The colours, the characters, the atmosphere, the tastes, the smells, the landscape, the diversity, the poverty, the richness, the raw beauty, ruggedness, deep sense of well-being, community, crowds, donkeys, mules, mint tea, time to breathe, space, flow of life, at peace…Insh'Allah! Welcome to my favourite photos taken from a recent trip to Morocco, enjoy!

In the small remote town of Talate-n-Issi, two elderly gentlemen watch the day go by with the their glasses of mint tea to keep them refreshed.

Kids play ball early morning while the quiet streets in the Medina of Essaouira slowly come alive.

At night the streets of the Medina are full of tourists and locals shopping at the many colourful stalls that line the narrow streets.

A Moroccan woman carries her goods after an early morning shop at the markets in Essaouira.

Can I help you my friend? Gearing up for a busy morning market

A stall holder brings even more life to the vibrant market place of Essaouira.

Essaouira by day.

Essaouira by afternoon.

Essaouira at night.

Fishing boats resting in Essaouira at night.

Rastaman checking the waves at night in the popular surfing destination of Taghazout.

A tourist barters for goods in the Souks of Marakech.

Overlooking the famous Djemaa El Fna square in the heart of the Medina, Marakech.

Up close and personal with one of the many stall holders that fill the Djemaa El Fna square every evening.

A man takes pride in shaping his spices in his shop located in the Souks that spread like veins through Marakesh’s Medina.

Traveling around Morocco by motorcycle is an incredible experience as you can stop wherever and whenever you like. It's no good if you want to buy many of the cheap goods like carpets and rugs though, which is why we only hired one for a week.

It’s best to allow more time than you think you’ll need as around every corner there’s a wonderful site to see.

When we saw goats climbing high into the Argon trees by the side of the road we had to stop to check them out. Two weeks later we saw one hanging upside-down dead after it fell out and got its leg stuck in a branch. Poor fella.

We rode for miles through the Atlas mountains past barren landscape without seeing a soul.

The further off the beaten track you follow the more rugged and remote the villages become.

Bulls eye…A kid in the small town of Igherm makes easy work of my fiance Andrea as we stopped to rest in the warm sunshine. It was really cold riding a motorcycle through the Atlas mountains in winter.

One way of carting your sister around.

Kids playing soccer in Morocco wouldn’t know what it’s like to play on a field of soft green grass.

In the Sahara sand is the playing field for kids to explore.

And a camel is your best friend.

You have to keep an eye on direction as it’s easy to get yourself lost. Relying on your footprints only works for a short while, it’s best to take a compass!!

High into the Atlas sand is the last thing you’ll find. This small village named Imlil is a jewel surrounded by mountains high as 4000 feet. It’s a trekker’s paradise.

The villagers do it tough during the cold winter months as do their animals. Here the Donkey has to decide whether to share his hay with his neighbour.

If you look closely you’ll see a woman carrying one load of washing back from the stream to her house. I did notice they seem to work much harder than most men, who spend most of the day drinking mint tea, bartering with tourists, and smoking tobacco.

We liked Imlil so much we didn’t want to leave, so instead of catching a bus or taxi we hired a Mule and walked 17Km out of the valley surrounded by incredible mountains with the hot sun on our backs.

We were greeted by kids playing tunes with their drums as we walked the final kilometer into the town of Asni before our final journey back to Marakech where we departed by plane back to the UK. The many wonderful memories came with us, and thankfully have stayed with every waking day.