January 15, 2023 • 52 mins
This episode is a replay of one of our most popular conversations, with podcast listener, professional photographer and seasoned traveller Maxx Walske, who fulfilled a dream by visiting Morocco in 2022.
Maxx is in fact returning to Morocco in 2023, and we look forward to catching up with her again. She is a planner who loves to research and learn about her upcoming destinations. Typically she travels independently, but this time, having listened to the podcast, she went for the peace of mind and comfort of a private, guided tour, organized by Destination Morocco.
In our episode today, Maxx chats with Azdean about her trip, about culture shock, the reality of being in Morocco as a tourist, the accommodation, the food, the shopping and more.
Maxx had all the typical questions and concerns going into the trip, but discovered a country blessed with stunning scenery and modern amenities: an open society of warm, friendly people.
And, "A photographer's dream!"
Punctuated by fun anecdotes and stories, it's a pleasant conversation that reminds you it's not all about Instagramable scenes and selfies, you have to enjoy the moment and be present.
Morocco is unique and magical, "You have to see it to believe it!" (Maxx).
You're about to learn:
- How busy it was, in general, and if there were people everywhere.
- How the square changes from day to nighttime. "It's a beast!" (Azdean).
- How June is a very good time to go, weather-wise.
- How planning helps you prepare, but throw away your expectations once you get started on your trip.
- How to prepare for shopping in Morocco, and how having local guides you can trust makes the entire experience worthwhile. You'll come home with quality items that you feel good about.
- Azdean talks about planning an itinerary, based on a person's interests and schedule, and how it becomes a very personal experience.
- About the wonderful hospitality, people going out of their way to help, even inviting you into their home.
Resources Mentioned in this episode:
Volubilis, Meknes (Roman ruins)
Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?
Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.
If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.
Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.
Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
AZDEAN (00:07):
Welcome to the Destination Morocco podcast, the
show that takes you way to thebeautiful country of Morocco.
I am your host, AzdeanElmoustaquim.
In each episode, we exploreMoroccan culture, history,
attractions and activities realand practical information coming
(00:29):
from experienced travelers andnative Moroccans like myself.
Our goal is to help travelersthat are struggling with
planning any type of trip toMorocco.
Our company, DestinationMorocco, builds personalized
tour packages that will ensureyou enjoy our country just like
(00:51):
local.
MAXX (00:52):
Follow us at DestinationMoroccoco.
AZDEAN (00:56):
And now let's go exploring.
Maxx Welski's Travel Diary.
Max fell in love withphotography as a child.
It was a hobby she shared withher father.
She always had a camera in hand, but college and career took
(01:20):
over until her daughter was born.
She could not believe howquickly she changed from one day
to the next.
The only way to hold on to eachprecious moment was to take as
many pictures as possible.
Her friends asked her tophotograph their families, and
when her son went tokindergarten, max and me became
(01:42):
a business.
It is a passion to capture thememory of a life, that moment,
and to be able to share it forgenerations to come.
When I love this quote fromyour website, max the best
things in life are the peopleyou love, the places you have
seen and the memories you havemade along the way.
(02:03):
Wow, that is amazing.
Max, I'm so excited to have youwith us today and I can't wait
for you to share the way thatyou have experienced Morocco
without audience.
Max, welcome to the DestinationMorocco podcast.
So, max, welcome to the podcast.
MAXX (02:22):
Thank you.
AZDEAN (02:23):
You just came back from your trip to Morocco.
We have been working on youritinerary for some time.
When did you decide actually togo to Morocco and how long it
took you to plan it?
MAXX (02:33):
I decided to go.
I think it was in January of2022.
It took me to plan it.
I used up all the six months oftime before I left, but,
honestly, there did come a pointwhere I was like, okay, I'm
done planning, I just need to gonow because I can't plan any
more things.
(02:54):
But I did find the planning alittle bit challenging, which is
how I found you.
AZDEAN (02:59):
Well, the planning can absolutely be challenging, and I
totally agree, because even forme and my family, when we
planned a trip to Morocco, weused to plan it for a year, but
now we do six months to ninemonths.
So in your case I completelyunderstand, and you did six
months, january to June.
That's perfectly fine, that'svery normal.
Now you went to the tripwithout your family and how did
(03:22):
your family feel about you goingby yourself or with a friend to
a very strange country tocompletely you know it's Morocco
, in Africa.
So how did they feel about that?
MAXX (03:34):
Well, I'm very lucky to have a family that is okay with
me traveling, and this is not myfirst trip alone to a strange
place.
I did go to Cuba without themand I've been to Paris without
them, so they were kind of okayin general with me going.
But my husband was a littleapprehensive about me going to a
foreign country without him,where I may not have as much
(03:55):
freedom and flexibility as I dohere.
But once he did a little bit ofresearch about it and talked to
people who had been there, herealized that I was going to be
okay.
I also told him that I would beguided the whole way.
I wasn't going to just wanderoff on my own.
So he was okay with that.
I did have to make the dealwith him that I would have a
guide with me the majority of mytime.
AZDEAN (04:16):
What did your friends say about you or how did they
help you in terms of researchand what other resources have
you used to prepare for yourtrip before we met?
MAXX (04:26):
Most of the people I know who had been there just said it
was wonderful and beautiful andthey recommended their tour
guides that they used.
At that point.
I had already discovered yourpodcasts and I'm one of those
people.
I'm extremely loyal and so itfelt like cheating to go with
somebody else, even though Ididn't know any of you.
But I felt like through yourpodcast I kind of got to know
you and you seemed very nice andfriendly and warm.
(04:48):
So I was.
Even though they recommendedpeople to me, I just went with
that.
I did buy some of the guidebooks.
There were not many.
I really had a choice of two.
One of them I didn't like atall, so I focused on the one
that I did use, which was Photos, and just looking at pictures
on Instagram and following yourpodcast and Googling, I
(05:09):
literally read every word inthis book just to figure out
where I wanted to go.
What I found the hardest part,which is how I agreed to the
tour, is that there wasn't a lotof information on how long
things take and how long ittakes to get from one place to
the other.
Yes, I can see a place onlinewhere I can rent a car, but it's
not necessarily that easy.
So I think, having never beenthere, you really need to have a
(05:31):
guide the first time.
Or company plan the trip foryou or help you plan it.
AZDEAN (05:36):
I know when you see something on the map, I mean
companion Morocco to the US.
I mean Texas is bigger thanMorocco, but still, there's
still a lot of driving, so it'svery important to know exactly
how it's going to take you fromcity to city and so forth and so
forth.
Now, was Morocco exactly whatexpected it to be?
Is it different than what youhad in mind?
MAXX (05:57):
It was really different than what I expected.
I expected the entire countryto be like the old Medinas and
old parts of the town.
I did not realize there waslike fully modern parts of towns
with shopping malls and H&M andStarbucks and all these
Mercedes dealerships.
I didn't expect that at all, sothat was interesting to me.
(06:19):
I didn't actually spend anytime in those areas, but I would
like to go back and maybe seethem.
I also wasn't expecting thewomen to have as much freedom as
they do.
I mean my first experience whenI got off the plane, my Riyadh
arranged for a concierge servicefor me and I had the option of
meeting them at the street ormeeting me at my gate.
So I chose to meet at my gateand it was a woman and I was
(06:41):
totally surprised.
I didn't know that women couldwear skirts.
I didn't know that women hadthat kind of freedom.
She was amazing, but it wasinteresting to see.
I expected all the women to befully covered and very quiet and
that was not my experience atall.
It's completely different.
AZDEAN (06:58):
Yes, and I see that People in the US, especially
when they see the media, that'swhat they see.
I mean, that's what they'rewriting blogs, people who have
never been to Morocco.
It's really not true.
So when you go there's a littlebit of a social surprise, just
like us.
I remember when I first cameinto the US I mean for me it was
time travel I felt like Itraveled 500 years from 1995.
(07:19):
So it does take a little bit ofadjustment.
It took me a while just tocomprehend and understand the
magnitude of everything, theworld that I'm living in now.
So I can absolutely relate toyou and to people who think
Morocco is a certain way andwomen, women in Morocco, we are
equal and it's hard for meexactly to explain it to people,
but once they go they see thestrength that they have.
(07:42):
They have their own businessesin every major platform, pilots,
you know, in government,anywhere You'll see the strength
of a Moroccan woman and we havea lot of talent in all aspects
of everything that we do inMorocco and also in terms of
safety, especially for women.
How did you feel when it cameto your safety during the day,
(08:03):
during the night at the Rwiyadh,that you were staying or doing
a side visit with the RenshiffShao and Fasemara Keshwar
Taitwan.
How did you feel throughout thecountry when it came to your
safety and, in general, women'ssafety?
MAXX (08:16):
I felt very safe.
I never once did not feel safeDuring the day and we had guides
with us, but I felt completelysafe without the guide I may
have wandered off somewhere, andat night we went out a little
bit.
We took a taxi to a restaurantand then got in the taxi and
came back home.
I felt very safe.
I didn't necessarily put myselfin any situation that could
have possibly been unsafe, butoverall I felt like the people
(08:39):
were very sweet and welcomingand no one was out to hurt me or
do anything like that.
I felt very safe everywhere,even squeezing myself through
the bodies of the square at 11o'clock at night.
It was lively and all of that.
I still felt safe.
I don't know that I felt mypurse was safe, but I was safe
and nothing happened to my purse.
But we do have quite a bit ofcamera gear with us.
AZDEAN (09:01):
So a little stressful.
You know the square a lot ofpeople don't know.
I mean, the square during theday is different than the square
during the night.
It becomes a beast at night andit stays that way until 3 or 4
in the morning.
MAXX (09:15):
I couldn't believe that I had been during the day.
So we were in Marrakesh for afew days before our tour started
with you and your friend Yuseftook us around.
We went to the square duringthe day and it was chaos and the
snakes and the monkeys and thebenders and all of that.
We walked through the soups, wewent on the whole tour and then
we came back and we had to walkthrough it at night.
It was packed with people andit's 11 o'clock at night.
(09:39):
Like don't people work in thenext day?
It's a week at 11.
But you know, when you're there, like at 8 in the morning,
everyone's still sleeping.
It's not like here, where it's6 am, people are up jogging and
they're going.
I mean, at 7 am you can walkaround.
It's pretty quiet, but there'slife.
It's a lot of life there.
AZDEAN (09:57):
Normally, when I go to the square, it's around 1 am.
Honestly, that's the time thatI go.
Now, if I want to take picturesof the square just before the
sunset I'm not sure if you havedone it that's what I do.
I go about an hour before.
I normally go to Café France.
It's my favorite spot and I sitat the terrace Normally.
The reason why I go an hourbefore because that's almost the
(10:18):
time that it's going to takeyou to find a seat.
And when I do, I take a lot ofvideos and I take a lot of
pictures of the square, thepeople, the business of the
crowd, and then there could be amosque.
It's a beautiful, beautifulsight before the sun goes down.
So I'm not sure if you haveexperienced that.
MAXX (10:33):
We did.
We went and sat and we got inthe exact same thing.
I don't know if it's the samerestaurant, but we got to the
restaurant we had to wait for atable and we got a table on the
edge and you can sit there andyou see how the square is not
that crowded.
I mean it's crowded but it'snot that crowded.
But you suddenly see it getsmore and more crowded and more
and more people.
I just sat there and I'm likewho are all these people?
(10:53):
Are they all tourists?
Are they locals?
Like who comes here?
We were leaving dinner.
It was, I don't know, 11, 30,12 o'clock.
You couldn't walk down thestreet without being surrounded
by people, which is wonderful.
I love that there's life.
But having just come out ofCOVID, it was a little
unsettling for me, but we wereoutside.
I haven't been this close topeople in two years, but it was
(11:17):
all good.
I did not get COVID while I wasthere.
AZDEAN (11:20):
I'm so glad to hear that .
Yes, it does.
It does get overcrowded andtypically here's the local
culture, the local people who gothere.
