Marrakech, Morocco

a cup of mint tea, 

a cold night in the desert, 

a cultural experience

I'm eternally grateful for people who understand and share my love for traveling, like Shanka and Cinta, for example. There we were, on a regular Monday night at Covent Garden, talking about how we wanted to get away from London and uni stress, even if it's just for a weekend. And just like that, 2 hours later, our plane tickets to Marrakech were booked! 

When I think of Morocco, I imagine some middle-eastern music playing (possibly some snake charmers in action, too), and people dressed like Aladdin clapping along to a belly dance performance in the dessert. Pretty stereotypical, I know. Now these things weren't necessarily false- I did see them within the 4 days I spent in Marrakech, but I never thought this city would show me so, so much more. 

I chuckle a little when I remember our initial reactions walking into our Riad. The roads so small they could barely fit a motorcycle, and trying to find our Riad was like finding our way out of a maze. All three of us had worried and doubtful faces, but that soon changed when we got to the Riad. As soon as we walked in, we were shocked by how beautiful the place was: vividly coloured, decorated with delicate trinkets, with tall trees that climbed up to the open roof leading to the blue sky. "This is perfect," we smiled in unison. Despite the two hyperactive cats, Icy and Bong-Bong, who increased my fear for animals to a higher level, the Riad was like our own little piece of heaven in Morocco. What I like about traveling here was that there were not many hotels, but little Riads like this one, which can be thought of as big houses run by local families. It made me feel like I got a more "Moroccan experience". 

Our first day was spent exploring the J'maa El Fna, the infamous square with traditional markets, henna artists and snake charmers all over. We haggled our way through unique purchases of handmade goods, pretty dresses and souvenirs. While walking around the city without any real destination in mind, I noticed that the whole city was painted in a reddish coral tone. I found out later that a specific colour was designated to each city as a way of telling them apart. Quite cute, if you ask me.

We left Marrakech the next day by car to visit the Atlas mountains, one of the most remarkable mountain ranges in the world. After countless photo stops (and even more bathroom stops), we got to the edge of the Sahara desert where our camels were waiting for us. Yes, camels! I nervously got on one (who could not stop pooping, for that matter) and we began our two hour journey to the camp. It was just the three of us on our individual camels and the guide who spoke no English in this desert where you could see nothing but sand, sand, and sand. I was casually listening to Nicki Minaj and taking selfies on the camel, of course. The sunset was breathtaking, but the cold night that soon came after was just hard to endure! After reaching the camp and realizing how painful our thighs were from the camel ride, we all laughed and agreed that cars are simply a Godsent blessing. We spent the night in the camp, though none of us got any sleep because of how freezing it was (we didn't think that winter and Morocco could go hand in hand...) 

After soaking in the beauty of a Sahara sunrise, we left for a Berber village which was the set for movies such as Gladiator, Prince of Persia, The Mummy, and...Game of Thrones! It was incredible to learn how the local villagers became a part of the productions as sources of income, what a great way to protect the cultural heritage! We hiked up to the top of the village, which is way more fitness than I can personally handle, but this was definitely the highlight of my trip. 

After getting back to Marrakech, our Riad owners organized a carousel for us to explore the city in. Talk about princess status, look at how pretty ours was! We went to a couple of palaces, before going to the gorgeous J'ardin Marjorelle gardens in New Town Marrakech. I became all excited knowing that it was owned by Yves Saint Laurent.

Morocco is simply one of those places that really stand out to me when I'm looking back at my traveling tales, because of its rich culture and just how different it is to what I'm used to seeing. Different in a good way, though. It was great to see both French and Muslim influences marrying into a unique culture that seeped through all aspects of life in such a lively city. Morocco taught me that I shouldn't wear a slit skirt in certain places (We learned this the hard way....all those weird looks we got!) Morocco taught me that no matter how much of a metropolis-girl I am, a little bit of nature beauty goes a long way. Morocco taught me that there's more than meets the eye, and you should always explore a little bit further. 

Morocco taught me to be spontaneous. It's funny how a careless conversation between three friends can result into one of the most remarkable experiences of my life! After all, the best memories are the ones that don't involve a lot of planning, right?