Photo Competition

My university runs a photo competition for all those who have been on a year abroad to encourage us to capture unique moments of our travels. As if I needed any encouragement to take photos and document?? However, this leaves me in a tricky situation as I now have so many favourite photos that I have to narrow down into two entries. The theme is "All the world's a stage" which is admittedly a very open and applicable subject. Below are a few photos I have shortlisted as my favourite pictures and together they summarise pretty nicely my trip. 

Which is your favourite, which should I enter? Leave me a comment with your opinions and help me decided! 

Mood - Indecisive

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Morocco - Part 4 Ait Ben Haddou

I want to tell you about a place, a very very cool place, in the middle of nowhere, that may quite possibly be my favourite place that we visited on our road-trip. Ait Ben Haddou sits piled high a couple of hours out of Marrakech, only accessible over a twisted mountain pass and bumpy single track gravel road. After navigating our way out of the city we continued to follow the only road into the distance and up into the Atlas mountains. On the way we were treated to a diverse range of scenery, from lakes, to wasteland, to desert, to mountains and finally the route of a thousand kasbahs. 

Ait Ben Haddou is one of these kasbahs that blends seamlessly into the horizon due to the brick red colour of the houses. You enter the village via a dirt track and are given a tour around the maze of narrow alleys by a friendly villager. Only eight families still live in the old kasbah, made out of mud and straw, as many have migrated to the newer town a mile or so away because of the availability of electricity, flowing water and education! Whilst I can't knock those who decided to move, especially those who moved to give their children an education, I definitely have the upmost respect for those who continue to live a traditional life, especially surrounded by the temptation of modern changes.

Life is simple in the kasbah, with animals serving as the focus of family life, literally, as they live in the houses with the families and are used for travel, carrying, labour and eating. Despite the hardships of life the people are so warm and friendly. Community is the name of the game in this little village, the women even have a labour cooperative. We were kindly invited in for traditional Berber tea and I just couldn't get over how amazingly beautiful and welcoming the tea room was. 

I should also mention that Ait Ben Haddou is a well established film set for huge feature films such as Gladiator and even Game of Thrones. All the inhabitants are eager to tell you about their experience being extras in most of the films, Russell Crowe is everywhere and is awarded hero stations by the village. I loved witnessing the paradoxical blend of modern consumer culture with the tradition way of life in order to create a unique community spirit and culture found in the middle of no-where in a humble and simple kasbah. 

If you are in the area, or even if you are not, go and visit the village of Ait Ben Haddou and meet the sweetest people of North Africa and the best cup of sweet tea you will ever taste.

Mood - Welcomed 

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Morocco - Part 3 Marrakech

I have decided to do a blog post entirely devoted to the Majorelle Gardens because, quite frankly, they deserve it and are just too beautiful to be scrummed together with another post. The French artist Jacques Majorelle designed they gardens during the colonial period, when Morocco was a protectorate of France. Later, Yves Saint Laurent bought the garden after finding that it was a place he could enjoy peace, calm and beauty amongst the busy streets of the city. There is now a memorial to Yves Saint Laurent in the gardens which attracts faithful fashionistas in their hundreds. These botanical gardens provide a green and lush area that we do not associate with Morocco, the whole space literally is an oasis in the middle of a desert. Clever planting of bamboos and cactus creates walls of beautiful and fresh vegetation that shades the heat of the morning sun and brightly painted urns contrast refreshingly with the rich green backdrop. However, the real impact is made he with the bright cobalt blue accents, including the walls, which illuminate the gardens and just form such a simple and classic place to be. 

We spent several lazy hours meandering the gardens, shaded by leafy palms and soothed with the flow and tinkle of flowing water. The garden literally surrounds you at several points, with flowers blooming overhead and tall bamboos creating corridors leading to deep blue pools of water and life. The memorial is worth a moments pause and reflection, whether you are a fashion follower on not. Just being in the garden is enough to feel an overwhelming love for art, beauty and creative minds. 

The small courtyard garden cafe is worth a stop and provides the perfect viewpoint of the garden. Shaded by immense sails you can enjoy a homemade ice tea or rich fruit cocktail whilst watching the passing visitors wandering the gardens and listening to the silent peace of the garden. 

In my opinion, the Majorelle gardens were my personal highlight in Marrakech, I just cannot imagine a nicer place to spend a morning. I will definitely be back! 

Mood - In need of a calming place 

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Morocco - Part 2 Marrakech

Day two in Marrakech and we were woken early by morning calls to prayer and fresh orange juice on the roof top terrace. Hannah's cooking featured an array of flurry, sweet pancakes smothered in honey and home made jam and certainly set us up for a busy day of exploring. 

We decided that it was best to tackle the sprawling maze of souks on a full stomach and so set off into an Aladdin's cave of goods, sweet treats and trinkets. The walls narrow and the light dims as shop after shop are piled almost of top of each other, each claiming their place to do a bustling trade. It's amazing that donkeys are squeezed amongst traders, shoppers, bikers and animals roaming the lanes creating a condensed form a the mayhem that exists in the streets. Everything you could image you wanted to buy is sold in the markets, even live tortoises, steelworkers and fried bugs. We sniffed our way to the food souks where we emerged into a fragrant courtyard, slightly misty with the aroma of freshly cooked treats and spices. 

For dinner we visited the Place Jemaa el Fna in the centre of the city to see where everything happens, the centre of city life as it were. We had been told that at the end of the day the slick, cheeky traders clear away their carts piled high with trinkets to make way for hundreds of street food stalls that together create the biggest barbecue in the world. Needless to say I was sold, despite feeling a little watched due to my blonde hair and pale skin, the atmosphere was lively and festive with a mix of tourists and Moroccans alike. We had been informed by Mustafa that stalls 1, 12 and 14 were the places to be in terms of delicious and safe food and we quickly made a bee-line to them. I was please to see that there was not a tourist in sight around these stalls as the food looked slightly too risky for most european palates. We muscled our way onto the benches and called out our order to the cook who quickly pilled the table high with dish after dish of fresh fried fish, aubergine, potatoes, spicy sauce and yes, arabic coke! We left completely full, fingers crossed not to have food poisoning and only a few Dirham shorter. 

Mood - Feeling proud for surviving Moroccan street feed without a problem! 

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