They normally work or theyhustle one way or another and
they are in the outskirts of theJam Elfna, so they are maybe a
few miles away.
But for us, like in my case,I'm 30 minute walk from Jam
Elfna.
So it's not in our culture togo on a daily basis.
(11:43):
We'll go when we need to buysomething, For example, before
the holidays we go, and that'swhere we buy stuff for us, for
the kids and stuff like that,but otherwise we don't go.
We just don't.
Now, in terms of the locals alsothe Moroccans, people from
Kazablanca, it's very popularRabat from other cities, the
square is very popular for them.
They see it with the touristeye versus us.
(12:04):
We see it as a local and it'slike there's nothing for me.
I'm not going to go, but for menow, because I travel, I
treasure it even more sowhenever I have an opportunity
to go, I go, but I always gowith somebody.
On your itinerary that you had,you had a few days before you
started your tour with us andyou had a couple of days after
your tour finished with us.
Tell us about the couple ofdays in terms of things that you
(12:27):
have experienced before westarted the tour.
I know you said that you spentsome time with yourself and he's
amazing, and then afterwardsyou had to think a couple of
days.
If you can tell us as well whatyou have done in those days?
MAXX (12:40):
So the first couple days we were in Marrakesh and the
first two days we had Yusef takeus around.
I love to plan trips, like 90%of the trip is planning it and
then I just get to go and do it.
But I am not used to anyonetelling me where I'm going what
order I'm going in or any ofthat.
So I feel like from your sideI'm probably a very difficult
client.
AZDEAN (13:01):
I'm not saying that.
MAXX (13:02):
I try not to be, but I had a whole list of where I wanted
to go and all of that he pickedus up.
We started the tour at theMarjorail garden.
AZDEAN (13:12):
Yes, marjorail yes.
MAXX (13:13):
Marjorail, which was beautiful and lovely.
We saw a bunch of thingsbecause I had said to him you
know, what day are we gonna dothis, what day are we gonna do
that?
He's like, let's just meet andwhat we don't do the first day
will do the second day, or how.
He's very flexible, which wasgreat, because we kind of got
everything done the first day,so then the second day we got to
(13:33):
just enjoy things.
My friend, who I was travelingwith, really wanted to hold a
monkey, so we went and did that.
AZDEAN (13:38):
Oh nice.
MAXX (13:39):
We looked at camels and we went shopping a little too much
shopping and my bag was delayeda little bit, so we got to tour
the airport a few times.
That was fun.
So those were the first twodays.
He recommended places for us tohave dinner as well, which was
also sitting in the square andseeing all the people.
And then the third day we werethere, I had booked a group tour
(14:00):
out to the Atlas Mountains tosee a waterfall and ride some
camels.
So we did that.
And then the next day is whenyour tour started, which was
wonderful.
We did all that.
And then at the back end I hadbooked a group tour to go to a
Suera.
It's a way I cannot say thatname it is so hard for me a
Suera.
But we realized it was going tobe a very like a nine-hour tour
(14:22):
and we were gonna go see thingswe had already seen maybe two
or three times on our trip.
So I canceled that and wecontinued our tour leader and
driver that you provided and wewent out to a Suera For the day,
which I loved.
I wish I could have stayed acouple nights in there in the
town, yes, but I'm also a bigGame of Thrones fan, so it was
very fun for me to stand at thegate when DeMora has been asked
(14:45):
before.
AZDEAN (14:46):
Oh, that's amazing.
MAXX (14:47):
So those were our two days and I was gonna say One of our
outings was I had to buy asuitcase for all the things that
I purchased, which also turnedout to not be big enough, so I
had to buy another suitcase.
AZDEAN (14:59):
Oh my gosh, you know that's.
That's the thing that a lot ofpeople don't pay attention to is
, when you go to Morocco, Iswear to you you will come back
with a lot of things that youbuy, and when you buy them in
pieces and pieces, you don'trealize the weight, and then you
don't realize how much you havebought Exactly.
And I think that's exactly whathappened to you, max.
I mean, when you go to thesquare, when you go too fast,
(15:21):
when you go to a Suera, there'sthings in the market you just
have to have.
So in your case, what was thatone thing that you have to have
anywhere that he went?
MAXX (15:32):
Oh, the one thing there wasn't like one thing I had to
have.
I guess there were a lot ofthings I wanted, like I really
wanted our gun oil.
I bought a whole bunch ofpillows from my backyard and I
got slippers and I got bags.
Ceramics I bought a lot ofceramics which were very hard to
get home because they have togo in your carry-on bag.
AZDEAN (15:51):
Oh, I see yeah they're breakable.
MAXX (15:53):
Some of it I got in my luggage.
Oh yes, scarves.
I love scarves.
I had a huge scarf collectionand I really, really wanted to
get scarves, so it was very hardto limit myself.
I think I came home with five.
I could have bought more.
I could have bought every color.
I could have bought a breadspread.
I could have bought linens formy Dining room table.
(16:14):
Like there's so many things,but like I didn't know how I was
gonna get that home.
One of the things was becausewe had a car and driver for our
tour from Marrakesh all around.
We sometimes left the bags inthe car and so by the time we
got to the last stop, you don'trealize how much you have,
because it's all been in the carin the back that you don't see.
So they brought out my bags andI'm like what is all this?
(16:41):
That is funny but I can stilloff the top my head.
Right now I'm thinking I shouldhave bought that, I should have
bought that, but I'll go backone day and buy more.
AZDEAN (16:48):
Oh, definitely, yes, yes .
So in terms of the culture andthe friendliness of the people,
how was it for you, especiallywhen it took the trip to the
mountains?
If you can tell us a little bitabout that?
MAXX (16:59):
the people are so nice and friendly and welcoming.
The hospitality that Iexperienced from the managers of
our Riyadh and the guides wasUnbelievable.
I think I mentioned that my bagwas delayed.
It was the second day and I'mstill in the same clothes and I
was literally.
I couldn't forget how to workthe phones and so I went to the
(17:20):
lobby to ask them to help memake a phone call and the
manager was like, let's just goto the airport.
I'm like but you're working,it's okay.
He got a car.
He got in the car, he took meto the airport.
He helped me with the bag.
He took me to H&M to get someclothes.
I've never experienced somebodythat kind in my life.
When we did the day trip to theAtlas Mountains, our guide took
(17:43):
us to his childhood home.
Served us tea and gave us awhole explanation about the
Burberry culture.
While we were there, one of thecall to prayer happened.
It was just magical.
Everyone was so kind that myguides gave us gifts at the end
of our tour.
They're still messaging me tomake sure I got home.
Okay, how my trip was.
(18:03):
They're just wonderful and theyseem very Welcoming and eager
to have tourists come, like theyreally want people to come and
see their beautiful country.
AZDEAN (18:12):
Oh, absolutely, I completely agree.
You know, covid has affected usall in the worst possible way,
but he also made us appreciateeverything, to the smallest
details, when somebody comes andexperience that culture, that's
what we want, you know.
We want them to experience us.
The Burbers, you know, in thecity, in the mountains, and of
course there is a difference.
(18:33):
But in the mountains when Itell people you cannot walk from
the beginning of a village Towhere it ends without somebody
asking you at least seven timesto come and get some tea with
them, and sometimes they getoffended because they want you.
You know, just bless that housewith your presence.
You know what I'm saying.
So it's, it's kind of strangebut incredible culture at the
same time.
MAXX (18:52):
It's very interesting to experience it, because when you
hear about it I was like, oh, Idon't know.
You know, like that's weirdpeople.
I don't want to go in people'shomes, like there's COVID.
I mean, I've spent two yearsnot leaving this little room
that I'm in right now and thenall of a sudden I'm like in
another country, on anothercontinent.
But when you go they're so kindand sweet, like you can see.
(19:13):
They're just want to feed you,they just want to be hospitable
and give you tea and talk to you, and it's wonderful, it's
lovely, it's like going home,even though that's not your home
.
AZDEAN (19:23):
Thank you.
Thank you, I'm so glad to hearthat.
So during your time, I thinkyou went in a really, really
good time.
Early June Was everyone packedwith tourists?
Anybody went, or was it okayTravel around from city to city?
How was it?
MAXX (19:39):
I'm not gonna say it was packed with tourists, but it was
definitely full.
Most of our riyadhs, I think.
All the rooms were full.
The streets were filled withpeople.
I mean, the only time I reallyexperienced a packed situation
was at night in the square.
AZDEAN (19:54):
On this quit yes.
MAXX (19:55):
Other than that it wasn't really necessarily packed, but
there were a lot of people.
It was definitely a touristytime to go.
It was also kind of hot, notsuper hot.
I'm from LA so I used to warmweather.
I was listening to one of yourpodcasts and the woman was
talking about all the beautifulsunsets.
I didn't see one sunset,because cloudy most of the day,
(20:16):
which was great because itwasn't as hot, is it what?
If I mean, I would say it'sprobably a good time to go.
I think the beginning of Juneis good.
Any later it might have gottena little too hot and maybe I
don't know how crowded itnormally is in the summer, but
it was getting a little warm.
AZDEAN (20:31):
Well, june, I would say it's still a perfect time for me
when I go, because it's notreally that hot and I can travel
to the beach, the mountains,everywhere, and it's still nice
in a way.
July and august I always say,stay away, because all the
morocans everywhere that's thetime that they go back to
Morocco it gets really, really,really crowded.
Then you add that to thetourists, everything goes
(20:53):
expensive, not available tocrowd it in where you go and you
may not enjoy it as much.
For me, that's how I see thesummer.
The summer is not my favoritetime to go to Morocco, but I'll
still go to Morocco insummertime if I have to yeah,
yeah, the spring and the fall isnice.
MAXX (21:09):
It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty.
AZDEAN (21:12):
March, april that's the high season.
It gets really popular in thespring.
Time is definitely, I agreewith you, is the perfect time to
go, if your schedule allows it.
MAXX (21:21):
That's generally when I try to travel.
AZDEAN (21:22):
Yes, so the itinerary that I have made for you.
I made two itineraries, thefirst one and the second one,
and it's kind of strange becausethose itineraries I really get
connected to them emotionally.
They mean so much to me.
In each itinerary for eachclient is different.
It takes a few days to make it,but I have to connect to it
(21:43):
first before I make it.
I have to mold it to you.
When we do our calls, discoverycalls, and you tell me all the
things that you want to see, Iput all that information in the
itinerary, then add the imagesto it in the videos.
Were you happy with theitinerary?
I tried to make it more liveitinerary than anything else.
So how was yours?
MAXX (22:02):
I loved that you had the pictures, because I don't know
what I'm looking at.
I'm just reading letters.
So having the photos reallyreally helped me, especially
since I'm a planner.
If I could look at it and go,okay, guess that looks great.
Oh no, I don't necessarily needto see that in my limited time
or whatever it was, but I didreally enjoy the presentation of
your itinerary and I think thatyou planned Perfectly all the
(22:24):
things that I wanted to see.
Thank you, I thought we had theright amount of time in all the
cities.
Each city we went to was alittle bit different.
They're all unique in their own.
With the first itinerary, youhad planned for us to do a
sleepover in the desert, which Ithink would have been amazing,
but we're not really campers.
I'm sure there would have beenchandeliers and flushing toilets
(22:46):
.
It all looks very wonderful,but given our limited amount of
time, I don't know how we wouldhave fit that in as it was.
I felt like we were moving alot, which was good, so I think
it was perfect.
I wouldn't have done anything.
AZDEAN (22:58):
I'm glad to hear that you know to do the North and the
South of Morocco is reallychallenging.
There's a lot of driving.
I always recommend doing theNorth side, then do the South
side separately, maybe one weekeach.
I think that's the best way todo it, because you're not going
to get tired and you're going toenjoy every city and give it a
day or two that it needs totruly visit the city the way
(23:19):
that it's supposed to.
How was your experience withall the cities that you have
visited Casablanca, rabach,fshawen, voli, bili, fas, mkness
, ifren, then Marrakesh?
How was it?
