My thoughts from Morocco
It has been a little while since I got back from Morocco, and I’ve had time to look through my photos and to process all of my memories. It’ll still take a while for this blog to get online, but hopefully it won’t take as long as it has done in the past.
As mentioned in other blogs, when I travel I write my blog in bullet point or note form, and then type something up properly after I’m back. This means that it can sometimes take a while to get everything online, but it means that I spend more time experiencing the countries that I visit.
The highlights for me
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Morocco. Marrakech was an assault on the senses at times, but I loved the south of the country and am glad that I chose that region rather than the cities of the north.
I loved getting away from the big cities and seeing some amazing scenery, such as the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert, and Ait Benhaddou. I also loved spending time relaxing in Essaouira which I’d say was probably the highlight of the trip for me, and touring the Atlas Movie Studios.
Essaouira is a beautiful town, with a great atmosphere, and the international influence has certainly created a unique atmosphere which blends Moroccan tradition with an international way of life. It was a relaxing place to spend a few days.
The changed itinerary
Am I sad that we didn’t have a chance to spend a couple of nights in the Atlas Mountains themselves due to the earthquake? Sure, but we were lucky that our trip was a few weeks after it happened, meaning that it could still operate. Others in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake had to be cancelled.
Plus, it could have been worse. We could have been here when it happened!
However, on the positive side, the itinerary changes meant that we spent a night in Agadir – which wasn’t on the schedule originally, and that we spent an additional day in Essaouira which gave me a chance to relax at the beach – a day that I really enjoyed.
Final thoughts
I could have done without the food poisoning, which knocked me out for a couple of days, but it didn’t ruin anything other than the short journey from Agadir to Essaouira, and I still had an amazing time.
Morocco, or more specifically this part of Morocco which has a focus on the natural environment and wonderful scenery, is somewhere that I have wanted to visit for a long time and I’m glad that I finally had a chance to visit.
This trip was also a lot cheaper than my last trip, where I travelled overland from Zanzibar to Victoria Falls through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In fact, the entire trip including spending money came to about the same that I spent just on flights for that trip. This has definitely helped the bank balance, and will help me save up for another epic trip whether that be my next one, or something after that.
Will I return to Morocco?
Will I come back to Morocco? I hope so. I really enjoyed my time in the country, and I have lots of great memories from the trip.
I have no idea when I will be back, and I also have no idea where or when my next trip will be, but I’m so happy to be back to my usual routine of travelling regularly again after 6 years away from big trips due to work, then due to COVID.
So, I can’t wait to see where my next trip will take me. Will it be somewhere on my bucket list, or will I get distracted again and end up somewhere else? Only time will tell.
