October 16 to 25, marked my second vacation this year, but it is my first time visiting a country called Morocco in North Africa.
My first vacation was this February in Cancún, Mexico. We stayed in a five-star hotel for one week of endless sun, sea, sand, and food. It was a great week of relaxation.
Click on the title to read about My Fifth Winter Escape.
On my trip to Morocco, I stayed in a different hotel every night for seven straight nights after an overnight flight. We traveled a few thousand kilometers on a minibus and visited more than ten cities 🏙️🌆🏙️
It was a week in a foreign country with brand-new experiences. Each day was packed with places to go and food to try. After we returned home, it felt like we all needed another vacation to recuperate 😆😆😆
But I LOVED all the 🆕🆕🆕experiences.
Morocco is a colorful country filled with beautiful landscapes and rich culture.
The tour guide we hired is from an Agency called "Colorful Morocco".
I find the name quite fitting😊😊😊
There were twelve of us, so it was a group trip. I consider any trip with four or more people to be a group trip, and this one is my 6th.
Believe it or not, this one is the BEST👍👍👍
We visited over ten cities and some of them are associated with colors: white, red, blue, yellow, and more❤️💙💚💛🩷🤍
I am listing most of the cities in the order we visited them📃📃📃
Casablanca 卡萨布兰卡: "White City". The name originates from the Portuguese language Casa Branca - meaning "white house". It is the city I am familiar with because of the movie. Ironically, none of the scenes of that movie were shot in Casablanca, the famous Rick’s Café was built in 2004, many years after the film was out in 1942, According to Trip Advisor, this Rick's Café was inspired by the film "Casablanca," the space transports visitors back in time, making them feel part of the iconic film. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit the cafe, but we did visit Hassan II mosque, the true symbol of the city, it is the tallest temple in the world as well as one of the top 3 biggest mosques 🕌🕌🕌
Marrakech 马拉喀什: "Red City" because of the color of its houses. It has Gardens of Majorelle which marks 100 years old this year. It hosts exotic plants and flowers with vibrant colors. The most notable feature of the garden is the owner: Yves Saint-Laurent, the famous French fashion designer who bought the property in the 1980s. The city is listed as one of the World's Most Romantic Cities by Frommer's. Part of the scenes in Sex and City 2 was shot there. I am glad that I rewatched the movie just before the trip 😊😊😊
Ouarzazate 瓦尔扎扎特: The city is a major film industry hub due to its desert landscapes, historical architecture, and of course, low production cost. Many movies have been shot there. Babel is one of them and I could easily locate the spot where the scene was shot. I watched it again after we came back, and I was right🎬🎬🎬
Errachidia 埃拉契迪亚: One of the most famous and ancient Moroccan towns. We visited Todra Gorges near the town of Tinerhir. The gorge is regarded as one of the top ten in the world, many rock climbers come over each year for the challenge. I sent a photo to my son to show the deep-cliffed mountain with two climbers halfway to the top. My son is a fan of rock climbing. I got dizzy just by looking at them 🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Sahara Desert 撒哈拉沙漠: The highlight of this trip. The book titled《撒哈拉的故事》has inspired me to experience the desert since I was very young. It was a dream FINALLY coming true! I rode the camel and watched the stunning sunset and sunrise over the desert. When we were lucky to even witness the moonrise over the mountains, at one moment, we all went very quiet. I felt deeply moved, caught between awe and tranquility. The trip inspired me to buy the book by San Mao and reconnect with the amazing feeling I once had. Now I have the book, and I started immersing myself in her ever-so-enchanting stories again...📖📖📖
Ifrane 伊夫兰: The name in the regional language means "caves". It is also called "Garden City". It serves as a resort town for the Europeans. I read that it is the Second-Cleanest Town in the World 🏙️🏙️🏙️
Chefchaouen 舍夫沙万: "The Blue City", known for its traditional houses painted in blue and white. One of the top three such cities in the world. I went to Santorini in Greece in 2004 and I found Chefchaouen has a different style and charm. Sipping a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice while strolling around the little town was never so therapeutic and rejuvenating🍊🍊🍊
Fez or Fes 菲斯: It is the oldest of Morocco's four imperial cities, also referred to as "Yellow City". Yellow represents prosperity, wealth, and happiness reflecting that the city has been the Centre of commerce throughout history. The city is like a maze, with over 9000 little lanes to explore and it houses the oldest university in the world. We visited a factory where we saw how skilled artisans brought centuries-old traditions to life, yet it felt also so obsolete. We passed by the house with what is referred to as the 'first window,' a symbol of the time when women could only glimpse the outside world from a tiny window. They were trapped all their lives in two places: their parent's home and then their husbands'. The lives of women at then did sound very hard and I am not sure how much has changed since then even though the local tour guide said the opposite. He quickly learned how to pronounce perfectly the Chinese word when it was time to call everyone's attention: "走啦走啦" 🚶🚶🚶
Tangier 丹吉尔: This city is also called the "White City" because of the houses. We visited the Hercules Caves which resembles the map of Africa. We saw the famous lighthouse that appears on the 200 Dirham bill of Moroccan currency. It is a scenic viewpoint where the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. That evening, we stayed in a five-star hotel with an ocean view. It was the best one! Two bedrooms and three washrooms for two people. I felt like a queen🌊🌊🌊
Rabat 拉巴特: It is the capital of Morocco, one of the four king cities (Casablanca, Marrakesh, Fes). We missed the chance to visit the palace as the king decided to come back from his trip somewhere. We got the green light in the morning but as we drove closer to the palace, we were informed that the king just came back. Well, maybe another time. I did recognize the places when we walked nearby. The motorbike chase Mission Impossible was shot where we talked. When I watched the movie after we came back. It felt like I relived the visit 🎥🎥🎥
There were other cities: Rose City, Purple City, Apple City, Movie City...
