MOROCCO: another world
I know this blog post is well overdue but I wanted time to really dive deep into my adventure in North Africa. Having these opportunities to go to places that you would not typically get to go, are something I will absolutely never take for granted. Living in Italy is a dream within itself but having my weekends be casually in Morocco or Iceland is something I just can’t even wrap my head around. When I look back on the last few months of 2023 and most of 2024 I get quite emotional because the girl I was was truly suffering. I was in a place of heartbreak and hatred not only with myself but also with others. That girl is someone I do not recognize anymore. I have found such an immense sense of joy and peace in these different parts of the world. Places that are otherworldly. Anyways I apologize for the rant….let’s get into Morocco!
I do not even know where to start. Maddy, Irene, and myself took a flight from Rome to Marrakesh where we experienced one of the most outrageous airports alive. I would like to consider ourselves survivors. We will get more into that a little bit later. We stayed in Marrakesh the first night where we went and got dinner at a lounge. We shared delicious cocktails and Irene and I dove into cheese mousse? Then the next morning at 7 am we went on a 3 day tour that eventually led us all the way to the Sahara. On our first day we left Marrakesh and headed to the Ait Ben Haddou which was an amazing experience. This village and landmark is home to the filming locations of The Mummy, Gladiator, and Lord of the Rings. The Ouarzazate is known of “The Hollywood of Africa” which was especially interesting for me considering I study film in school.
We stayed in a lovely small hostel where we were served breakfast and dinner. We got to watch the sunset and the moon come out on top of the mountains. It was full of serenity. Some of the girls journaled and I was able to call my family and show them the sights. My favorite thing is calling my niece Mckenna and showing her that the world is her oyster, and hoping that one day she will have interest in seeing some of the most beautiful parts of the world in which I have also seen. I can’t wait to see the world through her eyes someday.
The next morning we headed out to the Sahara but made a few stops along the way. One of those stops included the Dades Gorges which was so much fun for us all to get off the bus and experience such amazing rock formations and the water flowing through it. I still had my boot on so I wasn’t able to go too far but nonetheless it was such a fun stop for us all. After lunch we then headed to Merzouga where we would spend our night in the Sahara Desert underneath the stars.
It took us around 3 hours to get to the Sahara from the Dades Gorges but I can’t even express how worth it it was. We traveled across the desert on camels till we reached our camp. Once we got to camp we ate dinner and then at nightfall we all sat around the fire where we danced to the rhythm of the drums the natives played for us. We watched for shooting stars and sat there thinking about how this is something we will truly never forget. Here are some photos that captured these moments.
The next morning we woke up around 4 am to watch the sunrise on top of the Sahara dunes. We took a Jeep ride to the middle of the dunes and then climbed our way to the top. I still had my boot on and the doctor said no physical activity……the sand was soft at least. Safe to say the boot is so dusty there was no saving it. Sitting on top of the dunes and watching the camels pass and seeing the sunrise was definitely a God moment. I just never thought I could experience such peace. The world felt so big in that moment and all of your problems just seem so small. It seems like nothing else matters when you are experiencing something that leaves you speechless. We all just sat there in silence in admiration. After awhile when the sun fully rose some sandboarded down the dunes. I was so jealous as it was the closest thing I could get to surfing for awhile but I really don’t think the boot was built for that and I did not feel like breaking my other foot.
We then traveled 8 hours back on the bus all the way back to Marrakesh where we stayed in an air bnb for our last night before our early flights the next morning. Maddy and I barely scraped by almost missing our first flights. If it was not for the boot and having privileges to skip the line I am confident we would have missed our first flights. We also did not realize we weren’t on the same plane about 20 minutes before we were supposed to board. If I would have kept roaming around her gate and not have checked my boarding pass again I would have watched my plane take off without me. Irene ended up missing her flight due to the extremely long lines and overcrowded areas that none of us had ever seen in an airport. Like ever. In any airport around the world. By the Lord himself she was place onto another flight about 7 hours later and made it home after a travel day from hell. I think it is safe to say we can all conquer anything if we can conquer the Marrakesh airport. Nonetheless this trip was all time and if you would like to watch some of it check out the video and let me know what you think.
Until next time…..in Iceland!
