![]() ![]() They go to the Canary Islands," she flicked her wrist in dismissal. People have no idea how fantastic the winter is here. Emma agreed: "It's like you've done drugs. I was visiting in February, and the wintry sky was particularly striking. If you teach a boy, you educate an individual but if you teach a girl, you educate a community. In the irreducible words of novelist James Salter, who wrote of the region: "The sky had a soft blue cast to it, the light pale and lacking contrast." The sky in Africa feels different, looks different-vaster, with more translucent clouds.īut while the Kenyan sunrise bleats across the plains, the sun's rays on the North African coast are decidedly subtler, though no less blinding. The iridescence of the Moroccan sun cannot be overstated. Plus, as a writer, I spend enough time in my own head already, thank you very much. And, as much as I support the independence and self-sufficiency espoused by my fellow adventurers who are devout solo travelers, I prefer having some built-in company to share the day’s anecdotes with over wine at dinnertime. ![]() I'd always wanted to see Morocco, but it's not the most accessible country to navigate as a female traveler alone. You can get so much more done with women, without all of that male ego and sensitivity. ![]() This mindset propelled my sign-up for the retreat. Safari in Kenya? Wait until you're engaged, I'd tell myself until it became evident to me that the last Northern White Rhino would become extinct before I'd be sealed off in holy matrimony, passport in hand, and boarding a plane to the Mara. Often, people put off trips until they have someone to go with them-or, I suppose I should clarify: I've been known to do that. Men get upset."Īnd indeed, the immersion into a group of complete strangers, complete female strangers at that, all within the age range of the twenties to forties, led by yoga instructors Alison Riazi and Jeanette Doherty, was intoxicating. "You can get so much more done with women, without all of that male ego and sensitivity." Emma observed to me over dinner. (Told you I wasn't your typical yogi.)Īfter our nightly practice, the 12 of us convened at the long wooden table for a homemade meal prepared by Emma Joyston-Bechal, the owner of this property, as well as Camp Adounia, in the Sahara Desert, and the gorgeous Riad ZamZam (the site of my later breakdown, where we were headed next.) Her charm and humor is not to be underestimated when it comes to enrolling in future Souljourn retreats in Morocco. A culturally immersive trip that revolves around community service and twice-daily yoga classes preaching self-reflection? I wasn't shocked to learn I was joining an all-female environment when I entered the Riad Rebali that evening, yoga mat conspicuously not in-hand. Though Souljourn retreats are co-ed, the participants are often (inevitably) female, a welcome yet unsurprising revelation when I arrived. Oukaimeden, Marrakesh, Morocco, North Africa, Africa Getty Images/Lonely Planet Image Retreat participants witness firsthand the local communities of which they are the benefactors-we would be volunteering within Education For All Morocco on the second-to-last day of the trip, an experience I was already eagerly anticipating. Plus, a portion of each registration fee supports global initiatives for girls' education. I wasn't that upset about missing a day, as the price wasn't exorbitantly high-in fact, at under $4,000, Souljourn is a veritable steal compared to other retreats-many of which don't prioritize leaving the studio (or Instagram-ready tourist traps) of, say, Bali. It’s about using the mat as a jumping-off point to not only discover the world, but yourself as well. Yoga, for me, isn’t about getting into shapes on your mat. The trip would take us from the Moroccan coast of Essaouira to the cosmopolitan city of Marrakech, and finally, up into the snow-covered Atlas Mountains. Hungover, discombobulated, and anxious, I was quite-perhaps aggressively-unwell when I joined the rest of the travelers on the second day of the Mystical Morocco retreat. I arrived, of course, a day late, rushing from a friend's wedding in Miami. Which was just a few days ago, on the Moroccan coast of Essaouira. And like all good stories, it's best told from the beginning. Camels on beach at sunset Richard Mccluskey / EyeEm.īut, like all brilliant ideas, it started with the best of intentions. ![]()
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