I have been fortunate to have travelled as much as I have in the last year. I've been on three different continents and in 9 different countries. Is that amazing or what? It's been such blessing.
Two weekends ago, I was able to visit Africa for the first time! I only spent a few days in Marrakech, but it was amazing and I will absolutely try and get back to explore more of that continent in the future!
Katy, my new best friend (I love how many of you there are!), invited me to Morocco and she got a Groupon to an amazing resort so we could really live it up. We stayed at the Hotel Kenzi Club Agdal Medina and had everything we needed at our fingertips.
We flew down early on Saturday morning and took an overly priced cab to our hotel. We were in awe upon arrival, and quickly greeted with a hot mint tea. We weren't able to check into our room for a few hours, but the bellman took our bags and we walked towards the pools. It was a beautiful day so we got a drink and sat in the sun, then decided we needed to change into our bathing suits...why waste any time?!
We stayed at the pool drinking our complimentary drinks and soaking in the rays, until it was lunch time. The buffet had a mix of cuisines, but we both stayed away from the Italian section and opted for more traditional Moroccan food. It was amazing. After lunch, we went back to the pool and continued bronzing.
That evening we rested in the hotel room a while then showered and got ready for dinner. We stayed at the hotel and had another great selection at the buffet. We contemplated going in to town that night, but the shuttle wasn't running and neither of us really felt like getting another taxi. It was a laid back day and night, but very much enjoyed. It was funny, but as we both live in small flats in Milan and sleep in tiny little twin beds, we enjoyed the California Queen we had in our room and were quite content watching TV and drinking wine.
We woke up on Saturday morning, had another beautiful meal for breakfast, and scheduled our shuttle to the city center. We wanted to spend some hours browsing the markets. It was an unreal experience. The energy was something like I'd never seen before. By far, Marrakech is the most exotic place I've been. I think I most enjoyed watching all the women dressed in there kaftans and veils ride on the scooters that buzz through town. The streets were lined with beautiful roses and many gardeners were out tending the flowers. The architecture was what you'd expect, but there were tons of demolished buildings and dirt fields where new buildings were attempting to pop up. I don't know much about Marrakech or the economy there, but it seems like they are trying to revamp the place, yet keep the tradition alive. I will say, the people were all very friendly. I really appreciated the amount of hospitality we were shown.
Katy and I tried our hand at haggling and did a pretty good job, getting two "genuine fake" bags. I got talked into a Henna tattoo and Katy was almost roped into having a monkey sit on her shoulder! We ran quickly from this guy. Pictures don't do the city justice, not because of it's overwhelming beauty or anything, but because of the energy and the color. I attempted videoing some of it, but you have to be really careful about that sort of thing as most of the locals won't even allow you to take their photo.
We were only in the center a few hours and then headed back to the hotel for lunch and pool time. I think we were both seriously Vitamin D deprived! That evening, we had a complimentary entrance into the steam rooms and booked pedicures, but unfortunately our schedule didn't allow time for that. We had a lovely dinner again at the hotel and then returned to our room. Our flight would leave the next Morning.
We didn't get a lot of time in Marrakech, as I said, but the resort itself was so nice, I think I would have enjoyed just that. If we had more time, I definitely would have explored the area more. I would have loved to take a camel ride. That just gives me an excuse to go back one day! The girls' trip was just what I needed before ending my year abroad, and I was fortunate to spend it with a great friend.
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