点评:Ali is the most amazing tour guide I have ever met and this trip with him has been one of the most unforgettable experiences I have had. He is considerate, open-minded, genuine, reliable, knowledgeable, and with a good sense of humour. He is the safest driver you can find and the most linguistically talented guide I've met. He speaks Arabic and Berber and another regional dialect growing up, but learned English, French, Italian and Spanish all by himself to the level he could communicate with us fluently. His tours are entirely bespoke (can be as high-end or as budget-conscious as you want). There's no hidden cost or add-ons at any time during the trip. He's flexible when we wanted to spend more time in one place or pass by another planned location more quickly. He's also very good at coming up with impromptu ideas if you are particularly enthusiastic about something.
My cousin and I haven't met for a few years so decided we reunite for a short trip in Marrakesh. Both of us are professionals and I could only arrange 3 or 4 day off work plus the weekend, so we didn't have enough time to visit too many places in Morocco despite we really wanted to. I initially thought it wouldn't be enough time to go to the desert of Merzouga from Marrakesh, but my cousin found Ali randomly on Instagram and he came up with an excellent itinerary that not only packed some interesting sights along the way but also allowed one night in a really special boutique hotel with utmost beautiful details in its design, and one night in the tent in the desert.
During the drive we chatted about everything, and Ali introduced us to his own culture as well as the history and culture of Morocco. He grew up in the desert himself and his family still live in the desert. When he is not guiding visitors around the country, he would go back to his desert family home. He is proud of his heritage and very knowledgable with navigating the land and the life in the desert. If you ask him any questions, you will discover his wealth of knowledge and insights. I'm most touched by his honesty and ingenuity, but also his ability to relate to various international culture without judgment.
I almost never use tour guides when I travel, because I often like to simply roam around myself, and I'm a very experienced traveller as well as an outdoor hiker. I have also lived and worked in a few different countries and speak multiple languages myself. I especially don't it when I feel my trip is restricted by a tour package or my experiences prescribed by other people, and I don't like to feel or behave like some sort of consumerist tourist. Ali made us feel like we are a visitor to learn about his culture and the desert area, and to experience the most authentic yet contemporary way of life with real human interactions. If I ever go back to Morocco, either with family and friends to relax or by myself for a film or art project, I would certainly contact Ali again. I do highly recommend him for all sorts of variety of trips you intend to do. Having a (very!) local guide like Ali in the desert on this trip, I certainly feel I have gained more insights into the area than simply driving or walking about myself even though I am a fairly experienced traveler/hiker.
In addition, Ali is knowledgeable not only about the desert where he came from, but also about all sorts of urban life in Morocco through years of experiences working with clients. He recommended us some of the best restaurants we ate in Marrakesh, both slightly fancy international food and low budget local food. He would give us insights on when to go to which sights and what's the best deals may be, and offers honest opinions on the prices of things if you are not familiar with the local economy. Overall, my mini family reunion trip with my cousin have been made so special because of Ali.
Also worth pointing out that his car is very good - perhaps because it is late January, we had a variety of weather on this trip, from strong sandy wind to snow, from dry heat to mild cool weather, it wasn't too challenging at all even on windy mountain roads in his vehicle.
翻译:Ali 是我见过的最棒的导游,这次和他一起的旅行是我最难忘的经历之一。他体贴、开明、真诚、可靠、知识渊博,而且很有幽默感。他是你能找到的最安全的司机,也是我见过的语言天赋最好的导游。他从小就说阿拉伯语、柏柏尔语和另一种地方方言,但他自学了英语、法语、意大利语和西班牙语,直到他能流利地与我们交流。他的旅行完全是定制的(可以根据您的需要定制高端或经济实惠)。在旅行期间,任何时候都没有隐藏费用或附加费用。当我们想在一个地方多呆一段时间,或者更快地经过另一个计划地点时,他很灵活。如果你对某件事特别热衷,他也非常擅长提出即兴的想法。
我和表弟已经有几年没见面了,所以我们决定在马拉喀什重聚一次短途旅行。我们俩都是专业人士,我只能安排 3 或 4 天的休假加上周末,所以尽管我们真的很想去,但我们没有足够的时间去摩洛哥的太多地方。我最初以为从马拉喀什去梅尔祖卡沙漠的时间不够,但我的表弟在 Instagram 上偶然发现了阿里,他想出了一个很棒的行程,不仅沿途安排了一些有趣的景点,还允许我们在一家非常特别的精品酒店住一晚,这家酒店的设计细节极其精美,在沙漠中的帐篷里住一晚。
在开车的过程中,我们聊了所有事情,阿里向我们介绍了他自己的文化以及摩洛哥的历史和文化。他自己在沙漠中长大,他的家人仍然住在沙漠里。当他不带游客游览这个国家时,他会回到他在沙漠的家。他为自己的血统感到自豪,对在沙漠中导航和生活非常了解。如果你问他任何问题,你会发现他知识渊博,见解深刻。最让我感动的是他的诚实和独创性,以及他不带任何偏见地与各种国际文化联系起来的能力。
我旅行时几乎从不使用导游,因为我经常喜欢自己随意漫游,而且我是一个非常有经验的旅行者,也是一名户外徒步旅行者。我也曾在几个不同的国家生活和工作过,自己会说多种语言。当我觉得我的旅行受到旅游套餐或其他人规定的经验的限制时,我尤其不喜欢,我不喜欢感觉或表现得像某种消费主义游客。阿里让我们感觉自己像是一个游客,可以了解他的文化和沙漠地区,并通过真实的人际互动体验最真实但又现代的生活方式。如果我再回到摩洛哥,无论是和家人朋友一起放松,还是自己去拍电影或艺术项目,我一定会再次联系阿里。我强烈推荐他为您计划进行的各种旅行。这次旅行中,有阿里这样的(非常)本地向导陪同,我当然觉得我对该地区的了解比自己开车或步行了解得更多,尽管我是一个相当有经验的旅行者/徒步旅行者。
此外,阿里不仅了解他来自的沙漠,还通过多年与客户合作的经验了解摩洛哥的各种城市生活。他向我们推荐了我们在马拉喀什吃过的一些最好的餐馆,既有稍微高档的国际美食,也有低预算的当地美食。他会告诉我们什么时候去哪个景点,哪里最划算,如果你不熟悉当地经济,他会对物价给出诚实的意见。总的来说,我和表弟的迷你家庭团聚之旅因为阿里而变得如此特别。
另外值得一提的是,他的车非常好——也许是因为现在是 1 月下旬,我们这次旅行遇到了各种天气,从强劲的沙尘风到下雪,从干热到温和的凉爽天气,即使在多风的山路上驾驶他的车也没有什么太大的挑战。