Chapter 1 - Arriving in Morocco

We have had an easy introduction to Morocco since we arrived five days ago. After a wonderful two weeks in England visiting family, we flew to Spain and took a ferry to Tangiers and then went directly to a picturesque town in the Rif mountains in the north. Chefchaouen is a 500 year old town in a valley surrounded by mountains. Although the primary industry in the area besides tourism is growing kif to produce hashish, the town is charming. Morocco is the worlds largest exporter of hashish. We found a charming room in the medina, the old town, and have spent hours exploring there. The medina is made up of winding cobblestonelanes with blue and white buildings,coloured haphazardly with different colours of blue whitewash. There are no vehicles in the medina. Instead the lanes are overflowing with colourful craft shops selling beautiful leather products, rugs and woven fabrics, intricately decorated furniture, silver etc. And many other shops for locals, cafes and people of all ages coming and going and just visiting together. People are very friendly and no aqgressive selling techniques.

Chefchaoen is a  blend of traditional and modern. The majority of
middle age and older people are dressed in traditional jellabas, a long
hooded caftan worn like a coat over other clothes and most women wear a
scarf around their heads.  Children are dressed the same as in Canada.
Young men are usually dressed casually in jeans and tee shirts.  Women
are dressed in a great variety of ways: one in a coloured synthetic
beautiful jellaba and matching head scarf, another in jeans and jean
jacket and no headscarf, and a third in a blend with jeans, knee length
fitted coat dress and headscarf.  What is striking is that friends of
all ages seem to happily represent a blend of traditional and modern.
And most people,of course,have a cellphone.
Another first impression is the huge number of young people. This is a
country of young people with approx. 70 percent of the population under
30 years of age. This can be a problem in a country with 20 to 40 percent unemployment.
And many middle aged and older people look and walk as if they are very old and not well. So big generational
differences.
The older women continue to work hard as all thehousework is their responsibility.  Older men sit together for hours in outdoor
cafes or dark rooms inside watching a large T.V., playing dominoes and other games, smoking kif or cigarettes,
and drinking mint tea or coffee. There are big changes for women in Morocco as King Mohammed V1 introduced
and parliament passed laws in 2004 giving women full equal rights with men.  And yet, 60 percent of women in rural
Morocco are illiterate.  A country in a period of great change and yet a country with ingrained traditions.  Fascinating.