Okay, well there is no one waiting for the internet so this entry will be a little longer maybe. Katie has correctly informed me that Oasis is the best youth hostel of all time, and I have enjoyed the rooftop swimming pool, chocolate spread for breakfast, clean beds, and a tapas tour with a free flamenco show last night. I highly recommend it. They even made a reservation for me at the Lisbon Oasis by means of IM. You know you are in a youth hostel when reservations are made by college students using IM. When the guy told me it was all set and I said, "score", he was extremely amused...and promptly typed that to the person he was IMing. I laughed. I have no idea where he was from.
Oh yeah. Sevilla. I love Sevilla. The tapas are incredible. The weather was great, if a bit hot, and the city is like one postcard after another. I touristed all day and saw all the major landmarks, most importantly the Alcaza and the Cathedral. I took a bunch of pictures of the place in the Cathedral that Christopher Colombus is supposedly buried. I did a little shopping and bought one clean sundress so that I don't have to wear dirty travelling clothes to see my friends in London. They have all been in civilization for a while now so I don't want to embarass myself too much. I figure clean clothes will do. I doubt the cleanliness will get much beyond that, as I have an overnight bus both tonight and tomorrow. So much for sleeping and showering. Sorry guys.
I am getting quite excited to get home, to the point that I don't even care that much about Portugal. I have to spend the day somehow, though, so I may as well make use of it and do some sightseeing. Then I hop a bus to Madrid tomorrow night at nine, I get into Madrid on Sunday morning, and I am going to chill out at the airport all day. I considered taking a day trip on Sunday to El Escorial or to Toledo, but I don't have a lot of money and I don't want to risk missing my flight. Besides, hanging out at airports and bus stations for hours on end is ridiculous amounts of fun.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Thai, anyone?
Yeah, so the blogger page is for some unknown reason in Thai. I had to guess from memory which buttons to click to do this entry. I am in Sevilla right now, on my way after Granada and Cordoba. In Granada I spent the whole morning at the Alhambra, because, well duh, it's the Alhambra. I did some other sightseeing in the afternoon and then took an evening bus to Cordoba, where I got quite frustrated trying to find a hotel. What's that? I should have planned better and booked ahead? Nonsense. All those damn people should have stayed somewhere else. Anyway, I ended up having to pay 30 Euros for a double room with a private bath...the actual price was 38 but apparently bargaining works here too.....after I took my bubbke bath I decided it was worth every Euro!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
I decided to just pay for two hours at the internet cafe since there was no way to finish the blog and read all my emails in one. Now I have twenty minutes left, so I am going to write my last Morocco entry, the top ten things I will miss and the top ten things I will not miss.
THE TOP TEN THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT MOROCCO:
10. Ca va, la gazelle? Hell nooooooooooo. ca va pas. You are driving me crazy, and besides...I am not a bird.
9. Not being able to walk around by myself at night.
8. Dressing for winter in the middle of summer in Africa. There is a limit to my modesty, and this is well beyond it!
7. Living next to Hash corner, and trying.....unsuccessfully.......to avoid stepping on the hash.
6. Lugging three months worth of luggage across two continents by myself.
5. Bus stations, taxis, and hotels, oh my!
4. Disrespectful guys. I know, this is the second time this has made the list. It deserves at least that for the amount we put up with.
3. Getting yelled at for inviting Pete over to study. After I had permission.
2. HRUBESSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
1. People wondering what you are up to if you walk, talk, or basically have any contact whatsoever with a guy.
THE TOP TEN THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT MOROCCO:
10. Saying En shallah...God Willing.... for everything, as though my decision to eat chicken tonight is truly dependent on God willing it to happen.
9. Sleeping on the terrace of hotels.
8. Teaching country music to the students, and the excitement when I copied CDs for them.
7. Watermelon for dessert.
6. 3 o clock at Hash corner. Everytime 3 o clock rolls around now I wonder why I am not shopping and running random errands with the girls.
