Fes, the final round.

I have officially declared Fes as my favorite city in Morocco that I have so far traveled to. I can't really describe why, I just love the vibe, and have met some very interesting people. Several of whom I met during my final weekend in the city, or 2 weekends ago. We literally didn't pay for tea once, and drank it about 5 times. It was awesome. I love free stuff. I also got a free bracelet, key chain and scarf.

R and I went down on Friday, planning on enjoying our last free weekend, ready to do very little and just enjoy the area. We always stay at this hotel, Hotel Bab Boujloud, by the Bab Boujloud entrance to the old medina. Slightly expensive, but close, safe, and clean. And they generally have toilet paper, which is always a plus. And real toilets. I still am not a master at the squatter-potter. In fact, one time in Azrou, I fell in a squatter. Not the best experience.

If you happen to be in Morocco, and go to Fes, and to the old medina at the entrance previously mentioned, I would strongly suggest eating at La Palma. It's right inside the entrance, and even though the menu says it's 70dhs, it's really 50. Ask Mohammed. Having eaten at the restaurant basically every time I went to Fes, I can vouch for the food. Amazing, every time.

Scallywag guy also is a favorite. He helps sell small trinkets that are ridiculously inexpensive, and gives out high-fives as if they were going out of style. Which is fantastic, because high-fives are awesome. He always calls us "scallywags" and is just a very cheerful person. He's just fun, and he is not opposed to giving you an even better deal or free items. (bracelet and key chains)

A new friend I met that weekend was... well, I don't actually know him name. He works in a rug store and looks like he is from Jamaica. Supposedly he's from the Sahara. I don't really know, but he was... interesting. We bought some goods from him for an okay price, and then when we saw him the next day, he helped us find a tea pot that was a pretty high quality. He also gave us multiple cups of tea. He was....pushy, but what can you do? Most salesmen are. May as well enjoy the tea and stories.

A new "friend" I wish we hadn't met was a tour guide. He wouldn't leave us alone. We were waiting for J and K to join us on Saturday, but R's phone was dead, so we didn't know when to expect them. We were waiting by the entrance, and tourguideman kept talking to us, telling us we hadn't seen the "real" medina. We hadn't really explored Fes. Which, is semi-true. He did mention sites we hadn't visited, but we just weren't interested. Then he invited us to tea. It is really rude to reject an offer of food or drink, so we were basically bound to have tea with him. He was nice enough to charge R's phone. Then we found out K and J wouldn't be there for about an hour, and told him we were going to go into the medina, and be back later. (lying is bad... but we were hoping he would find some other customers.) So, after an hour, we were waiting inside the gate, hoping he wouldn't see us... but he did. Then he insulted R's tea pot, and basically insulted us. So we snuck away, again. But.. Guess who found K and J when they arrived? He knew we were waiting for 2 females, and they were probably pretty easy to spot. He hassled them a little bit, but eventually shook him loose. We never saw him again, but were in fear for the rest of the trip.

I am definitely going to miss that city, and some of the people in it. It will be weird to shop at normal shops again, and not barter for things. Standing on the terrace of the hotel Saturday night, overlooking the wall between old and new, I knew that that memory would be one that I would miss. When I think of Morocco, I hope that's one of the first that pops into my mind.

Blue cities and tall waterfalls

I fail at keeping a blog. However, part of that is that I feel like I don't have much to say.

Spring break happened a few weeks back, and 3 friends and I traveled to Rome, Brussels, and Madrid. I'm very thankful that I got the opportunity to spend some time in Europe, because it's hard to say when I will be over on this side of the world again. I think Brussels was my favorite city, even though we only spent about 24 hours there. It just had a vibe that very much so reminded me of the Northwest. Unfortunately, it also made me miss home.

The novelty of Morocco has definitely worn off, and every day I get more and more sick of the school here. It becomes more apparent every time I travel how separate this campus is from the rest of the country. 

