Morocco is an ethnically diverse country with a rich culture and civilization. On November 18, 2006, Morocco celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence but culturally speaking, Morocco has always been successful in combining its Berber, Jewish and Arabic cultural heritage with external influences such as the French and the Spanish and, during the last decades, the Anglo-American lifestyles. Then you have the fabulous cuisine of Morocco which is a mix of Berber, Spanish, Corsican, Portuguese, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and African cuisines.The primary hash-producing countries in the world are India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Morocco, Lebanon and Egypt in that order but according to statistics Morocco is the biggest weed grower after Afghanistan and the main supplier of hashish into Europe, mainly via Spain. UN figures show Morocco's hashish trade is estimated to net $12bn a year, so it stands to reason that there will be plenty available "in-country" for a foreign guest.
Smoking hashish, locally known as 'kif" is illegal in Morocco but plenty of people do and in every Moroccan city you will find small cafes where local men smoke their water pipes while playing cards and drinking mint tea but it's the beaches that attract most tourists to Morocco and that's the best place to enjoy a nice spiff on a hot day. There are two major beach regions: Mediterranean Coast and Atlantic Coast.
The Mediterranean coast offers warmer, calmer waters than on the Atlantic side but cleanliness and charm may be a problem, such as on the beaches around Tangier.
Plage Quemada near Al Hoceima is half way between Tangier and Algeria is one of the best Moroccan Med beaches, although inevitably crowded. On the Atlantic side waves and currents can be difficult and the water is always chilly but big, pleasant beaches are easy to find. South of Tangier Grotte d'Hercule is clean and popular, as is Larache beach further down the coast.
Rabat and El Jadida both sport good beaches while calm and pretty friendly Essaouira port to the south is known for constant wind so loved by wind/kite surfers. Agadir in the far south sports big beaches, 300 days of sunshine a year and is the province of tour groups and monster resort hotels.The best however, is 20 miles past Agadir on the way to Tiznit there are stunning beaches visited by few perhaps because there's a distinct shortage of hotels around here. Sidi Rbat is possibly Morocco's best beach, so now all you need is your beach gear and some great Moroccan Hashish and you're in for the best vacation of your life.
