Berber Tea Under Moroccan Sunsets

I finally made it to Morocco, y’all! So Morocco had been on my bucketlist for the longest!!! If you’ve been following my posts, I know you’re probably thinking “every country is on her bucket list!” And what’s wrong with that?! Lol. Whenever I researched flights to Morocco from Florida, they were always $700+. No ma’am! I have been spoiled by glitch fares and flight deals, and I refuse to pay $700 for a flight. Besides, I like to country-hop, and I can’t see myself paying $700+ for just one flight when I have other flights to purchase. I have a friend who studied in Europe and would often country-hop on the weekends. She told me that flights to Morocco from Spain were less than $100?! Come again?! Say what now?!

Big ups to Yolanda though! I immediately researched flights to Spain, and to my surprise, flights from Florida were only like $375!! Bet. I researched flights from Barcelona to Marrakesh. Chiiiiiile, they were $98! Ok, Travel Gods, I see y’all working! Now because I have to do the most, I wanted to squeeze in one more country. It was a joke amongst my travel crew that I was going to try to squeeze in a trip to the moon next. Haters! Anyways, Barcelona to Rome was only $84. Checkmate! We’re in there! We were able to secure flights to three different countries for less than what it would have cost us to fly to Morocco!

Day 1

When we arrived at the airport, I spotted a man holding a sign with my name scribbled in black marker. It was our driver Jawad! As we approached him, he covered my name so we could no longer read the paper. Oh he’s funny, funny! Lol. I already knew the driver was gonna make our trip worthwhile. Our first stop was our riad. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house that is centered around a courthouse or some type of garden. For 3 nights, we got the entire riad for $447. The riad was beautiful, and it was ours for the next few days!! The kitchen, a basin, the dining room, the open patio lounge, and one bedroom was on the first floor. The other three bedrooms were located on the second floor. The staff prepared mint tea and shisha for us as we waited in the living room of the courtyard. After we indulged, we were on our way.

Jawad drove us to a nearby store where we purchased djellabas, traditional Moroccan attire. This store had everything you can think of! We definitely made a pitstop here prior to departure to purchase souvenirs. I even purchased decorative pillow covers from there that I currently have in my apartment. After some light shopping, we headed to Jardin Majorelle. The exotic plants and trees were beautiful, and the dramatic blue of the vases, fountains, and Berber Museum added the perfect touch. While exploring the garden, I stumbled upon a memorial to Yves Saint Laurent. Apparently, Jardin Majorelle was discovered by Laurent and a colleague. This was news to me.

Day 2

The next day, we drove to the Atlas Mountains. This is where the Berber people, the original inhabitants of Morocco, lived. While on our way, we stopped by a souk to see how pure Argan oil is made. When purchasing Argan oil, be mindful of who and where you purchase it. Not all of the oil sold in the Medina is as pure as they claim. Because I am a fan of oils, and I am always searching for something to add to my skincare routine, I could not leave without purchasing a bottle. I also purchased a moisturizer and an african black soap facial mask. Shopping here was not budget-friendly in the least, FYI! Lol.

We finally continued up the mountain. After a short drive, we arrived at the home of a Berber family. They allowed us to tour their home, which had a room for the family cow. The cow supplied milk for the family, of course, and that milk was also used to make cheese. There was a ceramic vase suspended from the ceiling by rope. They’d place the milk in here and shake for about two hours to make cheese. We also witnessed the way the Berber family made bread, couscous, and other food items. After minutes of plundering, we climbed the stairs to the roof, and the views were breathtaking. After our photo shoot atop the Berber house, we met Queen, the matriarch of the family, downstairs for some Berber tea.

After visiting with the Berber family, it was time for camel rides. Listen…I will never ride another camel. I previously rode a camel in Dubai, but because a member of the crew hadn’t been on one, I obliged. My camel was so unruly and militant! Lol. Yes, I’m aware that camels are wild animals, but this one right here…Maaaaaaan…while the others’ camels were meek, mine was a troublemaker. Everyone said his personality matched the personality of his rider ::insert eye roll::. I was so ready for this to be over. The guide told me it was like an hour ride. “Sir, if you just let me get down right now, I swear I’ll walk the rest of the way with no complaints.” Lol. Then this weird gurgling noise emanated from what we thought was his stomach. We just knew he was about to ruin someone’s day with that stomach sounding like a boiling pot of water. Had it erupted, it would’ve been curtains::insert tears of laughter:: We later found out the noise was coming from his throat, not his stomach ::wipes forehead::

After a long day, we headed back to the riad where dinner had been prepared for us. The food was amazing hands down. I still keep in touch with Jawad on WhatsApp, and I always tell him how I wish I had some tajine. Each night, the cook prepared something different. They had us spoiled. Tanjia, tajine, couscous, briwat, wine…Did I mention they cooked breakfast for us too?! I hadn’t been this spoiled since my trip to Curaçao when I was upgraded to a gold member!

Day 3

Because we flew out the next day, we decided to take it easy on day 3. We headed to our hammam appointments scheduled by the riad staff. Apparently, there was some confusion with the time, and we missed our appointment. We ended up making a last minute appointment at some bootleg spa. Once we arrived, I decided to take a rain check. The woman working there had nothing but attitude, and I did not want her touching me. The girls enjoyed it, but what they did not know was that a staff member would be bathing them from the roota to the toota! While they enjoyed it, I recall them describing the experience as a bit awkward. I can only imagine. Lol!

To say I enjoyed Morocco is an understatement, and the riad staff treated us like royalty!! I try not to visit the same place twice, but I’d definitely visit Morocco again and stay at the same riad. Have you ever visited Morocco? What would you recommend doing on my second visit?