Last weekend, a group of us went to Chefchaouen, a city known for hash and being blue. According to wikipedia, it's blue from the Jewish settlers that used to live there, and the tradition of painting the walls blue has been continued by its current residents. It was a very pretty city, although I didn't actually spend too much time exploring the city itself. On Saturday, we drove to Akchur and completed this amazing hike to a waterfall. It was absolutely gorgeous, and good weather for a hike. My poor converse... I am not sure they are going to make it back to the states. We had to cross the river 12 times there and back, and my shoes stayed on the entire time. There was also a fair amount of mud and dirt. No one warned me Morocco would ruin my shoes. I don't mind too much, given the utility received from participating in the events that have most deteriorated the state of them.

The best part of the weekend though would probably be the fact that we rented cars to the whole weekend. It felt amazing to sit in the front seat, hand out the window, listening to good music. It definitely made me ready to drive again, and excited to blast my music and rock out when traveling.

It was nice to see more of the rural Moroccan life, with women carrying large loads of flowers and sticks on their backs. Everywhere we drove bright, red poppies were in bloom, and the hillsides were green and lush. There were large fields of grass and crops, and it was beautiful to see. Donkeys, goats, cows and sheep were visible every couple hundred feet, although that seems to be true of most of the country. There are baby goats everywhere, and they are so adorable. There's just a sense of serenity that comes from being out in the country, and it was nice to just be able to be an observer. While I am a big fan of the big cities as well, sometimes it's nice to get away, and just feel like you could run away and live in a hut in the middle of no where. I know I would get fed up after a while, but the option is there. If I really wanted, I could chose a life path radically different from the one I'm on, and everything would still probably be okay. That's probably the biggest lesson I have learned since being at college, and just reinforced by my time here.

Do I plan on dropping out and moving to a far away country and becoming a farmer? No, but all that matters is that the option is there.

Picture Blog

Just a random sample of various places from the trip.

Map of the February break trip

Sand dune near Merzouga 

My first camel: Leonardo Kid Cudi

Gorges in Tinghir

Kasbah

From the top of the Kasbah

Market area in Marrakech

Beach in Essauira 

Overlooking Meknes

Sunset in Azrou

Moroccan countryside

Woods at AUI

Mosque in the center of campus

Buildings on campus... they all look the same

A playing her flute in Tinghir. It was a fantastic way to wake up to a beautiful day. 

It's been awhile.

So, it has been about a month since my last entry, which is quite pathetic. I had been doing so well at keeping it updated.

I couldn't possibly cover all of what has happened in one entry, or rather, the entry would be ridiculously long. I am not even sure where to begin.

Morocco is still amazing, that hasn't changed. I have gotten to see a lot more of the country, which is fantastic. The weekend after Fes, we went to Meknes, which is about an hour away as well. Meknes also has an older part of the city, which used to be the King's palace. The history to Meknes was quite fantastic, and I will try to elaborate more on that later. We went into a mausoleum, an old storehouse for grains, and a prison that had housed Christians. More on that later.

I got to see the most, however, over February break. The Prophets birthday was earlier this month, which was described to me as the "Muslim Christmas," so we got 3 days off of school. Well, I got 5, but the school gave us 3, and all my Friday classes were cancelled, so it made sense to take advantage of the time and travel. It was a big trip in more ways than one- we started out with about 20 people.

We traveled down south to Merzouga, and went trekking in the desert, camel riding included. We were fairly close to the Algerian border, which was kind of exciting. We slept in Berber tents, and our guides played us traditional music and told some Berber jokes. "How do you get a camel into the fridge in 3 steps? Open the door, put the camel in, shut the door."  "How do you get a goat in the fridge in 4 steps? Open the door, take the camel out, put the goat in, shut the door."  SO funny.