5. Doing impressions of Saad. I might do them anyway.
4. The kasbah in Rabat. Even though we were not always the most responsible visitors.
3. The souqs. Where other than Marrakesh can you buy handmade lamps, a variety of colored potions, and handpainted pottery for 10 or 15 dollars?
2. The hospitality. Walking into a store and getting invited for tea even after I have bought something, or even if I don't buy anything. Getting offered meals, rides, and places to sleep from perfect strangers.
1. Everyone I have met, especially the other TPA interns and students, randoms, and all the English students. I can't wait to see everyone again soon, en shallah.
THE TOP TEN THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT MOROCCO:
10. Ca va, la gazelle? Hell nooooooooooo. ca va pas. You are driving me crazy, and besides...I am not a bird.
9. Not being able to walk around by myself at night.
8. Dressing for winter in the middle of summer in Africa. There is a limit to my modesty, and this is well beyond it!
7. Living next to Hash corner, and trying.....unsuccessfully.......to avoid stepping on the hash.
6. Lugging three months worth of luggage across two continents by myself.
5. Bus stations, taxis, and hotels, oh my!
4. Disrespectful guys. I know, this is the second time this has made the list. It deserves at least that for the amount we put up with.
3. Getting yelled at for inviting Pete over to study. After I had permission.
2. HRUBESSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
1. People wondering what you are up to if you walk, talk, or basically have any contact whatsoever with a guy.
THE TOP TEN THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT MOROCCO:
10. Saying En shallah...God Willing.... for everything, as though my decision to eat chicken tonight is truly dependent on God willing it to happen.
9. Sleeping on the terrace of hotels.
8. Teaching country music to the students, and the excitement when I copied CDs for them.
7. Watermelon for dessert.
6. 3 o clock at Hash corner. Everytime 3 o clock rolls around now I wonder why I am not shopping and running random errands with the girls.
5. Doing impressions of Saad. I might do them anyway.
4. The kasbah in Rabat. Even though we were not always the most responsible visitors.
3. The souqs. Where other than Marrakesh can you buy handmade lamps, a variety of colored potions, and handpainted pottery for 10 or 15 dollars?
2. The hospitality. Walking into a store and getting invited for tea even after I have bought something, or even if I don't buy anything. Getting offered meals, rides, and places to sleep from perfect strangers.
1. Everyone I have met, especially the other TPA interns and students, randoms, and all the English students. I can't wait to see everyone again soon, en shallah.
There is no such thing as free lunch...LIES
He promptly offered to take me by the bus station and check with me. I was like, is this guy for real? So I told him it was much too kind and I did not want to take him out of his way. He said no problem, and I shrugged. If he was gonna kill me with a chainsaw, it was too late now.
Not 15 minutes later there we were at the bus station getting all the info. Afterward, he asked if I was hungry...I was starving.........and bought me a really nice lunch and soda at the bus station. I was still trying to figure out what was going on when he took me to take photos from a viewpoint over the medina. He finally dropped me off right on the main plaza near my hotel, but not before giving me 100dH for my ticket tomorrow. I tried to refuse, but he insisted. I left bewildered. He told me he does it for everyone when he is on vacation and the only thing I could come up with is that he was so grateful to have a decent job in Belgium that he truly enjoys sharing the wealth when he comes back. He did not try to flirt with me, bother me, or sell me anything. We were perfect strangers, and he basically accomplished my afternoon agenda, walking to bus, taking bus to Meknes, going toMeknes bus station, getting lunch, and returning to hotel, in the matter of an hour or so. And paid me to do it. He told me he wanted me to leave Morocco with a good impression of Meknes. Well, it worked!! I am 12 dollars richer and in very good spirits.
I met a much sketchier guy who invited me to his house this afternoon, but his insistence that I relax and make myself at home, along with the fact that he kept telling me how he wanted to get to know me, caused me to all of a sudden have a lot of studying to do.
