Apartment

The living room.

Ample closet space.


The kitchen!

Atlas Mountains

Our three-day trek to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi Dunes was a welcome break from the crushing heat and chaos that is Marrakech. Within an hour of leaving Marrakech, we were in the Atlas mountains, climbing a narrow road that is the only route through the mountains. It connects dozens of isolated Berber villages. We saw many other tour groups traveling the same route, but were happy that our guide made a point of avoiding the most touristy spots.

A small Berber village in the Atlas mountains, viewed from a roadside overlook. The traditional dwelling is a mudbrick hut with a flat roof. The villages are mostly self-sufficient - goats and sheep are raised on the hillsides, and wheat is grown in the valley.



We came up this winding road, lined with souvenir shops selling fossils and minerals harvested from the mountains.

Ait Benhaddou, a 17th-century kasbah that rises above the green foliage of the river valley. Lawrence of Arabia and many other films have used it as a location.

We crossed a sandbag bridge to get to the kasbah.

Women wash rugs and scarves in the river.







We reached an altitude of 6,600 feet and looked out on the valley below.

From Oarzazate to Merzouga

The Skoura Oasis is one of the largest in Morocco, with about 14,000 palm trees. A few families live in the oasis and tend the wheat that grows beneath the palms.


Monkey-fingers, a geological formation on the rock cliffs that rise above the Dades Gorge.



A tributary of the Dades ran in front of our hotel in a small Berber village called Marhaba. On a walk through the town we were greeted warmly by every resident - from small children to old women - and were asked if we would consider moving there. We watched women harvesting wheat in the tiny plots near the river, and children gathering water from the stream.


Through these desert gates you can see the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.


A boy kisses Brendan's hand in the Todra Gorge, where locals come to play in the cool water on warm weekend days.


We stopped for lunch in a small desert town, where we watched women in beautiful traditional dress walking along the road.


Dead wells look like giant molehills in the landscape.


We could see the dunes rising out of the earth as we approached Merzouga.

Brendan dressed as Lawrence of Arabia as we drank mint tea and prepared to set out on our camel trek.


As we began to climb the dunes, with only a tiny bottle of water per person, we had no idea how far we were going or when we would arrive at the campsite. Although the dunes are only a small island of sand, you have the illusion of being completely lost in the Sahara. When we stopped for breaks, we took shelter in the shadow of scraggly desert brush.



One of our guides.


We watched the sunset from the top of a dune, where we could see other desert guides relaxing with a huge tour group of Moroccan teenagers.


A desert bird perches on top of our tent.


Our campsite included one cooking tent, one eating tent, and four tents for sleeping. We watched the moon rise around a fire pit in the center of camp. As we fell asleep we listened to the wind rustling the patchwork carpets and the dunes from inside our candle-lit tents.


The camels are allowed to graze on desert grass. One of their legs is tied up to prevent them from straying too far.

Essaouira

Essaouira is a seaside town about 3 and a half hours from Marrakech by bus. The landscape was boring, other than a few goats in an argan tree. As we stepped out of the bus we were greeted by a fresh sea breeze and bright sun.

Unlike the brown-pink mud-brick buildings of Marrakech, most buildings in Essaouira are painted white with blue shutters.


The souks in the old town of Essaouira were much more relaxed than those in Marrakech, ideal for cat naps.


We browsed the souks free from the calls of vendors and the crush of people, so we were able to take a few pictures of the fabulous crafts and merchandise.



The fortifications that overlook the deep blue water of the Atlantic were designed by a French engineer, a slave of the king, in the 18th century.


We ate lunch at a beachside cafe where we were served fresh fish that may have come from these nets.


Women in djellabas waded on the beach alongside bare-chested boys and teenage girls in bikinis.

Medersa Ben Youssef and the Marrakech Museum

After an abortive trip to the Palmeraie (Marrakech's oasis, outside of the Ville Nouvelle) to go horseback riding, we ended up at the Medersa Ben Youssef just as it was opening. We were treated to a moment of peace and absolute silence which made it easy to imagine its former life as a sanctuary for meditation and study. The Medersa (usually madrassa in English, or Koranic school) was built in the 16th century and was in use until the 1960s. It was the largest medersa in Morocco.





We also visited the Marrakech Museum, another spectacular, mostly empty space. While the sparse exhibits were interesting, we appreciated the beautiful atmosphere created by the oud music playing and the mosaic designs.

Marrakech - The Medina and Souks

The taxi ride from the airport was surreal. After bargaining the price of our ride from 150 dirhams to 70, we headed for the main square of Marrakech. We wove through women in traditional djellabas (long robes with a pointy hood) on mopeds, donkeys pulling carts, and pairs of teenagers sharing bicycles. We passed through the Ville Nouvelle (the modern, French neighborhood outside of the old city walls), and arrived at bustling Place Jemaa el Fna.

We were immediately struck by the number of tourists, mainly dressed in shorts and tank tops (while the locals dress very modestly, in long-sleeves and pants), and the chaos and absence of traffic laws on the square. It was boiling hot, and we cooled down with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice at one of the carts on the square.

Place Jemaa el Fna, where orange juice, dried fruit, and food vendors set up their carts, and snake charmers and monkey tamers try to attract the attention of tourists.


Men haul a cart-load of carpets to market.

From the rooftop terrace of our riad we could see the Koutoubia minaret, the largest in the city, and all the rooftops of houses and shops in the old-town. We often came up to the roof to escape the stagnant air on the ground and to listen to the sunset call to prayer, which is broadcast by loud-speakers from each of the dozens of minarets in the city.


Brendan relaxes in the open courtyard of our riad. The riad is the traditional Moroccan home - a square building with a central court that opens to the sky.


The street leading to our riad was narrow and winding.

A street acrobat performs in front of our favorite restaurant, Snack Toubkal, where a delicious tagine cost 35 dirhams, and kittens played under the tables.

The souks are a maze-like commercial district north of the main plaza. You can buy anything from vegetables, to ceramics, to silver jewelry, clothing, shoes, animal hides, spices, knock-off designer goods, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and live turtles, snails, and chameleons. As you walk by, you are shouted at from all sides by vendors who want you to take a look in their stalls.

Babouches, traditional point-toed leather slippers on display in the souks.

Wool hangs out to dry in Souk Sebbaghine, where wool for carpets, scarves, and hats is dyed.

Wood and metal crafts outside a shop in the souks.




We had an interesting meal at one of the food stalls in Place Jemaa el Fna - stewed sheep meat with bread. You could choose between "head," "brain," "mixed," or "meat." We chose meat. The prices were between 15 and 20 dirham. The men at the stall prepare and serve the stew while you watch. You add your own salt and cumin from a bowl on the counter, and must eat with your right hand, although we were offered silverware after one of the men noticed us struggling.