The Indo-moroccan flavor!

Morocco, a place on the coast of Africa, has produced a myriad number of dishes which have made their way to India of late. The lamb Shashlik is not a dish that is unique to morocco but their style of preparation as well as the sauce is unique to that region.

Recently, I was able to taste the lamb Shashlik prepared in the Moroccan style of cooking, while being coated with a hot apricot sauce that is Moroccan in origin. Needless to say the combination was just perfect, the hot sauce managed to give the Shashlik a whole new flavor and the ensemble was just great.

This is a dish that one should not miss out on, just imagine the shashlik coated in the apricot sauce and being grilled, with all the Moroccan herbs and spices. I am sure that as you are reading this, your mouth must have started to water, because that is what happened to me as the smell of the grill caught me unawares. My suggestion, try the Moroccan cuisine, especially anything that comes with the apricot sauce and after that, you would not want to partake anything else.

Essaouira - the haven for many!

Since time immemorial, Essaouira has served as a haven for many travellers from all over the world. It is situated strategically along the Moroccan coast line and has a natural well protected harbour. Essaouira is a beautiful city to visit and the best places to go to Essaouira are many so it would not be possible to discuss them all here, but I shall do my best.

Where do I start, I guess in the beginning since that seems to be the apt place to start everything. Essaouira, was coveted by the Phoenicians and the Romans and some of the Carthage wars were fought on this coast line. That does make one think, does it not? Well, it did make me think, just as I was walking along the coastline, appreciating the ancient harbour, all the conflicts that had taken place here.
I came here from Marrakesh and the journey, although not comfortable and all that, still was picturesque enough for me to put up with it. But if you are allergic to dust and all that, then it is better that you put off the trip for some time. Anyway Essaouira is bustling with life just as it did under the Phoenicians. It is basically a sea faring village cum city. The markets are not to be missed especially early in the morning, just as the first catch trickles in to the city ramparts.

The life, the language, the spices, the colors and the way that people talk to each other, all of it makes for a very heady experience. The cuisine here is a hot pot of every invader who had come to Morocco and settled here. But the one common ingredient that you will find in most of its dishes is the chick peas. The dishes themselves are very subtle and not all that spicy as one may think, which is great news for the Western travellers.
The hotels here are quite affordable and do not forget to bargain for anything and everything here. It is the custom here to barter and do so, you may get very pleasantly surprised. Also, when you are in a shop to purchase something, do not wave your money about as that kind of arrogance would only attract the wrong sort of crowd.

The streets are very narrow here and I do mean narrow, it is kind of interesting to wander down the narrow alleyways thinking of the humongous freeways that we have back in our cities.The old fort is here and it does make up for that dusty ambiance that Essaouira has some of the time. That said, do not forget to pay a visit to the old harbour and see if you can do so during sunset. That is a sight that will stay with you for a very, very long time to come!

Marrakesh - the aura of mystery!

Marrakesh the land of the red ochre, since most of the buildings are covered with it and then you have the snow clad Atlas mountains for contrast. I have to say that when I travelled to Marrakesh I cam here with certain preconceptions about this palace and the Moroccan culture. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised with the way my entire trip turned out. First of all the airport customs could do with a little bit of help as far as the English language goes, you have to repeat yourself to make your point to them. That said,once you step out of the lounge, you may wilt a bit at the heat, but the sight that greets your eyes is bound to take your breath away, literally.
The Atlas mountains are magnificent and one can just spend the whole day just watching them without even knowing the passing of time itself and what is more, at sunset, just as the sun sets, the mountains turn to burnished gold, that is a sight that no one should miss for the world.
When it comes to accommodation overseas, the best thing that you can do is to reserve your hotel rooms in advance. There are many sites that offer to help you out on this and you can try out one of them for your rooms. The room rates generally vary between 24$ to 110$ a night and sometimes even more, it all comes down to what kind of a room you want. You can either settle for just a room or a room with a view of the Atlas mountains. I tried the later and I have to say that I am one happy customer.

Marrakesh is a place that has featured in many a novel from the ones by Agatha Christie to the other authors, it has always been a favorite destination for the Europeans for many years and today there are many french citizens who have made this place their home. So do not be all that surprised if the Moroccans speak to you in french. The Berbers maintain the age old customs and traditions of Morocco and the age old 'Le Souk' or the market is a place that one must not forget to go to. This market is one which is all about contrasts, although the souk has its roots in ancient history, it is very modern and the contrasts that one finds at this place is simply too hard to believe. Once can shop here till nightfall and anything and everything from clothes,furs,rugs,carpets,spices,bangles,jewellery and many, many more are sold here. Tip: always haggle before purchasing anything at any market in Marrakesh.

You also have the Hammam here, which is just another word for spa. And this is one spa experience that you will never forget for all sorts of reasons. First of all, park your inhibitions at the door because you will be asked to disrobe here and guess what, you will not be the only person in the room. But the treatment itself is just fantastic and I have to say that this one did work out all the kinks in my back, so it was great as far as I was concerned and very refreshing as well.
Marrakesh is full of sights and sounds that one should not miss out on. Of course there are the usual hotel bars and discotheques, but if you want the real experience, then you better start walking the city grids.
As far as sights and sounds go, there is the El-Badi palace, that was built I think somewhere in the 1570's by king Ahmed el-Mansour. It is quite vast and is very nice to look at, but unfortunately it was torn down shortly after it was built so we can only see the ruins today. Then there is the The Bahia Palace , which is beautiful in its beauty , the building and the surrounding gardens are all built in the Islamic tradition, please set some time aside to visit this place as it can take up a lot of time.
Then there are the museums to go to, and the tombs although I always found that part of the expedition a little bit too creepy and at the end of the day you can always get a nice cold drink of orange juice or some fruit cocktail at a stall in one of the many souks along the way.

At the end of my visit to Marrakesh, I have to say that I enjoyed my visit a lot but what i ended up enjoying all the more was the Moroccan food, with the bastilla or the cous-cous with lamb and then there is my favorite of the lot, some lemon chicken, grilled Moroccan style! Hope you will have fun visiting Morocco and Marrakesh as much as I did!

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