So that's it. I am caught up. Tomorrow morning I take the bus to Tanger, right on the border of Spain, and Tuesday morning I am taking the ferry into Spain. I am probably going to go to Granada, Sevilla, Leon, and then Portugal, before flying to London next Sunday. That is the plan anyway. So far I have not exactly stuck to much of a plan. Or maybe I just didn't have one. Whatever.
Not 15 minutes later there we were at the bus station getting all the info. Afterward, he asked if I was hungry...I was starving.........and bought me a really nice lunch and soda at the bus station. I was still trying to figure out what was going on when he took me to take photos from a viewpoint over the medina. He finally dropped me off right on the main plaza near my hotel, but not before giving me 100dH for my ticket tomorrow. I tried to refuse, but he insisted. I left bewildered. He told me he does it for everyone when he is on vacation and the only thing I could come up with is that he was so grateful to have a decent job in Belgium that he truly enjoys sharing the wealth when he comes back. He did not try to flirt with me, bother me, or sell me anything. We were perfect strangers, and he basically accomplished my afternoon agenda, walking to bus, taking bus to Meknes, going toMeknes bus station, getting lunch, and returning to hotel, in the matter of an hour or so. And paid me to do it. He told me he wanted me to leave Morocco with a good impression of Meknes. Well, it worked!! I am 12 dollars richer and in very good spirits.
I met a much sketchier guy who invited me to his house this afternoon, but his insistence that I relax and make myself at home, along with the fact that he kept telling me how he wanted to get to know me, caused me to all of a sudden have a lot of studying to do.
So that's it. I am caught up. Tomorrow morning I take the bus to Tanger, right on the border of Spain, and Tuesday morning I am taking the ferry into Spain. I am probably going to go to Granada, Sevilla, Leon, and then Portugal, before flying to London next Sunday. That is the plan anyway. So far I have not exactly stuck to much of a plan. Or maybe I just didn't have one. Whatever.
Hitch hiking
So last night my evening was consumed by trying to find my way from the bus station to my hotel on foot with all my stuff because I am too cheap to pay for a taxi. I did get a nice tour of the city on the way though. The hotel was expensive by Morocco standards, but they are letting me sleep on the terrace for 50dH. After I put my stuff down and headed out in search of internet and dinner, I ran into random solo traveler from Barcelona who was also in my hotel, and in search of internet and dinner. He didn't speak any French or Arabic, so I took the liberty of finding us an internet cafe, and then he pretty much paid for dinner except for like a dollar. All in all, quite successful. We ate in the main plaza that overlooks these huge mosaic doors to the ancien medina.
This morning I set out early to take a day trip to Moulay Idriss and Volubilis. Moulay Idriss is like a minor pilgrimage and according to Lonely Planet five pilgrimages to MI are equivalent to one to Mecca. So I saw the Mausoleum and the town and decided to walk from there to the Roman ruins at Volubilis. It was 4 or 5 km, so it took me a little less than an hour. I saw the ruins, held off pesky faux guides, and got someone to take a picture of me. Came, saw conquered. Then I decided to be on my way because I had to walk all the way back to Moulay Idriss and I didnt know what time the last bus left from Moulay Idriss back to Meknes. I was en route when a relatively pesky older gentleman told me that there were buses that came by to Meknes and I could get a ride from the corner. By the way, was I married? Because we could get married and own the Coke stand together and live happily ever after.
I did not wait at the corner for the bus.
About 5 minutes into my trip back a well dressed man in a van pulled over and asked me where I was walking. I told him Moulay Idriss, and he told me to hop in. I am not in the habit of hitch hiking, but I figured, what the hell? I have already slept at two strangers houses this week. Why not? And he told me that he was actually on his way to Meknes but did not mind dropping me off in Moulay Idriss, since its on the way. I was like, wait........did you say Meknes? Actually..............
So there I was in the car with random strange man to Meknes. He told me that he actually works in Belgium now and is just back in Morocco for vacation. A pretty believable story considering the nice clothes, car, etc. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was on my way to the bus station to see what time I could get a bus to Tanger tomm.
