A Journey Through The Golden Dunes
Every journey we embark on in our lives, writes down a new history of our universe. More importantly, journeys are the backbone of our lives and among the journeys in my life, my trip to Morocco was one which I hold close to my heart. To begin with, Morocco is a gem of a country. As I embarked into the unknown, I held no expectation of this place other than an open mind and heart. However, being given the privilege to be there for 16 days and traveling 6500km, was a breathtaking experience having the winds that blow through the dunes of this country, blow my mind away by its beauty.
I was greeted by winter upon my setting my foot out of the airplane. The weather, be it cold or hot varies according to cities and also changes from day to night. The warmest city I was in, was Agadir, where many Europeans were in sight, donning their summer wear while sunbathing on the beautiful beaches. On the other end of the scale, the coldest was Khouribga.
For verbal communication in Morocco, you would need to be able to speak Arabic, French or Berber. Knowing only English and having many Moroccan friends as my tour guide for my stay, I didn’t face much difficulty. Moroccan people are warm and always never fail to offer a helping hand. The cuisines offered in this country exceeded all my expectation. Among the few food which is a must try are cous cous, tajeen, mint tea, almond paste, and lastly the sea food was amazing!
Before leaving Agadir, I had the chance of visiting the largest Souk of the region, which is called Souk EL Had” It consists of 6000 small shops.
Moving on, among the main places in Morocco is Marakech which is also known as “The Red City “. It’s the 4th largest city in Morocco. Every building in this city is red as they were built from red clay. One of the hotspots of Marakecch is Jemaa El Fanaa. In this square one will be able to experience tradesman, snake charmers, male dancers, museum, magician, herb sellers and many more. At this square you will be able to see people and tourists from a diverse social and ethnic background. There are also many cafes and, food stalls and orange juice carts. The biggest attraction is the souk which is the largest BerBer market in morocco. The souk was like a huge maze with many alleys.
The Menara Gardens is located at the gates of Atlas Mountain. The pavilion and the basin are surrounded by orchids and olive tree. Sultan Abderrahmane of Morocco built these gardens during the summer in 1869 in a way that the Basin was supplied water to the orchids and olive trees. This place is a hotspot for tourists and local Moroccans.
Majorelle Garden is one of the amazing places that I visited. It was design by a French artist Jacques Majorelle and was later owned by Yves Saint Laurent and Peirce Berge. The garden has many different plants from all over the world with different design fountain.
Ain Assardoun, is located In Beni Mellal. It sits at the foot of Mount Tassemit, which can be seen as you drive towards Beni Mellal. The garden of Ain Assardoun is located at the foot of Kasbah Ras al Ain. It is occupied by beautiful gardens and many stalls that’s sells Tajeen. The Kasbah is one of the oldest remnants intact in Beni Mellal. From the Kasbah, one may overlook the whole city.
No words can describe the beauty of Morocco’s amazing nature. Each city has its own beauty. Agadir and Marakech were mostly part of the Sahara while Khouribga, Beninmellal, and Fes were cloaked in green landscape.
On a personal note, this country has definitely earned a special place in my heart. During my stay, it provided me the comfort and sense of belonging a home would provide thanks to its lovely people.
Lastly, Morocco has enraptured my soul through its exotic beauty which flows through everything that stands on its ground. This country is definitely a place one should visit in their lifetime.
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page” – Saint Augustine
~Jane~