This is me in Morocco. A group of SASsers began our three day adventure in Marrakesh at a five star hotel called the Kenzi Farah. They set us up in some very nice rooms before they threw us into the desert for two nights. Little did we know it would be our favorite experience of the whole voyage.
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More spices so you all can compare to every other spice picture I've posted.
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We bought (authentic) Moroccan Oil from the Berber villages, perfume bars and lip stain. Then the craziness of the Medina scared us back to our hotel (it was actually the middle fingers the orange juice salesmen were giving us that pushed us over the top).
Berber villages, here we come!
We woke up early and got on the road for an hour and a half drive to the spot where we were to begin our hike. The first thing we saw were the mules (or were they donkeys?) that were going to carry our backpacks.
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Adrienne and I thought we were standing REALLY close to this donkey. We weren't.
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Then we began our hike! It was Ramadan and we were strongly urged to wear sleeved shirts and pants that went past our knees (see above) in the hot 108 degree weather. It was steamy. Also, our guides were fasting the whole time we were hiking meaning they didn't drink water or eat anything from sun up to sun down, while hiking an average of 5-6 hours a day in the hot sun. They were unbelievable!
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| Sweaty. And hot. And we just began the 5 hour hike. |
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| Downhill... watch where you step! |
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| More sweat. In a dry riverbed. I wish there would've been some water... |
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| One of the many Berber Villages on the trek. |
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After a few hours of hiking, we sat in the shade and ate a fabulous lunch cooked by our guides and their crew. It was incredible what they made on portable stoves and carried by donkeys. It tasted amazing and they cooked for about fifty people all the while fasting.
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| SOOO yummy. |
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I wore the sandle/tennis shoes Brian bought me and they were perfect! Breathable, yet comfortable and supportive. And I got a great sand design on my socks!
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| Mine are on the left. Adrienne on top. Amy on bottom. Dirty Dirty dirty. |
Time to continue on. Yala!
We arrived at our Gite (pronounced geet), which is a village type hostel. We had tea at 4 each night and dinner at 8, did yoga and slept under the stars on the roof. It was magical. Until the roosters, and donkeys, and stray dogs, and cows started talking to one another at midnight, then one a.m., then 3 a.m. then the Ramadan wake up call at 4 a.m., then the start of the fast at 5:30 a.m., I think you get the point. It was not the most restful night of sleep, but I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. It truly was an authentic experience.
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| Yoga on the roof before dinner to stretch our weary bodies (not really, but it felt good). |
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| At sunset on the roof. Me, Adrienne and Shametrice. |
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| The lucky ones slept on mattresses (and a pillow if you were really lucky!). |
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| A local girl showing us the goat trick! We were amazed and watched her do it a couple times. |
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| We slept under the stars. Adrienne and I shared a pill (or shall I call it a rock?) and a sheet as a blanket. No mattress this night. |
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| Adrienne and her henna tatoo. |
We woke up early (2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m., etc.) and left by about 7:30 for our next village. The second day was a bit more rigorous, hiking uphill and for four hours straight before lunch. But we did get to see more forest and take in the beauty while doing some reflection while listening to our own music.
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| In front of a huge ravine and beautiful hills. It's hard to see the beauty in this photo. I recommend just visiting yourself :) |
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| The shade was a lifesaver. |
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| Our own soundtracks. | |
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| A quick break to refuel. Adrienne had a left over croissant. "How do you feel about your croissant, Adrienne?" This picture was her answer. :) |
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| Chris, Amy, Adrienne, Ryan and I at our second Gite. |
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| The view from the roof of our second Gite. These very thin mattresses are what we slept on the first night, so this night we snagged mattresses inside right away. A much better sleep. |
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| Our fantastic guides! From front left: Adrienne, Head cook, Hussein, Me, Abdula. Back left: Ryan, Mohammed. |
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| The whole SAS group! We were like a big family for three days :) |
The Berber villages trip is said to be the best trip of all the voyages, and I can absolutely attest to that. It was one of the most amazing, unique, and authentic experiences I had on this entire voyage. We were covered in dirt and sweat the whole time, but no one complained. We ate food that was magically cooked in the desert mountains that tasted better than many restaurants we visited along our two month journey. We met guides and villagers that were kinder, funnier, and more welcoming than anywhere else. It was fantastic and I hope to go back and do another trek.
We are on our way home and are finally done with classes! I turned in my last final today and will just be wrapping things up tomorrow and hopefully finishing a book while sitting in the sun (though we're supposed to hit some rough waters soon). I can't wait to get home to everyone! I miss family and friends, I'm dying to play tennis, and can't wait to jump back into work (that's when I know I'm working at the right places and reaffirming my grad school decision!), as well as start wedding planning!
Love you all and see you soon!
-CC
