Salam Aleikum

Hi, i'm writing this blog page to share information with all you wanderlust souls out there. Living in Morocco comes with lots of bizarre and unexpected events, which i thought you may enjoy reading about and sharing in the laughter.

My family and I moved to Marrakech 3 years ago from London. The beginning of a huge adventure for us. Choosing which country was right for us to live in had been an extremely long and tiring process. Having made a choice to move to Marrakech, was in itself a big box ticked. We had two criteria lists, one for our business (opening and running a guesthouse) and one for personal. On top of this it had to feel right at a soul level for my husband and I, both who are from very different backgrounds.

Phase two of our journey then began. Setting up home in Morocco, also a non English speaking country with a very different culture to ours. Marrakech is a real melting pot of; languages, tribes, rich, poor, city slickers, country peasants. It sometimes reminds me of that place Luke Skywalker went to, to buy that space ship, with all those different intergalactic aliens. (Any one know what it was called?) After months of beauroctratic paperwork, rendez vous with people who don't turn up and renting from an unpleasant woman for a large amount of money, we have bought ourselves a villa. This was not on the plan as we didn't want to tie up our capital in a home. I now realise it is one of the best things we could have done. When you've had a really difficult day here to be able to close the door and relax in your own place really balances you.

Creating the Guest House

We had decided to buy land and build a country guesthouse as per our business plan, about 10 double rooms and suites. The dream was to create a holistic retreat and build our house on the same plot. We were going to have an organic vegetable garden and provide a moroccan spa.

Land in Marrakech particularly, has gone mad. Prices going up daily, lots of people fishing but not really wanting to sell. There is also a problem here of title. ie not much land is titled and to buy land without a title is very difficult, unless you have a lot of time on your hands and like a gamble. We looked at more land than you can shake a stick at, drank more mint tea than you can imagine and got totally no where. It can take weeks to even get a price. You may be being shown a piece of land that isn't for sale or has already been sold. After a year of this my husband said 'that is it!, we are buying a riad!'

I had a total nervous breakdown and couldn't talk to anyone for three days. He then said this doesn't have to be the end.......

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Journey of Awakening Retreat - Zamzam Riad Marrakech

We have been really busy organising the first "Journey of Awakening Retreat" at Zamzam. On the 28 January we will be holding an exciting four day Ashtanga Yoga and Reiki Retreat in Marrakech at Zamzam.

The four days will be all inclusive, including Yoga with Aisha, Reiki with Reiki Master Rebecca Hutley from Spain, delicious and nutritional food to feed body and soul by Emma and her Zamzam chefs, a journey into the Atlas Mountains with lunch at the stunning Kasbah Toubkal and a visit to the Agafay Desert outside Marrakech to La Pause, an eco retreat where we will have a traditional Moroccan dinner under the stars! For more information on the programme and events, email Emma - zamzamriad@gmail.com


Yoga Guru, Aisha Barzaghi will be leading two yoga sessions a day to work holistically with your awakening on this retreat. Aisha now living in Marrakech and building a dedicated yoga retreat has lived and trained for 7 years in New York City and 7 years in San Franciso, and has combined a variety of styles, from Ashtanga Yoga to Power Vinyasa Yoga and pranayama (breathing technique) and meditation, to a more slower inward Yin Yoga focusing on alignment and refinement of asanas. Her teaching style focuses on prana building, building heat in the body to cleanse, release, remove and heal various aspects of the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual bodies.

Her training and experience as a bodyworker brings an acute sense of the anatomical layout of the body to the application of asana practice.

