After a little research, I realized that we might want some help planning. Shawn's step-Mom's sister-in-law (Aisha) is from Morocco and travels there every year. We thought she would be a useful resource, and we were right! I sent an email to Dana (my step-Mother-in-law), and she immediately connected me with Aisha (thanks, Nani!). Aisha emailed me back the same day and called me the next day. She told me she knew a guide who could meet us in Marrakech and show us the area. She offered to contact him on our behalf and let us know what she learned. The next thing we knew we are buying flights to Marrakech and booking a week-long trip to Morocco with Mustapha. Many thanks to Aisha for making this bucket list trip a reality!
We landed in Marrakech on Saturday, February 22, 2020. February 22nd was my brother Rick's birthday. Rick was a person who loved to have fun and lived for adventure. He died in a car accident in 1984 when he was only 21, just as he was starting his adult life. I was thinking of him as we set out on this African experience. It felt surreal to be in a country and on a continent I never thought I would see. It's a gift to be able to travel with my husband and two girls. I felt Rick's presence that day and knew that he was smiling down on us.
Mustapha had a full week planned for us, and we set out first thing Sunday morning for the High Atlas Mountains. Unfortunately, Haila wasn't feeling the best. She felt pretty good on Saturday but woke up with a fever and intestinal issues on Sunday. Despite all of this, she was still willing to get in and out of the van all day to take pictures and document our trip. What a trooper!
We stopped for lunch across from the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou. This village is a protected landmark and is also known for being the set for several major Hollywood epics such as Kingdom of Heaven, Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.
We drove a lot that day and ended up in the gorges carved out by the Dades River. We stopped along the way to see what Mustapha called the "Monkey Fingers". The landscape seemed to be continually changing as we drove, and I was surprised by the diversity we saw as the hours slipped by.
Our destination for the night was Hotel Babylon Dades. The hotel is located in the gorge and there is a great spot for photos just up the hill. Mustapha drove us up there so we could take these pics before the sun set for the day.
The next morning, we set out for the Sahara Desert. We stopped in another gorge along the way, this one carved by the Todgha River. This gorge reminded me of Zion National Park in Utah. It was chilly and windy in the gorge so we didn't stay super long, but it was well worth the stop. There was a herd of goats getting water from the river, and Haila was allowed to take a photo of an adorable child carrying a baby goat. Thanks to Mustapha, I also got a photo of Aliah on a donkey.
We made it to the our luxury desert camp about 4 PM on Monday, February 24th. In addition to her other symptoms, Haila was now experiencing a stiff neck. I took this photo of her just after we arrived at camp. The poor girl could not hold her head up straight. Thankfully, we found some pressure points that helped release her neck before we set off on the camels.
4L Trophy rally participants happened to be spending the night at the (non-luxury) camp next to us. Mustapha explained that the 4L Trophy is a yearly humanitarian rally across the Moroccan desert with an objective to provide children with school supplies. All the participants are college students who compete in Renault 4 cars in two-person teams. We saw a lot of cars stuck in the sand over the next two days, and we later met the parents and girlfriend of one of the participants while having lunch in Marrakech. It was pretty cool to be out in the desert at the same time as this special group. As you can see from this first photo, they made their piece of the desert look like a parking lot with all their cars.
Glamping (aka glamorous camping) in the desert was definitely a highlight of this trip. Our accommodations were amazing, and we all slept great thanks to the extra blankets they gave us to use.
We set out on a camel ride just after 5 PM. Our guide spoke very little English, but he was amazing nonetheless. I was laughing on our camel ride out into the dunes which triggered a severe abdominal cramp. I took a break with the camels while the guide, Shawn and the girls played in the sand. After a while, the guide came down the dune to check on me. He motioned for me to join them. I agreed to try. I was struggling to make it up the dune, so he reached out his hand and literally pulled me up. We stayed out in the sand dunes until the sun set, and he walked us back to camp in the dark. What an incredible way to end our first day in the desert!