And I saw your images onInstagram.
They look just amazing.
Thank you, incredible, yeah.
MAXX (23:35):
Thank you.
Well, casablanca, the mosque isbreathtaking.
You cannot miss that.
I don't know if it was ourtiming or if you made
arrangements, but we wereliterally the only four people
in there.
It was right before the time topray, so we actually got shoot
out at the very end Not shoot,but you know, they were just
very nice and like it's time foryou guys to go.
But that was amazing.
(23:58):
It was so beautiful and I don'tcare what kind of camera you
have, you cannot photograph thatin any way.
To show its beauty.
It requires I don't know what.
That was really beautiful.
And then we, of course, had tohave lunch at Rick's Cafe.
I didn't really realize that.
Casablanca, there's a beachthere.
AZDEAN (24:14):
Yeah.
MAXX (24:15):
Another friend of mine was also in Morocco and she was
posting pictures.
I'm sure there was a lot moreto see in Casablanca than we saw
, because that's all we did.
We did those two things andthen we went on to Rabat, but
Casablanca was a moremetropolitan city compared to
what I saw in Marrakesh.
Now, again in Marrakesh, I wasonly in the old part, except for
my trip to the mall.
It seemed very different to me.
(24:35):
Rabat was like a blur, becausewe literally came in at dinner,
woke up, saw something and movedon to the next place.
But I loved the.
It was like a castle on theocean.
AZDEAN (24:47):
Yes, it was at the Muzaleem.
MAXX (24:49):
Yes.
AZDEAN (24:49):
Yeah, at the Muzaleem, because they're all next to each
other the Hassan, then ShallaKasbachala.
MAXX (24:55):
Yeah, it was beautiful.
So from there we went toShoshawan, which I think was one
of our favorite stops.
I mean, it's so beautiful andphotographic, just a great
little village.
The people are so kind andthere are cats everywhere.
AZDEAN (25:10):
Yes.
MAXX (25:11):
And dogs.
I'm very happy to see dogsbecause I'm more of a dog person
.
We did go up to the Spanishmosque to see the sunset, but
again the sun didn't shine thatday.
As a photographer I alreadyknew well in that we were not
going to get a sunset, but thatwas really fun to even just go
up there and see the people andsee the city from above.
I loved Voli, Belize.
AZDEAN (25:33):
Voli Belize yes.
MAXX (25:34):
That was amazing the Roman ruins and the whole town.
I mean, I've seen Roman ruinsall over Europe, but this was
like a whole town with kitchensand it was amazing to see.
And then Fez, the artisans thatwe got to see the tanneries and
the ceramics.
That was amazing.
I loved that.
(25:55):
I know people say the tanneriessmell really bad, but I rode
horses for years so I didn'teven notice.
They give you little mintthings that you can smell so
that it doesn't smell bad.
I didn't even notice a smell,but that's just me.
It was really fun.
And then we headed back intoMarrakesh.
From there.
We actually didn't go toEphraim, we decided to just do a
straight drive.
AZDEAN (26:16):
Oh, I see.
MAXX (26:17):
To Marrakesh, which was long.
AZDEAN (26:19):
Yeah, that's a lot.
Yeah, because it was about asix-hour drive, I remember, and
you had the choice to take thefreeway or go through the
mountains.
The mountains would have been alittle bit longer, but yeah, it
makes sense.
Now also, I remember, did youdo agafai for the Cameride?
MAXX (26:33):
I did.
AZDEAN (26:33):
Okay, agafai, a lot of people, especially during the
summertime when you do in thedesert tour.
They don't go to Merzugabecause it's really hard, but
they do.
Agafai, there's a lot of campsin agafai.
Can you tell us a little bitabout that experience?
MAXX (26:45):
Well, it was part of a day tour, so we went to a waterfall
and then we went to our guide'sBerber Village and then we went
to agafai to ride camels.
It's weird, like you drive outof Marrakesh and all of a sudden
you're in like very lush areaswith green and waterfalls, and
then you're in the mountains andthen you're in the desert.
(27:06):
The topography just changes.
So we went to a camp and Ithink it's very tourist driven.
They dress you up and they putyou on a camel and they walk you
in a big circle and they bringyou back, which was fun.
But we really enjoyed it andthe camels were very sweet.
I heard that they were mean,but I did not see one mean camel
and I experienced like three orfour of them while I was there.
AZDEAN (27:27):
Oh nice.
MAXX (27:28):
Yeah, it's funny when you're in Marrakesh.
You're just driving in thestreet and on the corner there's
like four camels just hang out,parked with the cars.
AZDEAN (27:35):
Yeah, they charge you 10 bucks just for a ride.
It's a little bit pricey, butAgafai is definitely an amazing
place and also a lot of weddingsare held in the Agafai.
There's so many camps.
So instead of going to Merzugaand doing a wedding in Merzuga,
a lot of people choose to doAgafai, because it's close to
Marrakesh and they can be backand forth, you know, at the main
hotel.
MAXX (27:55):
At that point I think we were like on day 10 or day 11.
Yeah, and it really does get toa point where you're just like
I can't.
AZDEAN (28:02):
You're absolutely right and this is the reason why I
always recommend to split thecountry into two the North side
and the South side.
Yeah, you're going to have funin 15 days, but you will
absolutely be tired Nowthroughout your experience and
the tour.
It sounds amazing.
How was the food for you?
MAXX (28:18):
The food was really delicious.
I'm sort of a picky eater and Ijust lost some weight so I
don't normally eat carbs, theamount of bread that you're
given quite a treat.
So at breakfast they bring likefive different baskets of five
different kinds of bread thatall look delicious but I can't
(28:38):
eat all that bread.
That was honestly one of thechallenges for me was not being
tempted by the delicious lookingbread because I really didn't
want to gain 30 pounds on mytrip.
But overall I mean the tangines, the couscous, the pastilla
just so delicious I didn't havea bad meal the whole time.
I'm glad to hear that Was allvery yummy.
AZDEAN (28:59):
What has been the most interesting item of food that
you have tasted in Morocco,Something you know.
MAXX (29:04):
We had camel.
AZDEAN (29:05):
Oh, my God.
MAXX (29:07):
Our tour leader suggested we have camel.
AZDEAN (29:09):
Ilyas.
MAXX (29:10):
Yes, I'm worried, like when I travel, about what I eat,
because I do have a sensitivesystem.
They can't just eat everything,like I tried not to drink the
water and I didn't eat fruitsand vegetables or a wash in
water because I didn't want toget sick.
So Ilyas took us to literally alocal street place, like you
walk down the street and youjust walk in and there's a
little table.
I was really outside of mycomfort zone but it was
(29:33):
delicious and they were so kind.
They made us fresh mint teawhile we were sitting there.
It was supposed to be camelsandwiches, but again that comes
on a piece of bread, so theyhad sandwiches.
I had just the meat with somesides but it was delicious.
It was like a burger, maybe alittle more tender than a burger
.
That was the most interestingthing that I ate.
AZDEAN (29:53):
What city did you have it?
MAXX (29:54):
I think it wasn't a stop in between, maybe Rabat and
Shoshawan.
AZDEAN (29:59):
The funny part you said camel sandwich.
Angel, just in the last episode, said camel sandwich.
I know camel sandwich.
The demand on camel sandwich isgoing to go high right now.
MAXX (30:09):
Before camels, I don't know.
AZDEAN (30:11):
I actually did a camel tagine on the way to Mirzuga my
last visit.
I went with the family, my wifeand sister.
We had it for lunch but theycould not eat until the next day
.
For me I think I gained 20pounds just between Mirzuga and
that tagine.
I was nervous I just ate thattagine and we go into Mirzuga
(30:31):
right in the camel and I waslike I hope he doesn't smell his
cousin, I just ate his cousin.
It was funny, but it does fillyou up, it really does.
MAXX (30:41):
It's very rich.
AZDEAN (30:42):
Yeah, and you're very brave, I mean.
MAXX (30:44):
I guess they offered me to try it, so I tried it.
AZDEAN (30:47):
When I was a kid I tried it.
It was just like ground meat.
That's what I tried.
Normally for us in Morocco it'sgoing to sound kind of weird,
but we eat it raw.
That's what I did as a kid.
I ate that meat raw.
MAXX (30:58):
You are very brave.
AZDEAN (31:01):
Back then I was In terms of packing, max.
We did an episode about packinga few weeks ago.
What are the things that youcannot travel without to a third
world country, especially toMorocco?
What is it that you have tohave with you at all times?
MAXX (31:17):
Well, I'm going to say a modium because the food is
different than the food that Ihave at home.
There was one day where itwasn't from the water or
anything we ate.
I think there were olives atthe restaurant that we had the
night before because one of ourguides on our tour was also not
feeling so great that day.
The modium helped me within anhour and he was a poor guy.
(31:39):
We're driving and every hour orso we had to keep stopping.
So I asked him are you notfeeling well?
And he explained that he wasn'tdoing so great.
So I gave him a modium and hewas like wow, this stuff really
works.
It's amazing.
So I would say that what elsecould I not travel with your
sense of humor, your sense ofadventure, those kinds of things
.
AZDEAN (31:58):
Yes.
MAXX (31:59):
I mean, my bag was delayed .
I didn't have anything for thefirst 48 hours other than what I
brought with me.
You don't really tell me howmuch you miss a hairbrush when
you don't have one.
Be flexible.
Travel is a challenge.
It's wonderful and it's greatto see all the things, but you
have to be flexible.
And no matter how well youprepare and I'm telling you, I
have trips planned down soprepared Once I get on the plane
(32:22):
I throw my plans out the windowbecause I just want to go and
experience where I am.
The plan really just sort ofhelps me not lose focus and be
able to see all the things Iwant to see.
You just have to be flexible.
If something doesn't go asplanned, you just kind of have
to go with it, and sometimesthat turns out to be the best
experience of your trip, becauseyou weren't expecting it and it
was a surprise.
AZDEAN (32:43):
Absolutely, absolutely.
What kind of tip or advicewould you give to the listeners
if they are traveling to Morocco, whether with us or with
somebody else, or just on theirown?
MAXX (32:53):
The colors and the people and there's so much to see.
We live in a world of phonesand cameras and everybody's
taking pictures and selfiesEverywhere we went.
Even our guys were like, oh,this is a really Instagramable
place.
And I'm like you know, it's notall about Instagram and photos.
Trust me, I came home with4,000 photos, like I took a
(33:14):
photo of everything.
But my advice would be to justreally experience what you're
doing and not just snap photos.
Really, take a moment and lookat the flowers and the people,
the little cats in the streets.
Take a moment to experience itin real life.
Also, say yes If someone asksyou to try a camel burger.
You don't have to eat the wholeburger, but you can take a bite
(33:37):
and try it.
Someone wants to invite youinto their home in a mountain
village where I don't know thatthat's a safe thing to do, but
I'm with 20 other tourists on abus.
I'm sure it's fine.
Go, because it was amazing.
You got to say yes to things aslong as they're not doing
something stupid.
AZDEAN (33:55):
That's a really good advice, definitely, definitely,
in terms of when you havetraveled, when we're working on
your trip.
In your case, we made somechanges.
We added a few things.
You may not notice them, butIlyas is an amazing tour leader.
That's one of the additionsthat we added because we don't
want you to feel like somebody'staking advantage of you,
(34:16):
whether you know it or not knowit.
I do the best that I can toutilize the people that I know,
because they have your bestinterest.
Then, when you go for food toeat at a restaurant, if you
don't know somebody, or somebodydoesn't send you to that place,
you may not get the bestexperience.
You may not get the best cut ofmeat or fish or chicken.
(34:37):
That's what we do behind thescene.
Before you go, we say, hey, wehave a special guest, they need
special attention, special careand so forth.
Also, we talked about shoppingexperience.
That can really cause a lot ofdamage financially.
As we're speaking, sam is goingto go to different cities to set
up everything that we need toset up shops.
That way, when you go shopping,those people, they are our
(34:59):
people.
