I traveled to Morocco during my Spring Break Part 2 trip while studying in Aberdeen (Spring 2019). Morocco was the second country of the trip. The first country was Spain. Checking out of our Airbnb in Malaga, we walked to the train station and took the train to the airport. The flight from Malaga to Marrakech was the emptiest flight that I have ever been on. I was in the very last row on the plane and I had the entire row to myself. All of the announcements on the plane were done in Spanish, Arabic, and English. The Marrakech airport is extremely cool-looking. The design of the airport is very geometric with intricate cutouts of wood, glass, and plastic.

 

We had previously arranged a pick up service at the airport to take us to our Riad (hotel) but we did not find anyone waiting for us when we exited arrivals. We figured that there was an issue on our end because we did not factor in the time change. We would have to wait for an hour but I decided to go outside and soon found a board with our name on it. Within 15 minutes, we arrived at our Riad. Our friend Michaela had already arrived and checked in. The Riad room was spacious and the Riad itself is quite beautiful. There are mosaic walls and palm trees in the main courtyard where our room was situated.

 

After settling in, the three of us decided to explore the city. Marrakech is known for their famous souks (markets). While walking to the souks, we came across a snake charmer with cobras. I absolutely hate snakes so I got out of there as soon as possible. There were also men that had monkeys on chains, which tourists could take pictures with. I felt so bad for the monkeys. The souks are mazes of madness. First, you have crazy men begging you to come to their shops. They will literally drag you in. You must be persistent with them to let them know that you are not interested. Secondly, you must avoid motorbikes that zoom through these souks. The walkways are not big to begin with so when you hear the motor of the bike, you seriously have to stand flat against the wall to let them pass. This happens every few seconds. There are also little kids running around trying to sell Tissues. They would not leave us alone and and actually tried to put tissues in Michaela's pocket to make her pay for them. Michaela had to shove them away. The souks smelled and were stressful so we got out of there ASAP. We went back to the hotel to rest. We had a lovely dinner at a restaurant near the night souks in the main square in Marrakech. The night souks are more out in the open but are just as crazy. There are men beckoning you to come eat at their restaurant, saying that they offer the cheapest prices and that everything is organic. They will not leave you alone. I had guys surrounding me, basically fighting over me and my friends. They said that I needed food because I was too skinny and that I need to also feed my two wives. Gosh I did not like this. I tried to pretend that I only spoke German but what do you know, the one guy could speak German! We escaped immediately and went back to the hotel. We were in Marrakech during Ramadan, meaning that the locals could not eat or drink all day until sunset. While walking back to the hotel, we witnessed everyone finally eating a big meal.

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The next day, we woke up and had breakfast at the Riad - bread, eggs, Moroccan mint tea, and some chocolate bread thing. Alyssa and I had scheduled a day tour and we were supposed to be picked up at 9:00. Breakfast started at 8:30. I got a message saying "hi" at 8:40. I figured this might be from the tour company/guide but I could not respond since my phone does not work in Morocco. A few minutes later, the Riad manager comes up and tells us that our tour is here to pick us up. We shoved the last of our breakfast in our mouths and hurried back to our room to pack everything up. I felt so bad that we were late but I was told a 9:00 pick up, and with an 8:30 breakfast, this mistake was out of my control. We boarded the van and thankfully there were only two ladies inside so I did not feel as bad for my tardiness. Right away, I began talking to the two ladies. Both of the ladies (mother and daughter) are from Birmingham area. The ladies were absolutely wonderful to talk to and were so friendly. The next guy that got on was actually from Scotland and even studied at Aberdeen. What a small world. Then four girls got on, a mixture of Germans and Austrians. I could barely understand their German. The last people to get on were a couple from Cyprus. There were a total of 11 of us on the tour which was a great number. The tour guide was really nice and informative. Our first stop was just outside of Marrakech. We rode camels through a stone path. I thought that we would ride them in the desert but apparently, Morocco does not have sand deserts. I was a bit disappointed in this camel ride. The camels looked malnourished and the ride was not as fun as the camel ride I did in Senegal. We were dressed in traditional Moroccan garb which I did not look good in. We had to wait for another tour group to do their ride so we waited and drank some mint tea.

 

After the camel ride, we drove to an Argan oil plant, to learn how Argan oil is made. The women of the local village run this plant. They demonstrated how the oil is made and showed us various products that they create with this oil. We were provided with bread, dipping oils (the peanut butter-like one was my favorite), and of course more mint tea. This village that runs the Argan oil plant is called the Berber village. The tour guide explained that tourism has boosted the economy in this village. They now have jobs, running water, and prospective futures. The children learn Berber and Arabic in schools. Our tour guide learned English by giving tours and interacting with tourists. I am amazed at this language acquisition because his English is quite good.

 

Next, we drove to the Atlas mountains (second highest mountain range in Africa). After many windy roads, we arrived in this lush forest. It was so weird to me that when in Marrakech, it feels very hot and dry and now we were surrounded by greenery. The temperature in the mountains was significantly cooler as well. There was even snow on the peaks of the mountains. We stopped at a village house for a traditional Moroccan lunch. We had chicken with vegetables and potatoes, salad, bread, and a vanilla dessert. After lunch, we did a walk through the forest which eventually led us to a beautiful waterfall. The temperature was so cool around the waterfall. Our last destination for the day was the Agafay Desert. This is not a sand desert, but a desert with dry grass and rocks. I was a bit disappointed but it was still pretty to see.

 

Two short days in Marrakech was enough for me. There were a few buildings that I would have still liked to have seen but it's ok. I do not think I would go back to Marrakech but perhaps some other cities in Morocco. Marrakech was surprisingly quite similar to Istanbul. During my stay, it was the hottest temperature that I have ever experienced (108 Fahrenheit). Although since it was just dry heat, it did not feel that hot. I am really glad that I went to Morocco, as I had a wonderful tour and got to experience a new culture.