Travel Diary #38 : Christmas in a muslim country 🎅🏻🐫
Salam aleykoum !
Life goes on in Morocco, punctuated by excursions to the market, surfing sessions and sunsets each more beautiful than the last. I decided not to go home for the holidays and I think I’m getting used to spend Christmas at the beach.
Photo credit : Alexis
Before the wave 🌊
After the wave 🌧
Last week's activity was the search for a “hidden treasure”. A German girl who stayed at the hostel left me a map to reach a beautiful oasis in the middle of a gorge hidden in the mountains. She camped alone for a few nights and drew me a map so I could find the exact same spot. And that’s how the adventure began…
Like Leonardo Dicaprio looking for "the beach", we pass on the map from group to group to find this heavenly spot a few hours walk from the hotel. We finally reached the famous palm tree spot in which the people before us had left a "treasure".
Watch the sunset from the skatepark is always special :
Every Wednesday, we go to the big food market in the village of Aourir. We come back with our arms full of veggies and it’s the perfect excuse to fill up our stock of Amlou (a delicious Moroccan dip made of roasted almonds, argan oil and honey. .... I dare you to try it and say it's not the best thing in the world).
In case you were still wondering, Muslim do not celebrate Christmas. That means no Christmas music in the stores, no decorations in the streets, and - my favorite part - no pressure to make gifts.
Living in an hostel full of expats, we decided to organize our own Christmas. I spent the day watching the surfers at the mythical spot of Anchor point before sharing a dinner in my favorite hostel. The menu ? Sushis and moroccan couscous. A meal that made no sense, which made the celebration even more special.
These past few weeks have been very paradoxical for me. So sweet and simple on the outside but very challenging on the inside. I had a lot of time on my hands and my mind decided it was time to face some inner battles. You’ll always have something better to do than take time to listen to yourself, but that's my challenge for the next few weeks.
Happy holidays, see you in the next one ! 🎅🏻💛