This morning I set out early to take a day trip to Moulay Idriss and Volubilis. Moulay Idriss is like a minor pilgrimage and according to Lonely Planet five pilgrimages to MI are equivalent to one to Mecca. So I saw the Mausoleum and the town and decided to walk from there to the Roman ruins at Volubilis. It was 4 or 5 km, so it took me a little less than an hour. I saw the ruins, held off pesky faux guides, and got someone to take a picture of me. Came, saw conquered. Then I decided to be on my way because I had to walk all the way back to Moulay Idriss and I didnt know what time the last bus left from Moulay Idriss back to Meknes. I was en route when a relatively pesky older gentleman told me that there were buses that came by to Meknes and I could get a ride from the corner. By the way, was I married? Because we could get married and own the Coke stand together and live happily ever after.
I did not wait at the corner for the bus.
About 5 minutes into my trip back a well dressed man in a van pulled over and asked me where I was walking. I told him Moulay Idriss, and he told me to hop in. I am not in the habit of hitch hiking, but I figured, what the hell? I have already slept at two strangers houses this week. Why not? And he told me that he was actually on his way to Meknes but did not mind dropping me off in Moulay Idriss, since its on the way. I was like, wait........did you say Meknes? Actually..............
So there I was in the car with random strange man to Meknes. He told me that he actually works in Belgium now and is just back in Morocco for vacation. A pretty believable story considering the nice clothes, car, etc. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was on my way to the bus station to see what time I could get a bus to Tanger tomm.
Lessons in Arabic
Yeah so anyway the next day..Friday, I met Driss and Radouane in the morning and went with them and a friend to the nearby village of Ifrane to see the monkeys. I lov e monkeys. All I had to pay for was gas, and I got free lunch because apparently Driss had worked with the firefighters there before or something. Who cares........all I know is I was hungry and chicken and soda magically appeared. However it got there is irrelevant. Anyway we spent the day touristing, which is in fact a word no matter what Webster says, and got back to Azrou in time for tea with Radouane's family. They let me take a shower there, and seriously, this bathroom was incredible.........I mean,,, toilet paper, hot water, mirror, towel, .......so many toys I didn't know where to look or what to do!! There was even soap for washing my hands! I kind of wanted to dawdle and hang out by myself in the bathroom for a while, but that would have been a little weird. It was a fantastic shower though.
The house was soooo nice. His dad works in France so if you can imagine a French salary paying for the cost of living in Morocco....think chandeliers, wood and leather, the whole nine yards. I took pictures, dont worry. So we had tea there and then I cant even remember what we did in the evening LOL! I dunno........but I spent the night at Driss's house, which turned out to be a very unsketchy freebie as his brother, his brother's wife, and their baby all live there. I got dinner there and Driss somehow got the idea that we would be better off communicating in Arabic than in Spanish . Foolish. So foolish. But I learned some more words in Arabic and entertained him with my pathetic pronciation so it was fine.
Where am I? Oh yea, Saturday. So Friday I had gotten a text from Zoe saying that they were going to be in Azrou for the weekend. It was such an incredible coincidence that I decided that I had to stay until they got there on Saturday afternoon to say hi. Besides, I had free lodging, so it would have been stupid to leave. So we went and saw Zoe, Charlie, Sarah, and the new Japanese girl that I had not met before. Sometime before that I got lunch with Radouane and his mom kept speaking to me in Arabic. I don't know if she realized how little I was understanding because I just kept smiling and repeating the same two or three phrases. I imagine the conversation was something like this:
Mom: It is a pleasure to have you over. Welcome to our house.
Diane: Thank you so much.
Mom: Where are you from?
D: Thank you so much. I am a student.
M: Are you traveling alone?
D: Yes, Morocco is beautiful. Thank you.
M: When do you return home?
D: Yes, beautiful. Thank you. I am 23.
