But, I should start from the beginning. My last days in Marrakech ranged from terrible to awesome. Terrible because Moroccan food reaaaally does not agree with me (this, ladies and gentlemen, is when you wish you were staying in a hotel with a bathroom attached to your room instead of in a hostel with the bathroom located a floor above you!)
Awesome because I met some wonderful people and got to spend a night in the Sahara and ride a camel!
The group of people I was hanging out with drew cards on a bet to see who had to try the sheep's brain for sale at some of the market stalls for dinner that night. Thankfully, I did not draw the low card! The man at the stall gave the whole sheep's head a hard sell, but in the end we stuck to our guns and only ordered one brain. The cook fished it out from a huge pot of liquid, appearing for all the world Iike a mad scientist, and handed it over on a plate. I was not brave enough to take a bite (especially with my puny stomach) but apparently it tasted a little like pâté. Still, yech! We walked around the square and saw a man dancing to some gnawa music with a live rooster on his head! Somehow, he didn't even seem so out of place!
That night and the next day I was sick sick sick! In the morning, the hostel said they didn't have any more rooms available for the following night. At this point, one of the zippers on my suitcase had broken and I still felt on the verge of throwing up with every movement so I had just about had it. Luckily, I must have looked sufficiently terrible because the front desk magically found a free bed for me when I asked again. I spent the day taking it easy and was so grateful for the help of my fellow travelers. They did everything from moving my luggage to my new room to checking in on me throughout the day to making special trips to get me some bland food! I may have to start believing in humanity's kindness again at this rate!
That night we went to a Moroccan/ Thai fusion restaurant as we were all so sick of Moroccan cuisine that it wasn't even funny. The restaurant, in typical Moroccan fashion, was quite swank but getting there was a bit dodgy! At that point, I would have given my right arm NOT to eat a tajine or couscous so I didn't really care.
The next morning, I has planned on leaving Marrakech for Meknès, but the group I was with convinced me to come with them to the desert instead. So, I woke up at 6:39 am to head out on a 9 hour can ride into the Sahara. The ride took us through the Middle Atlas mountains. I have never seen such twisty roads in all my life. You may remember that I mentioned that Moroccans are CRAZY drivers. Our driver kept exclaiming "regardez les montaignes! Les montaignes magnifiques!" and pointing to them as we careened around hairpin turns, switching lanes when the car in front of us was going too slowly. I have never prayed so hard in all my life!
On the way there, we saw villages made almost entirely of mud and straw, sheep herders, and the ubiquitous Coca-Cola sign. We stopped by a female-run argan oil cooperative and at an impressive kasbah where they filmed some scenes from Gladiator (chedk out the link to my photos as I've added a bunch of new ones including one of me and my camel!).
Nine loooong hours later, we arrived at our destination. From there, we got on camels for an hour and a half ride to our campsite. Camels are way way bigger up close than they seem at the zoo and they stink to high heaven! Additionally, they have very wide backs and an uneven gait, meaning that you will never ever enjoy a comfortable camel ride. We walked through a spattering of rain (!) to our campsite as the sun set. By nightfall, we had reached the traditional Berber tents in which we would stay the night. They had brightly colored carpeted walls and interiors and were large enough to sleep 10 comfortably. Our guides made us a delicious dinner and we traded stories with them about our homes and they told us about their lives as nomads. One guide was astonished to hear I only had one sibling, probably because he was one of ten!
We spent the rest of the night lying on the dunes and looking up at the sea of stars while the guides played drums and sang. It may have been more than a tad contrived, but it was still beautiful and memorable. I have never seen so many stars in all my life. We woke at dawn and ate a quick breakfast before hopping back on our camels. The ride home was just as long, but thoroughly enjoyable as I fended off good natured teasing about the States (I was finishing up A Room With A View on the ride back and the Brits asked me if I needed help understanding proper English).
Upon arriving at the hostel I took what has to be the best shower of my life and we headed out for dinner and drinks in celebration of our last night in Marrakech. So, although the city has many many disagreeable aspects, on the whole I had an excellent time filled with lovely people and tons of learning experiences.
I caught my train to Fez in true Malinick fashion with just minutes to spare, and then endured the seven hour journey north. I met up with Kelsey and her host sister from the village, Zhor, last night. She is a really sweet girl about our age, and through a mixture of French, English, and Arabic, we manage to understand each other. She made Kelsey a beautiful rug and brought me a lovely pillowcase embroidered on one side with two tiny camels! Today, we went to see the famous tanneries of Fez. I cannot even begin to describe the smell off those places. It was truly gag inducing but also interesting to see how leather is processed. The white vats you see in the photos are what they first place the skins to prepare them and the colored ones are the various dyes.
You couldn't pay me enough to eat another tajine or any more couscous, so we found a Thai restaurant in the Nouvelle Ville. Now I am back at my hotel just outside Bab Barjeloud (one of the gates into the old city) and ready to collapse. I hope you all are well. Eat a hamburger for me!
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Location:Avenue de La Liberte,,Morocco
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