Morocco Morockin Week 3
The majority of people who come to Taghazout come to surf, which they should it is a bonafide surf village after all. Just don't forget to check out the wonders and adventures this small corner of Morocco has to offer.
This week I had three unique experiences I will never forget. I partied Taghazout style at Paradise Place, hiked and cliff jumped at Paradise Valley, and got rubbed and scrubbed at the local Hammam.
On Tuesday nights Paradise Place is where the party's at. It a pretty standard beach party/bar with drinks, music, and fire pit. You are almost guaranteed to see everyone you saw earlier in the wave line up lining up at the bar. Because, who doesn't like a cold beer after a long day of surf and sun. I would recommend going with some good music in mind though. They don't exactly have a DJ, more like a bartender that presses play on YouTube. Just put in a few requests and get the party going. You never know you might find yourself in a dance battle with one of the local surf instructors while everyone else forms a circle around you. You, of course, beat his ass.
The next day we got up and headed off to Paradise Valley. It takes about an hour car ride to get to where the hike starts. Then, another fifteen to twenty minutes hike to actually get to the valley. The drive is not smooth, it is rocky, narrow, and full of potholes with a few speckled patches of concrete road. But it is 100% worth it.
Once you reach the valley it's like you left Morocco and stepped into a tropical oasis. If I was stranded wondering aimlessly through the dessert, my mind would create exactly Paradise Valley as my mirage. It's like riding on the tail of a parrot. Warm orange-red rock line a valley of crystal green-blue pools full of little fish without a care in the world. It was the first time I unquestionably wish I was a fish so I could call that place home. There are natural cliffs people test their guts jumping into the pools, there are little natural water slides kids can spash in, and waterfalls to shower in. You can't help but to step back and think Mother Nature is positively breathtaking. There are also small shack resturants to munch on some traditional Moroccan quinine if you get hungry.
Going to the local Hammam was the most shocking experience I have had yet. A hammam is advertised much like a spa with massages, waxes, facials, and full body cleans. Really it is more like a sixth century bathhouse in Greece. You strip down to your underwear (no bra ladies) and walk into a giant steam room where women are sitting on the floor washing themselves with buckets of hot water. The group of (very white) girls I was with each paid for a full massage before we knew what we were walking into. Turns out it wasn't a typical massage, more like an extreme skin cleaning and scrub down by one of the local women who worked there.
Me being a young unmarried white girl with dreadlocks, tattoos, and piercing (especially nipple piercings) I have never felt so disrespectful towards other women. I am someone who is extremely comfortable with nudity and my own naked unperfect body, but damn did I feel uncomfortable. Yet, at the same time it felt like "the royal treatment". All royals back in the day never washed themselves, they always had a handmaiden to do the washing for them.
It turned out being a greatly relaxing feeling having someone bathe you. It felt an ultimate cleans having someone else scrub away all the dirt, dead skin, and nastiness off your body. The lady I had was very sweet with a kind smile and gentle but strong hands. However, it was quite gross seeing all the dead skin and dirt from my body and all the other women's bodies float across the floor and down to the drain.
All in all it was a greatly interesting experience for me and probably for the women there. Needless to say, I was the most memorable customer they have had in a while. I might not ever go to a Hammam again, but I would, with out a doubt, recommend it to everyone to go at lease once. Good or bad it is one hell of a memory I/anyone will have the wrest of their lives.
This week I had three unique experiences I will never forget. I partied Taghazout style at Paradise Place, hiked and cliff jumped at Paradise Valley, and got rubbed and scrubbed at the local Hammam.
On Tuesday nights Paradise Place is where the party's at. It a pretty standard beach party/bar with drinks, music, and fire pit. You are almost guaranteed to see everyone you saw earlier in the wave line up lining up at the bar. Because, who doesn't like a cold beer after a long day of surf and sun. I would recommend going with some good music in mind though. They don't exactly have a DJ, more like a bartender that presses play on YouTube. Just put in a few requests and get the party going. You never know you might find yourself in a dance battle with one of the local surf instructors while everyone else forms a circle around you. You, of course, beat his ass.
The next day we got up and headed off to Paradise Valley. It takes about an hour car ride to get to where the hike starts. Then, another fifteen to twenty minutes hike to actually get to the valley. The drive is not smooth, it is rocky, narrow, and full of potholes with a few speckled patches of concrete road. But it is 100% worth it.
Once you reach the valley it's like you left Morocco and stepped into a tropical oasis. If I was stranded wondering aimlessly through the dessert, my mind would create exactly Paradise Valley as my mirage. It's like riding on the tail of a parrot. Warm orange-red rock line a valley of crystal green-blue pools full of little fish without a care in the world. It was the first time I unquestionably wish I was a fish so I could call that place home. There are natural cliffs people test their guts jumping into the pools, there are little natural water slides kids can spash in, and waterfalls to shower in. You can't help but to step back and think Mother Nature is positively breathtaking. There are also small shack resturants to munch on some traditional Moroccan quinine if you get hungry.
Going to the local Hammam was the most shocking experience I have had yet. A hammam is advertised much like a spa with massages, waxes, facials, and full body cleans. Really it is more like a sixth century bathhouse in Greece. You strip down to your underwear (no bra ladies) and walk into a giant steam room where women are sitting on the floor washing themselves with buckets of hot water. The group of (very white) girls I was with each paid for a full massage before we knew what we were walking into. Turns out it wasn't a typical massage, more like an extreme skin cleaning and scrub down by one of the local women who worked there.
Me being a young unmarried white girl with dreadlocks, tattoos, and piercing (especially nipple piercings) I have never felt so disrespectful towards other women. I am someone who is extremely comfortable with nudity and my own naked unperfect body, but damn did I feel uncomfortable. Yet, at the same time it felt like "the royal treatment". All royals back in the day never washed themselves, they always had a handmaiden to do the washing for them.
It turned out being a greatly relaxing feeling having someone bathe you. It felt an ultimate cleans having someone else scrub away all the dirt, dead skin, and nastiness off your body. The lady I had was very sweet with a kind smile and gentle but strong hands. However, it was quite gross seeing all the dead skin and dirt from my body and all the other women's bodies float across the floor and down to the drain.
All in all it was a greatly interesting experience for me and probably for the women there. Needless to say, I was the most memorable customer they have had in a while. I might not ever go to a Hammam again, but I would, with out a doubt, recommend it to everyone to go at lease once. Good or bad it is one hell of a memory I/anyone will have the wrest of their lives.
#morocco #travelmorocco #taghazoutmorcco #paradiseplacemorocco #paradisevalleymorocco # hammam #travel #travelbug #livelifetothefullest #luckyIgettolivemylife
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