2010: Blast From the Past

In August 2010, I had an unexpected opportunity to visit Morocco while I was stationed in the Google Zurich for three months (I was covering a coworker out on maternity leave). It left such a deep impression on me that I couldn't stop thinking or talking about it. Fast forward five years to April 2015, and I found myself excitedly preparing to visit again -- this time with ya 7abibi Mohamed and 4 months pregnant! Upon returning home, I reviewed my blog posts and pictures from the 2010 trip; after reflecting on both trips, I concluded that my 2015 trip to Morocco was as awesome as expected, but in quite different ways. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past as much as I did!  (Feel free to skip to the first 2015 post, or to view this blog's Home.)

Marrakech 2010
If you're a planner like me, you plan everything. Trips to other countries, particularly continents to which you have never before visited, warrant special attention. And, for me, trips to countries with belly dancing command an extra build-up of excitement and anticipation over the preceding months.

I had no time for any of the above for my trip to Morocco, but I was more than willing to make an exception because I knew this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities: the direct roundtrip flight from Switzerland was dirt-cheap and only three hours in length, I found a perfect travel buddy in my kind co-worker Daniela, the tour guide highly recommended by friends was available and able to make all arrangements, and the timing of the trip fit perfectly into my remaining two weeks overseas.

The trip began on August 18 when Rachid, the tour guide, picked up from the airport in Marrakesh. We went to see the mosque first, and I was immediately surprised by how green the country was -- I guess I expected pure desert.
For dinner, we went to a local restaurant. I couldn't get over how beautiful the lamps were. I had secretly scoffed when people told me that I'd want to bring one home with me, but as soon as I saw these gorgeous lace-like concoctions, I knew I just had to have one (I honestly wanted all of them).

Boumaln Dades 2010
Bright and early on August 19, we started our trip to the Erg Chebbi desert by heading towards the Boumaln Dades. We traversed the Atlas mountains via Tizi-N-Tishka, and arrived at a ksar called Ait Ben Haddou. This ksar is famous for the movies shot onsite, including The Gladiator, Jesus of Nazareth, and Lawrence of Arabia.
Although people had once lived in the ksar, it's now almost completely abandoned (except for the merchants hawing their wares to tourists). We did see an elderly lady combing through some raw wool with steel brushes through her doorway, and she invited us to see her dwelling.
She was living in this mud building with none of the usual modern conveniences: her kitchen was a small, dark room with a tiny hole in the ceiling for the smoke to escape from the earthen oven; she had her sheep and chickens living with her in the next room; I saw only a few sticks of furniture, and I wasn't sure if she had electricity. Despite the tangle of questionably valuable stuff I saw crowding the corners, I walked up the steep and narrow stairs to her formal living room with the expectation that it would be beautiful. As I swept my eyes from left to right, I was not disappointed: clearly, a substantial amount of her resources had been dedicated to making this room as cheerful as possible. When I got to the head of the room, my eyes stopped and widened. On the wall was a framed picture of Russell Crowe in his gladiator outfit!
We continued through Ouarzazate and headed to Skoura, which is known for its massive oasis dotted by many kasbahs. We then drove through El Kelaa  Mgouna ("the valley of roses") and along beautiful valley along the Dades river to a town called Tinghir, where we visited gorges of the high Atlas mountains.
 

Erg Chebbic 2010
The third day of the trip began with a memorably unique and decidedly untouristy visit to a nomad camp. The women and children had just returned with their donkeys to get some water -- they were hidden behind a large hill, and there's no way we could have found them without Rachid. I was really impressed with their ability to survive in such a tough environment.
We then headed to the desert of Erg Chebbi to arrive at a village near huge pink sand dunes. Rachid brought us to his cousin’s place so that we could change into comfortable clothing and drink mint tea in preparation for the trip into the desert. As soon as I hopped on my camel and we started on our slow procession into the desert, I gasped. The sand dunes, which were not only the expected shade of champagne but also a dusky shade of rose, took on an otherworldly beauty with the burnished glow of the setting sun, dramatic shadows cast by nearby ridges and transient beings, and unexpected splashes of green from the desert plants.
When we arrived at our campsite, we were served a delicious tagine of chicken and vegetables. I danced spontaneously to music off of Rachid and Daniela's cell phones, although I had to dance gently because of my full tummy! After dinner, we climbed to the top of a nearby dune, where simple beds had been prepared for us. At about 3am, Daniela gently woke me to point out the breathtaking canvas above us -- there seemed to be more stars than sky! When we got up at 5am to see the sun rise, everything was so still that I almost hesitated to exhale and disturb the perfect serenity.

Anti Atlas 2010
In the early morning of August 21, we rode back to the village where ride started -- I decided to disembark and walk halfway through, though, partially because I found the camel's amble rather uncomfortable). I took a much-needed shower, and began to sweat again almost immediately. It was HOT (42 degrees Celsius). We headed back to Rissani via another different road, and saw a striking and massive valley (150 km) of date palm trees called Draa Valley.
Neither Daniela nor I had had dates before, so we asked Rachid to help us buy some at the local market in Rissani. They were delicious.
 

Marrakech again, 2010
We hopped back into the car to finish our drive to Marrakesh, where we would spend our final two days in Morocco, and passed by a green valley nestled between barren hills of red rocks. I've never before been so aware of the existence of water, and I found the contrast stunningly beautiful.
Once back in Marrakech, we visited Menara (yes, the actual location after which Menara Moroccan Restaurant in San Jose, where I belly dance, is named) and the lush Jardin Majorelle.
At the main square, I found myself draped with a snake. Seriously -- the snake and its owner came up on me from behind, and I was totally unprepared for the reptilian accessory. But after the owner asked me to pay him a tip, I decided to make the best of the situation and at least get a picture. Once in the souk, the dramatic colors and intense smells pushed out all serpentine concerns.
At the end of the trip, I realized that I had never before been so sleep-deprived and yet so awake -- this experience was truly unlike any other I'd had before. Daniela and Rachid, thanks for a wonderful six days!