Morocco

by koich

"Life is only about memories and dreams," my dear Moroccan friend in Berkeley recently told me. Only memories and dreams... Well said. Three weeks have passed since I returned from Morocco and it's interesting to realize that negative memories have started to leave me and only positive ones seem to remain. While I'm organizing my "memories" for this travel article, I'm already "dreaming" my next trip to another country. I'm always wandering between my memories and dreams, being constantly ... (more)

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Wakening
Waking up with a prayer call was rather a spiritual experience than...

And its First Impression
Jogging on the streets of Rabat, Morocco's capital, was somewhat a...

And their Daily Life
Deeply interested in seeing the ordinary life of ordinary people, I tried to...

Koutoubia Mosque and a Follower
This was my first visit not only to a Muslim nation but also to the...

Fruit Seller
Having lived in highly industrialized countries all my life, where...

El Badi Palace and Orange Trees
When the setting sun started to turn the 16-th century palace walls...

Villagers and a Donkey
In the rural areas of Morocco, donkeys and horses are far more useful and...

Gorge du Todra
As you see in my article, Morocco is such a geographically diverse...

In the Todra Gorge
There's something we can learn from their beautiful coexistence with nature.

Kasbah Ait Benhaddou
Simplicity with elegance. Dialogue without words... This UNESCO World...

Life inside a Kasbah
All the kasbahs I saw were still inhabited. These heritages are not tourist...

Making of Textiles
I'm interested only in 'handmade' souvenirs and Morocco is...

Desert in Merzouga
I signed up for a quick three-day tour to the desert. When we reached...

Dawn in the Desert
"Outside, the freezing desert night" begins Rumi's poem titled...

Tannery Workers in Marakech
Making leather crafts is a physically demanding task. I saw many young boys...

Courtyard of Madrassa Ben Youssef

Another View of Madrassa Ben Youssef
This 14-century Koranic school once accommodated thousands of...

Souks in Marrakesh
There are lots of souks (bazaars) in Morocco but none is comparable to...

The Jemma el Fna
Many say this plaza is the heart of street life in Morocco, and I concur....

The Jemma el Fna
The plaza wakes up as the sun goes down. The whole plaza radiates such...

The Jemma el Fna
You can find a variety of inexpensive food such as couscous, tajines, and...

Climbing in the High Atlas
I heard her calling when I first saw the snow-covered Atlas from...

Mountain Village in the High Atlas

Family in the High Atlas

(Down) Climbing in the High Atlas
After spending a night in a mountain hut at approx. 3,200m, my guide...

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article published 02/10/2004

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Fantastic set of photographs; I have never seen such a beautiful sky over the Djemaa el Fna ... wish I had been there that day!
— Liz Williams, July 23, 2006

looking for Ellen Granstrom Bray
Can you help me locate Ellen Granstrom Bray? We were friends in high school and I would like to get a hold of her.
— Barb, April 7, 2006

Note to Ellen, below: An alpaca is not a goat, it's more like a llama. (I think!!)
— Eleanor Robb, April 7, 2006

Hey, what happened to your pix of Iran?!! I am waiting for them!! This is Sept. 2005!
— Eleanor Robb, September 10, 2005

morocco
i love all your pictures your the only person who i found all the pictures of my favorite place is morocco . thankx for charin ur ic with us. u really dd a good job .
— Lamia, June 10, 2005

Thanks for sharing. Those are lovely pics!
— Hanisha Kirk, February 7, 2005

Wow, great pictures! Thanks for taking me to Morocco. Wish you were here in the states to tell me more about your adventure.

Love "Dawn in the Desert" the most.
— Nicole Pham, December 8, 2004

SSSHHHHIIIIBATA
Koichi,

Your pictures and stories are great. I hope you are being safe out there. Let me know when you get back to dallas. We will go for a run or a drink...Hopefully both. CHEERS, Soto
— John Soto, November 26, 2004

Totally fascinating, thanks so much! You will find, in many Arabic countries, women are kept sequestered, they are not found in the coffee shops, do not "hang around" with men, and are generally guarded by their families. This may be changing in some countries. Enjoyed your photos, more than I can say! You would like to see Tunisia, and they have the MOST marvelous mosaics, in the LeBardo museum in Tunis! The big one you showed, tho' is incomparable! Thanks again!!!!!
— Eleanor Robb, November 20, 2004

