It’s been far too long…this blog post is far over due, and I know it! But, regardless it’s here now, and Morocco was wild! Not wild in that anything crazy happened, but with the culture shock, and the trip that I went on…the experience was remarkable to say the least. Our getting to Morocco ended up happening sooner than we thought. We left Spain on time, however instead of stopping in Gibraltar to refuel; we went straight to Casablanca and had an extra day in Morocco!
Before we even got off of the ship, everyone already had presumptions about what Morocco would be like. During our Preport meeting we were shown a chart that told us of The United State’s approval rating in the countries we were visiting, with 80% for Ghana at the highest, and a measly 16% for Morocco at the lowest. With an approval rating so low, most of us were a little worries as to how we would be received, especially since Morocco is an Islamic Country. Not only is it an Islamic Country, but we were to be spending September 11th there as well, which some people felt uncomfortable with. In my opinion it’s only as uncomfortable as you make it, however we were warned to be very careful because there was someone in Florida who allegedly was going to or did burn Qurans on the 11th which made national (and international) news, and there was talk of some sort of retaliation. Nothing ended up happening beyond the normal pick pocketing and such, though one person did get robbed at knife point.
After getting off of the ship one thing was clear, one of the other things mentioned at the Preport was true; the city was not close to the ship. In Spain there was a five minute walk from the ship to get to the port gates into the city. In Morocco it was a twenty something minute walk to the port gates, with two buses running back and forth between the gate and the ship until 9:00pm. The air in Morocco smells like pollution, and animal dung, which was something else to get used to. So myself, Ellie, Eloise, Camille, and Arianna all set off for an internet café and shopping at the markets. Walking up the main street was quite a task. Using the ATM was as well. There were two men intently watching anyone who used it, which made us suspicious, and they even cut us in line as we waited, just stepping in front of me as I walked up to the ATM.
There were a multitude of shops lining the street, each with someone wanting to sell you any, and everything. Hookahs, paintings, carvings, jewelry, and many more things could be found there. We made our way past that, and entered into the market and did some exploring, and saw what was for sale. There was a huge selection of fake products such as sunglasses, and watches…some of which I wanted and none of which I bought. I did end up getting a gelaba, which is a long robed piece of clothing that is traditionally worn by both men and women. All five of us also got henna, the girls got flowers and I had a scorpion. After some time there Eloise, Ellie, and I went to go look for the internet café, and agreed to meet up with the others for dinner. We had no luck with the café, as everything was closed due to Ramadan, so we went back to the ship to shower and wait for dinner.
That night we decided to do something that I had never done before: hookah. In Morocco they call it sheeshah, but there was a place to do it near the ship, so we decided to give it a try. As a nonsmoker I thought it would be a little uncomfortable to smoke tobacco, however it was quite fun. We also had some orange juice (so fresh and delicious) and some of Morocco’s famous mint tea (equally tasty). Afterwards we went out to the Flower Restaurant and had some couscous, which I had never had before either. It was a fantastic night, and quite possibly my favorite out in port up to that point.
The next day I woke up early to leave for my trip, which had the following itinerary:
Day 1
Casablanca > Marrakech (we dined on lemon and olive chicken at Dar Zellij and spent the night at Hotel Oudaya)
Day 2
Marrakech > stop for water in Takerkoust > Tachbibte (where the trek began) > lunch in olive grove > Ait Zitoune (the first gite at 900m)
Day 3
Ait Zitoune > Tizgui riverbed > Tagante (piney woods) >Tizi N’Ait Ahmed (lunch in pine forest) > Douar Ait Ahmed (two gites at 1200m)
Day 4
Ait Ahmed > Angal > Imintala > Amizmiz > Marrakech > Casablanca
I was off to Marrakesh to spend the day, and then after that to the High Atlas Mountains to hike and live with the native Berbers for three days. I had heard that it was a great trip, and my boss Shannon and her husband Sam (genuinely phenomenal people) were leading the trip so I was even more excited. We went to the train station to get on a three hour train to Marrakesh, which ended up taking a little longer due to the fact that the train was over an hour late. Our train seats were first class and we sat in small compartments of six people each. My compartment already had two Iranians in it, and we had some great conversations along the way. When we arrived we went straight to the hotel and checked in, and had free time until dinner.
