If you follow us at all on Facebook and/or Instagram, then you know that we went to Morocco back in April. Things have been crazy busy following our trip, and, since our clients come first, we haven’t had a chance to go through our trip photos! We’ve had a small break early this month, so we figured it was time to tackle vacation photos! When telling people our plan to go to Morocco, we got a lot of “why Morocco?” My answer was always “why not?” (In truth, someone in our travel group mentioned Morocco in passing, and I jumped on it!) My goal is to see as much of the world as possible. This was Kevin’s first time going to Africa (and my second since I’ve been to Egypt), so we were able to knock another continent off the list. (South America and Asia, we’re coming for you guys soon!) Our trip included the bustling city of Marrakech, a 3 day tour to the Sahara desert via the Atlas Mountains, and the coastal town of Essaouira.

We stayed at the Riad Nafis. We have nothing but wonderful things to say about this riad! They were so kind and accommodating to us! We enjoyed breakfast on the rooftop every morning, and we spent one evening dining on a traditional Moroccan meal prepared by the Riad’s cook. The architecture, colors, wood working, and tile work in Marrakech were simply stunning! While in Marrakech, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the souks (basically, shopping!).  When shopping in the souks, you had to barter as there were no set prices.  If you paid what the shopkeeper was asking, then you were paying way too much!  I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about bartering, but it turned out to be a fun game by the end!  We had a tough time with photography, though.  It’s frowned up by many of the locals and shopkeepers to take photos.  So, we had to be sneaky at times…that or be ready with a tip!

This was the view from our Riad’s rooftop…

Kevin snapped this image of a motorcyclist driving through the narrow roads by our Riad.

Oh, the snake charmers!  Kevin had to take the following 2 images.  I stayed far, far away from the snakes!

It was amazing how different the Jemma el Fna Square was at night compared to the day.  It was incredibly hot during the day, but the weather was absolutely amazing at night!  The musicians and food stands all popped up at dusk, and the Square became very, very crowded!

Yes, we bought a lantern…

And, because most people think we travel alone, here’s a photo of our good friends, Larrion and Sam!  We like to share our adventures with others, too!

While Marrakech was wonderful, Kevin and I really wanted to explore more of Morocco.  So we booked a 3 day excursion to the Sahara desert.  The drive through the Atlas Mountains was breathtaking.

Along the way, we saw several Berber villages.  From what our guide told us, most of these villagers travel into Marrakech or other big cities for bartering and then return home with their goods.

Raise your hand if you’ve seen Gladiator, Prince of Persia, or Kingdom of Heaven.  Or perhaps you watch Game of Thrones?  If you’ve seen any of those movies or watched Game of Thrones, then you’ve seen the place in the next few photos!  Ait Benhaddou!

While touring Ait Benhaddou, we stopped in an artist’s shop.  He used oils and fire to create beautiful paintings.  We left with 3…

And I had to continue my photo with the artist tradition…

After a long travel day, we stopped at a kasbah to sleep.  While on their rooftop with drinks, we began to hear music getting closer to us.  We stepped to the ledge just in time to see a van with a band riding on the top!  It was so incredibly random and wonderful!  Kevin was quick with the camera and captured the next two photos.

The view from our kasbah room’s window…

Bright and early the next morning, we left for Todra Gorge.

But we ended the day in the Sahara!  We took a camel ride and walk into the desert before staying the night in our tent.  The wind was throwing sand in our face the entire time!  Luckily, I had a pashmina to cover up with (and I wore long sleeves and jeans as recommended by other travelers).  Kevin, on the other hand, ate a lot of sand.

The next photo is of me giving up.  Walking uphill in loose sand is INCREDIBLY HARD!!!

Like I said, Kevin ate sand…

…while I was prepared!

When the sun hit the sand just right, it turned a beautiful orange-red color…

Kevin really wanted to photograph star trails in the desert, but it was a cloudy night.  He was sad, but he settled for a nighttime photo of our tent.

The next day, we began the trek back to Marrakech.

On our final day, we went on a day excursion to the beautiful coastal city of Essaouira.  Along the way, there was…wait for it…A TREE WITH GOATS IN IT!  Of course, we had to stop!

And, of course, I HAD to hold a baby goat!

This is me doing my “please don’t poop on me” dance…

We had an amazing time on our Moroccan adventure!  Now, we’re dying to plan our next escape.  We’re thinking Peru, Cambodia, Thailand, Chile…we’re trying to narrow it down and pick dates!  Until then, we’ll reminisce abour our past adventures.  And we’ll end today’s blog with a panorama of the Jemma el Fna Square in Marrakech at night!