点评:We are travelers who love getting close to a culture and feeling "local". We thought by engaging JBT we would be invited into the Moroccan culture more easily and bear witness to a more real view of this interesting and welcoming country. Our intent for the trip was to know more about this part of the world, the culture, the religion, the politics, the history, current challenges, and ultimately to add it to places in the world where we feel at home enough to return.
The JBT Team was exceptional in every way. Lucas spent an hour learning about how we travel and what interested us about Morocco. He and the team crafted an itinerary that gave us access to Cities (Rabat, Fez, Marrakech) the Sahara, Atlas Mountains and the beautiful oasis of Skoura. We had 14 days with JBT and our driver, guide and (now friend), Kamal was welcoming, informative, open, funny and passionate about Morocco. He was one of the reasons our trip was so exceptional. Kamal was an incredibly safe driver who shared our enthusiasm for exploration and appreciated that we were not in a race to check off a list of "must see" places - Kamal appreciated that getting us from place to place in this varied, diverse and extraordinary country was part of the journey and that a stop for tea along the road can offer a unique perspective if you can appreciate the journey. The incredibly warm, welcoming and knowledgeable city/region guides, gave us access to local culture in a way we would not have been able to experience without their insight and willingness to be open about all aspects of life. We loved all the 'real talk' about modern life in both our countries, the similarities and the many differences.
It is hard to summarize an immersive experience like this meaningfully. My husband and I agreed on a few things - our encounters with people is what made this trip so meaningful. Morocco is the most welcoming country we've traveled to. Far too many highlights to offer an exhaustive list, but here are a few:
Sitting in a Synagogue in Fes discussing Morocco's history with Judaism, moderation in its modern-day practice of Islam and proud history of tolerance and coexistence.
Afternoon tea under the shade of swaying date palms in Tata's beautiful family home in the Ziz Valley. Unforgettable fresh breads, dates, cookies, mint tea and stimulating conversation about sustainable farming and US politics.
Laying on the sand away from camp in the silence of the Sahara desert under a midnight sky.
Driving down a seemingly endless dirt road at sunset, witnessing village life in a quiet area of Skoura feeling lost in time, and ending up at Kasbah des Cypres for a balmy evening and wonderful conversation about life in this quiet region, with the young proprietor.
Shared meals in a common dining area in the Atlas Mountains with fellow world travelers and local Moroccan families. We finally learned how to gracefully eat with our hands, and covered a lot of geopolitical ground one night with new friends from Lebanon and Egypt.
Arriving at the Marrakech Square (Jemaa el-fna) at 10pm on a Sunday evening and finding it chaotic until we realized that it was ritually organized into circles of people socializing, singing, playing drums, listening to storytellers and wandering about enjoying (to us) an outdoor salon of sorts carrying on a centuries way of life that is protected by Unesco.
Thank you JBT and Team! We'll return!
翻译:我们是喜欢亲近文化并感受到“本地”的旅行者。我们认为通过与 JBT 合作,我们将更容易地融入摩洛哥文化,并见证这个有趣而热情的国家更真实的面貌。我们这次旅行的目的是更多地了解这个地区、文化、宗教、政治、历史、当前的挑战,并最终将其添加到世界上让我们感到宾至如归的地方。
JBT 团队在各方面都很出色。卢卡斯花了一个小时了解我们的旅行方式以及我们对摩洛哥的兴趣。他和团队制定了行程,让我们可以游览城市(拉巴特、菲斯、马拉喀什)、撒哈拉沙漠、阿特拉斯山脉和美丽的斯库拉绿洲。我们与 JBT 一起度过了 14 天,我们的司机、导游和(现在是朋友)卡马尔热情、博学、开朗、风趣,对摩洛哥充满热情。他是我们这次旅行如此特别的原因之一。 Kamal 是一位非常安全的司机,他和我们一样对探索充满热情,并且很欣赏我们不是争先恐后地去“必看”景点——Kamal 很欣赏带我们在这个多样化、多元和非凡的国家从一个地方到另一个地方是旅程的一部分,如果你能欣赏这段旅程,沿途停下来喝茶可以为你提供独特的视角。非常热情、友好和知识渊博的城市/地区导游让我们接触到当地文化,如果没有他们的洞察力和愿意对生活的各个方面持开放态度,我们不可能体验到这种文化。我们喜欢所有关于我们两国现代生活的“真实谈话”,喜欢相似之处和许多不同之处。
很难有意义地总结这种身临其境的体验。我丈夫和我在一些事情上意见一致——我们与人们的接触让这次旅行如此有意义。摩洛哥是我们去过的最热情好客的国家。亮点太多,无法一一列举,但这里列举几个:
坐在菲斯的犹太教堂里,讨论摩洛哥与犹太教的历史、现代伊斯兰教实践中的温和态度以及宽容和共存的自豪历史。
在塔塔位于齐兹山谷的美丽家庭住宅中,在摇曳的椰枣树荫下享用下午茶。令人难忘的新鲜面包、椰枣、饼干、薄荷茶,以及关于可持续农业和美国政治的激动人心的对话。
在午夜的天空下,在撒哈拉沙漠的寂静中,远离营地躺在沙滩上。
日落时分,沿着一条看似无尽的土路行驶,目睹斯库拉一个安静地区的乡村生活,感觉迷失在时间中,最后在 Kasbah des Cypres 度过了一个温暖的夜晚,与年轻的主人谈论这个安静地区的生活。
与世界各地的旅行者和当地的摩洛哥家庭在阿特拉斯山脉的公共用餐区共进晚餐。我们终于学会了如何优雅地用手吃饭,并在一个晚上与来自黎巴嫩和埃及的新朋友一起讨论了很多地缘政治问题。
周日晚上 10 点到达马拉喀什广场 (Jemaa el-fna),发现那里一片混乱,后来我们意识到那里按仪式组织成一个个圈子,人们在社交、唱歌、打鼓、听讲故事和四处闲逛,享受(对我们来说)一种户外沙龙,延续着受联合国教科文组织保护的百年生活方式。
谢谢 JBT 和团队!我们会再来的!