This was me hanging with the camels while my cramp subsided.
Once I made it up the dune, the guide put down a blanket for Shawn and I to sit on. Haila took this photo. She says we look like Jasmine and Aladdin on the magic carpet. Aawww, how sweet!
Check out these moves!
What an amazing day!
We drove to Rissani the next day where we visited a market. I wish I would have taken more pictures while we were there. It was an experience. The market is a labyrinth of stalls with anything and everything available for sale. It was a little overwhelming, which is probably why none of us thought to take pictures. Mustapha walked us through and bought us the most delicious box of dates. There were dead animals for sale, such as chickens and rabbits, and a live animal market as well (I did take a photo of that). Mustapha also showed us what he called "the donkey parking lot", as most shoppers get to and from the market on their burro (see below).
After the market, we stopped to eat medfouna (Berber pizza) and get a lesson on the meaning incorporated in Moroccan rugs by the people who make them. The lesson was super interesting, and the rugs were beautiful. We also learned that their clothing color has meaning. For example, our teacher was a Tuareg Berber and always wears blue.
Aliah was complaining of a sore throat at dinner, so we asked for some tea with honey. She drank what she could, and the girls and I headed to bed. Shawn and Mustapha stayed up and talked by the fireplace. It definitely gets chilly in the desert when the sun goes down.
Aliah was having trouble breathing that night and had developed a croupy cough. They had brought us some extra blankets as there was no heat in our room, so I grabbed a blanket and took her outside to breath in some cool air. Every couple of hours she would wake up wheezing, and we would go outside and look at the stars. I was actually grateful for our time outside as the starry night sky was amazing. There was a new moon that week, so the stars were out in full force.
We headed to Agdz, Mustapha's home town, the next day. He had told us that the top of the mountain near Agdz looks like a tagine. Sure enough, it does! Mustapha's friend owns a guest house, but it was full. We ended up staying at another guest house across the street but having meals at his friend's place. During dinner, a cat decided to make friends with Haila. Haila wasn't feeling it. The cat finally got the message and guess where he went... right next to me! We are both quite allergic to cats. Somehow, they always seem to know that.
We intentionally lounged outside after dinner to see the stars that night. Shawn tried to find an app so we could figure out what constellations we were seeing, but it wouldn't download. Aliah woke up a few times that night, but I only needed to take her outside once to ease her breathing.
We headed back to Marrakech in the morning and arrived around 4 PM. If I'm doing the math right, we spent 22 hours in the car over 5 days. At this point, we were ready to be done with driving. Our accommodations for the next two nights was a riad called El Kenz. As you can see, we were all happy to have arrived, including Mustapha.
Shawn and Mustapha went to a hammam while the girls and I showered and got ready for dinner. Mustapha took us to a restaurant called Mamma Mia. It was fabulous. So fabulous, Aliah chose it for her birthday dinner the following night as well. After dinner on Thursday night, Mustapha drove us to Jemaa el-Fna, a square and marketplace in the Medina quarter, so we could take a quick walk around. He wanted us to see it at night as it looks quite different during the day.
Friday, February 28th, was Aliah's 8th birthday. We weren't meeting Mustapha until 10 AM that day, so we were able to sleep in. Aliah woke up to a birthday banner, balloons and a couple of gifts, one of which was Uni Junior. Our set plans for the day were to take a walking tour with a guide and to walk through a garden. We also hoped to do a little shopping and possibly get pedicures.
Our walking tour of the old town was quite interesting. I personally learned quite a bit. It was nice to have a knowledgeable guide to teach us some history and answer our questions. We walked around the Koutoubia Mosque and learned that it has a sister mosque in Seville, Spain. That was exciting to learn as we will be in Seville in a few weeks and will be able to see it as well. We learned that each of the four sides of the Mosque tower are different and that a five-pointed star is representative of the five times a Muslim prays during each day. We also learned that Muslim homes in the old town area did not have exterior windows but Jewish homes had windows with balconies. Many of the Jewish homes that have been abandoned are still empty because of this.