We know they are not going tocheat you out of your money.
They are not going to cheat youout of the quality of the
product that you're going to buy.
A lot of people may not know,but anywhere you go, there's
kickbacks, there's commission,whatever you want to call it.
Personally, I'm not against it,but I'm against taking
advantage of the client, takingadvantage of our guests to view
Max, because we have experiencedit.
(35:20):
Sometimes we don't see it atthe moment, but it's already too
late.
Can you tell us about yourexperience in terms of shopping
in Marrakesh, in FAS as well,with Fatim Zahra and Elias?
I'm not there, but I talk tothem on a daily basis.
MAXX (35:34):
They were all fantastic.
I would have easily beencompletely taken advantage of
had I not had them with me.
I'm the kind of person where ifyou tell me something's $5,
I'll just say, fine, I mighteven give you $6 because you're
nice to me.
I am not a bargain shopper atall.
In the beginning, when we werefirst there with Yusef, he was
doing all the bargaining for me.
(35:54):
I'm just like, okay, I'd liketo buy this, please bargain for
me, because I don't even knowhow to do it.
I felt like he was guiding us tohigher quality vendors.
To me it all looks amazing, butI don't really know what the
difference is, because at thatpoint we'd only been there.
It was the first couple of days.
I got a little more savvy bythe time I got to FAS.
Then, when we were with Saharain FAS, I knew she was taking me
(36:19):
to a high quality place.
We went in toward a ceramics Idon't know if you call it
factory or vendor artisan butthey explained to us how they
made it.
They showed us, they literallystood on the plates and said you
can buy these on the street andif you step on them they're
going to break.
That's right, you can step onours.
In fact, later on we were inMarrakesh.
I was like, oh, should we stepon those and test them out?
I knew I was buying very highquality items.
(36:44):
She took us to a scarf place inFAS where I bought the five
scarves.
I knew that they were very highquality, because that's what I
want.
I'd rather pay $10 forsomething that's a high quality
than a dollar for somethingthat's not.
At the end, I wanted to getsome spices.
Someone had asked me to bringthem the spice that I can't
pronounce.
That is completely Moroccan.
It's like Khasra mousse,something.
AZDEAN (37:06):
I think I know which one Ras al-Hanud.
MAXX (37:08):
Yes, this one.
He's like oh, you can't justbuy that anywhere because it's
been COVID, it's been stored fora while.
Let me take you to a highquality place.
This place was amazing.
I looked like I was on a storeon Montana in Santa Monica.
It was really visuallybeautiful.
Everything was high quality.
I appreciated being takenplaces where I knew I was
(37:28):
getting quality things and I wasnot being taken advantage of.
As you were saying, they dogive a commission to their
guides.
I'm fine with that.
If someone recommends me as aphotographer, I'm going to buy
them a coffee or give them agift to thank them for
recommending me.
I think that's a great way todo things so that I'm not taken
advantage of.
I do come home with qualitythings.
If I come home and it fallsapart, then that's not good for
(37:51):
me either.
AZDEAN (37:52):
Absolutely.
I don't have an issue with thecommission.
We don't get it, we don't takeit.
It's not our intent.
But also, I don't have aproblem paying $6 for something
that it's worth $5.
Paying $500, I have an issuewith that.
Later on in the season I'mgoing to do another episode
about scams.
This is going to be one of themajor topics.
The reason is because there's alot of tour operators.
(38:14):
They know and they do collectit, but the public is not aware
of it.
For me, we have to be astransparent as possible.
We're not perfect.
We do make mistakes Behind thescenes.
There's always something thatwe need to adjust, we need to
improve.
That's the reason why we do thefeedback.
When you come back and Samcomes and sees you, that
feedback is priceless to us.
(38:34):
That's really.
Really one of the mostimportant steps for us is the
feedback we get from you,especially at the end of the
tour.
MAXX (38:42):
Not just the shopping, the restaurants and the food.
All the places that theyrecommended were wonderful and
delicious.
Our re-ons that you chose werebeautiful as well.
AZDEAN (38:51):
Oh, thank you so much.
Thank you, Just like you said,with COVID, so many people were
out of business, so many changes.
The people that we used to workwith they moved and so forth
and so forth.
So we always had to keep on thelookout.
A new place, Is this a good fitfor us?
Is this a good fit for ourclients?
The other question that I havewould you recommend Morocco to
people?
MAXX (39:09):
Of course I would recommend.
AZDEAN (39:10):
That was a tricky question.
MAXX (39:12):
You know it has so much history and beautiful places.
It is definitely something tosee.
The outside perception ofMorocco is not necessarily
accurate At least it wasn't tome so I feel like you kind of
have to go see it to believe it.
The shopping is amazing and, asa photographer, it's just, it's
a dream.
I would definitely recommend itto people.
(39:33):
Each city is a little bitdifferent, so there's a little
bit for everybody.
I was very nervous going with atour company.
I've never done that.
I found you in a podcast andonline and you know you did this
whole episode on scams and I'mlike, oh my God, what if this is
a scam?
What if he's like there's notreally a person, I'm going to
(39:53):
end up in Morocco all by myselfand there's nobody to help me,
which is part of why I did a lotof research, because I was like
, well, I end up, I better beable to you know, survive.
But you turned out to be a realperson with a real agency and
you guys were amazing.
I mean, you picked beautifulriyads for us.
Each one was so clean andlovely.
(40:14):
The one in FES was amazing,amazing, beautiful beautiful.
AZDEAN (40:19):
Thank you, thank you.
MAXX (40:21):
Having the tour leader was great.
Elias is a great guy and somuch fun to be with.
I mean, the tour leader is yourwhole tour, so he really was
amazing.
You really get to know thepeople when you're with a local
person.
The whole time the car waslovely, the driver was great,
all the cities you chose and allthe things we did within each
(40:42):
city was wonderful.
I mean, I would have planned itthe same myself, and not that I
know what I'm doing.
But I was very happy with theway you planned it, and the time
that you had us doingeverything was great too.
You were with me the whole time, like you were texting me, you
were making sure I was okay.
I felt like you were with us onour tour.
AZDEAN (41:03):
Thank you, I'm so glad to hear that.
I'm glad to hear that same waybecause I have to be with you,
because it doesn't matter thetime of day.
You text me.
There's no wait time, there'sno whole time.
You're not going to be on thephone for two, three, four, five
hours.
No, I text you back right away.
It doesn't matter if it's 1pmor 1am or two or three.
That's something that it'sreally, really, really important
(41:24):
when you're overseas.
Literally, we are like theextension of your family.
Your family is in Californiaand we are the extension of your
family.
We have to be there for you 24seven.
You have access to Ilias, to thedriver in the car, 24 seven
when the tour starts until thetour finishes.
There's about eight or ninepeople that you have come in
contact with that work with usor their affiliates with us.
(41:46):
You see, fas has a differentculture.
Fatima Zahra has a differentway of talking to people,
different ways showing FAS, andyou're only going to get that
through a local guide versus anational guide.
Ilias is amazing in terms of inbetween cities, the
storytelling, the poet it isincredible him and his stories
when he grew up and the village.
(42:07):
The drive is very long, so youhave to fill it up with
something nice, somethingpositive, something good.
Also, your tour was veryspecial because you're a
photographer.
We had to make sure that yousee things in certain way.
MAXX (42:19):
Yeah, I feel like you definitely were taking care of
me from far away, and when yousay you're available at all
times, I mean literally it waslike two in the morning to you
and you were right there Textingme back answering my questions.
AZDEAN (42:33):
That's what we really do , because we understand
sometimes there's a five hourdifference, sometimes six,
sometimes seven and, just likeyou said, emergencies happen.
You could have eaten a badolive or bad food and then you
get a reaction late at night andyou need to get some medicine,
go to the hospital.
The tour leader stays with youat the hotel or the really other
you're in, so he's not off-siteor somewhere far.
(42:53):
Then the driver somewhere elseto get the car no, it's
everybody literally is rightthere next to you.
My next question that I wantedto ask you I'm glad that at the
end he used us.
We're very fortunate.
But also a private tour isdifferent than a group tour.
The biggest difference reallyis price.
The reason is because you'repaying minimum of people in
(43:14):
private tourists to, versus in agroup tour it's one person, you
saving quite a bit because therooms are a group rate, which is
cheaper than the transportationis cheaper as well.
So everything is cheaper whenyou do a group tour versus a
private tour.
In your case, max, how do youfeel between the price that you
have paid versus the quality ofservice that you have received?
MAXX (43:37):
I received way more than what I paid for.
AZDEAN (43:40):
Thank you.
MAXX (43:42):
My re-ons were beautiful.
We had a beautiful car, we hada tour leader, a driver Guides
in every city.
It was definitely more valuefor my money than I think it was
wonderful.
AZDEAN (43:54):
We're so glad to hear that.
We're so glad to hear that andyou know what.
MAXX (43:57):
I probably could have found a group tour, but I
wouldn't want to be with allthose other people and this way
I could Dictate what I wanted todo, like, for example, on the
last day when we decided not togo to a friend and just go
straight home.
We were able to do that becausewe weren't with a bunch of
people.
So I definitely recommend that.
You know, one thing actually, Iwould like to share is I was
really concerned about what topack and what to wear, and I
(44:19):
know you've gone over this inother episodes, but you know, a
lot of times you hear thatyou're like oh yeah, that's not
what they mean.
Truly, you can wear and packwhatever you normally wear in
real life.
Like I went out and bought abunch of different tops and
longer skirts because I didn'tthink my shoulders and knees
could be shown and, as I said,when I got off the plane, not
only was my VIP person a woman,but she was wearing a skirt that
(44:40):
showed her knees.
So I was like, oh my gosh, yourmothers are gonna look at you
strange.
Like you can't dress like thathere in Morocco.
But I quickly realized that youcan.
I mean, I saw girls in croptops and things that I would
definitely not wear or let mydaughter Wear, but as a tourist
you're not held to the samelevel of expectation.
Exactly as others.
So pack what you normally wearand it'll be good.
AZDEAN (45:03):
That's exactly what I said.
It's just people.
Sometimes they overthink it.
You know, I'm more interestedand I want to pack, like you
said, a modium.
I want to pack the toiletries,whatever it is, versus just how
to dress up.
Yeah, morocco is relativelyopen outgoing country, but it's
gonna take a little bit of timefor a lot of people to catch up
at less they have visited, andyou're absolutely right For you
(45:25):
to change that perception.
You really have to go.
It's a beautiful country.
It's extremely diverse in termsof the history.
One of my favorite places and Ithink it doesn't get a lot of
credit is volibearish.
I love Volibearish.
I went twice because the firsttime we got there it was really
hot and had my GoPro and thebattery ran out in about an hour
.
That didn't help.
(45:46):
I knew that I could not do thesite the actual site but I did
the museum.
So I just did the front andthen I did the museum.
It took me 45 minutes just towalk through the museum because
I did it the right way, so itwas amazing.
And also, what a lot of peopledon't know is they are still
looking for the theater involibearish.
Morocco is working with somearchaeologists from Europe and
(46:08):
they're still working andlooking for the mausoleum.
So they haven't found it yet,but we know that it's there, so
it's probably gonna take alittle bit more time to find it.
Any other questions that Ishould have asked you, max,
would you go again?
MAXX (46:22):
I would definitely go again.
I feel like I really focused onthe older cities and the older
parts of each city, so I reallydidn't experience the more
modern parts of Morocco.
I would like to go and seeTangier and a little bit more of
Casablanca.
Of course, I'd have to go backto Marrakesh and Fez and I'd
have to go back to all the samecities, but I would like to go
(46:43):
back.
AZDEAN (46:44):
I'm glad to hear that.
Well, this concludes ourepisode.
Max, you have been amazing.
I really really appreciate you.
I appreciate you choosing us asyour tour company and I'm very
glad and fortunate that you haveExperienced everything the way
that we wanted you to experienceit.
People, they listen to thepodcast and say, hey, you know,
(47:04):
max, I really like thatitinerary.
