Morroco

Morocco. A spectacular assault on the senses. We touched down late in the evening in Marrakesh, and made our way to our hostel through the grand, open air ´Djemma El Fna´ marketplace - an enormous, open-air square, surrounded by minarets and brimming with everything from exotic fruits & spices to acrobats, musicians & snake charmers. The music and the crowds drummed on through the night, and the market never failed to bewilder. We spent 3 days in Marrakesh, exploring the market and the maze of surrounding ´souks´- long, winding streets filled with colorful tapestries, shoes and other goods from local craftsmen. What a crazy and amazing place. From Marrakesh, we ultimately made our way to Merzouga in the arid southern dessert, stopping to see the amazing clay fortress of Ait Benhaddou on the way. Merzougga served as a base for our camel trek into the beautiful dunes of Erg Chebbi. The trek was incredible - miles through rolling, golden sand on camel back to camp outside, beneath the stars, with nothing around us for miles. This was one of our favorite experiences in all our travels. After Merzouga, we made our way up to the northern cities of Fes and Meknes, where we spent a few days exploring and relaxing before crossing into Spain. Morocco was possibly the most difficult places we´ve travelled (transportation challenges, cultural differences, etc), but also one of the most exotic and, therefore, rewarding. Following are images of the market (including me posing uncomfortably with a cobra), Ait Benhaddou, and our camel trek in Erg Chebbi.