After the desert, we traveled to Tinghir, where the have these amazing gorges. It was a gorgeous area, but the children there were very intense. As soon as we stepped out of the cabs, they flocked, asking for food and dhs. J gave on child a biscuit, which made it worse. On a social note- the amount of children that beg in this country. We see it in every city we go to, although Tinghir was the worst. I've also seen a lot of girls with hands stained from doing henna. It just makes me sad to think of a 10-year-old being put to work to support her family. I realize henna is not highly demanding labor, but when a girl is so young, and the stains so visible, it's hard not to feel a reaction. I suppose I also make assumptions about why her hands are stained, and maybe there is a much better reason. It's something for me to think about, and look in to.

After Tinghir the group split up and we went to Ouarzazate. Or through it, and on to Et Al something... where there is one of the oldest Kasbahs, and where they filmed Gladiator. The Kasbah was really cool, and we got to meet one of the remaining families that continue to live there, even against government pressure to move out. The Kasbah is over 1,500 years old, and the government wants to turn it into a tourist location only, and has given money to families to relocate. The woman began crying when telling her story of the pressure. Her home was a very interesting mix of old vs new, with modern clothing, posters, etc. But they also had sheep in their entry room, and only one room with a roof, which was the sleeping room/ partial kitchen. Her daughters and son attend school, and her husband worked in the city. She didn't speak any English, so all the information was obtained through our guides, but I wasn't able to catch much more detail than that.

After that, we went to Marrakech- the Las Vegas of Morocco. Many of the Moroccans I have talked to say Marrakech is the place to travel to. It did have a very cool vibe, and a huge souk, or shopping area. We were also continuously warned to watch our personal belongings, because people often get pick-pocketed. However, the worst that happened to us were several hash offers, and one for being sold for sex. The shopkeepers in Marrakech were also some of the most rude, but it was to be expected. We have gotten fairly good at bargaining, and I think they just expect all tourists to be fooled into paying high prices. The best part of Marrakech would be the ice cream! It was the first ice cream I have had since coming here, and it was amazing. So, so amazing.

After Marrakech we traveled to the coast to Essaouira, which was a very sketchy to arrive to at 8 at night. Most Moroccan cities have a bit more of a night life, and are open a bit later, but this town was kind of dirty, and there weren't many people out. It didn't help that about 10 minutes after we got off the bus, R realized she had forgotten her purse on it. Luckily, they were able to recover it, but with about 600 dhs missing, which is about 70 dollars. Not terrible, but not pleasant. We were all just happy she got her passport and debit card back. The beach the next day, however, was beautiful. I can now say I have been in the Atlantic Ocean! It wasn't quite warm enough for swimming, so we just strolled and dipped our feet in. It was very relaxing, and very nice.

After that, a group of 6 of us traveled back to Ifrane, arriving very early Saturday morning. It was a very good trip, but I felt like most of the time was spent in transit, unfortunately. We were all so tired by the time we got somewhere that we didn't have enough energy to do a lot of exploring.

This will have to be enough for now, but I am working on an entry about all the political happenings over here! Picture blog soon as well.

Fes!