Can I get the same itiner?
That's normally how it reallyworks.
MAXX (47:09):
Yeah, oh, thank you.
AZDEAN (47:11):
Thank you, max.
Have a wonderful day.
MAXX (47:12):
You too.
AZDEAN (47:13):
Appreciate it, thank you .
Thank you.
Thanks for joining us this weekon the destination Morocco
podcast.
Our dedicated show websitedestination morocco podcast that
come is where you can find allof our episodes, leave a review,
find our social media links andeven register as a guest.
If you have been to Moroccoyourself and would love to share
(47:36):
a story, advice orrecommendations, you're welcome
to participate in our podcast.
Whether it's a five-minutestory or full conversation, we
will guide you through the stepsso that you can share your
experience with our listeners.
We will be back soon enoughwith a new episode for you as we
(47:56):
continue our exploration of thebeautiful country of Morocco.
See you then.
Welcome to the Destination Morocco podcast, the
show that takes you way to thebeautiful country of Morocco.
I am your host, AzdeanElmoustaquim.
In each episode, we exploreMoroccan culture, history,
attractions and activities realand practical information coming
(00:29):
from experienced travelers andnative Moroccans like myself.
Our goal is to help travelersthat are struggling with
planning any type of trip toMorocco.
Our company, DestinationMorocco, builds personalized
tour packages that will ensureyou enjoy our country just like
(00:51):
local.
MAXX (00:52):
Follow us at DestinationMoroccoco.
AZDEAN (00:56):
And now let's go exploring.
Maxx Welski's Travel Diary.
Max fell in love withphotography as a child.
It was a hobby she shared withher father.
She always had a camera in hand, but college and career took
(01:20):
over until her daughter was born.
She could not believe howquickly she changed from one day
to the next.
The only way to hold on to eachprecious moment was to take as
many pictures as possible.
Her friends asked her tophotograph their families, and
when her son went tokindergarten, max and me became
(01:42):
a business.
It is a passion to capture thememory of a life, that moment,
and to be able to share it forgenerations to come.
When I love this quote fromyour website, max the best
things in life are the peopleyou love, the places you have
seen and the memories you havemade along the way.
(02:03):
Wow, that is amazing.
Max, I'm so excited to have youwith us today and I can't wait
for you to share the way thatyou have experienced Morocco
without audience.
Max, welcome to the DestinationMorocco podcast.
So, max, welcome to the podcast.
MAXX (02:22):
Thank you.
AZDEAN (02:23):
You just came back from your trip to Morocco.
We have been working on youritinerary for some time.
When did you decide actually togo to Morocco and how long it
took you to plan it?
MAXX (02:33):
I decided to go.
I think it was in January of2022.
It took me to plan it.
I used up all the six months oftime before I left, but,
honestly, there did come a pointwhere I was like, okay, I'm
done planning, I just need to gonow because I can't plan any
more things.
(02:54):
But I did find the planning alittle bit challenging, which is
how I found you.
AZDEAN (02:59):
Well, the planning can absolutely be challenging, and I
totally agree, because even forme and my family, when we
planned a trip to Morocco, weused to plan it for a year, but
now we do six months to ninemonths.
So in your case I completelyunderstand, and you did six
months, january to June.
That's perfectly fine, that'svery normal.
Now you went to the tripwithout your family and how did
(03:22):
your family feel about you goingby yourself or with a friend to
a very strange country tocompletely you know it's Morocco
, in Africa.
So how did they feel about that?
MAXX (03:34):
Well, I'm very lucky to have a family that is okay with
me traveling, and this is not myfirst trip alone to a strange
place.
I did go to Cuba without themand I've been to Paris without
them, so they were kind of okayin general with me going.
But my husband was a littleapprehensive about me going to a
foreign country without him,where I may not have as much
(03:55):
freedom and flexibility as I dohere.
But once he did a little bit ofresearch about it and talked to
people who had been there, herealized that I was going to be
okay.
I also told him that I would beguided the whole way.
I wasn't going to just wanderoff on my own.
So he was okay with that.
I did have to make the dealwith him that I would have a
guide with me the majority of mytime.
AZDEAN (04:16):
What did your friends say about you or how did they
help you in terms of researchand what other resources have
you used to prepare for yourtrip before we met?
MAXX (04:26):
Most of the people I know who had been there just said it
was wonderful and beautiful andthey recommended their tour
guides that they used.
At that point.
I had already discovered yourpodcasts and I'm one of those
people.
I'm extremely loyal and so itfelt like cheating to go with
somebody else, even though Ididn't know any of you.
But I felt like through yourpodcast I kind of got to know
you and you seemed very nice andfriendly and warm.
(04:48):
So I was.
Even though they recommendedpeople to me, I just went with
that.
I did buy some of the guidebooks.
There were not many.
I really had a choice of two.
One of them I didn't like atall, so I focused on the one
that I did use, which was Photos, and just looking at pictures
on Instagram and following yourpodcast and Googling, I
(05:09):
literally read every word inthis book just to figure out
where I wanted to go.
What I found the hardest part,which is how I agreed to the
tour, is that there wasn't a lotof information on how long
things take and how long ittakes to get from one place to
the other.
Yes, I can see a place onlinewhere I can rent a car, but it's
not necessarily that easy.
So I think, having never beenthere, you really need to have a
(05:31):
guide the first time.
Or company plan the trip foryou or help you plan it.
AZDEAN (05:36):
I know when you see something on the map, I mean
companion Morocco to the US.
I mean Texas is bigger thanMorocco, but still, there's
still a lot of driving, so it'svery important to know exactly
how it's going to take you fromcity to city and so forth and so
forth.
Now, was Morocco exactly whatexpected it to be?
Is it different than what youhad in mind?
MAXX (05:57):
It was really different than what I expected.
I expected the entire countryto be like the old Medinas and
old parts of the town.
I did not realize there waslike fully modern parts of towns
with shopping malls and H&M andStarbucks and all these
Mercedes dealerships.
I didn't expect that at all, sothat was interesting to me.
(06:19):
I didn't actually spend anytime in those areas, but I would
like to go back and maybe seethem.
I also wasn't expecting thewomen to have as much freedom as
they do.
I mean my first experience whenI got off the plane, my Riyadh
arranged for a concierge servicefor me and I had the option of
meeting them at the street ormeeting me at my gate.
So I chose to meet at my gateand it was a woman and I was
(06:41):
totally surprised.
I didn't know that women couldwear skirts.
I didn't know that women hadthat kind of freedom.
She was amazing, but it wasinteresting to see.
I expected all the women to befully covered and very quiet and
that was not my experience atall.
It's completely different.
AZDEAN (06:58):
Yes, and I see that People in the US, especially
when they see the media, that'swhat they see.
I mean, that's what they'rewriting blogs, people who have
never been to Morocco.
It's really not true.
So when you go there's a littlebit of a social surprise, just
like us.
I remember when I first cameinto the US I mean for me it was
time travel I felt like Itraveled 500 years from 1995.
(07:19):
So it does take a little bit ofadjustment.
It took me a while just tocomprehend and understand the
magnitude of everything, theworld that I'm living in now.
So I can absolutely relate toyou and to people who think
Morocco is a certain way andwomen, women in Morocco, we are
equal and it's hard for meexactly to explain it to people,
but once they go they see thestrength that they have.
(07:42):
They have their own businessesin every major platform, pilots,
you know, in government,anywhere You'll see the strength
of a Moroccan woman and we havea lot of talent in all aspects
of everything that we do inMorocco and also in terms of
safety, especially for women.
How did you feel when it cameto your safety during the day,
(08:03):
during the night at the Rwiyadh,that you were staying or doing
a side visit with the RenshiffShao and Fasemara Keshwar
Taitwan.
How did you feel throughout thecountry when it came to your
safety and, in general, women'ssafety?
MAXX (08:16):
I felt very safe.
I never once did not feel safeDuring the day and we had guides
with us, but I felt completelysafe without the guide I may
have wandered off somewhere, andat night we went out a little
bit.
We took a taxi to a restaurantand then got in the taxi and
came back home.
I felt very safe.
I didn't necessarily put myselfin any situation that could
have possibly been unsafe, butoverall I felt like the people
(08:39):
were very sweet and welcomingand no one was out to hurt me or
do anything like that.
I felt very safe everywhere,even squeezing myself through
the bodies of the square at 11o'clock at night.
It was lively and all of that.
I still felt safe.
I don't know that I felt mypurse was safe, but I was safe
and nothing happened to my purse.
But we do have quite a bit ofcamera gear with us.
AZDEAN (09:01):
So a little stressful.
You know the square a lot ofpeople don't know.
I mean, the square during theday is different than the square
during the night.
It becomes a beast at night andit stays that way until 3 or 4
in the morning.
MAXX (09:15):
I couldn't believe that I had been during the day.
So we were in Marrakesh for afew days before our tour started
with you and your friend Yuseftook us around.
We went to the square duringthe day and it was chaos and the
snakes and the monkeys and thebenders and all of that.
We walked through the soups, wewent on the whole tour and then
we came back and we had to walkthrough it at night.
It was packed with people andit's 11 o'clock at night.
(09:39):
Like don't people work in thenext day?
It's a week at 11.
But you know, when you're there, like at 8 in the morning,
everyone's still sleeping.
It's not like here, where it's6 am, people are up jogging and
they're going.
I mean, at 7 am you can walkaround.
It's pretty quiet, but there'slife.
It's a lot of life there.
AZDEAN (09:57):
Normally, when I go to the square, it's around 1 am.
Honestly, that's the time thatI go.
Now, if I want to take picturesof the square just before the
sunset I'm not sure if you havedone it that's what I do.
I go about an hour before.
I normally go to Café France.
It's my favorite spot and I sitat the terrace Normally.
The reason why I go an hourbefore because that's almost the
(10:18):
time that it's going to takeyou to find a seat.
And when I do, I take a lot ofvideos and I take a lot of
pictures of the square, thepeople, the business of the
crowd, and then there could be amosque.
It's a beautiful, beautifulsight before the sun goes down.
So I'm not sure if you haveexperienced that.
MAXX (10:33):
We did.
We went and sat and we got inthe exact same thing.
I don't know if it's the samerestaurant, but we got to the
restaurant we had to wait for atable and we got a table on the
edge and you can sit there andyou see how the square is not
that crowded.
I mean it's crowded but it'snot that crowded.
But you suddenly see it getsmore and more crowded and more
and more people.
I just sat there and I'm likewho are all these people?
(10:53):
Are they all tourists?
Are they locals?
Like who comes here?
We were leaving dinner.
It was, I don't know, 11, 30,12 o'clock.
You couldn't walk down thestreet without being surrounded
by people, which is wonderful.
I love that there's life.
But having just come out ofCOVID, it was a little
unsettling for me, but we wereoutside.
I haven't been this close topeople in two years, but it was
(11:17):
all good.
I did not get COVID while I wasthere.
AZDEAN (11:20):
I'm so glad to hear that .
Yes, it does.
It does get overcrowded andtypically here's the local
culture, the local people who gothere.
They normally work or theyhustle one way or another and
they are in the outskirts of theJam Elfna, so they are maybe a
few miles away.
But for us, like in my case,I'm 30 minute walk from Jam
Elfna.
So it's not in our culture togo on a daily basis.
(11:43):
We'll go when we need to buysomething, For example, before
the holidays we go, and that'swhere we buy stuff for us, for
the kids and stuff like that,but otherwise we don't go.
We just don't.
Now, in terms of the locals alsothe Moroccans, people from
Kazablanca, it's very popularRabat from other cities, the
square is very popular for them.
They see it with the touristeye versus us.
(12:04):
We see it as a local and it'slike there's nothing for me.
I'm not going to go, but for menow, because I travel, I
treasure it even more sowhenever I have an opportunity
to go, I go, but I always gowith somebody.
On your itinerary that you had,you had a few days before you
started your tour with us andyou had a couple of days after
your tour finished with us.
