"When in Rome, do as the Romans do" and everyone pretty much knows what the saying means. In this case, it represents the immersion of a tourist into the culture of the country he/she is visiting. I am so excited to share with you the most amazing and life changing traveling experience I've had so far. An experience that I hope will not only cause you a tiny feeling of jealousy, but will also motivate you to book yourself a flight to Morocco :)
I first decided I NEEDED to go to Morocco, when I watched Sex and The City 2. When Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda found themselves riding camels across the desert, I knew that would be me one day. And so, while studying abroad in France, I booked a flight to Morocco.
I first decided I NEEDED to go to Morocco, when I watched Sex and The City 2. When Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda found themselves riding camels across the desert, I knew that would be me one day. And so, while studying abroad in France, I booked a flight to Morocco.
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| Samantha, Charlotte, Carrie and Miranda on Sex and The City 2 |
My friend Carlie and I had planned the most perfect trip, which surprisingly went according to plan. When we finally arrived at The Riad Marrakech Rouge Hostel, my expectations were more than exceeded. Our hostel was perfectly decorated to provide a Moroccan feel and was set up in a way that allowed for togetherness and comfort among all tourists.
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| My friend Carlie and I at the Riad Marrakech Rouge |
We were welcomed in by whom we continued to call the hostel's "Butler". He made us tea and dinner every night as well as offered us the very traditional Moroccan Shisha. We had booked tons of tours and were eager for them to start, beginning with Africa's second tallest water falls and continuing to Ait Ben Haddou; the famous filming location for The Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia and The Mummy among other movies.
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| Ait Ben Haddou |
Our second day had finally arrived and we embarked on the most epic tour; camel riding into the desert to camp there for the night. We began our journey by driving 3 hours from Marrakech to Zagora where we spent the night, out in the open beneath the sand dunes. During this trip, I got to experience Berber culture and made tons of life-long friendships.
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| Alibaba & Me :) |
Experiencing Moroccan culture gave me a different outlook on life; watching people live comfortably day-by-day, not relying on technology and social media, but rather washing their clothes in the river, and making hair dye from scratch (I really should've learned).
I'm still fairly new at blog writing, so I'm sure this post does not come close to doing my trip any justice. It was the trip of a life time and if I could, I would do it over and over again. Experiencing a different culture is, in my opinion, essential to having and keeping an open mind.
If you're anything like me, I highly suggest you put this on your bucket list. On this trip, what I was more eager to do was immerse myself in the wardrobe, customs, language, food and overall Moroccan culture, and that, I definitely did.
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| When in Rome... |
The total cost of our 4-day Moroccan experience was 230 euros which included a round-trip flight from Spain and Morocco, tours, hostel stay, food and drinks as well as a bit of shopping. This may seem expensive for your average backpacker, however you surely get what you pay for.
If you are interested in staying at this amazing hostel and embarking on similar adventures, feel free to visit http://www.marrakechrouge.com/. Want more details? Shoot me a message :)