Last night, a group of us went to Fes to explore and see the old Medina, the oldest city in Morocco. Which, coincidentally has the oldest university, which was founded by a woman. All I can say is that it was a fantastic experience, and was a lot of fun.
I also must reneg on my previous comment of not loving Moroccan food. The food we ate in the old medina was fantastic. Pastilla, kababs, tagines, msemmen.. yum. And the juice here kills juice in America. It's completely fresh, and you still have bits of the fruit in the drink. They grow oranges and like citrus here, so the fruits themselves are amazing. Except apples and bananas so far... I suppose I am a bit of an apple snob though. I tried banana juice... it just tastes like a melted banana milkshake.
Unfortunately, my camera was dead for this trip, so I have no pictures. I will steal from other people though.
The old medina is a fantastic weave of alleys and shops, allowing for a person to get lost after 5 minutes. We would have been so lost without Nour, our sole Moroccan on the trip. He negotiated for us, so we only paid half price for the hotel, got cheaper meals, and didn't get ripped off for our purchases.
He did say I am almost Moroccan due to my love for the driving and the sweetness of beverages. I can live with being an honorary Moroccan.
Friday night was fantastic. Most of the shops were closed, so we didn't  go very far into the city, but we were just 9 people enjoying food, the atmosphere and each other's company. It definitely didn't feel like we'd only known each other for a week or less. After a fantastic dinner at Le Palma (I think) we went back to the hotel, sat on the roof, overlooking a lot of the city. It was surreal to be overlooking Fes, in Morocco... when 2 weeks ago I was in Spokane. For the first time, I really felt the distance, but in a good way.
Saturday we ventured in to the medina, in search of the tanneries and shopping. To view the tanneries, you have to enter a shop, and then walk up narrow stairs, to look down at the process. It wasn't as bad of a smell as I thought it would be, but they did provide us with mint leaves to counter the smell. I wouldn't consider myself a fan of leather, but I can really respect the way they do it here. They get the hides from the slaughterhouses, and then they don't use any chemicals or electricity. It is simply manual labor and nature. The dyes come from plants, such as saffron for yellow, mint for green, and I believe poppy leaves for red. They use pigeon poop to help make the skin softer, and the whole process takes about a month to complete. And believe me, the product is amazing.
Goat leather is ridiculously soft, and they also use camel and cows. The man at the shop demonstrated the quality by holding a flame up to a jacket for about 15 seconds. No smell was emitted, nothing melted, and nothing burned. The jacket was barely even hot when we touched it afterwards.
After the tanneries, we had a semi-guide take us around to a few places. He had a few tidbits of information, such as the fact that the old medina has 9,400 streets and over 300 mosques. We were able to travel up to the tops of more buildings, and the view was quite fantastic.
We also went to a Berber rug shop, and a Berber pharmacy. The man at the pharmacy was hilarious, and showed us various oils and cream, as well as amber pieces and blocks made out of whale fat that is supposed to be an aphrodisiac. They had a green lipstick that turned lips a very bright pink, and the color lasted for quite some time. K got to be the guinea pig for that one. Near the end of our visit, he also told us about "Moroccan Viagra" and said that "you take it at night, and it gives you energy or helps with the jiggy-jiggy."
We then proceeded to the rug making shop, and met the owner of the shop named Hassan, who again took us to the roof of his building, pointing out the university. (which was pointed out to us at every rooftop. It looked quite impressive, but being as we aren't Muslim, we were not allowed in) He gave us a show of several of his rugs/carpets/blankets, which were quite impressive. Luckily, I didn't have enough money to even be able to be tempted.
We actually saw a lot of tourists, more than I would have thought. It was crazy and hectic, but so marvelous. 

Breakfast. Campus. Azrou.

Today was a very intensive walking day.
To begin, a lot of the exchange students, and a few freshman went to breakfast. Which was amazing. I'm not entirely sure what I ate, but it was good, and I actually got full. There was like a flaky pancake, and a harder...pancake thing. Someone told me the names, but of course I forgot. The mint tea here is one thing I am pretty certain I will miss upon returning to America. They sweeten the shit out of it, so it's just a bit of mint, with a lot of sweetness. I finally got to mingle with a few native Moroccans, and that was nice. Learned some new words, which is always a bonus.
After breakfast, we had an across campus scavenger hunt. Which sounded fantastic, until we got stuck on the second clue and walked alllllll around campus. It is hilly. It was warm. We ran a little bit. I still hate running. Of course, we lost. We didn't even finish, rather we jumped to the end to see the winner's get a prize. And there's video of our epic failure. A guy with a camera followed us around for about 40 minutes.. half laughing at us the entire time. He wasn't a random person with a camera, let me make that clear. He was part of the student association, recording the events.
The best part of the day was the trip to Azrou. It's about 20 minutes outside of town, and you have to take a grand taxi to get there. Meaning 6 of us, plus a driver, in an old mercedes. While it wasn't the most comfortable ride, the view was fantastic. We came down the mountain slightly, and got a good view of the town from the road. It was nice to actually feel like I am in Morocco. While Ifrane is nice, it's a bit insulated and has the nickname "little Switzerland" for a reason. The town was awesome, and we did a little bit of shopping. We also went to this bakery that had some amazing looking pastries for great prices. I guess that is one great thing about the influence of French culture here.
Classes begin tomorrow, which is a bit of a downer. I am not prepared.

From Bozeman to Fes/Fez.

I have now traveled internationally by air.
It was a...learning experience. The flight from Denver to Frankfurt was... interesting. The amenities were very nice, such as 2 meals, warm towelettes, a screen in the seat in front of me with various TV shows and movies. The leg room, however, was not. I am not built to fly for extended periods of time. I am certain the seats were narrower, and leg room smaller, than that of regular flights. Needless to say, it was not incredibly pleasant.
My traveling partner and I had hoped to explore Frankfurt, but had a hard enough time navigating the airport, and so sat outside gate B30 for about 9.5 hours. Nothing exciting happened...although if we had wanted to, we could have gotten severely hammered off all the alcohol they sell there. Alas, we sat and slept, and read.
The plane to Casablanca... was amazing. It was only about 1/3 full, and the seats were big, and the leg room was larger. I zonked out about 5 minutes into the flight, only to be awoken for a meal, which was actually quite good. Afterwards, I slept more... only this time I woke up to something much less pleasant- loud, obnoxious, French children.
The only good thing about being awake was that I could see the Spain coastline in the Middle of the night, all lit up, while simultaneously seeing the stars, and the African coastline.
Arriving in Casablanca at 1 in the morning was very nerve-racking. Luckily, the customs men were very nice, and we were just waved through baggage checking. The worst part was walking through the sitting area, being stared at.We had to wait for 5 hours before the train would arrive to take us to Casa train station to get on the train to Fes. Let's just say I would have felt more comfortable at a bus station at midnight. That airport is... janky.
Finally 6 rolled around and we hopped on a train that took us to the other station. Unfortunately, the sun hadn't risen, and there was a mass fog covering the city, so we didn't get to see much of it. The train to Fes, however, had some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. We moved from the beach areas to the mountainous region, and the change in landscape was amazing. Unfortunately, I kept falling asleep, even with my camera in hand, and may have missed something.
Riding out of Casablanca was beautifully horrendous. The land next to the track was covered in small, makeshift houses, with garbage and trash scattered everywhere. The living conditions I can only imagine as near 3rd world, with small **** piled together, made out of metal scraps, blankets and other various materials. Having only seen such things in pictures, I was fascinated. That life is unimaginable for me, so I was entranced at what life may entail for these people. I was reminded that this world was not that much different from life back home when I saw a man peeing outside on a wall.
It was also nice to see morning life in Morocco. It was before 8, and yet there was a large group of men playing basketball, people waiting at other bus stations, walking along the streets to work, driving their cars to unknown destinations. (it should be noted, driving in Morocco is fantastically crazy. The real only rule is stay on your side of the road most of the time.) Life is just....life. So far, while things have been different, I haven't experienced much culture shock.
We arrived in Fes, greeted by some people from the University, and ate a meal at a nearby restaurant. Sitting outside, eating our meal, I was reminded of Seattle. The vibe was just similar.
The drive from Fes to Ifrane was crazy fun. I am in love with traffic here. It's like playing chicken all the time. We drove up the mountain, and the weather was unusually warm, so there wasn't any snow, and you could almost see the mountains in the distance. The King's Palace is across town from the University, and from the glimpse we got, seems quite impressive.
Campus itself is beautiful with fairly small buildings, all of a similar design, plopped on a hillside. There are trees everywhere... and with the sunshine we've been experiencing, it's been quite easy to adjust.
So far, so good. We'll see what happens when classes begin.