Tell us about the couple ofdays in terms of things that you
(12:27):
have experienced before westarted the tour.
I know you said that you spentsome time with yourself and he's
amazing, and then afterwardsyou had to think a couple of
days.
If you can tell us as well whatyou have done in those days?
MAXX (12:40):
So the first couple days we were in Marrakesh and the
first two days we had Yusef takeus around.
I love to plan trips, like 90%of the trip is planning it and
then I just get to go and do it.
But I am not used to anyonetelling me where I'm going what
order I'm going in or any ofthat.
So I feel like from your sideI'm probably a very difficult
client.
AZDEAN (13:01):
I'm not saying that.
MAXX (13:02):
I try not to be, but I had a whole list of where I wanted
to go and all of that he pickedus up.
We started the tour at theMarjorail garden.
AZDEAN (13:12):
Yes, marjorail yes.
MAXX (13:13):
Marjorail, which was beautiful and lovely.
We saw a bunch of thingsbecause I had said to him you
know, what day are we gonna dothis, what day are we gonna do
that?
He's like, let's just meet andwhat we don't do the first day
will do the second day, or how.
He's very flexible, which wasgreat, because we kind of got
everything done the first day,so then the second day we got to
(13:33):
just enjoy things.
My friend, who I was travelingwith, really wanted to hold a
monkey, so we went and did that.
AZDEAN (13:38):
Oh nice.
MAXX (13:39):
We looked at camels and we went shopping a little too much
shopping and my bag was delayeda little bit, so we got to tour
the airport a few times.
That was fun.
So those were the first twodays.
He recommended places for us tohave dinner as well, which was
also sitting in the square andseeing all the people.
And then the third day we werethere, I had booked a group tour
(14:00):
out to the Atlas Mountains tosee a waterfall and ride some
camels.
So we did that.
And then the next day is whenyour tour started, which was
wonderful.
We did all that.
And then at the back end I hadbooked a group tour to go to a
Suera.
It's a way I cannot say thatname it is so hard for me a
Suera.
But we realized it was going tobe a very like a nine-hour tour
(14:22):
and we were gonna go see thingswe had already seen maybe two
or three times on our trip.
So I canceled that and wecontinued our tour leader and
driver that you provided and wewent out to a Suera For the day,
which I loved.
I wish I could have stayed acouple nights in there in the
town, yes, but I'm also a bigGame of Thrones fan, so it was
very fun for me to stand at thegate when DeMora has been asked
(14:45):
before.
AZDEAN (14:46):
Oh, that's amazing.
MAXX (14:47):
So those were our two days and I was gonna say One of our
outings was I had to buy asuitcase for all the things that
I purchased, which also turnedout to not be big enough, so I
had to buy another suitcase.
AZDEAN (14:59):
Oh my gosh, you know that's.
That's the thing that a lot ofpeople don't pay attention to is
, when you go to Morocco, Iswear to you you will come back
with a lot of things that youbuy, and when you buy them in
pieces and pieces, you don'trealize the weight, and then you
don't realize how much you havebought Exactly.
And I think that's exactly whathappened to you, max.
I mean, when you go to thesquare, when you go too fast,
(15:21):
when you go to a Suera, there'sthings in the market you just
have to have.
So in your case, what was thatone thing that you have to have
anywhere that he went?
MAXX (15:32):
Oh, the one thing there wasn't like one thing I had to
have.
I guess there were a lot ofthings I wanted, like I really
wanted our gun oil.
I bought a whole bunch ofpillows from my backyard and I
got slippers and I got bags.
Ceramics I bought a lot ofceramics which were very hard to
get home because they have togo in your carry-on bag.
AZDEAN (15:51):
Oh, I see yeah they're breakable.
MAXX (15:53):
Some of it I got in my luggage.
Oh yes, scarves.
I love scarves.
I had a huge scarf collectionand I really, really wanted to
get scarves, so it was very hardto limit myself.
I think I came home with five.
I could have bought more.
I could have bought every color.
I could have bought a breadspread.
I could have bought linens formy Dining room table.
(16:14):
Like there's so many things,but like I didn't know how I was
gonna get that home.
One of the things was becausewe had a car and driver for our
tour from Marrakesh all around.
We sometimes left the bags inthe car and so by the time we
got to the last stop, you don'trealize how much you have,
because it's all been in the carin the back that you don't see.
So they brought out my bags andI'm like what is all this?
(16:41):
That is funny but I can stilloff the top my head.
Right now I'm thinking I shouldhave bought that, I should have
bought that, but I'll go backone day and buy more.
AZDEAN (16:48):
Oh, definitely, yes, yes .
So in terms of the culture andthe friendliness of the people,
how was it for you, especiallywhen it took the trip to the
mountains?
If you can tell us a little bitabout that?
MAXX (16:59):
the people are so nice and friendly and welcoming.
The hospitality that Iexperienced from the managers of
our Riyadh and the guides wasUnbelievable.
I think I mentioned that my bagwas delayed.
It was the second day and I'mstill in the same clothes and I
was literally.
I couldn't forget how to workthe phones and so I went to the
(17:20):
lobby to ask them to help memake a phone call and the
manager was like, let's just goto the airport.
I'm like but you're working,it's okay.
He got a car.
He got in the car, he took meto the airport.
He helped me with the bag.
He took me to H&M to get someclothes.
I've never experienced somebodythat kind in my life.
When we did the day trip to theAtlas Mountains, our guide took
(17:43):
us to his childhood home.
Served us tea and gave us awhole explanation about the
Burberry culture.
While we were there, one of thecall to prayer happened.
It was just magical.
Everyone was so kind that myguides gave us gifts at the end
of our tour.
They're still messaging me tomake sure I got home.
Okay, how my trip was.
(18:03):
They're just wonderful and theyseem very Welcoming and eager
to have tourists come, like theyreally want people to come and
see their beautiful country.
AZDEAN (18:12):
Oh, absolutely, I completely agree.
You know, covid has affected usall in the worst possible way,
but he also made us appreciateeverything, to the smallest
details, when somebody comes andexperience that culture, that's
what we want, you know.
We want them to experience us.
The Burbers, you know, in thecity, in the mountains, and of
course there is a difference.
(18:33):
But in the mountains when Itell people you cannot walk from
the beginning of a village Towhere it ends without somebody
asking you at least seven timesto come and get some tea with
them, and sometimes they getoffended because they want you.
You know, just bless that housewith your presence.
You know what I'm saying.
So it's, it's kind of strangebut incredible culture at the
same time.
MAXX (18:52):
It's very interesting to experience it, because when you
hear about it I was like, oh, Idon't know.
You know, like that's weirdpeople.
I don't want to go in people'shomes, like there's COVID.
I mean, I've spent two yearsnot leaving this little room
that I'm in right now and thenall of a sudden I'm like in
another country, on anothercontinent.
But when you go they're so kindand sweet, like you can see.
(19:13):
They're just want to feed you,they just want to be hospitable
and give you tea and talk to you, and it's wonderful, it's
lovely, it's like going home,even though that's not your home
.
AZDEAN (19:23):
Thank you.
Thank you, I'm so glad to hearthat.
So during your time, I thinkyou went in a really, really
good time.
Early June Was everyone packedwith tourists?
Anybody went, or was it okayTravel around from city to city?
How was it?
MAXX (19:39):
I'm not gonna say it was packed with tourists, but it was
definitely full.
Most of our riyadhs, I think.
All the rooms were full.
The streets were filled withpeople.
I mean, the only time I reallyexperienced a packed situation
was at night in the square.
AZDEAN (19:54):
On this quit yes.
MAXX (19:55):
Other than that it wasn't really necessarily packed, but
there were a lot of people.
It was definitely a touristytime to go.
It was also kind of hot, notsuper hot.
I'm from LA so I used to warmweather.
I was listening to one of yourpodcasts and the woman was
talking about all the beautifulsunsets.
I didn't see one sunset,because cloudy most of the day,
(20:16):
which was great because itwasn't as hot, is it what?
If I mean, I would say it'sprobably a good time to go.
I think the beginning of Juneis good.
Any later it might have gottena little too hot and maybe I
don't know how crowded itnormally is in the summer, but
it was getting a little warm.
AZDEAN (20:31):
Well, june, I would say it's still a perfect time for me
when I go, because it's notreally that hot and I can travel
to the beach, the mountains,everywhere, and it's still nice
in a way.
July and august I always say,stay away, because all the
morocans everywhere that's thetime that they go back to
Morocco it gets really, really,really crowded.
Then you add that to thetourists, everything goes
(20:53):
expensive, not available tocrowd it in where you go and you
may not enjoy it as much.
For me, that's how I see thesummer.
The summer is not my favoritetime to go to Morocco, but I'll
still go to Morocco insummertime if I have to yeah,
yeah, the spring and the fall isnice.
MAXX (21:09):
It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty.
AZDEAN (21:12):
March, april that's the high season.
It gets really popular in thespring.
Time is definitely, I agreewith you, is the perfect time to
go, if your schedule allows it.
MAXX (21:21):
That's generally when I try to travel.
AZDEAN (21:22):
Yes, so the itinerary that I have made for you.
I made two itineraries, thefirst one and the second one,
and it's kind of strange becausethose itineraries I really get
connected to them emotionally.
They mean so much to me.
In each itinerary for eachclient is different.
It takes a few days to make it,but I have to connect to it
(21:43):
first before I make it.
I have to mold it to you.
When we do our calls, discoverycalls, and you tell me all the
things that you want to see, Iput all that information in the
itinerary, then add the imagesto it in the videos.
Were you happy with theitinerary?
I tried to make it more liveitinerary than anything else.
So how was yours?
MAXX (22:02):
I loved that you had the pictures, because I don't know
what I'm looking at.
I'm just reading letters.
So having the photos reallyreally helped me, especially
since I'm a planner.
If I could look at it and go,okay, guess that looks great.
Oh no, I don't necessarily needto see that in my limited time
or whatever it was, but I didreally enjoy the presentation of
your itinerary and I think thatyou planned Perfectly all the
(22:24):
things that I wanted to see.
Thank you, I thought we had theright amount of time in all the
cities.
Each city we went to was alittle bit different.
They're all unique in their own.
With the first itinerary, youhad planned for us to do a
sleepover in the desert, which Ithink would have been amazing,
but we're not really campers.
I'm sure there would have beenchandeliers and flushing toilets
(22:46):
.
It all looks very wonderful,but given our limited amount of
time, I don't know how we wouldhave fit that in as it was.
I felt like we were moving alot, which was good, so I think
it was perfect.
I wouldn't have done anything.
AZDEAN (22:58):
I'm glad to hear that you know to do the North and the
South of Morocco is reallychallenging.
There's a lot of driving.
I always recommend doing theNorth side, then do the South
side separately, maybe one weekeach.
I think that's the best way todo it, because you're not going
to get tired and you're going toenjoy every city and give it a
day or two that it needs totruly visit the city the way
(23:19):
that it's supposed to.
How was your experience withall the cities that you have
visited Casablanca, rabach,fshawen, voli, bili, fas, mkness
, ifren, then Marrakesh?
How was it?
And I saw your images onInstagram.
They look just amazing.
Thank you, incredible, yeah.
MAXX (23:35):
Thank you.
Well, casablanca, the mosque isbreathtaking.
You cannot miss that.
I don't know if it was ourtiming or if you made
arrangements, but we wereliterally the only four people
in there.
It was right before the time topray, so we actually got shoot
out at the very end Not shoot,but you know, they were just
very nice and like it's time foryou guys to go.
But that was amazing.
(23:58):
It was so beautiful and I don'tcare what kind of camera you
have, you cannot photograph thatin any way.
To show its beauty.
It requires I don't know what.
That was really beautiful.
And then we, of course, had tohave lunch at Rick's Cafe.
I didn't really realize that.
Casablanca, there's a beachthere.
AZDEAN (24:14):
Yeah.
MAXX (24:15):
Another friend of mine was also in Morocco and she was
posting pictures.
