Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Colourful Morocco - a feast for the senses!



This May, 8 women from Western Canada courageously took a step back in time to Colourful Morocco!  After a long winter the Moroccan sun warmed our faces and the friendly Moroccan people warmed our hearts. It was a  delight for all of our senses!  The majorelle blues, the Marrakech reds and the saffron yellow were all available as pigments and they appeared in all facets of their life from clothing to food! The moroccan spices, like cumin and " la tete de la maison" compliments the flavourful tagines that one eats with a piece of bread and the 3 fingers of the right hand - at least that is how they did it!  Their staple beverage,  sweet, sweet mint tea - no wonder there is a dentist selling teeth in the FNA - no dental plan here! The early morning minaret announcing the call to prayer at 5am, then again 4 more times during the day.  How do they fit it all in!  And the soft texture of the scarf wrapped around our heads in turban style so keep the desert sand out of our faces!  Creative time was built into the itinerary, but the temptation to visit the souks to find that unique rug, piece of Berber jewelry or exotic spices was just too great! How to get it all home? - of course they ship it right to your door!! That was a handy option for some of us! Marrakech was bustling with markets, storytellers and snake charmers so our respite in the traditional Hammam was appreciated by all.  One afternoon we enjoyed the tranquility of the Majorelle Gardens and were able to open up our sketchbooks.

The oasis landscape heading off to the Sahara Desert was another feast for the eyes!! All the little communities bustling with sheep and goats at the market, kids in their white tunics walking or biking to  school and donkeys so laden with hay one could only see their feet! A simple life and it seems everyone is happy and contributes to family life. The deeper we got into the desert, the slower the pace. Even the dromedaries were not in a hurry!  The camel ride into the desert to catch the sunset was a highlight! Hard to imagine all that sand!
We survived! Thanks to the three men on our tour who took excellent care of their harem! Would you go back? I would in a heartbeat!