world is a small and wonderful place....

Travel changes you and for me that is one of the many reasons that I love it. "Many a times" I feel myself craving a travel adventure when my day to day life becomes too routine, or when I find that I need to challenge my own thoughts and behaviours.

Travel challenges you to think differently, to embrace diversity and to cherish the little details that have a tendency to get overlooked when you are going from one day to the next.

The world really is a small place and once you begin to travel and see all the beauty it offers, the countries you visit seem to stay with you - their people, culture, landscapes and unique personalities. With respect to my recent trip to Morocco, it is the artisans and their work that will always resonate with me.

The Moroccan people take pride in their work. There is something to be said and cherished about harnessing creativity and the beauty in the creative process - whether it be the creation of exquisite fabrics, to intricate pottery, to the stunning and time consuming efforts in the presentation of olives.

This past weekend, Morocco held their "Day of Dignity" - calling for the end of poverty, illiteracy and the abuses of human rights. The Arab world is seeking change and freedoms that many of us in the west take for granted. It is both exciting and saddening at times to watch as individual citizens are harnessing their individual and collective powers. Having only been in Morocco 2 months ago, the streets that I walked and the people I met and photographed are permanently in my thoughts and well wishes.

www.jenniferreynolds.ca

t.i.a.....this is africa!

If I had to summarize my Morocco trip in a few words, it would have to be medina's, mint tea, organized chaos, camels and bread! Of course that is not all, this country is a rarity. How many countries can you go to where in a span of a day, you can go from sunny ocean side beaches, to snow-capped mountains, to a sea of sand dunes in the desert? Not many I would think....

Two weeks is definitely not enough time to try to cover this vast country, so the itinerary was tight going from city to city in an attempt to see as much as we could. If I could do it all over again, that would not be the case.

For me, Morocco was a bit of a surprise in the food department. I expected a bit more variety, however, there are definitely a couple of food experiences that stick out in my mind. First, was in Essaouira. As a seafood lover I was in heaven. Not only was the food exceptional, but the entire process was an adventure - from purchase to last savory bite. Step one - purchase your fresh fish of choice from market. Step two - take to local tajine cookery (for lack of a better word). Step three - enjoy!

For the ultimate sidewalk grilling experience, Marrakesh's Djemaa el fna is the place to go. Almost overwhelming actually. They have perfected the art of cooked street food!

This is only a first glimpse of my Moroccan adventure. Definitely more to come, but 25 GB's of photos to cull through and process is quite time consuming when I should be diving back into school work after a 3 week vacation.

www.jenniferreynolds.ca