Sailing the Sahara: a trek through Morocco
“Sailing the Sahara”
Be swept away by the sands of history, havens and haute culture in exotic Morocco.
published in the August 2009 issue of Lifestyle Asia Travel magazine
words by FELICITY TAN
Morocco is a kingdom that sits on the confluence of three world cultures, caught in the grips of a grandiose history and an uncertain future. Its former capital Marrakech is a sprawling city drizzled in pink dust, with its imposing buildings that remind of its bygone grandeur reaching out to the gray desert sky.
It is the perfect place to begin your Moroccan adventure through deserts, mountains, seas and time. It seems as if the sun embraces the whole earth in Marrakech; it’ a wonder anything flourishes here. Stroll through the olive groves of Menara Basin, the old stomping grounds of Moroccan royalty, where in the distance loom the snowy peaks of the Atlas. A visual thirst-quencher would be Les Jardins Marjorelles, a floral oasis in this desert town, designed by the late Yves Saint Laurent.
Before the sun sets, cross over into Old Marrakech within the medina walls, largely unchanged since the 11th century. Along its winding streets and peachcolored alleys is a wonderland of shops that sell golden trinkets, plush carpets and exotic spices. This is Djemaa el-Fna, the largest souk in North Africa. It is a haze of pottery, jewelry and fresh fruit, and every now and then, goats’ heads dangling from a stall. A fire breathes life to the market square as soon as the sun sets behind the towering minaret of Koutoubia Mosque. By the time the stars are out, Marrakech has burst alive with acrobats, snake charmers, jugglers and storytellers huddled around a fire. Read more