M: Will you remember everyone you met in Morocco?
D: Oh yes. Morocco. Yes. Beautiful.
The only time I actually answered her question was when she asked me if I was married because I had to learn the phrase "I'm married" to minimize harassment. Then she asked me if I was going to marry Radouane. I was like, ummmmmmmmmm....I should probably wait till I hav e known him 24 hours. I hear that works out better. Okay, okay I did not say that. I didn't know how to say that I am too young to get married so I said, "I am 23. I am 28, I am married." I think she understood.
Anyway, I got distracted. I left Azrou on Saturday evening for Meknes.
The house was soooo nice. His dad works in France so if you can imagine a French salary paying for the cost of living in Morocco....think chandeliers, wood and leather, the whole nine yards. I took pictures, dont worry. So we had tea there and then I cant even remember what we did in the evening LOL! I dunno........but I spent the night at Driss's house, which turned out to be a very unsketchy freebie as his brother, his brother's wife, and their baby all live there. I got dinner there and Driss somehow got the idea that we would be better off communicating in Arabic than in Spanish . Foolish. So foolish. But I learned some more words in Arabic and entertained him with my pathetic pronciation so it was fine.
Where am I? Oh yea, Saturday. So Friday I had gotten a text from Zoe saying that they were going to be in Azrou for the weekend. It was such an incredible coincidence that I decided that I had to stay until they got there on Saturday afternoon to say hi. Besides, I had free lodging, so it would have been stupid to leave. So we went and saw Zoe, Charlie, Sarah, and the new Japanese girl that I had not met before. Sometime before that I got lunch with Radouane and his mom kept speaking to me in Arabic. I don't know if she realized how little I was understanding because I just kept smiling and repeating the same two or three phrases. I imagine the conversation was something like this:
Mom: It is a pleasure to have you over. Welcome to our house.
Diane: Thank you so much.
Mom: Where are you from?
D: Thank you so much. I am a student.
M: Are you traveling alone?
D: Yes, Morocco is beautiful. Thank you.
M: When do you return home?
D: Yes, beautiful. Thank you. I am 23.
M: Will you remember everyone you met in Morocco?
D: Oh yes. Morocco. Yes. Beautiful.
The only time I actually answered her question was when she asked me if I was married because I had to learn the phrase "I'm married" to minimize harassment. Then she asked me if I was going to marry Radouane. I was like, ummmmmmmmmm....I should probably wait till I hav e known him 24 hours. I hear that works out better. Okay, okay I did not say that. I didn't know how to say that I am too young to get married so I said, "I am 23. I am 28, I am married." I think she understood.
Anyway, I got distracted. I left Azrou on Saturday evening for Meknes.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
To be continued
Okay, I am gonna cut this one short because my new Spanish "friend" is waiting for me, but I will finish the rest about Azrou in the next blog. Whewwwww. Almost caught up!
"Gift"
Wednesday for the most part does not merit mention, because we were on the sweltering bus through the middle of nowhere from 5am until early afternoon. We arrived in possibly the worst city in Morocco , because the entire city is fillled with faux guides that want to drive you to Merzouga, which is right next to this Aladdin esque chain of sand dunes. We avoided the faux guides and got to Merzouga as fast as we could on our own. We managed to find a hotel where we could sleep on the terrace for 30dh, or about 3.75 dollars. It was even better than a room because the rooooms were quite stuffy. We took a little excursion to the nearby "town"..... read........there were a few sand builldings and dirt roads........and bought food. We mainly just relaxed by the swimming po ol, but we did excur to the dunes for some picture taking and wandering. At night the hotel staff pu t on an incredible show of Berber music and dancing, and then we all went out to the dunes and the music continued in a repeat of Sunday n ight.