A group of us walked to the main market, which took about forty-five minutes. We stopped for lunch, where we all got panini’s and I got a Nutella and banana milkshake which was delicious. Going to the market was a great, if crazy experience. The first thing was saw were snake charmers, which in all honesty were less than charming themselves. They would walk up to you with a snake in their hands and drape it over your shoulders whether you wanted them to or not. Then they tried to lead you over to a rug where a King Cobra and two rattlesnakes lay and have you sit inches in front of them as they hissed at each other. This happened to Camille who didn’t mind it as much as I would have. The snake people would then demand money, or throw the snakes in your face to make you pay them. They wanted 200 Dirham which is about $22. Let’s just say that I got away as soon as I could, and didn’t go back. We wandered through the market, not staying too long due to having to get back for dinner, and didn’t see much of anything that wasn’t sold everywhere else. When we were leaving we stopped at a stall for some fresh orange juice, and that’s when I saw the monkeys. There were a few men walking around with monkeys letting people hold them and take pictures with them. I instantly wanted a picture (and a monkey to take home) and promptly had two sitting on me. I had Camille take a few photos and that was that. Well I knew I was going to have to pay these people so before hand I asked them how much, to which they responded with telling me however much I wanted to give them. I should have known that was a gimmick. They wanted $200 as well, which I was not about to pay. I offered them $20 which they threw back at me and shouted 200 repeatedly. When I refused three more men came over and cornered me, all telling me to pay $200 Dirham. I ended up handing them back the $20 and getting away as fast as I could. We walked out of the market, and tried to get a taxi. We got one, but unfortunately it was at the cost of fitting eight people into a five person taxi. That was quite an experience.
That night we drove to our dibber which included a belly dancing show. When the shuttle bus finally stopped we were in what looked like the middle of some poverty stricken shady as can be neighborhood. We walked for a short amount of time, and then were shocked. We went through a doorway and low and behold a beautiful five star restaurant lay inside. There we were served the most amazing lemon chicken, which in all honesty was the best chicken I have ever had in my life. We had some bottles of wine, and relaxed as we watched the belly dancing show. It was a great night.
The next morning we set off on our hike with an hour and a half shuttle bus ride to the where we would begin. When we arrived we got all of our things, which to our surprise were promptly packed on the backs of many mules. Our hike on the first day was uneventful, but beautiful. The scenery was like nothing I’d ever seen before in my life. We stopped for lunch at an olive grove, having a light, but refreshing lunch. We continued onto the gite, which is the name of the housing establishment of the berbers, getting there in a short amount of time, as there seemed to be three groups of hikers the entire time; the express group, the normal group, and the slow group. The express group (which I was in) was able to see a little more than the other groups as we were going so fast, we were able to deviate off of the path a little and still get to our destination much more quickly than the other groups. The normal group carried on at the expected pace, and the slow group stopped and had a detailed tour the entire time but was about an hour and a half behind the first group.
The Berbers live in incredibly simple conditions, devoid of even toilets. The funny thing is, they live among mules, have goats running everywhere, and even then there are satellite dishes on top of the houses. The Berbers are gentle folk, providing for themselves, and quite literally enjoying the simple things in life. That night the most remarkable star gazing was available. The Berbers called the gite “a thousand star hotel” and it really was. The stars were more numerous than I could have even imagined…seeing them so clear and bright really puts things in perspective, it really shows puts you in your place. It was stunning, and I will never forget it.
The next day called for a five hour hike, which provided much of the same gorgeous scenery. For my group, we went up the side of a mountain, only to come back down on a ledge about a foot and a half wide, stopping short and giving an ample view of the hundred and something foot drop below. As a person who finds nothing but terror in heights it was at first, a nightmare, but once it was over it was a real accomplishment…for me at least. It was really amazing to be high enough that the clouds were eye level and the picture taking opportunities were awesome. The hike was at times challenging, however it was not as bad as it was enjoyable, so it was an experience of a lifetime.
That night after my group covered the five hour hike in about three and a half, we stayed at a second gite, which this time had two houses so the fifty something person count was split up for sleeping this time. Once again the same simple lifestyle was evident in this gite, yet so was the same humbleness, the same happiness, and the same hospitality. The Berbers have figured out how to live uncomplicated yet fulfilling lives at the same time…something that I hope that I too may accomplish in time. After another simple dinner and many games of cards and mafia, we called it a night and once again was provided the chance to sleep on the roof of the house and stargaze until I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning we set off again for a short forty-five minute hike to the shuttle busses. We drove to the city we stopped for water and then continued on to the train station where while waiting for the train I was able to stop at a market and buy a few things. After an uneventful trip back to Casablanca, I went back on the ship and showered to get ready to go out. That night we went to a nice restaurant and had a great dinner after we went to a hookah bar once again. It was a nice quiet evening to settle back into the swing of things after getting back from experiencing a life so different then our own.
The next day was filled with small errands, spending the last of my Dirhams, and enjoying the city since I had not has a day in it besides the first day we arrived. Morocco was interesting, a place that if I go back will not be to Casablanca, a city I found slightly unappetizing, however Marrakesh was quite enjoyable and I heard good things about other places. My jaw had not been fixed, though on the last day it felt slightly better which was a welcoming change, as was the tan I got in the mountains. Once again, another port down, and another port to go. I mo-rock-oed the heck out of Morocco, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Next stop: Ghana…wish me luck.
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