The van cruised along, seven of its passengers asleep, leaving just me, our driver, and tour guide, Ismael, to take in our surroundings. They’d done this tour hundreds of times, but for me, it was the very first time I laid eyes on the Sahara–and it felt like a welcome sight after the past couple
MOROCCO
Frenetic Fes
I expected to like Fes more than I did. But honestly, it felt like a dirty maze where most everyone was out to scam you. The fortressed walls don’t help make the medina feel like a particularly safe or comfortable place—that’s not to say that I felt unsafe or uncomfortable—but never particularly at ease either. (And
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MOROCCO
Photo Friday: Sahara Desert, Morocco
I’ve decided to discontinue the Foodie Friday series and instead start a Photo Friday series! So, each Friday from here on out, I’ll share one of my favorite photos from my travels with a short description of where it is or the circumstances behind it. When I visited Morocco, one of the things I looked
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MOROCCO
To Morocco, with Love
Morocco has been the most challenging place I’ve ever visited to sum up in a couple of posts. It’s also the place I’ve gotten the most questions about and so I tried to give some inside perspective in a previous post, and I feel like all that did was give the wrong impressions of my
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MOROCCO
Hardened and Broken in Morocco
One thing I find I have a hard time doing while traveling is writing extensively about my feelings or reactions to a place when I am there. In most of Europe, it’s been easy enough for me to sum up after leaving: this place was amazing; this place was beautiful; I can’t wait to see
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MOROCCO
Falling for Morocco in Chefchaouen
“Ohmigod, Madam, What is the problem?! Three times I ask you [to come smoke hash] and three times you say ‘no thank you!’” “I said, ‘no thank you!’” “Ah, okay, I see you tomorrow morning.”
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FOODIE FRIDAY
Foodie Friday: Typical Moroccan Dishes
When you think of Moroccan food, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Because for me, prior to my travels there, it was spices. I was thrilled to try dishes packed with flavor and potentially palate-burning spices. What I found instead, was bland and boring food, sadly. In fact, I can count on two
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FOODIE FRIDAY
Foodie Friday: Moroccan Mint Tea (and Cookies!)
A few years ago, I dated a Moroccan man, Ishmael*, for a few months. One morning, early into the short fling, he disappeared to the kitchen for a bit while I rubbed my sleepy eyes, sitting on the couch in the next room, wondering what it was that he was doing. When he returned, he carried a
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MOROCCO
Humankind(ness)
When you travel for a while, you encounter all manner of people, and I’m sad to say that sometimes those encounters can sour you on humankind. I’ve always wanted to believe that every person is truly good at heart, but when I look at the state of the world, I know that it’s naïve of