Morocco... a feast for the senses!! A smorgasbord for Sights, sounds, smells, tastes are all found throughout the Country.
Leaving New York City, the trekkers met Layne (our Photographer for the week) and Michelle at JFK and boarded a plane for what would be a week of many different cities, experiences, textures and photographs!
Marrakech was the first of many stops and where we met Hicham, our guide extraordinaire, who traveled with us the entire week. The Medina was our stop for this city as it presents the meeting point for the old and the new. The young and the old. We stood up top the rooftop and were able to focus cameras and our visions into the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. Smells from the food vendors combined with the many, many mopeds that zoomed through the narrow passages of this old city. Open air markets, vendors of spices, meats, fruits, clothing, and tea pots packed every possible inch of this social gathering place. As evening descended, the smells and sights became more and more pronounced that made the city become a mecca for the city’s dwellers. The snake charmers, the monkey handlers, henna painters and story tellers seem to come out of nowhere to entertain the tourists and the young adults.
We were able to make a detour off the itinerary to visit the coastal city of Essaouira. Each town in Morocco has a representative color and this city was no different. The Blue of the city was found on boats, doorways, awnings and even the fishing nets. We spent a couple of hours in the city and were not disappointed with the vast opportunities to take pictures of people, fish, crafts, winding city streets and the colorful people doing their shopping for the evening’s meal.
We were also able to visit the visually stunning Marjorelle gardens that were also purchased by Yves St. Laurent. The gardens boast a vibrant blue throughout. The gardens had been restored after 1962 so that visitors can enjoy the quietness of the luxuriant gardens.
Once leaving Marrakech, we headed towards OUARZAZATE. The road to Ouarzazate (where —was-ot) is one of the great roads through the country. Through the Dades valley, we passed the Valley of the Roses, the Draa valley, the Dades gorge. We also visited in Erfoud, a city that overflows with Dates as well as Marble that contains fossils. We also visited a plant that creates everything imaginable from the marble. The handiwork of the men was fascinating. The road was certainly one that wound through the Middle and High Atlas Mountains that gave some gorgeous sites of the varying climates of Morocco.
Ouarzazate was our launch site for a day spent in the Sahara desert. From this city, we boarded our 4 wheel drive vehicles for a trip into the brick colored desert for an hour drive on no particular highway. We found our way to the place were we boarded our camels to see the sunset in the glorious desert and continued on the 45 minute trek on our tall, 4 legged vehicles. It is here that we returned to an encampment that sprang up from no where. The tents were made from carpets. It is here that we spent and enchanted evening under the stars learning from Layne about lighting, taking photos of stars and playing the local drums. We all rose early the next morning to capture the light of a beautiful sunrise among a very large sand dune.
Once aboard the bus, we headed for our two days in Fes. Once in Fes, we headed to the Medina to view the many souks. The Tanning souks presented us with a 1,000 year old way of making and dyeing leather. The Spice souks, material souks and the foods spilled out into the medina in small passage ways. Layne took yet another spontaneous moment to show us how to use ambient lighting to capture the natural environment to tell the story of where we were.
The time spent with Layne allowed all on the trek to gain insight into their own photography and push their individual skills. The many sights in each city certainly came through in each person’s photos that revealed their own perspective of the sounds, smells (mint tea), sights, textures and experiences in Morocco.
Denise Hurst
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