Tags
adventure, Africa, atlas mountains, Casablanca, Europe, expat, life, Morocco, new experiences, photos, travel
The far too speedy countdown has been interrupted to bring you this more uplifting recap of a recent trip to Morocco…
Simplicity may be one of the most beautiful things in the world.
Weekend before last I finally got around to using a Groupon I’d purchased over a year ago for a weekend getaway at a spa in the middle of Morocco, up in the Atlas Mountains. (Widiane Suites & Spa for those who are interested.) The resort is three hours from Casablanca (my point of entry) through small villages along barely paved or dirt roads. While Dubai felt a world away in distance and culture, the areas we drove through in Morocco were equally or more so.
Watching people go about their daily lives as we sped through felt like one of the more memorable journeys. Motor bikes, horse or donkey drawn carts, fully loaded taxis and pedestrians all moving at their own speed in their own direction was such a beautiful sight. People all along the route were only concerned with tending to their land and animals, children with getting to or from school, vendors with attracting their next customer. It was a great opportunity to observe and reflect.
At the end of the three hour journey, through the villages and up the mountains along winding roads and sheer cliffs, we reached our destination which on a hotter day could have easily been a mirage. Paradise high in the mountains above the desert. The weekend was meant to be a quiet one spent sleeping in, relaxing by the pool and getting pampered with massage. It lived up to expectations in most regards. And at the end, we got back in the car and did the three hour drive in reverse.