I'm sure there was a lot moreto see in Casablanca than we saw
, because that's all we did.
We did those two things andthen we went on to Rabat, but
Casablanca was a moremetropolitan city compared to
what I saw in Marrakesh.
Now, again in Marrakesh, I wasonly in the old part, except for
my trip to the mall.
It seemed very different to me.
(24:35):
Rabat was like a blur, becausewe literally came in at dinner,
woke up, saw something and movedon to the next place.
But I loved the.
It was like a castle on theocean.
AZDEAN (24:47):
Yes, it was at the Muzaleem.
MAXX (24:49):
Yes.
AZDEAN (24:49):
Yeah, at the Muzaleem, because they're all next to each
other the Hassan, then ShallaKasbachala.
MAXX (24:55):
Yeah, it was beautiful.
So from there we went toShoshawan, which I think was one
of our favorite stops.
I mean, it's so beautiful andphotographic, just a great
little village.
The people are so kind andthere are cats everywhere.
AZDEAN (25:10):
Yes.
MAXX (25:11):
And dogs.
I'm very happy to see dogsbecause I'm more of a dog person
.
We did go up to the Spanishmosque to see the sunset, but
again the sun didn't shine thatday.
As a photographer I alreadyknew well in that we were not
going to get a sunset, but thatwas really fun to even just go
up there and see the people andsee the city from above.
I loved Voli, Belize.
AZDEAN (25:33):
Voli Belize yes.
MAXX (25:34):
That was amazing the Roman ruins and the whole town.
I mean, I've seen Roman ruinsall over Europe, but this was
like a whole town with kitchensand it was amazing to see.
And then Fez, the artisans thatwe got to see the tanneries and
the ceramics.
That was amazing.
I loved that.
(25:55):
I know people say the tanneriessmell really bad, but I rode
horses for years so I didn'teven notice.
They give you little mintthings that you can smell so
that it doesn't smell bad.
I didn't even notice a smell,but that's just me.
It was really fun.
And then we headed back intoMarrakesh.
From there.
We actually didn't go toEphraim, we decided to just do a
straight drive.
AZDEAN (26:16):
Oh, I see.
MAXX (26:17):
To Marrakesh, which was long.
AZDEAN (26:19):
Yeah, that's a lot.
Yeah, because it was about asix-hour drive, I remember, and
you had the choice to take thefreeway or go through the
mountains.
The mountains would have been alittle bit longer, but yeah, it
makes sense.
Now also, I remember, did youdo agafai for the Cameride?
MAXX (26:33):
I did.
AZDEAN (26:33):
Okay, agafai, a lot of people, especially during the
summertime when you do in thedesert tour.
They don't go to Merzugabecause it's really hard, but
they do.
Agafai, there's a lot of campsin agafai.
Can you tell us a little bitabout that experience?
MAXX (26:45):
Well, it was part of a day tour, so we went to a waterfall
and then we went to our guide'sBerber Village and then we went
to agafai to ride camels.
It's weird, like you drive outof Marrakesh and all of a sudden
you're in like very lush areaswith green and waterfalls, and
then you're in the mountains andthen you're in the desert.
(27:06):
The topography just changes.
So we went to a camp and Ithink it's very tourist driven.
They dress you up and they putyou on a camel and they walk you
in a big circle and they bringyou back, which was fun.
But we really enjoyed it andthe camels were very sweet.
I heard that they were mean,but I did not see one mean camel
and I experienced like three orfour of them while I was there.
AZDEAN (27:27):
Oh nice.
MAXX (27:28):
Yeah, it's funny when you're in Marrakesh.
You're just driving in thestreet and on the corner there's
like four camels just hang out,parked with the cars.
AZDEAN (27:35):
Yeah, they charge you 10 bucks just for a ride.
It's a little bit pricey, butAgafai is definitely an amazing
place and also a lot of weddingsare held in the Agafai.
There's so many camps.
So instead of going to Merzugaand doing a wedding in Merzuga,
a lot of people choose to doAgafai, because it's close to
Marrakesh and they can be backand forth, you know, at the main
hotel.
MAXX (27:55):
At that point I think we were like on day 10 or day 11.
Yeah, and it really does get toa point where you're just like
I can't.
AZDEAN (28:02):
You're absolutely right and this is the reason why I
always recommend to split thecountry into two the North side
and the South side.
Yeah, you're going to have funin 15 days, but you will
absolutely be tired Nowthroughout your experience and
the tour.
It sounds amazing.
How was the food for you?
MAXX (28:18):
The food was really delicious.
I'm sort of a picky eater and Ijust lost some weight so I
don't normally eat carbs, theamount of bread that you're
given quite a treat.
So at breakfast they bring likefive different baskets of five
different kinds of bread thatall look delicious but I can't
(28:38):
eat all that bread.
That was honestly one of thechallenges for me was not being
tempted by the delicious lookingbread because I really didn't
want to gain 30 pounds on mytrip.
But overall I mean the tangines, the couscous, the pastilla
just so delicious I didn't havea bad meal the whole time.
I'm glad to hear that Was allvery yummy.
AZDEAN (28:59):
What has been the most interesting item of food that
you have tasted in Morocco,Something you know.
MAXX (29:04):
We had camel.
AZDEAN (29:05):
Oh, my God.
MAXX (29:07):
Our tour leader suggested we have camel.
AZDEAN (29:09):
Ilyas.
MAXX (29:10):
Yes, I'm worried, like when I travel, about what I eat,
because I do have a sensitivesystem.
They can't just eat everything,like I tried not to drink the
water and I didn't eat fruitsand vegetables or a wash in
water because I didn't want toget sick.
So Ilyas took us to literally alocal street place, like you
walk down the street and youjust walk in and there's a
little table.
I was really outside of mycomfort zone but it was
(29:33):
delicious and they were so kind.
They made us fresh mint teawhile we were sitting there.
It was supposed to be camelsandwiches, but again that comes
on a piece of bread, so theyhad sandwiches.
I had just the meat with somesides but it was delicious.
It was like a burger, maybe alittle more tender than a burger
.
That was the most interestingthing that I ate.
AZDEAN (29:53):
What city did you have it?
MAXX (29:54):
I think it wasn't a stop in between, maybe Rabat and
Shoshawan.
AZDEAN (29:59):
The funny part you said camel sandwich.
Angel, just in the last episode, said camel sandwich.
I know camel sandwich.
The demand on camel sandwich isgoing to go high right now.
MAXX (30:09):
Before camels, I don't know.
AZDEAN (30:11):
I actually did a camel tagine on the way to Mirzuga my
last visit.
I went with the family, my wifeand sister.
We had it for lunch but theycould not eat until the next day
.
For me I think I gained 20pounds just between Mirzuga and
that tagine.
I was nervous I just ate thattagine and we go into Mirzuga
(30:31):
right in the camel and I waslike I hope he doesn't smell his
cousin, I just ate his cousin.
It was funny, but it does fillyou up, it really does.
MAXX (30:41):
It's very rich.
AZDEAN (30:42):
Yeah, and you're very brave, I mean.
MAXX (30:44):
I guess they offered me to try it, so I tried it.
AZDEAN (30:47):
When I was a kid I tried it.
It was just like ground meat.
That's what I tried.
Normally for us in Morocco it'sgoing to sound kind of weird,
but we eat it raw.
That's what I did as a kid.
I ate that meat raw.
MAXX (30:58):
You are very brave.
AZDEAN (31:01):
Back then I was In terms of packing, max.
We did an episode about packinga few weeks ago.
What are the things that youcannot travel without to a third
world country, especially toMorocco?
What is it that you have tohave with you at all times?
MAXX (31:17):
Well, I'm going to say a modium because the food is
different than the food that Ihave at home.
There was one day where itwasn't from the water or
anything we ate.
I think there were olives atthe restaurant that we had the
night before because one of ourguides on our tour was also not
feeling so great that day.
The modium helped me within anhour and he was a poor guy.
(31:39):
We're driving and every hour orso we had to keep stopping.
So I asked him are you notfeeling well?
And he explained that he wasn'tdoing so great.
So I gave him a modium and hewas like wow, this stuff really
works.
It's amazing.
So I would say that what elsecould I not travel with your
sense of humor, your sense ofadventure, those kinds of things
.
AZDEAN (31:58):
Yes.
MAXX (31:59):
I mean, my bag was delayed .
I didn't have anything for thefirst 48 hours other than what I
brought with me.
You don't really tell me howmuch you miss a hairbrush when
you don't have one.
Be flexible.
Travel is a challenge.
It's wonderful and it's greatto see all the things, but you
have to be flexible.
And no matter how well youprepare and I'm telling you, I
have trips planned down soprepared Once I get on the plane
(32:22):
I throw my plans out the windowbecause I just want to go and
experience where I am.
The plan really just sort ofhelps me not lose focus and be
able to see all the things Iwant to see.
You just have to be flexible.
If something doesn't go asplanned, you just kind of have
to go with it, and sometimesthat turns out to be the best
experience of your trip, becauseyou weren't expecting it and it
was a surprise.
AZDEAN (32:43):
Absolutely, absolutely.
What kind of tip or advicewould you give to the listeners
if they are traveling to Morocco, whether with us or with
somebody else, or just on theirown?
MAXX (32:53):
The colors and the people and there's so much to see.
We live in a world of phonesand cameras and everybody's
taking pictures and selfiesEverywhere we went.
Even our guys were like, oh,this is a really Instagramable
place.
And I'm like you know, it's notall about Instagram and photos.
Trust me, I came home with4,000 photos, like I took a
(33:14):
photo of everything.
But my advice would be to justreally experience what you're
doing and not just snap photos.
Really, take a moment and lookat the flowers and the people,
the little cats in the streets.
Take a moment to experience itin real life.
Also, say yes If someone asksyou to try a camel burger.
You don't have to eat the wholeburger, but you can take a bite
(33:37):
and try it.
Someone wants to invite youinto their home in a mountain
village where I don't know thatthat's a safe thing to do, but
I'm with 20 other tourists on abus.
I'm sure it's fine.
Go, because it was amazing.
You got to say yes to things aslong as they're not doing
something stupid.
AZDEAN (33:55):
That's a really good advice, definitely, definitely,
in terms of when you havetraveled, when we're working on
your trip.
In your case, we made somechanges.
We added a few things.
You may not notice them, butIlyas is an amazing tour leader.
That's one of the additionsthat we added because we don't
want you to feel like somebody'staking advantage of you,
(34:16):
whether you know it or not knowit.
I do the best that I can toutilize the people that I know,
because they have your bestinterest.
Then, when you go for food toeat at a restaurant, if you
don't know somebody, or somebodydoesn't send you to that place,
you may not get the bestexperience.
You may not get the best cut ofmeat or fish or chicken.
(34:37):
That's what we do behind thescene.
Before you go, we say, hey, wehave a special guest, they need
special attention, special careand so forth.
Also, we talked about shoppingexperience.
That can really cause a lot ofdamage financially.
As we're speaking, sam is goingto go to different cities to set
up everything that we need toset up shops.
That way, when you go shopping,those people, they are our
(34:59):
people.
We know they are not going tocheat you out of your money.
They are not going to cheat youout of the quality of the
product that you're going to buy.
A lot of people may not know,but anywhere you go, there's
kickbacks, there's commission,whatever you want to call it.
Personally, I'm not against it,but I'm against taking
advantage of the client, takingadvantage of our guests to view
Max, because we have experiencedit.
(35:20):
Sometimes we don't see it atthe moment, but it's already too
late.
Can you tell us about yourexperience in terms of shopping
in Marrakesh, in FAS as well,with Fatim Zahra and Elias?
I'm not there, but I talk tothem on a daily basis.
MAXX (35:34):
They were all fantastic.
I would have easily beencompletely taken advantage of
had I not had them with me.
I'm the kind of person where ifyou tell me something's $5,
I'll just say, fine, I mighteven give you $6 because you're
nice to me.
I am not a bargain shopper atall.
