Morocco, a country so diverse--from the people all the way to the terrain, culture and history. It's been a place that I have been eager to travel to for some time. Looking at all those Instagramable photos--from Jma El Fna square in Marrakech to the Blue City in Chefchaouen to the old city of Fes. I knew that I had to go and the time was now! So you know what I did? I researched, found a solid air fare, and then booked my ticket without any worries knowing that God would take care of everything. I decided to reach out to a good ole friend of mine, Amanda who I met from my study abroad about the trip, and she was a little iffy at first since she had possible plans with her dad, but later she was on board and decided to invite her friend Liz. I booked my flight last December and before you know it, March arrived. Morocco, here we come; YALLA!
CC: Me inside the Medersa Ben Youssef
A little side note* In between those 2 1/2 months, Amanda and I spent countless hours coming up with a high-intensified itinerary to see as many places as possible with our two weeks in Morocco. We decided to take on 5 cities. Not going to lie, it was A LOT--but it was all worth it because in the end, it truly was a trip of a lifetime!! When I tell you our trip was filled with joy, laughter, love, the favor of God and just rebirth + newness. We could all feel ourselves evolving and coming into something that was truly beautiful.
Marrakech (2 1/2 days)
Marrakech is called the red city from it's red, clay like architecture and detailing. It was where we flew into and was absolutely beautiful from the moment we touched ground on Moroccan soil. The atmosphere was fast paced-- from people on their motorcycles going out and about to just being there absorbing sights, sounds and smells of a new city. My heart was pumping and flowing from the gladness of getting to see another amazing country. I truly praise and thank God!!
CC: Rooftop lunch views in Marrakech
CC: Landing @ Marrakech Menara Airport (Air France)
We stayed 5 minutes near the square at Riad Dar En Nawat. This was inside the Medina. The Dar (which is a nicer version of a Riad) was perfectly secluded yet still in the middle of the action. The staff greeted us we traditional Moroccan mint tea + sweets. The hospitality was exceptional; Khalid, Abdul and Pierre made us feel right at home and our rooms were so comfy and cozy. Breakfast was served every morning with eggs, tea + coffee, fruit, yogurt, different kinds of breads including mseman and different jams from honey to strawberry jam, almond butter and fig jam. You left breakfast feeling nice and light ready to take on the day.
CC: Breakfast @ Riad Dar En Nawat
As soon as we stepped out of our Dar, that's when the action began. I felt as if I was flung back into time. Sellers everywhere from pottery, to bags, to jewelry, traditional garments, spices + more--it's as if everywhere you turned there was something that immediately would catch your eyes. Once you passed all the shops, we were right in the middle of the square where there are snake charmers, tarot readers, henna tattoo artists to stalls with sweets, massive amounts of food stands, natural fruit juice sellers and all kinds of crafted artisans. Getting to be right in the midst of the craziness was exciting--it made me laugh and smile. Our time in Marrakech was solely spent inside of the Medina, we never had enough time to see the new Marrakech, but that's okay--it gives me hope and a reason to come back to Morocco and have an extended stay, lol. We got to experience the yummy tagine, drank lots of fresh natural juices and walked loads throughout the souks. Marrakech was definitely a vibrant city and I can't wait to come back again soon.
CC: Pottery in the souks of Marrakech
CC: Meatball tagine; so yummy!
CC: Pottery @ the souks in Marrakech
Kasbah Didas + Luxury Camp Desert Sahara (2 1/2 days)
Our research had brought us to using Fes Day Tours because it was the only tour website we felt as if had substantial reviews. We were also able to speak to Slimane before we booked with them and he answered all our questions and concerns. Slimane was our tour guide and he was such a breath of fresh air. He was very patient, kind and helpful with us; always willing to stop when we needed to use the bathroom or take pictures. He was very accommodating and trustworthy; by the end of the trip he became family. (Kasbah Didas) was absolutely beautiful. The staff was very welcoming and the room was great! When we woke up the next morning and looked outside, it was the most futuristic atmosphere I have ever seen in my entire life. I felt as if I was on planet Neptune because it just never seemed real.
CC: Kasbah Didas aka Planet Neptune ;)
God created such beauty on earth and getting to be able to see all of this felt like a huge blessing. I wish we had an extra night to stay in Dades to explore. As we left, Slimane took us to see Dades Gorges which was all the way at the top of the Atlas Mountains and is a total instagram picture all in one. The drive up was a bit scary, but the views and pictures did justice. I honestly could not believe I was seeing this with my own two eyes. Driving through to the Sahara, the terrains seemed to change all the time (mind you we were in the car for 8+ hours getting to our next destination, but we could not even sleep because of the beautiful, breath-taking scenery of Morocco.) Every 20-30 minutes the terrain shifted from snow to desert to greenery to clay to rock to lakes. I never realized the vast terrain that Morocco has. As we were getting closer to the desert, we passed the city of Meknes which is a place where there are hundreds of thousands of fossils from millions of years ago still in the ground. We never had time to stop because we were short on time, but when I go back it would be great to just stay there for a day or so and explore.