Casablanca was the first and the last city of our trip. It is the only city where we stayed at the same hotel twice.
On the way back to Casablanca on the last day, when the song "Casablanca" slowly and unexpectedly filled the air, I felt inexplicably touched as if each note resonated with a part of me I hadn't known existed...🎶🎶🎶
Here are some members who made the trip more vibrant 🎈🎉🎈
The Daughter: Someone I like to call the "field reporter" 战地记者 because of the quickness she documented our trip on WeChat. It could be just an hour after we visited a place and we were still traveling, she already posted a summary with gorgeous photos on WeChat. While I was blown away by her speed, she mentioned that her mom was even faster at posting things—this was, of course, before I became a fan of the mother herself. She reminded me of a saying "Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree". She is a world traveler, having explored over 30 countries already 🧳✈️🚢
The Mother: She is the mother of the field reporter and the most senior, aged 83, but she fits in effortlessly with the group. She traveled alone from China and arrived 40 hours ahead of the rest and she blended in with the group. Her energy and endurance impressed us all and she has journeyed to over 40 countries. A true adventurer! A few days after the trip, she went on a new trip again. She didn't speak much the whole time, but she made a deep impression on me 👍👍👍
The Rock: He is the only gentleman in the group, The name came to me after I heard this story: One day a few ladies were wandering and left a bit behind, just when they were about to panic, they spotted him, standing in a short distance like a rock waiting patiently. They felt instantly relieved 🪨💎🪨
The Roommates They were paired just before the trip and met for the first time on the day of departure. They became inseparable after only a day or two. They bought similar outfits and the same necklace to honor their newly found friendship. They talked about doing activities after the trip. They could win a Best Roommate Award if there were one 😆😆😆
The Leader: She is one of the two (guess who the other is) who organized this trip, from finding the best deal to locating and matching people, she did it all! She is the only one who has been part of all six of my group trips. It has been ten years since we started our first trip to Greece in 2004. Here is to you, Rose Lady🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
The Sister: She is the real sister of the leader and also a sister-like person to many of us. She has the talent for creating videos and she made a few after the trip. They were quite impressive 👍👍👍
The Driver: He is a 25-year-old local with 4 years of driving experience. He didn't speak much but when we were singing songs in the car, he gave us a thumbs up. He got a speedy ticket from a beautiful but cold-hearted policewoman by driving just a few km over the limit (67/60). We all chipped in and compensated him for the ticket. He was moved. We are grateful for having such a reliable and skilled driver🍀🍀🍀
The Guide: She is the representative of the Colorful Morocco Agency and her presence added so much joy to our journey. She is pleasant, knowledgeable, and very patient. She has been living in Morocco for only a year and a half but it feels like she has gained so much life experiences and perspectives. She served not only as a tour guide but also as a photographer and a cheerleader. She relentlessly satisfied our requests for songs and negotiated many deals with the locals. She is the BEST tour guide I have had. Thank you Xiao Juan and don't forget to visit us when you come to Canada💐💐💐
In a nutshell, here are what I liked the most 😊😊😊
Places: I loved the endless desert, the blue/white village, and the Yellow Fes
Food and drink: local or Chinese, they all met our expectations, with nearly every meal gone at the end (good indicator} I appreciated the chicken/beef tagine, and I liked the mint tea presented beautifully by the locals. The seafood platter looked delicious and roasted whole fish (Twice), not to mention the freshly squeezed juices (orange, avocado, and pomegranate 石榴). As commented by our Field Reporter: "it is the best group meal she ever had, NOT one of the best". I bought a lot of snacks, but I barely had the chance to eat any, so I distributed some to the guide and the driver instead😋😋😋
Singing activities while traveling long hours from city to city. Instead of dozing off, we each took turns and sang a song or two with the microphone. I sang two English songs: Oh Carol! and Over and Over. It was so unforgettable🎤🎤
Bargaining fun: from earrings to scarf, to moonstone, coasters, everything was bought cheaper than the original prices, but I wasn't the one who did the bargaining. I was too shy 😳😳😳
Here is what I liked the least 👎👎👎
Paying to use the washroom and sometimes the washrooms weren't clean and/or no toilet paper ☹️☹️☹️
Here are some Little Happy Moments that I adore 😍😍😍
A morning call from the rooster
A cat nursing her kitten on the street
Colorful stone bracelet: On a cruise trip last year, I praised a lady's colorful stone bracelet and asked where she got it. She said Morocco. Now I got mine 🎉🎉🎉
After our colorful trip to Morocco, we came back home to find the fall colors still in full bloom 🍁🍂🍁
See you next time, my colorful Morocco ❤️💙💚
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