Knowing that each individual is unique in their own right, as their bodies are, to the journey and practice of yoga, being aware in each class, each lesson, the unique individuals needs to that journey and nurturing that through humour, patience and loving kindness.
Aisha currently holds classes at Kasbah Tamadot (Richard Branson's Kasbah), she is excited to be joining this holistic retreat at Zamzam.
The second major component to the "Journey of Awakening Retreat" is Rebecca Hutley who will be coming from Spain to mentor and unveil reiki on the retreat and use her healing hands. Rebecca has been a Reiki Master of Usui and Tibetan Reiki for over 10 years. Her life in that time has taken her around the world teaching, training and practicing. She has worked with MTV, taking a team of Reiki practitioners on European tour and has taken Reiki into the corporate arena. She says, ‘Reiki is a gift to the modern world reminding us that we can heal ourselves. It is a form which takes us beyond our current perceptions of the body and how it works and explains the indivisible links between the mind, emotions, body and Soul. Reiki is a practice which enables people to relax and explore aspects of themselves often hidden by their busy lives. It becomes a way of being by re-connecting us to our true self’.

All of this and more will create a powerful and exciting four days journey in and around Marrakech. The all inclusive activities will be optional and we have created free time and guides for you to discover the magic of the Medina itself. Zamzam will host The Journey of Awakening Retreat so you will get the best of both worlds - full concierge service, luxurious beds to jump into at night, heated pool and spa facilities.

If you are interested in finding out more about The Journey of Awakening Retreat - Zamzam Riad - Marrakech, please email Emma - zamzamriad@gmail.com

Come and discover what it's all about!
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Monday, November 2, 2009

Zamzam patisserie continued - Moroccan cakes

Here you can see the filling being made, the yellow mixture is butter, being added to the ground almonds. Layering it out like a biscuit bottom to a cheesecake.Having put on the final layer of pastry, it is cut diagonally both ways to make little diamond cakes, a toasted almond is carefully placed onto each one.The delicious sticky end result. You'd better come to Zamzam and try them!









Moroccan patisserie - Zamzam Cooking

These are more of Joanna's photos of the girls making the Moroccan sweet patries. At the riad we serve these on the side with home made ice cream as a desert, they are delicious and very sticky. Hopefully these photos will be featured in a Food Magazine shortly.
Making the pastry. Two neat balls one for the top and one for the bottom of the little cakes.I will post the next set of photos so you can see the complete picture. The pastry melts in your mouth as you sink your teeth into a thick nutty centre, followed by lip licking honey!








Friday, October 23, 2009

AiM International Biennale - Arts in Marrakech

AiM International Biennale 3rd Edition: Opening Thursday 19th - Monday 23rd November 2009. Arts in Marrakech. This festival was set up by Vanessa Branson and is organised through her team with Riad El Fenn in Marrakech.

This year Zamzam Riad has been added to the accomodation list and will be hosting two of the festival artists. People come from all over the world to visit this exciting festival in Marrakech. Below I have listed some information on the festival and a preliminary line up of who will be involved in the festival. These two yearly festivals are growing momentum and are great for the arts in Marrakech and as a promotion for Arts in Morocco and Moroccan artisits in the world.

This year's edition promises to be full of innovation, inspiration and intrigue. The program is more ambitious than 2007 with 5 days of discussions, readings, screenings and performances. AiM opens on the evening of November 19th at the Museum of Marrakech with the exhibition Articulating The Work and The Place curated by Abdellah Karroum, including newly commissioned works by Francis Alÿs, Loredana Longo, Seamus Farrell, Franck Bragigand, Faouzi Bensaidi & Yto Barrada. This exhibition will close on January 19th 2010. During the biennale opening celebrations, the acclaimed artist and filmmaker, Julian Schnabel, will discuss his life and work with Alan Yentob. The AiM biennale opening celebrations end on the evening of Monday 23rd November with a screening of Man On Wire and a discussion with the director James Marsh. There will also be an array of other talented writers, artists, performers and filmmakers showing and discussing the ideas behind their work. Click here for more information.

Third Edition, 2009

For the 3rd Edition of the AiM International Biennale the principal exhibition will be curated by Abdellah Karroum (L’appartement 22, Rabat) at the Museum of Marrakech. The literary programme will be organized by Simon Prosser (Publishing Director, Hamish Hamilton & Penguin), Abdellah Taia (Author of Salvation Army, An Arab Melancholy & My Morocco) & Alexandra Pringle (Editor in Chief of Bloomsbury Publishing); and the cinema programme will be put together in partnership with ESAV, Ecole Superieure des Arts Visuels (the only School of Cinema & Visual Arts in North Africa) under the direction of Vincent Melilli, Alan Yentob (BBC Creative Director) and Stuart Comer (Curator of Film at the Tate Modern).

