My Marrakesh

Marrakesh: and a tale of an end and a new beginning

Dear friends,

We grow older and things change.  And so it is with this little blog.  My Marrakesh has moved homes!  Please find me here in my new, swanky digs!

I promise that you'll continue to find memorable little tales,  life at Peacock Pavilions, #tribalchic finds, and travels to farflung places.  And of course, lots of beautiful images. 

Yes, the good stuff that all of us modern nomads like to see:-)

And please do subscribe on my new SquareSpace site to receive My Marrakesh once or twice a week in your inbox.  

Just a little inspiration from me to you. Yes?

 

 xo,

Maryam

in an olive grove in Marrakesh

Marrakech Morocco: and a tale of my stint on CNN Go

Dear Friends,

In exciting news I am on CNN Go's travel show this month, which airs TODAY on CNN (and will repeat over the course of the month).  It was so fun being part of the crazy cast of characters who love the Red City of Marrakech and want to share it with you.  

Take a peek at the promo (those are my henna'd hands and that's me in the hot air balloon!:-)): 

Let me know if you catch the episode.  It's airing on CNN International.

Many many thanks to adorable CNN Producer Gisella Deputato for including me!

    xo

    Maryam in Marrakech

Vogue: and a tale of Lupita Nyongo in Morocco

When I tell people that I live in Morocco, they often ask me how I like living in the Middle East.  They blink when I tell them that I don't live in the Middle East -- that Morocco is in Africa.  

I have to confess that I felt a kind of thrill when I saw Lupita Nyongo was in Morocco for this Vogue photo shoot.  Doing Morocco and Africa proud.  

She's mesmerized and mesmerizing.  

 

Lupita Nyonga in July 2014 Vogue, Photographed by Mikael Jansson 

Beauty, brains and doing good.  She's got it.  A role model for us all.

Marrakech Morocco: and a tale of hot air ballooning with Ciel d'Afrique

It was so early that it was still night when I set off.  A ride and then another ride until I was a short distance from the red city of Marrakech.  The Moroccan hot air balloon men unloaded their equipment and then, after testing the wind, they began scurrying.  

Night began to become day.

Another balloon flew away just as the sun came out.

Stretched out, my balloon was an astonishing size.  So big that I wondered if it might not carry me away forever.

An internal fire breather pumped the balloon up until it was, quite astonishingly, full. 

Oh.

I climbed aboard.  And then gently, so gently, I floated away.

My French pilot's name was Maurice, of course.

He had manned thousands of flights. 

I felt safe as the ground fell quickly beneath me until  we were 3000 feet high.

The balloon's fire breathing heart kept us aloft.But mostly it was silent, perfectly silent.  I saw our shadow drifting along the landscape.

I don't believe in God.  But at the same time, I wondered if perhaps this was what heaven was like.  It felt luminous, like I had a third eye.

All too soon, after about an hour, it was over.

But I won't soon forget.   

If you're coming to Marrakesh, perhaps it's time for your own encounter. {Tell Maurice I sent you to see heaven.}

Ciel d'Afrique, Hot air ballooning in Marrakech Morocco

Imm. Ali, Appt.4, 2ème étage. Route de Targa - Victor Hugo

Tél.: +212 (5)24 43 28 43, +212 (6)61 13 70 51

E-mail: [email protected]