Morocco: Kids in Berber villages

The villages in the Atlas Mountains are all filled with the native Berber population.  Below are some of the kids who live in the village and love lollypops from visitors. 

Morocco: Sheep in Atlas Mountains

 Below are some of the sheep from the Atlas Mountains and their minders.  

Morocco: Monkeys in Atlas Mountains

What a treat.  We were hiking up a waterfall in the Ourika Valley with a guide, and he spotted monkeys that had come down from the mountains that only takes place a few weeks a year because of something with the climate of when they come down to look for food.  

The came down and were just hanging out in the ruins/rubble around the trail, hanging out, playing.  I was completely mesmerized by them and could have stayed there all day watching them and taking photos. 

Morocco: More Donkeys

 More working donkeys out in the Atlas Mountains.  Poor donkeys have to work hard. 

Morocco: Berber village in Atlas Mountains

 We went into a local Berber home and got tea from a local woman in the Atlas Mountains. 

Morocco: Atlas Mountains

We spent several days exploring the beautiful Atlas Mountains and the Ourika Valley.  The mountains were beautiful, remote and lush, considering how hot it gets nearby in the summer.  In the mountains, the sun was still strong, but the weather had a lovely breeze and was great to get off the beaten path and see some small Berber villages in these remote villages in South Eastern Morocco, which run along the Sahara desert.  

Morocco: Anima Gardens outside Marrakech

Outside the heat of Marrakech is the Anima Gardens, which is a 2-acre botanical gardens that is a relaxing and chill break from the heat and chaos of Marrakech.  The gardens have lots of quirky art and sculptures mixed into the garden which makes it a fun place to visit. 

Morocco: Camels & Pony rides

 Many of the little villages in the Atlas Mountains have camels and ponies that you can go ride on. 

Morocco: Donkeys in Marrakech

Donkeys are one of my favorite animals.  But unfortunately in Marrakech, they were used pretty universally to haul garbage out of the old town and through the maze of alleyways.  

Morocco: Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech

The hype around Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech is real.  Its one of the few places that has ever exceeded my expectations for how unusual and lively it is.  It feels truly exotic and special.  You walk down these crowded laneways that are filled with stalls, people walking and motor-scooters zooming past you.  And at the end of the maze of the laneways, it opens up to this massive open space of snake charmers, music, wanderers and even more stalls.  I've never experienced anything like the sights, sounds and smells of this vast open space at the end of the maze of laneways.  Its incredibly unique and memorable.

Below are some photos of some of the sights, people and vendors in both the maze of laneways and in Jemaa el-Fnaa.  The snake charmers were so strange, but I could not photograph them without getting sucked into their money-taking racket.  

Morocco: View of the Hassan II mosque

 From a rooftop at the top of the Sofitel hotel further in-land in Casablanca was a great panoramic view of the city, the ocean and the Hassan II mosque.  Lets you really appreciate just how big the mosque is and how vast the city of Casablanca is.