Your pictures are very nice, they have good composition, good lighting conditions and good content. You were able to capture on film, no only the beauty of nature but their people and culture.
— Eduardo Maldonado, May 13, 2004

hey what's up..remember me..anyways was very excited to see many things about morroco..i wish to see more other small documentaries from u... anyways wish u luck in whatever u do... all the best...
— rabina, May 4, 2004

Interesting
hello Koich, thw photos and what u have written is interesting, really:) wish u come here again , to isfahan thanks for visiting my weblog and i hope for u a day that u can read farsi easily, good luck:)
— fateme, March 10, 2004

Koich, "Reading" your pictures, all of them a story in themselves, is a joy! What fabulous experiences--thanks for sharing them with us.
— Carol McDaniel, February 20, 2004

Shibata!. Excellent Pictures. They are not just pictures as they are thriving with life. Its fascinating to read your articles which tells lot more about Morocco. Hopefully your pictures and articles will change the perception of atleast 1 person about other countries.

Eagerly waiting to learn about Iran. HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE.
— Arun, February 17, 2004

Salam from Shiraz, Iran
Ellen - They're black goats. I saw goats' heads stacked together at meat markets...certainly not an appetizing site.

Debbie - Sure I missed you all too. I thought I would only miss my GREAT friends in Dallas but I now feel I missed the traffic in Dallas as well. The notorious traffic in Tehran is like nothing else. It makes the Dallas drivers look like the most conservative ones.

...I flew to Shiraz from Tehran today. Shiraz is the home of the two greatest Persian poets, Hafez and Saadi. My seat neighbor in the airplane happened to be a Persian literature major, so I got a quick lesson about their poetry today... Yes, I'm already working on my next article and having so much fun in Iran!

Oh, did you know how lamb kabobs taste like? I've learned a few Farsi (Persian) words already:

Hoshmaze - Yummy Shiishoda - I'm full

This might give you some ideas... Khoda Hafez.
— Koich, February 17, 2004

As always, your pictures are amazing! Hope you are having fun and missing us as much as we are missing you =) GREAT GREAT photos! The BEST!
— Debbie McDaniel, February 17, 2004

Exciting
Hi Koichi, nice photos I really enjoyed them. The first picture is rather symbolic of high-tech low income families. Reminded me of the places I've visited in Asia. Trash piles and ruined buildings decorate the streets, yet satelite dishes are abundant. You've also captured a lot of scenery, I especially liked the panoramic view Chaouan(sp?) from above. Looking forward to your pics in Iran =) Safe travels, Bay
— Bay Sayarath, February 16, 2004

Hi Koich,

Very well done. You are a man of adventures who likes to travel. I like to do so too. Maybe in the future we can get together on a journey somewhere. I like the pictures very much. I especially like the topics and themes of your choice. Keep the good work and I hope that safety and happiness accompany you all the time.

Feras
— Feras Fanari, February 13, 2004

Koich the Teacher
I am inspired by the culture lessons we get along with your wonderful pictures. I wish I could send you my $24 per year instead of to National Geographic. Keep up the great work.
— Dave Hulsen, February 12, 2004

As usual your photos are beautiful. Keep up the good work- loved the shot of woman spinning- do you know if it was sheep or goat (as in alpaca)? I will check in on you from time to time- Be safe.

Ellen
— Ellen Granstrom Bray, February 12, 2004

Thank you
Thank you all for your kind words. I'm at the Narita (Tokyo) airport now, awaiting for a flight to Tehran. My next article would be:

Iran: The Land of Art, Poetry, and Mystics

I'll be back in June or July. Bye!
— Koich, February 11, 2004

A very good interesting article,with excellent pics.I agree with your sentiments on Tangier(having spent a week there once!!) it is certainly not representative of the rest of Morocco.
— den ejaby, February 11, 2004

The best photos:Desert in Merzouga and Kasbah Ait Benhaddou
— Jan Sidorowicz, February 10, 2004

Great Job Koich! I am glad the positive memories have taken over the negative ones. Looking forward to seeing photos from your next trip...
— Amin, February 10, 2004

Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures. Your compassion for unity is a lesson for all of us who lack virtue.
— Zamael Edmejari Rodriguez, February 10, 2004

Excelent Photos
Thank you for sharing so wonderfull photos
— Marcos Detry, February 10, 2004

Wonderful photos! ciao
— Paolo Motta, February 10, 2004

Hey Koich,

You did a grate job. We love your work and pictures, especially the one shows internet cafe. We like that one the most. Keep up your excellent work. We love to see more pictures of your future trips.
— Hamid and Elena, February 10, 2004