Blue fishing boats bob in the port of Essaouira on Morocco's west coast

Morocco is a minefield, a heaven, a scream, a dream.

It's got beaches and malaria, mountains and mosques, film studios and scorpions. It is home to some of the world's most oustanding athletes - runners Noureddine Morcelli and Said Aouita. It has its own unique brand of the north African music known as rai.
It's a monarchy where ultimate authority rests with the king. It's split in half with the northern, former French half a vibrant society. The southern, former Spanish half, is in a no-man's land politically. Little is known about it - access is verboten.    
Half of the hippie generation washed up in Morocco at one point or another and the other half were too washed up to get there. It has inspired novelists, artists and film directors.

Essaouira on the west coast and Tangier in the north were two favourite hangouts for the likes of Paul Bowles and William Burroughs.

It is a friendly, fascinating society, a modern Arabic community - like Iraq used to be - comfortable in its own skin.

Survival guide

Buses are the cheapest and most reliable (albeit the slowest way) to get around Morocco. Collective taxis are slightly more expensive than buses, but are a speedier alternative for getting  from A to B. Morocco's limited train network is a fast and comfortable way to travel between major cities. The most useful rail line links Marrakech and Tangier via Casablanca and Rabat. Hiring a car is also an ideal way to see the country, and major roads are in good shape, even if most of them only have one lane.

The official language is Moroccan Arabic and most people also speak French, a hangover from colonial days. In the mountains, Berbers speak the Amazigh language. Most street hustlers speak some English.