Over five days, the AiM Biennale will premiere works from Francis Alÿs, Yto Barrada and Loredana Longo. Attendees will also include acclaimed artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, Oscar winning film director John Boorman, Booker prize nominee Ahdaf Soueif, Turner-nominee Isaac Julien, Al Jazeera English presenter Rageh Omaar, BBC TV arts executive Alan Yentob and award-winning Moroccan film director Faouzi Bensaidi, among others.

Full programme coming soon.
A Short Selection of Events Planned for 2009:
JULIEN SCHNABEL IN CONVERSATION WITH ALAN YENTOB
EXHIBITION AT THE MUSEUM OF MARRAKECH, curated by Abdellah Karroum, from the 19th November 2009 to 19 January 2010, A PROPOSAL FOR ARTICULATING WORKS & PLACES: http://www.works-and-places.appartement22.com/

SYMPOSIUM AT Ecole Superieure des Arts Visuels (School of film & visual art), “Documentary film – a view of reality or how filmmakers impose their realities?”

DISCUSSION with Director James Marsh followed by a SCREENING of the Oscar-winning film 'Man On Wire'

PROJECTION AT THE ROYAL THEATRE, Isaac Julien will show his film 'Western Union: Small Boats' in the unfinished opera house.

LITERARY DISCUSSIONS featuring Ahdaf Soueif, Andrew O'Hagan, Abdellah Taia, Sanaa El Aji & Barbara Trapido.

STORIES OF ORDER & DISORDER created & directed by Julien Fisera & Laurent Berger http://www.storiesoforderanddisorder.com/

TAVERNA ESPECIAL, at Kssour Agafay produced by the SKETCH GALLERY FOUNDATION
TEA PARTY at Riad Magi, with music, poetry & a photographic exhibition organized by Maggie Perry

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tree Sculptures - Marrakech

What a whirlwind week. We have been busy at Zamzam, cooking classes and spa-ing not to mention sampling the local tipple. The hammam has been on full pelt and people have been in and out of the pool inbetween.
I wanted to post some photos of these fantastic tree sculptures that have appeared in the New Town of Marrakech. These wonderful old Eucalyptus have been turned into works of art and I think they are cool as.........


Just like a street of totems, think I need to commission one for the garden.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Joanna MacLennan at Zamzam Riad

These are the first edits of Joanna's photoshoot at Zamzam. To see more of the Zamzam shoot visit her website at http://www.joannamaclennan.com/ The carpet in this first shot is available online at Zamzam Boutique together with a larger stock of Beni Ouarain and Azilal, Berber carpets. Click on the link to check them out.
In the next two weeks she will be uploading the final edits of the cooking course photos and Yahya's lights from Yahya Creation.

Our Master Suite - The Palm Suite.
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Zamzam Riad - Boutique

Well its been a busy week at Zamzam we opened to a full house, but half our staff dissapeared to another riad which wasnt great timing. They were poached by a big riad in Mouassine, gutting when you have spent so long training them. However we now have some fantastic new members of the team already riad trained too with top riad experience so maybe it was meant to be. Zamzam is now one and she has definately grown up this year.

Although the week was busy we had a great time with fabulous guests. We did lots of cooking courses and had a magician staying who is a member of the magic circle so we convinced him to give us a magic display which was great but left the staff a little stunned!

The photojournalist from Provence has just started posting final edits of the photo shoot she did in the riad a couple of weeks ago. I've posted some photos from the initial photos on her site for you to see. I think the photos for the Boutique below are fantastic, i'm so pleased with them. You can also see above my fantastic new collection of Juju hats from South Africa - how exciting are they??

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