For the weekend trip, the group took a trip to Marrakesh, one of the main cities for tourists in Morocco. The adventure began with the train ride there, where the lack of air conditioning and sufficient seating areas gave us a true taste of local Moroccan travel. After arriving, we checked into our hostel and headed out to the Jemaa el-Fnaa; a large, crowded public square with merchants and entertainers. There we tried freshly blended juice and snails and listened to the various drum circles around the square, before heading back to the hostel to sleep.
The next day we had planned an outing with a local tour guide to venture into the Sahara to a city called Ouarzazate. On our way there we stopped at several overlooks to see views of the desert, coincidentally running into a Michigan MBA on our way who borrowed our Michigan flag for a few photos (go blue!). When we were just outside of Ouarzazate, we stopped for a camel ride through the rocky desert.
After the camel ride we had a delicious lunch of salad, kefta (or traditional Moroccan meat skewers), and assorted fruits. Refreshed and ready to go, we began the trek through the UNESCO World Heritage site, a small village called Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou. The village was constructed 400 years ago, made of earthen clay and surrounded my a fortified wall. After climbing to the top of the Ksar (pictured below), we stopped in one home for some traditional Moroccan mint tea. Finally, we toured a museum of cinema in Ouarzazate, seeing the set of the many movies and shows shot in this area (notably including Game of Thrones).
The next day, our last in Marrekesh, Allison and I decided to check out a hammam, or traditional Moroccan bath house turned spa, while the rest of the group explored the sites in the city. Hammams historically functioned as the main form of bathing in Moroccan communities, and are now a popular way for both locals and tourists to clean off and relax. The experience started in a steam room, during which time we were washed with black soap. Then we were scrubbed with a roughly textured hammam mitt to exfoliate layers of dead skin. After our skin was scrubbed, we were covered in a rose mask and left to soak. Finally, after the hammam was done we had a relaxing massage. This was a highlight of the trip for both Allison and I, and an excellent way to beat the soaring desert temperatures. Pictured below is where we settled down post-hammam for some juice.
-Eva Koester
EGL Family Abroad 