In the beginning, when we werefirst there with Yusef, he was
doing all the bargaining for me.
(35:54):
I'm just like, okay, I'd liketo buy this, please bargain for
me, because I don't even knowhow to do it.
I felt like he was guiding us tohigher quality vendors.
To me it all looks amazing, butI don't really know what the
difference is, because at thatpoint we'd only been there.
It was the first couple of days.
I got a little more savvy bythe time I got to FAS.
Then, when we were with Saharain FAS, I knew she was taking me
(36:19):
to a high quality place.
We went in toward a ceramics Idon't know if you call it
factory or vendor artisan butthey explained to us how they
made it.
They showed us, they literallystood on the plates and said you
can buy these on the street andif you step on them they're
going to break.
That's right, you can step onours.
In fact, later on we were inMarrakesh.
I was like, oh, should we stepon those and test them out?
I knew I was buying very highquality items.
(36:44):
She took us to a scarf place inFAS where I bought the five
scarves.
I knew that they were very highquality, because that's what I
want.
I'd rather pay $10 forsomething that's a high quality
than a dollar for somethingthat's not.
At the end, I wanted to getsome spices.
Someone had asked me to bringthem the spice that I can't
pronounce.
That is completely Moroccan.
It's like Khasra mousse,something.
AZDEAN (37:06):
I think I know which one Ras al-Hanud.
MAXX (37:08):
Yes, this one.
He's like oh, you can't justbuy that anywhere because it's
been COVID, it's been stored fora while.
Let me take you to a highquality place.
This place was amazing.
I looked like I was on a storeon Montana in Santa Monica.
It was really visuallybeautiful.
Everything was high quality.
I appreciated being takenplaces where I knew I was
(37:28):
getting quality things and I wasnot being taken advantage of.
As you were saying, they dogive a commission to their
guides.
I'm fine with that.
If someone recommends me as aphotographer, I'm going to buy
them a coffee or give them agift to thank them for
recommending me.
I think that's a great way todo things so that I'm not taken
advantage of.
I do come home with qualitythings.
If I come home and it fallsapart, then that's not good for
(37:51):
me either.
AZDEAN (37:52):
Absolutely.
I don't have an issue with thecommission.
We don't get it, we don't takeit.
It's not our intent.
But also, I don't have aproblem paying $6 for something
that it's worth $5.
Paying $500, I have an issuewith that.
Later on in the season I'mgoing to do another episode
about scams.
This is going to be one of themajor topics.
The reason is because there's alot of tour operators.
(38:14):
They know and they do collectit, but the public is not aware
of it.
For me, we have to be astransparent as possible.
We're not perfect.
We do make mistakes Behind thescenes.
There's always something thatwe need to adjust, we need to
improve.
That's the reason why we do thefeedback.
When you come back and Samcomes and sees you, that
feedback is priceless to us.
(38:34):
That's really.
Really one of the mostimportant steps for us is the
feedback we get from you,especially at the end of the
tour.
MAXX (38:42):
Not just the shopping, the restaurants and the food.
All the places that theyrecommended were wonderful and
delicious.
Our re-ons that you chose werebeautiful as well.
AZDEAN (38:51):
Oh, thank you so much.
Thank you, Just like you said,with COVID, so many people were
out of business, so many changes.
The people that we used to workwith they moved and so forth
and so forth.
So we always had to keep on thelookout.
A new place, Is this a good fitfor us?
Is this a good fit for ourclients?
The other question that I havewould you recommend Morocco to
people?
MAXX (39:09):
Of course I would recommend.
AZDEAN (39:10):
That was a tricky question.
MAXX (39:12):
You know it has so much history and beautiful places.
It is definitely something tosee.
The outside perception ofMorocco is not necessarily
accurate At least it wasn't tome so I feel like you kind of
have to go see it to believe it.
The shopping is amazing and, asa photographer, it's just, it's
a dream.
I would definitely recommend itto people.
(39:33):
Each city is a little bitdifferent, so there's a little
bit for everybody.
I was very nervous going with atour company.
I've never done that.
I found you in a podcast andonline and you know you did this
whole episode on scams and I'mlike, oh my God, what if this is
a scam?
What if he's like there's notreally a person, I'm going to
(39:53):
end up in Morocco all by myselfand there's nobody to help me,
which is part of why I did a lotof research, because I was like
, well, I end up, I better beable to you know, survive.
But you turned out to be a realperson with a real agency and
you guys were amazing.
I mean, you picked beautifulriyads for us.
Each one was so clean andlovely.
(40:14):
The one in FES was amazing,amazing, beautiful beautiful.
AZDEAN (40:19):
Thank you, thank you.
MAXX (40:21):
Having the tour leader was great.
Elias is a great guy and somuch fun to be with.
I mean, the tour leader is yourwhole tour, so he really was
amazing.
You really get to know thepeople when you're with a local
person.
The whole time the car waslovely, the driver was great,
all the cities you chose and allthe things we did within each
(40:42):
city was wonderful.
I mean, I would have planned itthe same myself, and not that I
know what I'm doing.
But I was very happy with theway you planned it, and the time
that you had us doingeverything was great too.
You were with me the whole time, like you were texting me, you
were making sure I was okay.
I felt like you were with us onour tour.
AZDEAN (41:03):
Thank you, I'm so glad to hear that.
I'm glad to hear that same waybecause I have to be with you,
because it doesn't matter thetime of day.
You text me.
There's no wait time, there'sno whole time.
You're not going to be on thephone for two, three, four, five
hours.
No, I text you back right away.
It doesn't matter if it's 1pmor 1am or two or three.
That's something that it'sreally, really, really important
(41:24):
when you're overseas.
Literally, we are like theextension of your family.
Your family is in Californiaand we are the extension of your
family.
We have to be there for you 24seven.
You have access to Ilias, to thedriver in the car, 24 seven
when the tour starts until thetour finishes.
There's about eight or ninepeople that you have come in
contact with that work with usor their affiliates with us.
(41:46):
You see, fas has a differentculture.
Fatima Zahra has a differentway of talking to people,
different ways showing FAS, andyou're only going to get that
through a local guide versus anational guide.
Ilias is amazing in terms of inbetween cities, the
storytelling, the poet it isincredible him and his stories
when he grew up and the village.
(42:07):
The drive is very long, so youhave to fill it up with
something nice, somethingpositive, something good.
Also, your tour was veryspecial because you're a
photographer.
We had to make sure that yousee things in certain way.
MAXX (42:19):
Yeah, I feel like you definitely were taking care of
me from far away, and when yousay you're available at all
times, I mean literally it waslike two in the morning to you
and you were right there Textingme back answering my questions.
AZDEAN (42:33):
That's what we really do , because we understand
sometimes there's a five hourdifference, sometimes six,
sometimes seven and, just likeyou said, emergencies happen.
You could have eaten a badolive or bad food and then you
get a reaction late at night andyou need to get some medicine,
go to the hospital.
The tour leader stays with youat the hotel or the really other
you're in, so he's not off-siteor somewhere far.
(42:53):
Then the driver somewhere elseto get the car no, it's
everybody literally is rightthere next to you.
My next question that I wantedto ask you I'm glad that at the
end he used us.
We're very fortunate.
But also a private tour isdifferent than a group tour.
The biggest difference reallyis price.
The reason is because you'repaying minimum of people in
(43:14):
private tourists to, versus in agroup tour it's one person, you
saving quite a bit because therooms are a group rate, which is
cheaper than the transportationis cheaper as well.
So everything is cheaper whenyou do a group tour versus a
private tour.
In your case, max, how do youfeel between the price that you
have paid versus the quality ofservice that you have received?
MAXX (43:37):
I received way more than what I paid for.
AZDEAN (43:40):
Thank you.
MAXX (43:42):
My re-ons were beautiful.
We had a beautiful car, we hada tour leader, a driver Guides
in every city.
It was definitely more valuefor my money than I think it was
wonderful.
AZDEAN (43:54):
We're so glad to hear that.
We're so glad to hear that andyou know what.
MAXX (43:57):
I probably could have found a group tour, but I
wouldn't want to be with allthose other people and this way
I could Dictate what I wanted todo, like, for example, on the
last day when we decided not togo to a friend and just go
straight home.
We were able to do that becausewe weren't with a bunch of
people.
So I definitely recommend that.
You know, one thing actually, Iwould like to share is I was
really concerned about what topack and what to wear, and I
(44:19):
know you've gone over this inother episodes, but you know, a
lot of times you hear thatyou're like oh yeah, that's not
what they mean.
Truly, you can wear and packwhatever you normally wear in
real life.
Like I went out and bought abunch of different tops and
longer skirts because I didn'tthink my shoulders and knees
could be shown and, as I said,when I got off the plane, not
only was my VIP person a woman,but she was wearing a skirt that
(44:40):
showed her knees.
So I was like, oh my gosh, yourmothers are gonna look at you
strange.
Like you can't dress like thathere in Morocco.
But I quickly realized that youcan.
I mean, I saw girls in croptops and things that I would
definitely not wear or let mydaughter Wear, but as a tourist
you're not held to the samelevel of expectation.
Exactly as others.
So pack what you normally wearand it'll be good.
AZDEAN (45:03):
That's exactly what I said.
It's just people.
Sometimes they overthink it.
You know, I'm more interestedand I want to pack, like you
said, a modium.
I want to pack the toiletries,whatever it is, versus just how
to dress up.
Yeah, morocco is relativelyopen outgoing country, but it's
gonna take a little bit of timefor a lot of people to catch up
at less they have visited, andyou're absolutely right For you
(45:25):
to change that perception.
You really have to go.
It's a beautiful country.
It's extremely diverse in termsof the history.
One of my favorite places and Ithink it doesn't get a lot of
credit is volibearish.
I love Volibearish.
I went twice because the firsttime we got there it was really
hot and had my GoPro and thebattery ran out in about an hour
.
That didn't help.
(45:46):
I knew that I could not do thesite the actual site but I did
the museum.
So I just did the front andthen I did the museum.
It took me 45 minutes just towalk through the museum because
I did it the right way, so itwas amazing.
And also, what a lot of peopledon't know is they are still
looking for the theater involibearish.
Morocco is working with somearchaeologists from Europe and
(46:08):
they're still working andlooking for the mausoleum.
So they haven't found it yet,but we know that it's there, so
it's probably gonna take alittle bit more time to find it.
Any other questions that Ishould have asked you, max,
would you go again?
MAXX (46:22):
I would definitely go again.
I feel like I really focused onthe older cities and the older
parts of each city, so I reallydidn't experience the more
modern parts of Morocco.
I would like to go and seeTangier and a little bit more of
Casablanca.
Of course, I'd have to go backto Marrakesh and Fez and I'd
have to go back to all the samecities, but I would like to go
(46:43):
back.
AZDEAN (46:44):
I'm glad to hear that.
Well, this concludes ourepisode.
Max, you have been amazing.
I really really appreciate you.
I appreciate you choosing us asyour tour company and I'm very
glad and fortunate that you haveExperienced everything the way
that we wanted you to experienceit.
People, they listen to thepodcast and say, hey, you know,
(47:04):
max, I really like thatitinerary.
Can I get the same itiner?
That's normally how it reallyworks.
MAXX (47:09):
Yeah, oh, thank you.
AZDEAN (47:11):
Thank you, max.
Have a wonderful day.
MAXX (47:12):
You too.
AZDEAN (47:13):
Appreciate it, thank you .
Thank you.
Thanks for joining us this weekon the destination Morocco
podcast.
Our dedicated show websitedestination morocco podcast that
come is where you can find allof our episodes, leave a review,
find our social media links andeven register as a guest.
If you have been to Moroccoyourself and would love to share
(47:36):
a story, advice orrecommendations, you're welcome
to participate in our podcast.
Whether it's a five-minutestory or full conversation, we
will guide you through the stepsso that you can share your
experience with our listeners.
We will be back soon enoughwith a new episode for you as we
(47:56):
continue our exploration of thebeautiful country of Morocco.
See you then.
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