I'm not sure how the idea of going to Morocco originated. I thought it'd be worthwhile to make a trip out since it's relatively close to Europe (just less than 3 hours from Spain by air). Timing couldn't have been more perfect because we had planned to go to Barcelona on our first leg of Spring Break, so it would have optimal to fly straight to Morocco afterwards. Marrakech is such a unique place and nowhere like I've ever been to before. The city of Marrakech itself was really amazing and I'm so glad we chose this city as our destination, as we were conflicted between a few other popular cities like Casablanca. We were situated in a Riad (a small inn) right next to Jemma el-Fnaa square, which is the largest traditional market in Morocco and one of the busiest squares in Africa. When we arrived and settled into our riad, our host greeted us with some of the finest tea we've ever had. He then introduced a gentleman who helped us book a few excursions.
A bike rested along the walls of our neighborhood
The stroll down the block from our riad
First meal in Marrakech, with our Coca Cola in Arabic.
Cous cous.. such an interesting and really delicious meal. It mainly consists of rice, vegetables, a choice of meat and spices.
Tagines were also a really popular dish in Marrakech. Tagine is actually the term used for the bowl that a meal is prepared inside, but I believe it's also commonly used for soups and stews.
A hotel near the Jemma el-Fnaa sqaure
Before the Moroccan makeover-- still in my regular street clothes. Sticking out like a sore thumb.
Kids playing soccer...(truly is a universal sport).
Spices and goods at the market. All the colors in Morocco are naturally so vibrant.
10cent icee sticks.
This is our friend Yahya, who took care of us at the Riad. I absolutely loved his company. He was hilarious and made all of us feel at home. He always wore a smile on his face, as he prepared us dinner and when he'd play the guitar and sing for us.
Yahya in the kitchen preparing some delicious cous-cous for us.
35 spices, that's whats up.
Voila! So much bigger than it looks, we couldn't finish it if we tried...
The next morning, we woke up and went on our first excursion...to the Sahara! We changed into our Moroccan gear and got ready for some desert adventures. We first took a really long ride to a place called Zagour, where we met our camels and rode them into the actual Sahara desert. We made quite a few pit stops on the way for pictures where I literally had my breath taken out of me. I'd also peek out the window of our tour van and just sit in awe of the countryside. One minute you'd see mountains and valleys, then a vast desert plain, then a family of palm trees situated within an oasis, and repeat. I'm a nature girl and I was so blown away by everything in front of my eyes.
On the road, I had quite a few lengthy chats with our tour guide Abdul. Most everyone was sleeping in the tour van and I was one of the few (if not the only one) still awake, so he struck a conversation. Here's a little conversation I had with Abdul that I jotted down in my journal,
"Abdul studied Human Resources Management in school but now works as a teacher in Morocco. He's Berber but speaks English, French, Arabic and Berber. I asked why so many people here speak French and he replied, 'because of colonialism'. For a second I was embarrassed at my own ignorance and insensitivity to the nation's history. He explained that northern Morocco was colonized by Spain, which is why Spanish is a commonly spoken language north of Casablanca. And south of Casablanca was colonized by France, which is why French is a commonly spoken language in Marrakech. He asked me what I was studying in school. I answered 'politics'. I figured 'International Development Studies' might open too heavy of a conversation that I didn't feel like diving into. He was curious about my studies and pryed further, 'What kind of politics?' 'International Politics' I figured would suffice as a good enough answer. He was confused, so I finally explained that I study the political economy of developing countries. He looked even more confused, and asked why I was studying in Italy, a developed country if my focus was on developing countries. I had no good answer. 'I don't know', I replied. 'To travel around Europe'. He laughed...I tried to come up with an answer that I could redeem myself with. It really doesn't make sense I guess that I chose to study in Italy if my main focus is on the third world." This conversation really had me thinking about where I am right now and where I want to be ultimately.
Pit stop at this beautiful Moroccan village.
Casual lunch with an epic view.
Meeting our camels for the first time.
Riding into the Sahara at sunset. Just plain awesome.
"I think the biggest culture shock came as we were driving out of the Medina (old town) and into Zagoura, passing by old buildings and ancient valleys. It was so interesting to see people still traveling by mule, and operating in small shops with just the bare necessities. The drive took quite a while, and we finally got to the camels. We were led in a 3 groups into the Sahara on camels at sunset. It felt absolutely unreal. We hit camp when it was pitch dark and saw the most beautiful night sky I have ever seen before. I've never seen the stars shine so brightly."
This is the tent where the 4 of us stayed in overnight.
Tagines for dinner :)
The Berbers set up a camp fire and played live music for us...
Afterwards we stood and danced around the bonfire as the Moroccans played instruments and sang for us. It was blissful-- dancing to beautiful music underneath a breathtaking night sky. It was one of the highlights of this entire experience.
The next day we woke up to a beautiful view of the Sahara at sunrise, got back on our camels (who were sleeping outside the tents, lol) and went back to Marrakech. We had the rest of the day to go to Jemma el-Fnna square to shop where we bought a few souvenirs, but without the patience to bargain down the prices as we did 2 days earlier. We spent most of our time back at our riad to relax and chill before we left to our next destination.
Our humble abode for the night.
Woke up to the sun rising over the desert.
Back on the camels!
Camels are such cute creatures.
Being normal is so not our thing...lol, love this girl. And check out my pants (so hot).
Casual lunch with an epic view #2
Haha Heidi never fails to make me laugh...
Perfect skies, perfect weather...can life get any better?
Swaggin in our printed pantalones...
Last supper in Morocco. I met the guy on the far right on my last night in Marrakech. He was from Germany so we started chatting about the country. I told him I was going to visit in about 2 months time, but visiting my uncle in a small city called Aachen. He was shocked and told me he's from the same small city! lol, what a freaking coincidence. Epic fail on not exchanging contact info, even after discussing how we should meet up and hang out in Aachen.
Morocco was perhaps one of the highlights of my entire life. It was amazing and I'll never forget the smell, the sights, the people, the humor...Everything was perfect.
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