Walking through the Jewish quarter.
We saw some gorgeous kaftans while on our walking tour.
We also toured the Bahia Palace with our guide, which was truly magnificent. Everywhere you looked, there was ornate craftsmanship. One thing I learned from our guide was that zellige, an ornamental handicraft technique of tilework, was developed in Morocco. This technique involves assembling differently colored and shaped fragments of glazed terracotta tiles to form geometric patterns that can repeat endlessly. This type of work was displayed throughout the palace and sometimes creates a 3D effect. I am also particularly found of the peacock pattern that we saw above some of the windows. Our guide told us that it took 40 years to build this palace. After seeing it, I am not surprised.
I had been admiring the grilles over the windows throughout our trip. It was one of the first things I noticed when we left Marrakech and started our drive through some of the smaller villages. The grilles are all different and quite beautiful. Our guide explained that they aren't installed to add visual interest but to provide privacy for the occupants. When we were in the palace courtyard, he told us to look across at the windows on the other side. Your eyes are drawn to the grille, and you cannot see inside. However, there could be a person standing just inside looking out, and they would be able to see you. Even up close, it's hard to see inside. So interesting!
After touring the palace, we walked more streets and visited an herbal store where we bought some Moroccan oils, creams and spices. Moving on, we came through the same square we visited the night before. This market square is filled with people day and night. This time, you could hear the snake charmers playing their tunes. I immediately started looking around for the sources of the music, and Haila must have sensed my anxiety. She asked me what I was looking for. I told her, and she clung to me. Before long, we were walking past a black cobra on our left and then another on our right. Both of us looked away and walked faster. I cannot relate to those who have a love of reptiles. Even our guide said he avoids them if he can. We asked why we hadn't seen them the night before, and the guide told us that the snakes get agitated in the heat and are more likely to strike as the day goes on. Yikes! How is this a tourist attraction?
That afternoon, Mustapha dropped us off at the Jardin Majorelle. This was once an artist's personal garden and is now open to the public. We explored the grounds and stopped for a snack. It was nice to get out of the sun during the heat of the day and enjoy the serene setting.
We met Mustapha at a cafe when we were done, and he took us girls to a salon for pedicures. I saw this mural on our way and thought it was pretty cool. Aliah decided to get purple polish with sparkles on top, and Haila went with yellow polish on her toes and red polish on her fingers.
After getting our nails done, it was time for a bit of shopping. Mustapha took us to a store to look for sandals and kaftans. The store was huge and was filled with all sorts of wonderful stuff. We could have spent all day there, but we only had a short window of time. After trying on a number of options, Haila and I both found kaftans we liked, but we couldn't find sandals that fit Aliah. We ended up back in the market square one final time and found Aliah a sweet little pair of Moroccan flip flops.
It was getting a little late, but we asked Mustapha if we could shower before dinner. Since it was Aliah's birthday, we wanted to dress up. As always, Mustapha's answer was "no problem". Haila and I wore our new kaftans.
Our second meal at Mamma Mia was as delicious as the first. Aliah and Haila shared pesto pasta, and Shawn had seafood surprise (he let the waiter choose his dish for him).
Thankfully, we were able to sleep in again the next morning. We also had a chance to enjoy our riad a bit more. From the outside, a riad doesn't look like much. However, there's always a lovely interior garden featuring a fountain or pool and many times a rooftop patio. Our room was on the second floor. The girls were hanging out downstairs in the common living area while I packed up, and then we went up on the roof to take a few photos of the common space up there. This really was a lovely place to stay, and I would love to go back.
On the way to the airport, Mustapha stopped at a fountain so we could take one last photo of Marrakech. If you ever decide to visit Morocco, please consider using Mustapha as your guide. He was incredible and took excellent care of us. We communicated with him via WhatsApp, but he also has a website and an email address.
Farewell Morocco!
Arriving in Malaga.
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