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Morocco - journey to your senses

Written by: Julie Paterson 5/18/2008 10:07:25 AM
We were all feeling totally exhausted but exhilarated… to be expected at the end of 3 weeks travel with Venus Adventures in an exciting place like Morocco. “Sensory overload” is the best way to describe it – the sights, sounds, smells and emotions felt whilst on this journey were incredible. No two days are ever the same; repetition never gets you down. Everyday is magic, and it leaves you wanting more. Yes, you can get a little greedy in Morocco!

Morocco’s highlights are many, but riding camels into the Sahara is one of my favourites.,. As the big, red sun set on the horizon, our small group casually sauntered along on camelback whilst the colour of the dunes changed from orange to rose, on our way to our desert camp for the night. The silence and vastness of the desert somehow clears the mind and is good for the soul. On arrival at camp Mohammed, our Tuareg guide, disappears into a goat-hair tent, emerging an hour later with a wonderfully tasty vegetable tajine, which he has just whipped up on a charcoal stove. As we sip our gins the stars slowly appear from the dark blue African sky. Sweet dreams are had.

A few days and several amazing sights later (Todra Gorge, the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou…) our next highlight is an overnight hike into the Atlas mountains to spend the night with a Berber family. Our hike takes us along well-used donkey trails, and across bare mountainsides dotted with random Berber villages. Goat-herder boys tend their flocks of sheep and goats. The going is hot as there is no shade, but the views of high snowy peaks make up for it. Lunch is taken next to a small stream, and once again our guides impress us with delicious hot food – Berber omelettes, salad, bread and fruit. The food in Morocco is always prepared fresh, spiced just right, and is quite frankly, just the best! In the late afternoon we arrive in the village that will be our home for the night. The family is polite and humble, all the children seem to have their duties, and after the obligatory mint tea on the terrace (and resting of our weary bones) we are then served a huge dish of cous cous, which we have watched mama make, carefully sifting it with her hands. We all share the cous cous from the same large dish, eating it with our right hand. We sleep well on Moroccan rugs, and after breakfast we head back down the valley…

It’s time to go to Marrakech! A far cry from the peace of the mountains and the desert, Marrakech is exotic, chaotic, exciting and irresistible. But our first stop after the hike is the “hammam” (traditional bath) – we need cleaning up. Dressed in just our undies, and sitting in a steamy hot room, we pour water over ourselves and rub our bodies all over with “savon noir”, a soap made of olive oil residue – it glides across your skin and softens it up. One by one we are taken to a warm marble slab for a scrubbing – using a rough glove, the attendant rubs off your entire epidermis until you are literally a new person! Fortunately this rough treatment is followed up by a luxurious argane oil massage. Feeling relaxed and sleepy we make our way back to the riad (beautiful tiled accommodation) for an early night. But as we sit on the terrace of the riad we hear the Berber drums beating in the big square and wafts of food and spices drift our way…who can resist? We decide we’ll sleep after the trip is over. Belly dancers, storytellers, acrobats, and snake charmers entertain the throngs of people attracted to this madness. Behind all this action are several rows of enticing and brightly lit food stalls, orange juice sellers, dried fruit stands, spiced tea stalls… Food hawkers try to entice us to their food stall, henna ladies vie for our attention to sell us a henna tattoo, children selling tissues and gum follow us around, swarthy men make casual advances, and beggars try to cadge a dirham or two. After a couple of ours of this we finally give into our tiredness, and, thoroughly over-stimulated, we make our way back to the riad for some well-deserved sleep. After all, tomorrow is another day. Goodnight Morocco!

For more information, please see www.venusadventures.travel, or contact info@venusadventures.travel
 




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