A Desert World 🏜

Visiting this beautiful country had always been a dream of mine. It was a place like no other that was featured on every influencers’ Instagram as their marvelous exotic getaway. Of all the places I’ve had the luck of traveling to, there has been nowhere as extraordinary as Morocco.

Marrakech, Morocco

Although I will forever cherish my visit to Morocco as one of my all time favorites, it did start off with some of those overdramatic traveling tears that I started to get to know very well while abroad… After a surprisingly quick flight from Paris, we were greeted at night by a driver that our Airbnb host had sent. All was well, until there came a point where the driver could no longer take us and he passed us and our luggage onto another (had we arrived in the day, this would’ve been much less scary and dramatic as we would’ve seen that the car could no longer pass and that many other visitors were doing the same). But the combination of the darkness and my unfamiliarity with Marrakech had me rattled like an annoying tourist. *That’s why I would recommend arriving to the city in the daytime if you can be a nervous traveler like me* But nonetheless I learned from that experience and woke up the next morning excited to discover Marrakech!

Day One: We got our first day started in true Moroccan fashion, with an authentic breakfast and some mint tea. We then wandered through the medina’s alleyways and after what seemed like a lifetime of getting lost we finally got to Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakech’s main square. Here you could find anything in the world that you could imagine, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. There were women sitting down offering to paint henna’s, men and women selling spices, hand-woven bags, babouches (Moroccan shoes), and fruits of all kinds. But what struck me the most were the animals. There were hundreds of cobras being charmed by men with flutes and several dozens of monkeys, big and small, being chained to men. It broke my heart to see, but many tourists were enabling this by paying to take pictures and hold the animals. Because most of these vendors live in poverty they are doing whatever they can to sell you their products so there is a constant shouting going on wherever you turn. Thanks to previous French rule, many Moroccans speak at least broken French, if not fluent. Many of the vendors also identified me as Spanish speaking and due to Spanish rule and proximity between the two countries, it is also widely spoken. So when merchants were trying to get my attention but couldn’t quite pick out if I seemed more American, Mexican, or French I got to hear a funny jumble of Spanish, French, and English. Many of the merchants rely on tourism for their businesses so they will approach you very boldly, often times touching your arm to grab your attention.

Once we walked past the chaos of the market we walked upon the beautiful Koutoubia Mosque where we were able to respectfully witness many people praying. *It’s important to carry something you can cover your shoulders and legs with so that you can enter into religious places of worship* Then we walked over to the Ben Youssef Madrasa, that used to be the largest Moroccan college and now is a historical site. Its beautiful reflection pool and ceiling-tall intricate tile work were magnificent, unlike anything I had ever seen.

Day Two: We started our second day by visiting the Bahia Palace, a palace built in the 19th century intended to capture true Moroccan style. Every room was intricately detailed from the floor to the ceiling some with tile, some with mosaic, and others with wood- truly a masterpiece. The adjacent gardens were just as unique and exquisite with huge orange trees sprouting from the ground and covering the rooms, making it challenging to discern what was the garden and what was the next room! Then we went over to the Saadian Tombs, a mausoleum where members of the Saadi dynasty are buried. We then ended the day by eating at Nomad’s which overlooked the medina and served delicious Moroccan tagine dishes.

Ait-Ben-Haddou, Morocco

Day Three: On our third day in Morocco, we decided to book a tour of a city outside Marrakech called Ait-Ben-Haddou which is a famous fortified town named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To get there we had to drive several hours and cross the snowy Atlas mountains. Once we finally arrived to the fortified town, it was absolutely breathtaking. It is fortified with clay and is thought to be built in the 17th century and is home to only 4 families who live inside the ksar. Many famous movies and shows have filmed there because of its unique beauty including Game of Thrones (when Daenerys goes with the Unsullied to Yunkai). Like the medina, there are vendors in the village selling their crafts, most notably I remember their hand-woven carpets. It truly was the most extraordinary place I’ve ever been. No picture or video could do it justice. My trip to Morocco couldn’t have ended on a better note or in a better way. My absolute favorite trip so far…

*With more time I would’ve loved to do a tour of the Sahara and get that iconic camel pic*

Recommendations: Jemma el-Fnaa Market, Koutoubia Mosque, Ben Youssef Madrasa, Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Nomad's, Ait-Ben-Haddou (different city)