CC: Dades Gorges
We finally arrived to the Sahara where we were greeted with our camels and tour guides. I actually hadn't been feeling to well as I think I ate something that didn't agree with me. It was so bad that I had to ditch the camel and walk on foot to the tent. I had my mom and another tour guide guide me back on foot to arrive at the camp site. I was totally disappointed that I never got to get sunset pictures, but my well-being was a higher priority. I left my parents, Amanda and Liz to eat dinner and I stayed back a bit and rested. They did advise me that dinner was top of the line and that they could barely finish off their food, lol! After dinner, the berber nomads came out and played for us by the campfire under the moon in the Sahara desert. It was a night to remember filled with dancing, smiles and laughter. After everything ended, we each broke out and talked to the nomads. I was very excited because that was on my list of things I wanted to encounter. I met a berber nomad named Moha. He was very nice and told me about his life story on how he learned English, what his day-to-day life consists of and what's something that he's believing for. It felt cool to talk to someone who was raised completely different from me, but at the same time are still so similar. We ended up talking for about an hour and a half and after that I felt the need to give him my watch. I left him with a hug and a God Bless You! :)
CC: Moha, the berber nomad I met at the campsite
CC: Me on the camel in the Sahara desert
The next morning we had to get up early as we were leaving the luxury desert camp onto Fes. I got to enjoy the camel ride back to our vehicle which was a very soothing experience. Overall, these 2 1/2 days were filled with fun, excitement and love. I will definitely come back to the Sahara for a longer time to just sit and enjoy all that the desert has to offer.
CC: Ali, our tour guide and me
CC: Me :)
Fes (2 1/2 days)
As we entered Fes it was a completely different atmosphere. People everywhere, roads are busy, food and shops left and right. Bam. We made it to our next Riad by 9:30PM. It was very traditional. The staff informed us that the Riad was hundreds of years old. By the time we got in, we took a shower and hit the bed.
The next morning we were up early ready to explore. Fes is one of the oldest cities of Morocco and has over 9,000 alley ways inside the Medina. Luckily we had Liz to navigate us through with Google Maps downloaded offline. Our 2 days spent in Fes were mainly inside the old city--we never had enough time to explore outside and see the new Fes. This will be something I will do when I come back. Like Marrakech, there were countless amounts of food stalls, leather anything (which included visiting the oldest leather tannery in the world), meats, vegetable and fruit market, spices; all kinds of goods you can imagine--you need a full month exploring this historic city! Morocco is the best place to practice your bartering skills. You should be going 40%-50% off the item you're interested in purchasing. My mom and friend Amanda were pro's--I definitely could use a little more practice, lol.
CC: @ the Blue Wall in Fes
CC: Fresh veggies inside the Medina of Fes
CC: Amanda and I with our new brass and copper bracelets. The man was very nice and sweet
Another interesting thing I got to experience was the hammam. A hammam is a traditional bath where you get scrubbed down to remove the dead skin. It's particularly common in the Islamic faith. I was informed that locals usually do a hammam once a week. It was very awkward, yet rewarding because you're completely naked in front of either a group of women or one-two other women while you're scrubbed down. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but as the time goes on you realize that you're not going to see these people ever again. My recommendation would to definitely try it just for the experience. You really feel the traditional Morocco here in Fes. It was a place I've never experienced before but feel humble to have been.
CC: Meat stand in Fes
Chefchaouen (1 1/2 days)
WOW the blue city--This city has been on my radar for some time now. I remember watching Youtube vlogs and seeing Instagram pictures and thinking to myself omg I have to come here! My favorite color is blue so it just makes sense that I loved this city so much. :)
CC: Me in the Blue City :)
CC: Blue door with Hamsa hand (it was so pretty I had to take a picture, lol)
Anyways, we arrived late at night and were driven all the way up to our beautiful blue door'd Air BNB. The home was so cute and cozy and each room had a special charm to it. The next morning came and we didn't wake up til about 10AM and just lazed around for a bit since we had been traveling so much with so much luggage (eventually the traveling takes a toll on you). We were out of the house by 1PM and were on the hunt for food. I love asian cuisine and I heard about a Chinese restaurant in Chefchaouen called Chengdu La Petit. When I tell you it was absolutely delicious. All of us were in heaven from the food.
Once we digested, we explored around a bit and wandered into some shops. The thing I really loved about Chefchaouen was that you never felt bothered, vendors weren't pressing you to come in. They were much calmer and more relaxed than Marrakech and Fes. I had admired this gelaba (the traditional Moroccan hoodie) and ended up buying it, then Amanda had fell in love with a blanket and the owner Mohammad ended up showing us different spots in Chefchaouen.
We later than found ourselves at a bakery + fruit juice stand where we met the guys that worked there and showed us how they make the sweets in a 700 year old oven; it was humbling hearing their stories and their love for what they do. We headed back home and before you knew it were up very early the next morning to be driven to the train station in Tangier to make it to Casablanca. *Fun fact* we got to go on the fastest speed train in all of Africa which was honestly very cool to experience.
Casablanca (1 day)
Casablanca reminded me of NYC. The architecture and scenery was giving me New York vibes all the way. By the time we reached our AirBnb we just wanted to chill and relax; our time was spent eating KFC and resting. The next morning we had to catch the train to Marrakech since we were all flying out the next day. However, we woke up a little bit later and went to see the Hasan II Mosque right by the sea. It was a beautiful day and getting to be by the ocean and just taking in our last remaining hours in Morocco was bittersweet. It made me realize how much is out there in the world and I'm on a quest to live the life that God intends me to have. Joy, happiness, peace, rest, and love are all attainable.
Within 3 1/2 hours on the train we were back in Marrakech. Our last night was spent at Jma El Fna square and when I tell you it was the busiest Tuesday night I had ever seen. It felt like a Saturday. Everyone was out and about. It was a very thrilling moment and the reality of how I was not ready to come back home and be back at work sunk in.
CC: Hasan II Mosque
Overall Morocco was one of the most fascinating and diverse countries I've seen all in one. You have to really come and experience it for yourself to get an understanding.
Travel excites me. Every time I come back home from a trip I find it harder and harder to just stand still. My mind is thinking, racing, praying, and hoping to be able to see so much more of this wonderful world! I know everyday I'm one step closer and that God is with me and working.
I leave you with this: Deuteronomy 28:11
The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
XOXO-Brit
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