Al Hoceima!

I, my parents, my sister, and two of the daughters of my Sheikh went on a spur-of-the-moment road-trip to Al Hoceima, a city in the north of Morocco on the coast of the Mediterranean. The route we chose was on snakelike roads, winding and twining and clinging to the edge of the mountains, roads upon which drivers roared down and around corners like there was no such thing as oncoming traffic. It was both a terrifying and absolutely brilliant drive.

The last time I saw clouds like this was in Istanbul, Turkey. It's a double cloud shadow, which i think means that the highest part of the cloud is casting a shadow on its lower part.

And then we crested one final hill, and below us was Al-Hoceima, a city like pearls strung along an azure coast. It was really pretty, is what I'm saying.

We arrived in the evening, got our hotel rooms, broke our fasts, and went to sleep. My sister and I spent the night on the balcony, listening to the sea. At dawn, the daughters of my Sheikh and I went down to the beach for a little morning meditation and recitation of the Quran, and then waded in the water. 

​There were jellyfish!

The water was crystal clear and warm...

via Instagram

By midmorning we had packed up and left. This time, we took a route along the coast back to Fez, passing through some of the most incredible terrain. The earth was red as Mars in places, and the hills looked like they belonged in an alien world.