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Featured Travel Couple : Omer & Madeline, A Husband and Wife Traveling the World Together

July 8, 2018

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The Travel Speak’s Featured Travelers : Omer and Madeline

Omer & Madeline share their love and passion for travel with us in our series of inspiring traveler stories. They are a young couple traveling the world together. Napping and mapping, one country a time.

You can follow this lovely couple and their travel stories on their Instagram profile. You can also checkout their informational travel blog.

Here they are sharing their travel story of Morocco.

Omer and Madeline’s Travelogue (unedited)

Marrakech – the capital of Madness

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Our Journey started off from Montreal. After a 6 hour flight, we made it to Casablanca. The immigration line-up at Mohammad V International Airport was insane! The immigration officials love to chat and take their time when processing entry. They even went on a tea and cigarette break, which didn’t surprise us since we prepared for unexpected delays. After a 1.5 hour wait, we cleared immigration and made our way to the baggage claim, and this is where the real fun begins.

As soon as we made our way down to the baggage claim, we were greeted by Telecom vendors giving away free SIM cards with 1GB data. Since we were 2 travelers, we decided to take 2 SIMS.

Why not right? 2GB data for us to use to help us navigate the narrow and confusing streets of Morocco. Following this entertainment, we arrived at the currency exchange. It is not possible to obtain Moroccan Dirhams from outside of Morocco nor allowed to carry more than 1,000 MAD out of the country. The currency exchange at the airport is the safest option and the exchange rate provided is decent.

To get to Marrakech from Casablanca airport, there are multiple options: either take a taxi (most expensive), utilize a hotel shuttle (also quite expensive), or take the train like most people. By going to the basement of Casablanca airport (as long as you can find it…we had to get directions from 4 different people along the way), we purchased our tickets at the Kiosk, which cannot be obtained in advance. To get to Marrakech, you can purchase both of your train tickets at the airport itself. Trains from the airport to Gare L’Oasis run every 30 minutes and to Marrakech from L’Oasis every hour. To see a full list of timetables of trains from Casablanca Airport, check out the ONCF website. The website is in French, but if you have used a travel website or any other ticketing website, it’s pretty self-explanatory.

Trains in Morocco can be a lot of fun, but also nervewracking for those not used to sitting in crowded trains. It takes two train rides to get to Marrakech from Casablanca Airport. The first train we took was from Casablanca Airport to Gare L’Oasis. It’s the first stop after the airport and takes about 30 minutes to get there. We decided to purchase first-class tickets, as the seats are much better, and there was space to store our luggage for the journey. Total cost for one person in first class for both journies was 212 Dirhams ($21).

The second train runs from Gare L’Oasis to Marrakech, which was 30 minutes late, but they made up for the lost time.

Morocco is a cold country with a hot sun .

– French General

Madi and I waiting patiently for the train to arrive at L’Oasis.

The journey takes about 3 hours, and this train was much better with private compartments which hold up to six people. We had the company of two other local individuals. There is a food vendor that comes by with a cart to allow for the purchase of necessary items for your journey.

Sunset over Jema el-Fanaa Square

As soon as we arrived in Marrakesh, we made our way out of the terminal, and were greeted by men screaming “Hey, taxi taxi!”

The important thing to remember: ALWAYS haggle in Morocco, because this is a way of life here. We found a cabbie who agreed to take us to our hostel in Marrakech for 50 MAD. He started off at 100 MAD. Just remember, be reasonable when bargaining, and don’t low-ball just to be left alone. Be firm, but polite. “La Shukran – no thank you,” and a quick walk away works best. There are also several non-registered private taxi drivers who will try to lure you. Set a price before you get into the taxi and make sure it is an officially registered taxi Yellow Cab.

Our choice of lodging in Marrakech was Dream Kasbah Hostel, located in Kasbah of Marrakech. Once the cabbie dropped us off close to the hostel, we had to find our way through the maze of right and lefts between butcher shops, peddlers, fruit vendors, snake charmers and of course, “guides.” A kid ran up to us and told us he would show us where the hostel is and, needless to say, nothing in Morocco is free. I gave him 5 MAD and off he went smiling. We checked in around 1 pm and were greeted by the cleaning lady. We met the people who work there, and they helped us check in.

Berber Street Musician playing the Gimbri & Walking through the Medina of Marrakech.

After a much deserved 4-hour nap, we decided to go to the mall to get something to eat. We also rode in the Moroccan version of an Uber aka, people claiming to be taxi drivers, but are in-fact, private vehicle owners. It was quite funny driving around in a broken down Suzuki.

For dinner that night, we ate at the hostel. Dream Kasbah has a beautiful terrace where guests can watch the sunrise and sunset. They also serve dinner on the rooftop which is prepared in-house by the Berber guys working there. Dinner was Moroccan salad with chicken and lemon Tagine and fruit for dessert. Throughout the night, we sipped on Berber Whiskey aka Mint Tea.

We were not able to get up as early as we had planned. We were much more tired than we thought we would be and thus decided to start our day later. It was a Friday anyway, and businesses were closed for Jummah (prayers). While we walked down the streets of Marrakech we ran into a few people we had met the night before at the hostel. As most hostel meetings go, we decided to explore together.

