Marakkech part 2

Before we start our journey hope you have looked through the Day 1 Marakkech blog .If you are still reading then I assume that you are intrigued enough by the Day 1.

Day 2 started with one more day of scrumptious breakfast at Marakkech. One thing that I completely missed mentioning and which I definitely should have had is the orange and the orange juice. I have never ever ever had such a yummy juice before. My very definition of bitter sweet orange juice changed to just sweet natural orange juice in Marakkech. Wherever you go you can easily spot orange trees

We had booked for a personalized trip which included a 4 by 4 along with a driver and of course some scenic mountain and routes on the way. Marakkech has been traditionally inhabited by Berbers  and thus all along the way you can see beautiful Berber villages and settlements. Definitely reminded me of  Garhwal yet again

The first sight of Snow-capped Atlas Mountain was quite breath-taking. We were looking at the highest peak of Atlas Mountains range which stretches through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia . We weren’t prepared for a complete trekking trip but we decided to spend some time in a hilly village called Imlil which is the starting point for the ascent of Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa. Open roof top restaurants with sunshine was in perfect juxtaposition against the snowy mountains. Former wanted to put you into sleep like a baby and the later rose the excitement levels high like a toddler with a Tobo bike.

One of the most annoying thing throughout Marrakech has been the amount of pestering any tour guide or local shop owner would do. Just because we didn’t trust any guides so we ended up not going all the way to the waterfall. However this was compensated by the next stop which was going through Ourika Valley & the waterfalls. All along the river bank colorful chairs made the route prettier .

After a small trek we finally reached the Ouirika waterfall. It was already getting bit dark so most of the people were already retreating, we thus decided to not trek to the highest point and rather spent some time at the 1^st stop at the waterfall.

On our way back we once again enjoyed a small session of Moroccan tea however by this time we started missing Indian food. After quick search & recommendations online we chose Les Jardins De Bala – Indian restaurant near the square. We loved the food and the hospitality however the attire made me cringe a bit. The staff was almost all set to go for an Indian wedding rather than serving at a 5 star restaurant. Anyhow being tired enough I didn’t bother much and ended the day with little bit of sadness as the feeling had started sinking in that the next day was going to be the last day of vacation.

Day 3. – I was determined to put some henna on my hands and thus we invited a lady as recommended by Hotel . We opted inviting her as compared to doing it at square as there were mixed reviews online about quality of henna being put at the square. Me with my daughter loved the whole process and with green and glittery hands we once gain ventured out for some sight spotting on foot.

We were in for a delight when we reached the gardens of a 5 star hotel called La Mamounia which apparently was now  a boutique hotel and had kept its gardens open for public viewing. The opulent Moorish inspired hotel looked every bit Royal . The carefully cultivated gardens and pool views was enchanting enough and I wouldn’t have been surprised to spot one or 2 celebrities. Or maybe there were and I would have recognised for the lack of knowledge is French or Moroccon industry

Since we were to catch a flight in evening so not rushing into things we decided to have our mini lunch ( J ) at the hotel and then headed off to the airport picking bags form our Riad.

I had collected enough memories during this small but much needed relaxing trip to look forward to now my flight back home.