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.