Medersa Ben Youssef

Our first stop after lunch was Ben Youssef Madrasa, the largest Islamic Madrasa in Morocco built in the 14th century that is named after Almoravid Sultan Ali Ibn Yusuf.

The carvings consist entirely of patterned mosaics and geometric patterns such as star and petal designs in zellige tilework.

One cannot ignore this architectural marvel made with wooden beams and carvings. This Madrasa once housed over 900 students. It was well worth the 20 MAD entrance fee, and then some.

Jema el Fnaa

The souks of Marrakech are like no other in the world. Think of it as a roller coaster out of control: constant drama unfolding right before your eyes. The narrow streets of the Marrakech souk lead into Jema el-Fnaa, an action-packed square that is difficult to describe in words. It was once a site of public executions, hence its name Jema el Fnaa “assembly of the dead.” The mornings and afternoons are full of street performances. These range from snake charmers, to storytellers, fortune tellers, medicine men, chained Barbary apes and so much more. Once the soundtrack of the snake charmers flutes dies down, that’s when the real show starts at this UNESCO heritage site.

Watching the sunset overlooking Jema el-Fnaa is a must. Surrounding restaurants have rooftop patios where one can watch the events unfold. Just a reminder – nothing in Morocco is free. Taking pictures of snake charmers, monkeys, all comes at a cost. They can be quite aggressive with tourists if photos are taken without pay. No matter what time of day, be careful when walking around the plaza. Cars, motorbikes, mules, horse-drawn carriages, are constantly buzzing around the square.

The food choice at Jema el- Fnaa is absolutely insane. If one likes exotic food, this is the place to be. Camel spleen, tongue, head are chopped and mixed together to create a unique dish. I just did not have the stomach for that and decided to skip it. One thing I did enjoy was “Ghulal” which is Land snails in lemon broth. The taste and texture is quite similar to that of shiitake mushrooms. Do not mistake Ghulal for escargot. For 10 MAD you can get a big bowl and for 5 MAD a small bowl, which makes for a tasty snack. To find Ghulal in the square, follow the steam coming from the top of the Ghulal tents in the square.

Camel brain , tongue and spleen.

Ghulal

Saadian Tombs

Saadian Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour from the Saadian dynasty spared no expense when it came to his tomb. Imported Italian Carrara marble and gilding honeycomb muqarnas along with pure gold make this an artistic and glorious mausoleum. The mausoleum holds the tombs of sixty members of the dynasty. Among the graves are those of him and his family. The building located near the Kasbah Mosque consists of three rooms, and the most famous is the room with the twelve columns. Outside of the building in the courtyard, are the graves of his soldiers and servants.

The Sultan’s mother’s tomb overshadows all others as it is adorned with blessings, poetry, and is vigilantly guarded by stray cats.

Cost: 10 MAD

Bahia Palace

Just a short walk away from the Saadien Tombs is the 19th century Bahia Palace which was set up for personal use by Si Moussa, the then grand vizier of the sultan later to be taken over by slave turned vizier Abu ‘Bou’ Ahmed. Bahia means “brilliance” and brilliant it is. It took Morocco’s top artisans 14 years to complete it. Like other buildings from that era, it was intended to portray the essence of Islamic and Moroccan style.

The harem, which is a vast court, is surrounded by rooms that were intended for concubines. Bou Ahmed’s four wives and 24 concubines all lived in the lavish interiors of the harem. Good ‘ol days!

Today, only a portion of the palace’s eight hectares and 150 rooms are open to the public.

Cost: 10 MAD

Jardin Majorelle

Jardin Majorelle is a two and a half acre botanical garden that was created by French Orientalist artist, Jacques Majorelle and took almost forty years to complete. Containing tree and plant species Jacques collected from across the world, it hosts the greatest variety of vegetation found anywhere and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Marrakech.

After his death, in the 1940’s, the garden fell into disarray until in the 1980’s when the property was purchased by French fashion designers, Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Berge, who worked to restore it and then gifted it to the people of Morocco. The beautiful gardens are open to the public daily and are also home to the Berber Museum and also houses a collection of Majorelle’s paintings alongside the Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech.

Cost: 70 MAD for the garden and 30 MAD for the Museum

~ Omer & Madeline

Places Visited

Canada
United States Of America
Germany
Netherlands
France
Czech Republic
Austria
Switzerland
England
Ireland
Morocco
Oman
UAE
Malaysia
Ecuador
Honduras
Guatemala
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Mexico
Cuba
Aruba
PuertoRico
Pakistan
Turkey

Favorite Destinations

Turkey
Costa Rica
Pakistan
UAE
Ecuador

Omer and Madeline’s Favorite Travel Quote:

Their favorite travel quote comes from Lao Tzu, who said,

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving”

A post shared by DiscoFinchu (@discofinchu) on May 13, 2018 at 10:23am PDT

Editor’s Note

It is great to see Omer and Madeline traveling this beautiful world together. Their passion to share their stories and motivate others to travel the world is commendable.

Hope this story from Omer & Madeline inspires you to act and make your wishes of world travel a reality.

Thank you Omer & Madeline for sharing your travel story with us. We wish you both all the best and many more travels all over the world. Keep traveling and sharing your stories with us.

Happy travels.