This is the second episode in a 4-part series about my trip to Morocco for a vacation. If you missed the first one, please read it here- Vacationing in Morocco: Arriving Marrakech.
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My first day of exploring Morocco was marked by two major activities- quad biking and dinner under the moonlight at Agafay desert.
After retiring for the previous day around 1 am, I wanted to sleep in till 9am-ish. But I woke up around 7am because I needed to do a couple of things- asides having breakfast. For one, I wanted to journal while soaking in some vitamin D lounging in the sit-out area I spotted on our way to dinner the previous night.
For breakfast, I had croissant and pain au chocolate with some beet juice. The breakfast menu was somewhat rich. There were different pastries, tea, coffee, cereals, eggs (boiled and omelette), pancake, fruits, yoghurt, salad, etc.
I managed to journal for a couple of minutes before my travel companions came to the sit out area. We took some pictures and did the TikTok Tshwala bami dance challenge as we waited for our tour bus to come and pick us. I would have uploaded the video of the dance challenge we did, but I have a reputation to protect😂😂.
Quad biking, vroom vroooom 🏍
The weather was 31°C when we left the hotel. Thankfully, the bus had an AC and Wi-Fi which we connected to. None of us got a sim card during our stay in Morocco. So having a Wi-Fi on the bus helped us stay connected.
Getting to the palm grove
The place we went biking was a palm grove area. It was a vast open space of dry land sparsely littered with palm trees. It took us almost an hour to get there.
As we drove along the wide, smoothly tared roads, flanked by stony, arid terrains to the palm grove, I couldn’t help but think of Lagos- or of what Lagos should have been- a city with neatly tared roads that wasn’t brimming with dirt and stench.
During our ride, I noticed that Moroccan flags were almost everywhere- on the street corners, billboards, fence, etc. You could hardly drive for up to a mile without seeing one or two Moroccan flags. I don’t know if this is a normal thing in many countries, but I found this unusual.
Quad biking
Before riding, I was a bit anxious. I don’t know how to operate any motorized vehicle, and it didn’t help that a couple of days earlier, I stumbled on a video of a lady who had an accident riding a quad bike. But I was eagerly looking forward to the experience, and I was willing to try.
When we got to the arena, a staff at the quad bike company asked if we knew how to ride a quad bike. 3, out of 13 of us knew. So he taught us the essentials- how to accelerate, brake, and turn. After teaching us, we kitted up for the ride with a helmet and googles, before getting on the bikes.
When we got on the bikes, the instructors did some final precautionary checks. They checked that we placed our legs correctly on the foot rests and answered our questions.
The instructors made us drive in a straight line, then in circles, within a short distance before letting us drive long distance in the open plains. One thing I appreciated the most was how attentive and present the riding instructors were. They rode with us, making sure we remained safe and didn’t miss our way.
After riding, we converged to take pictures then went to drink some Moroccan tea. After drinking tea, some people went for a second ride. When we were all done riding, the instructors used an air compressor (I think that’s what it’s called) to blow the dust off our clothes and shoes. Afterwards, we drove back to the hotel to rest and prepare for our trip to Agafay desert for dinner.
My quad biking experience was thrilling. Previously, I wondered why power bike riders are infatuated about power biking, given how risky it is. But after quad biking for an hour, I get it 💯. It’s the adrenaline rush and sense of freedom it gives. When I was riding on that bike, I felt excited. Free. Unstoppable. I felt like I could do anything indeed.
If you plan on adding quad biking to your itinerary when you visit Morocco, I 100% endorse. Don’t feel anxious. There’ll be an instructor to guide you.
Have you ridden a quad bike before? How did it make you feel?
Dinner under the moonlight at Agafay desert
This activity was one of the activities I looked forward to the most. When I saw the itinerary for my trip and saw that there’ll be dinner under the moonlight in the desert, so many romantic thoughts crossed my mind. But let’s leave my thoughts and focus on how the dinner went.
Journey to Agafay desert
The drive to the desert was quite a journey. It took us about 3 hours to get there. The tour bus we used this time didn’t have a Wi-Fi or AC, and the weather was hot. So our 3 hours ride wasn’t as cosy as the first one.
Before getting to the place we had dinner, we made two stops. One at a place where they produce and sell argan oil (argan oil cooperative), and another for camel riding.
Stop 1: Argan oil cooperative
When we got to the argan oil place, a kind lady tutored us on how the oil was extracted from its kernel, and its different uses. Like most of Moroccans I encountered, she speaks English, French and Arabic. After teaching us how to extract the oil, we had a go at it ourselves.
When we were done, she took us to have a taste and smell of some of the argan oil and products they had made with it. From there, we went to their store. They had different herbs, spices, cosmetic and skincare products for sale. We spent about an hour here before driving to our next stop.
Did you know that argan oil is gotten from the kernels of the argan tree and Morocco is the world’s leading producer of this oil?
Stop 2: Camel ride under the sunset in Agafay desert
By the time we got to the desert, the temperature had dropped and the weather was cool. Some of us went camel riding, but I didn’t because camel riding was part of our activities for the next day + I was wearing a dress. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable riding a camel in a dress without wearing a pair of leggings underneath.
Watching the sun set in the desert was a sight to behold. There aren’t many things as beautiful as watching the sun cast its final gaze behind sand dunes, framed by clear blue skies.
After camel riding, we got back into our tour bus and headed for our last stop.
Dinner under the moonlight with Avatar Roku🔥
When we got to the restaurant, the entertainers welcomed us by playing drums and singing😅. We danced for a bit before going to take our seats. I had a tasty plate of chicken tagine for dinner.
(N.B.: When I say restaurant, don’t think of a fancy setting. It was an open sit out area roofed with wood, floored with mats and dimly lit with low watt bulbs and candles.)
As we had dinner, thoughts of my village and many other parts of Nigeria were on my mind. I couldn’t help but imagine how happy tourists would be if my village and many other parts of Nigeria were made to attract tourists, especially during cultural festivals. I digress. Let me get back to how the rest of the dinner went.
The bonfire party started shortly before we finished eating. So when we finished eating, I went out to join the fun. The party was simply us dancing around the fire and singing along to the songs our hosts taught us. Amongst all the songs we sang, the only one I remember is Shakira’s Waka Waka😅.
After the bonfire, we took our seats and watched a real-life fire bender entertain us😅. Of course, there was no Avatar Roku, but we did watch a talented guy entertain us with his fire spinning and breathing skills.
The highlight of my evening was seeing how excitedly people danced around the fire and sang along to songs. It reminded me that the littlest of things make people happy.
About the romantic thoughts I had for this dinner, maybe I will share them before the end of this series. Or not. Let’s see how things go. But for now, this was how my first day of exploring Morocco went. I hope you had fun sharing in my experience by reading this article.
I really enjoyed the literary trip with you.
Please go ahead and spice up this conversation with some romance. It’s very important!
Meanwhile,it’s good you enjoyed your vacationing.
Beautiful 🤩