It was so nice and such a great plave to stay that I seriously considered staying another day, but I decided I needed to get on my way. The girls decided to stay, so I left for Rissani on my own on Thursday morning. I spent all day on the bus on T hursday, and f inally arrived in Azrou around 5ish. I actually had to take another bus to get to Meknes, my final destination, but I was hot and exhausted and a cool, peaceful mountain town sounded like a good place to spend the night. With the help of a few friendly people, I found my way into town and got a cheap hotel. I set off in search of an interney cafe, and when I asked for one the guy did not speak anything other than Arabic and directed me to someone else, who spoke a minimal amount of Spanish. Luckily, "internet" is pretty universal. He took me to one, and then asked if he could take me out to a cafe after ......I know I know, sketchy freebies. it seemes pretty harmless, though, and I was eager to meet someone in the area that could help me out with bus schedules, etc, so I said okay. Driss ......minimal Spanish speaker. .....and his best friend Radouane......very good French speaker.......hung out for a wh ile. It must have sounded ridiculous, the two of them speaking Arabic, Driss and I speaking Spanish, Radouane and i speaking French.....
So Driss decided that he wanted to give me a "gift" and have a friend of his do henna for me. Now we all know how I feel about having ink all over m y hands, even in pretty patterns, but at the same time I could tell they really wanted to do it for me, so I said fine. 2 hours later, I had flowers and vines all over my hands and ankles. They definitley willl not be gone for the time s chool starts. Oh well, it made for good pictures and maybe with some extra scrubbing I can get it off soon.
It was so nice and such a great plave to stay that I seriously considered staying another day, but I decided I needed to get on my way. The girls decided to stay, so I left for Rissani on my own on Thursday morning. I spent all day on the bus on T hursday, and f inally arrived in Azrou around 5ish. I actually had to take another bus to get to Meknes, my final destination, but I was hot and exhausted and a cool, peaceful mountain town sounded like a good place to spend the night. With the help of a few friendly people, I found my way into town and got a cheap hotel. I set off in search of an interney cafe, and when I asked for one the guy did not speak anything other than Arabic and directed me to someone else, who spoke a minimal amount of Spanish. Luckily, "internet" is pretty universal. He took me to one, and then asked if he could take me out to a cafe after ......I know I know, sketchy freebies. it seemes pretty harmless, though, and I was eager to meet someone in the area that could help me out with bus schedules, etc, so I said okay. Driss ......minimal Spanish speaker. .....and his best friend Radouane......very good French speaker.......hung out for a wh ile. It must have sounded ridiculous, the two of them speaking Arabic, Driss and I speaking Spanish, Radouane and i speaking French.....
So Driss decided that he wanted to give me a "gift" and have a friend of his do henna for me. Now we all know how I feel about having ink all over m y hands, even in pretty patterns, but at the same time I could tell they really wanted to do it for me, so I said fine. 2 hours later, I had flowers and vines all over my hands and ankles. They definitley willl not be gone for the time s chool starts. Oh well, it made for good pictures and maybe with some extra scrubbing I can get it off soon.
Poor life decisions......
You know how you are not supposed to get in the car with a stranger? Well, this DEFINITELY means you should not sleep at a stranger's house. Yes, you can already see where this one is going. I know, I know, I am a moron .
So one of the staff from the hotel that I had been chatting with in the afternoon offered to let the three of us stay at his house on Tues night and have dinner there if we wanted. Obviously, this is a very bad ideaa. You do have to realize, though, that I have gotten a ton of random invitations for meals, sleeping at people's houses, my sister sleeping at peoples houses, etc, and they have all been perfectly legit. So I was thinking........three of us, how sketchy can it be? I was really convinced that it was a good idea after he sent us with a shopping list for dinner, then cooked us an amazing tajine meal. He bought the soda and fruit and made us beds on the terrace. ........and then proceeded to lay down next to me. Let me tell y ou, I have never gotten less sleep in my life. Anytime he inched too close I jabbed Rachel and woke her up and he would inck back. Inch closer, jab, inch back. Thankfully, we didn't go to bed until 1am and we had to be up at 4 to make the bus so I only had to endure three hours of the inching game. