So for me, it was great to see The Beach because I’d spent time in Thailand, and it’s always good to watch movies about LA because I’ve lived there. You know, it’s that fascination thing, a kind of urban vanity and of course, I love movies based in London even more. I don’t care if it’s About a Boy or American Werewolf in London, I’ll still be hooked on the location.

When we got back to England from our holiday in Morocco, I heard that a certain group of four New Yorkers had flown into Marrakesh the day after we left…and boy, by the the look of this trailer, we did the same trip…although I didn’t have a wardrobe mistress to hand (sadly).

While I must confess that I roughed it somewhat in Morocco, I still managed to stretch to wearing Dior sunglasses and carrying my Sonya Rykiel handbag with me when we went across the Sahara, these girls just do it better!

Armed with backpacks, sleeping bags, cameras and sunglasses, we headed off from Heathrow and from the moment we left our front door the nine day adventure began.

We arrived in Ouzazarte a day before rest of the party, since we’d checked in our hotel at 2am we really needed that day to chill out and adjust. We spent it by a hotel pool and hung out in cafes.

As we sat and watched the world go by, out of nowhere, a small boy about five years old ran by with a cigarette tucked behind each ear.

‘Mum! Look at him!’
‘Don’t point!’ I said laughing.
Miniminx gave me that widemouthed, wide eyed look of disbelief. I smiled to myself, I knew this trip was going to be quite an education.
The irony was all on us in fact since we were odd ones out. People were actually stopping and staring at us. A mother and daughter in a strange land.

The next morning we met our travelling companions for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised that we were all women with young girls. We already had a lot in common. Our first stop was a kasbah in Ouzazarte, it was strange and fascinating. Our guide began to tell us about the great films that have been shot there, Gladiator and Babel, but we were more interested in the locale and the people there.

On our drive we stopped to take photos and a farmer welcomed us and shared his date harvest.

The girls spotted a cute frog and chased the poor thing around the field.

Heading off in a truck towards the desert, we were going to camp in Bedouin tents that night and as you can see, it’s quite a fairy tale existence. The food was great too, lovely soups and tagines and very sweet mint tea. We were awoken several times first by the birds and crowing cocks, then early morning the call to the mosque, followed by the braying donkeys and then by the sun.

There was an empty pool on the camp site and our four little girls found a tiny scorpion in it. There was another one in the shower too – none of the girls screamed and we were assured it would not harm us.

The evenings when we camped were very sweet. The girls all played together as the Mums chatted and as we all went to bed around the same time, bedtime stories became a shared experience.

The next day was the start of a two day camel trek across the Sahara with a night in the desert. We all had to learn how to put on a shesh. It was fun and it was also hard work, Miniminx did not like being on a camel so ended up walking. I discovered my daughter is quite the tough cookie and walked happily for hours, which was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise.

The highlight was camping out in the Sahara and watching shooting stars in the night sky. We all laid out on thin mattresses after dinner and watched the slow moving drama of the heavens above. Waking up the next morning was great too. It was so wonderful, even if the camels do snore (well I hope it was the camels).

There is something very hynotic and mesmeric about the Sahara, I was suprised that a desert I had imagined to be barren had quite a few trees and weird looking plants.

Our guide recommended that instead of buying our carpets and rugs in Marrakech, it would make more sense to go direct to a co-operative. This meant we could buy from the local people and not have the added commission which would be added in the souks. We bought some amazing stuff there and I was delighted (so was the owner of the co-op).

With the bright sun and still air, there was a sense of calm and ease of being that is a great antidote to London. But this was really a non stop whirl wind trip. Staying in a different place every night, we unpacked and repacked daily and dealt with all manner of things. I was the only person who didn’t get a 24 hour bug.

We spent a night near the kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. I loved the homemade advertising – see photo below.

The drive through the Atlas mountains was stunning and we all chatted and sang our way through the dizzy heights. I still look at these photos a lot, it really was a special journey.

There was mounting anticipation about our arrival in Marrakech – the journey was four or five hours. The road signs were getting bigger as we got nearer.

And we got there eventually with a big all round cheer and headed to the main square and spotted the snake charmers. It was like going back in time.

The early morning view of the city sprawl from the hotel window was pretty atmospheric. We went on a four hour walking tour with a guide and then had the rest of the day free to shop and explore. We had our final meal together that evening and the kids were all very sad to be going home.

