Morocco - a country rich in nature!

Nature is never far away in Morocco. Desert, mountains, valleys and sea - the country has plenty to offer fans of the outdoors!
Hikers of all levels will love walking the Moroccan mountains. Among the temperate peaks of the Rif mountain range, its cliffs jutting out into the Mediterranean make this under-explored region magical.



The lakes are packed with trout waiting for amateur fishermen. The more sporty will want to tackle the challenges of the Middle and Upper Atlas mountains on foot, by mountain bike or in a paraglider, or to practice mountain climbing, canyoning or pot-holing. Its summits can reach 4000m high. Ifrane, the little Moroccan Switzerland, may come as a pleasant surprise with its summer coolness, winter snow and traditional "mule-ski" trails.
Nothing is as indescribable as a stay on the edge of the desert... Head to Ouarzazate to discover its immensity and colours. At night, opt for an encampment in the desert, a chalet in the mountains and, wherever you are, bed and breakfast with the locals for an unforgettable and authentic experience. These are at the heart of the Moroccan identity, like palmtrees, argan oil and the honey from its lavender.
Looking out over the Atlantic, you will be enchanted by the turquoise waters of Dakhla bay! There you will meet migratory birds and pink flamingos.
In Morocco, every taste is naturally catered for!

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Sand and Sujood in morocco

THE BEACH. There is just something about it that pulls me in. I have loved the beach my entire life. Even when I was a kid, I remember going to Silver Lake with my mom or my Auntie Kelly and packing a whole day's worth of fun into the car and hitting the road. We'd bring all kinds of things to cook out, watermelon, fruit salad, floaty things, and lots of sunscreen. 

Now that I live in a beach city, my trips to the water are still a part of my life. Every week, Mo and I like to take mini road trips and head out with no plan. We often end up in little places off the beaten path and make our own little picnics. It's my favorite part of the week and it's something we both look forward to.

Since there are 5 prayers in a day, most often the noon-ish prayer called Dhor and theAsr prayer is in the afternoon. Just because we are at the beach does not mean that we don't take time out to pray.  We always bring prayer mats with us and my phone has a compass app on it so we know which direction to face when we pray. There's a position during prayer while your head is on the ground and it is called Sujood.

We always make time to pray and it feels so good. There's nothing more peaceful than feeling the raw earth underneath you and hearing the sound of crashing waves next to you. Worship is for the Most High.

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One day, we brought a sheet and made a makeshift lean-to with it. It was perfect because it was like a little fort and provided us with perfect shade.

It gets the thumbs up of approval

These gnaoua guys were walking along the beach, rang-bang-boomin' around and playing their racket!  They're like musical nomads.

After I took this out (which is a fancy-shmancy fan I bought in Spain), Mo said, "Oh good, you brought the air conditioner!" 

I found this cluster of sea-stuff and I thought for sure they were going to open up and start belting out show tunes from "The Little Mermaid" or something.

How about this seaweed?! 

This guy was so happy while he was fishing. Hopefully he caught some big ol' floppy fish!

Does anyone know what these red things are? I found lots of them hiding under rocks right on the shore. They look like clown noses or something and I've never seen them before. If you know what they are, can you please comment?

This is a little stretch of beach just north of Taghazout. 

One Sunday, we found this perfect little cave opening to shade us from the hot sun. It was perfect! We had lunch underneath there, too.

Time to pray again. :)

This is after we both prayed Asr together. The day was warm, sunny, and with a perfect breeze.



And lastly, check this out:

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7 Moroccan Wedding Wonders

There are 7 Wonders of the World, and 7 Moroccan Wedding Wonders according to me. Care to see what I mean? Step into my world...

In case nobody told you, Moroccans love to party. Yes it's true. They love to whoop it up for weddings, the birth of a baby, family members coming to town from far away or from the BLED, whatever. If there's an opportunity to get together, they're all about it.

I, however, am not.

In fact, whenever I hear about an upcoming party (most of the time it's only 24hours notice--or less), I immediately start planning my "Possible Excuses For Not Going" list. This is no easy task you see, because there can be no repeats. Faking sick is too cliché and besides I've used that one too many times. Since I'm here without any family, playing the "prior engagements" card is not an option. Plus I don't work so scheduling conflicts are also out. As much as I object, I'm usually pushed, pulled, or dragged to these ridiculous parties.

What makes them so bad, you ask? Hmph. Where do I start?

[ DISCLAIMER: for the umpteenth time, this is my personal blog and I write about what I have seen and done. Before anyone gets all twisted, let me say that I understand certain cities or families might do things differently but I have not been a part of those parties. I write about what I have personally experienced. ]


I'll use a wedding as a basic example-- although you could pretty much swap titles for any other type of party. They're all exactly the same. The wedding trumps all because of the outdoor tent involved. The other ones just omit the tent and instead cram a tent's worth of people inside of a house.



In America, when someone gets engaged, the soon to be married couple sends out invitations. Yes, actual paper invitations IN THE MAIL even. They are customized with the vital info for the big day and include RSVP cards so the families know how many guests to expect and exactly how many plates of perfectly planned out food to order. Let me stop right here.

In Morocco, the "invitation" comes in the form of a phone call usually a few days (sometimes less) before the wedding. It's a general extension to whomever is within earshot of the phone call, plus any other relatives, friends, or peeps in your posse. This is mistake #1. How does the wedding couple know how many people are coming? They don't. How many tables/chairs to set up? It's a gamble  How much food to prepare? They just wing it.  It's all a shot in the dark. Most of the time, presumption and reality are way off target.

This brings me to

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