Ssalamu 'ledum

2/5/09
16:58

Feels sooooo good to be showered after 3 days in Marrakech. Morocco is definitely not the cleanliest country.

Although there is a language barrier in Spain, it is still relatively similar to the US. Morocco, on the other hand, is a whole new world (a song from Aladdin which we sang frequently while in the country.)   

Our logistical pre-port meeting the night before had been about safety and protecting yourself while in port. Morocco is more dangerous than Spain. The females aboard were even advised not to make eye contact with Moroccan men because they will see it as an invitation to harass them. Given this knowledge, I think most of the women were feeling a bit uneasy about Morocco. I’m just glad we had 4 guys in our group.

When we finally disembarked in Casablanca Tuesday morning, it was rather overwhelming. Traffic is crazy. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of system, so walking out of the port was kind of scary with taxis and scooters zooming every which way. The group I was traveling with (relatively the same group from Madrid) planned to go directly to the train station and get a ticket to Marrakech. Getting a taxi to the train station was not easy with a group of 13. We split into 3 or 4 groups (each having at least one guy in it) and got separate taxis. You have to barter with the drivers to get a good price…and I for one didn’t really know what was a good price. We all paid different amounts for the same ride. Some 50 Euro, some 15 (the taxis accepted Euro on occasion).

We weren’t the only SASers with the idea to go to Marrakech and the huge group of young Americans at the train station did not go unnoticed. The train ride from Casablanca to Marrakech was quite different from my trip from Cadiz to Madrid. I got a second-class ticket on the train, which means I was not guaranteed a spot to sit. Luckily I found an open compartment where I sat with some friends. This train was slower also, kind of rickety. And the scenery I observed out my window was not glamorous. Dirty, decrepit shacks. Dirty sheep and cows roaming the grassy hills. Lots of filth. Morocco has lots of stray cats like Spain. Less pigeons. Pigeon is a delicacy in Morocco. Yum.

In Marrakech I staid at a riad (basically a bed and breakfast) called La Riad Mura Kush (spelling?). It was beautiful. Muhammed and Hassan, the men working at the riad, were very kind and helpful. They spoke good English and knew French and Arabic too. My French is definitely rusty. Unfortunate. But I can still read it very well, so that was nice. 

Upon getting to Marrakech I was still a little uncomfortable, but by the second day I felt very at ease. We went to the souks (markets) and I bartered, by myself. I was really scared to do it but once I started I wasn’t nervous at all. I just had to realize that it’s okay to walk away, it’s not offensive, it doesn’t hurt their feelings, it’s just how you play the game. I didn’t buy a lot of stuff (2 t-shirts, 2 postcards) but we spent a lot of time there. It is so colorful. There are snake charmers, storytellers, monkey trainers, acrobats, and street vendors. Carts filled with dates and nuts, spices and herbs. The smells are intense. I wish I had more pictures but most people did not want to be photographed.

Food, as usual, was what I spent most of my money on. The first night we had chicken shawarma, which is kind of like chicken and vegetables wrapped up in a pita. Very good. Then for dessert I ordered tiramisu-like ice cream dish. Eating ice cream in this port was ill-advised as well as drinking fountain drinks…my group did both the first day in port. No traveler’s diarrhea for anyone yet, though. 

I taught everyone diarrhea in sign language. We have been doing that a lot. A LOT. 

One US dollar is like 8.73 Dirham (Moroccan currency) so everything is really really cheap. So after the shawarma and tiramisi, I also ordered a pizza for later….why not it was like 5 bucks for everything. The next day I got tangine which is sort of like a Moroccan pot-roast. I tried this guy Brenden’s tangine…he got rabbit. I’ve eaten rabbit. 

I also fell in love with the mint tea in Morocco. They call it Moroccan whiskey. I’m not a big tea drinker but my God this stuff is like a little piece of heaven. I am addicted. I am going through withdrawal right now. Sometimes if a vendor thinks you are good at bartering and they had fun with you during the sale they will serve you mint tea. I am so disappointed I was never served mint tea. It’s just so good. 

After the souks a group of us went to the El Badi Palace, the remnants of an old palace. It was really cool to see and a great photo op.

One thing I learned from this trip is NOT to travel in such a large group. There is no way to please everyone, and tensions can be high when people are not flexible. “The f-word is very important on this voyage,”says Dean Les McCabe. So true. Plans change constantly. Adapt. 

It is hard to find a place that can accommodate a large group and keep everyone together. Drama may ensue. It is hard to find taxis for a large group. Morocco is not exactly the safest place at night. Add those two things and people start freaking out and f-words (not ‘flexible’this time) start flying. This example may or may not have happened last night. But once we had all sat down at a little café and had some thé du menthe things were good. At least for me. It’s all about looking at the bigger picture. When is the next time I will be in Morocco? Why should I spend any time being upset? 

Back on the ship now for 8 days of class.  I haven’t had class in 9 days. Tomorrow will undoubtedly be a bit rough.

 When leaving the port tonight, the ship has to turn around and the captain turns off the stabilizers so the rocking is intense. On Monday night when we came into port the same thing was done. You know when they show all the dishes falling in Titanic and people hanging on to pole’s for dear life? Well it was kind of like that. Chairs were sliding, the nightstand in my cabin flipped, and some of us kids went to slide around on the floor. It was like a roller coaster ride. Real fun. Unless you get seasick. I haven’t decided if I’m going to go slide around or not tonight. If so I’ll have to put on socks to get the best slide on.

I have to draw in my art journal now. School…who knew this was actually school.