About a week after we got back we had this funny conversation.

‘Darling, you were really good about the scorpions.’
‘Yeah, well Mum, they did scare me a little bit.’
‘Yeah, I was surprised you didn’t say anything about them in the tent that night when we went to sleep.’
‘I thought you’d be a bit cross with me if I said I was scared.’
‘Well I thought if I told you I was a bit worried there were any in the tent, you’d hit the roof.’
We both looked at each other and smiled.
‘What a couple of scaredy cats we were!’ I said and we laughed for a very long time.

For anyone looking for a holiday that’s definitely off the beaten track, I’d definitely recommend a trip like this. It was hard work and tiring but so magical and such a great cultural experience, I’d definitely go again.

For the full itinerary go here

I love this photo, I took it at a stop on our drive through the Atlas Mountains, heading to Marrakech. The funny thing is that this must be the most eco-friendly shop in the world – it has no electricity, sells natural products and the carbon foot-print is probably tiny (unless you count the wind from the goats tied up out the back!).

Joking aside, this is possibly one of the most beautiful places I’ve been – the scenery is breathtaking – and quite a sheer drop as well. And it’s pretty high altitude too.

Looking in the other direction feels like looking towards the land of Oz but this of course was very real and we were excited about arriving in Marrakech itself – the magical and ancient city. I can only imagine how wonderful it must be when it’s covered in the snow in the Winter, but I’m not sure I’d be too happy to do the mountain roads at that time of year.

We didn’t actually buy anything but Miniminx tried on a few crystals…

And of course, we were queens of the desert for just one day – no crowns or tiaras, just PJs.

Since we don’t have ‘an airline ticket to romantic places’ anymore and we just have e-tickets, I was unable to drool over a slim jim envelope, but still I clung to the confirmation email: HRW to Casablanca. It just sounds fabulous doesn’t it?

We were advised to arrive at terminal two three hours before our flight, not my usual timing, but I didn’t want to take any risks with Miniminx in tow and we’ve had two lucky escapes with Easyjet so I wanted a stress free flight.

We arrived at Casablanca and disembarked to join another flight to Ouarzazate. We waited and waited and waited.

I drank coffee to stay awake. Then more coffee, then more. The next flight remained unannounced and I could tell from my meagre understanding of French it was cancelled on the flightboard, but no one would confirm it.

We continued to wait and then, I drank more coffee. I was unsure whether to laugh or cry when I noticed the very funny little pun which emblazoned the coffee shop. Yes, Jet Laag’s. Well, I suppose it could be worse. What if they called it Sick Baag’s?

It’s beautiful, and while it has it’s own story behind it, it’s the one that has made me want to go and experience a country.

So you’ll have to forgive me in indulging in a few posts over the coming days. They’ll be about our recent trip.

Life will never be the same again, I’ve fulfilled my lifelong ambition of going to Morocco. Simple as it sounds, 9 days and 900 photos later, I can only say I’m still high on the thrill of the whole of the adventure, and also slightly feverish with a neck rash and conjunctivitus…but that’s the least of my worries.

*from the Chris Beetle collection and £1400 for a limited print

With half term not far away, it’s the perfect time to have a quick pick-me-up break. But to where?

New York? Could be fun.
Sardinia? No flights back during half term.
England? A bit rainy and cold.
Is half term going to be all about catching the latest movies and going shopping? Yawn.

All in all, it’s nothing very inspirational. However, like everyone else, I’ve had a little idea stashed down the back of the sofa for a while now, well for the last five years actually. It’s captured my imagination, it’s something else. It’s also a bit scary. It’s also a bit crazy. But who cares, it feels the the right thing to do right now. The only way to survive London is to get out of town and doing something completely different, something that you can play back in the cinema of your mind when the drizzle, the traffic and the chaos just get to be too, too much.

So it’s back packs, fleeces and suncream. We’re going on a voyage of discovery and crossing the Sahara then heading to Marrakech. It’s the kind of thing I love doing. I’ve had many adventures in my life but for Miniminx this is her first big trip outside of the Euro comfort zone. And I think it will do her the world of good too.

I’m keen to travel a lot more, so consider this a warm up for South America, China, Japan, India and Thailand – we’re going places!