up so much dust that everything was covered in a fresh coat every few hours and I’m sure that breathing it in all day and night did not help the speed of my recovery.
The only positive part of being stuck inside was that I was able to be super productive with work while watching the street scene below. I was on the edge of the tourist zone which meant I saw a lot of local traffic including construction workers, food vendors, donkey carts, and once I even watched a full grown cow being unloaded from the back of a pickup truck and led off to who knows where in the cramped Medina.
Finally after procuring some green tea and cold medicine I started coming back to life. Caught up on work I spent a couple of sweltering days exploring the old and new cities on foot, eating some delicious meals, and resting up for the trade show I’d be working at in Munich, Germany the following week.
It hadn’t quite been what I’d dreamed of for my first visit to Africa, and I knew that even if it went perfectly the continent is so large and diverse I would definitely need more trips across the vast landscape to really get to know it. After a week and a half in the Medina I packed my bags and hopped on a flight from Marrakesh to Munich, very much looking forward to revisiting soon.
