On the Road to Morocco

In the 1940s Bob Hope and Bing Crosby starred in several "on the road" movies set in exotic locales. Always cheesy, these musical films put these singing jokesters in bizarre situations. When I found out that I was going to Morocco as part of Teachers for Global Classrooms, my good friend Jay Harmon sent me a link to the old film. Combining the movie title with my trip's theme of global education is how I came up with the title of my blog: Global Roads to Morocco.

I have linked below the opening song. Note how Morocco is portrayed in the this exposition. The dance of the seven veils, sleeping on nails, sawing wives in half, and villains that they may meet are all mentioned with a musical tone of the exotic. Somehow I think that the Morocco that I will encounter will be filled with adventures and surprises but not of the type that this song relates. 

One thing I can say with some certainty--I should be seeing plenty of camels. Guelmim, the place where I am headed, is famous for its camel market, and my host is planning on taking me there. I won't see the two-humped Bactrian camel shown in the film clip. Those are from central Asia and more connected to the ancient Silk Road trade system. The camels that I will encounter will be the one-hump dromedary camels. 

For those who have never been to Morocco, what are the associations that you have with Morocco?

  On the Road to Morocco