Marrakesh, Morocco

I’ve always had reservations about Africa. The same goes for Central Asia—I feel like there’s a big question mark for me about what’s really there. I’ve been curious about both regions, but I’ve never felt an urgent desire to visit. Or maybe, if I ever do, I’d need to go with someone local or at least someone who knows the place well.

You might think I’m being a little skeptical here, and maybe I am. It’s probably due to one or both of these things: the negative (or nonexistent) portrayal in social media, and—let’s be honest—getting older. If you’re also getting older, you know exactly what I mean: you start to value comfort and relaxation over everything else. And if you say otherwise, you’re lying. 😄

I’ve had my fair share of “been there, done that” moments: one hour of sleep on the floor of a ship during a backpacking trip and heading straight to work afterward; sharing a two-person tent with five people in the middle of a storm with heavy rain and strong winds. Fun? Maybe. But not anymore.

So when Iris’ company offered an all-inclusive trip to Marrakesh, of course we took it—even if it was just for four days. I’ve always wanted to go to Morocco for one reason: tajine. I had a Moroccan colleague—a great guy—who always told me to come to Morocco and try real tajine, because, according to him, “none of it in Paris is the real deal.”

On this trip, tajine was what I looked forward to the most. Well, that and the all-inclusive perks: unlimited food and drinks. And sleep. Especially on the first day—I had been awake for nearly 48 hours. Our flight was at 6:00 a.m., and we live almost two hours away from the airport by bus. The organizer arranged a group bus that left at 1:00 a.m. I tried to nap before the trip, but I just couldn’t. That’s always been my issue—I’m envious of people who can sleep anywhere, anytime.

We arrived at the hotel around noon but couldn’t check in until 3:00 p.m. because the rooms weren’t ready. The only good thing about arriving at noon? Noon means lunch. And that meant the start of our unlimited food journey. BAM! Tajine for days.

The next two days were light—especially if you were well-rested—and hot. Damn, Marrakesh was hot! We joined the group tours on the second day and booked an extra tour ourselves on the third. Walking through the maze-like market, I couldn’t help but notice how clean it was. And I know a clean market—I’ve been to wet markets in the Philippines. 😉 There was an organized chaos to it all. The streets were incredibly narrow, but the motorbike drivers weaved through the sea of tourists with ease. There were no shouting matches over blocked paths—just the occasional vendor calling out to potential customers. I found it all pretty impressive.

Before heading back to the hotel, we had lunch at a highly reviewed restaurant in the square. And man—the tajine d’agneau aux pruneaux et légumes was… You know when you eat something and you’re looking for that extra oomph? That tajine had a lot of oomph.

I arrived in Marrakesh hungry, sleepless, and with low expectations. I left full, well-rested, and pleasantly surprised. Yes, there was chaos—a swirling mix of locals and tourists—but it was organized. The people were kind. Vendors didn’t hassle us (or maybe I just had my usual bitchy resting face on). I even had a fun little conversation with a taxi driver on the way to the hotel—95% of which neither of us understood thanks to my broken French and his equally broken English. But it was still fun. Short and sweet.