My Moroccan Experience

Happy New Year Daizies!
I’m back in the States now and its 2017! But  I can’t forget to blog about my final trip of 2016. After I completed finals, it was a celebratory experience to get away and finally go to Africa! I spent 3 days (Dec 17th-20th) in one of Morocco’s biggest cities, Marrakesh.
I arrived to Marrakesh by plane from Milan. It was the longest plane ride of the trips I had and it definitely felt like it. After arriving, I had to wait in the long passport control line for about 25 minutes. It was dark outside by the time I was actually in the car on the way to the airbnb but I could already tell I was in a completely different place. I loved how the architecture was different but flowed with the culture. The traffic was crazy and walking to cross the street was even more intense.
After settling down, we went for a stroll in the Jemaa el-Fna square. The center of the food area was vibrant and chaotic at the same time. There were promoters attempting to be charming and literally pulling us to their restaurants at times. First meal was an assortment of chicken kebabs, rice, sauce, bread, and potatoes. I already liked this trip because this dinner came out to be $4!

The next day, I went on my first guided tour. It was great to not have to do any planning for once and just be guided through what was needed to see. The tour was through the Atlas Mountains! I woke up bright and early for an eventful day. The weather in Marrakesh was a lot colder than I expected, with some sunshine during the day and then really cold at night. I prepared accordingly by wearing layers because the mountains actually had a significant amount of snow. Our tour guide picked my friend and I up from the airbnb, and we drove about half an hour out of Marrakesh for a short tour of an argan oil cooperative. Argan oil is the most lucrative oil of Marrakesh and is native to the lands. It can be used to treat dry hair, skin, and even used for cooking.
Driving into Atlas Mountains was like slowly driving into a different season. I finally saw snow in 2016 and it was in Africa! It was about an hour hike up and around the mountains with a Moroccan lunch to conclude the trek. The last part of the tour was the camel ride! I was so excited to ride a camel. It was scary at first because the camels were literally roaring when the people were trying to get them to sit down. But once on, it was so fun. My camel’s name was Ayesha and we were quite the team!

 
My last full day in Marrakesh I saw Palais Bahia, Tomheaux Saadiens, and Jardin Majorelle. Sightseeing prices were great and ranged from about $1-$3. The Jardin Majorelle was especially unique because everything was blue with a hint of bold patterns.
I am so glad I was able to go to Marrakesh before coming back home. I realized once again that the world is so big and there’s still so much I’m excited to see. 2017 traveling, I’m ready for ya!