Salam Marrakech!

Having spent a few months in continental Europe, we decided to shake things up a bit and visit a new continent – Africa! Unfortunately our visit there was limited to Morocco, but that's where the disappointment ended. With hypnotic snake charmers, sizzling tagines, bustling bazaars and the smell of fresh mint following us everywhere, our senses were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stimulation around them.

Bundles and bundles of deliciously fresh mint!

Jam-packed full of yumminess tagine!!

Marrakech was our first stop. Renowned for its jam-packed souk (night market) held every evening, we were incredibly eager to check it out and fill our bellies with the goodies that were on offer. Within a matter of hours hundreds of food stalls were set up in what had been a barren square by day, transforming the square into a smoky, crowded, noisy and bustling souk. Admittedly, choosing a stall to eat at wasn't the most relaxing experience, with waiters hastling and shouting at us every few steps to coax us into eating at their restaurant. But all of the chaos contributed to an exciting and electric atmosphere, and it was great fun sharing a delicious Moroccan meal amongst the buzz.

We had a delicious dinner with Justine and Michael!

Working our way through the crowds of people inside the souk

A bustling food stall

The view of the souk from a cafe above

A more intimate experience was had on our second last day in Marrakech. Along with a few new Pommy friends, we decided to visit a hamaam, a Moroccan bath house. Moroccan hammams are rooted in thousands of years of history and tradition, and are not only a place for locals to cleanse their bodies, but also somewhere for them to socialise. In fact, hammams are such a significant part of Moroccan culture that every quarter in old towns like Marrakech have to have a hamaam. So there were plenty for us to chose from. And annoyingly plenty of touts trying to get our business. After being led down a few wrong, desolate alleys, and being quoted ridiculous prices by said hopeful touts, we chose a private (as opposed to a public) hamaam to spend the next couple of hours. Given that males and females are separated, Lucy (one of our new Pommy friends) and I said goodbye to the fellas and went off for our hamaam experience.

Moroccan tea!

I have to admit I was rather nervous about going. I'd read a range of reviews describing various hamaam experiences, everything from men having been inappropriately touched by their masseuses, to women getting ice-cold water thrown at them during the session in the name of rejuvenation. Understandably I was not particularly keen to experience either of these. On the other hand, I was very eager to experience this bathing ritual, and was happy to take the risk. And luckily for me the risk paid off. After being given paper g-strings to wear and told to whip off our bras, Lucy and I were marched over to a marble table where our bodies were cleansed with luke-warm water. After 5 or so minutes, we went inside a steam room, which opened our pores and loosened our dead skin cells. Finally, we were led back to the marble tables, where we were scrubbed vigorously with rough exfoliating gloves. And for the record, four months of being 'on the road' meant a lot of dead skin being exfoliated. All of this took around 40 minutes, and by the end of it our skin had never felt so silky smooth and revitalized. As far as external detoxes go, this one felt incredible, and despite the initial surprise at having to remain near-nude the entire time amongst strangers, it was a wonderfully relaxing and indulgent experience!

This delightful looking fish-paste was spread all over the boys' bodies during their hamaam session too!

Morocco is an incredibly arid country, with 78 percent of of it being dessert land. Surprisingly though, it's also home to some incredible natural beauty that you wouldn't expect to find in such an arid country. Keen to explore some of Morocco's countryside, we went on a daytrip to Ouzoud, home of the stunning Ouzoud Falls. And at 110m high, they were absolutely breathtaking! Unfortunately as cliché as it sounds, our photos don't do the falls justice, but I'm sure you'll be able to appreciate how stunning they were!  

Diving into the fresh waterfall water, minus the bellyflop this time

Rainbow!! (pinky promise this has not been photo-shopped in!)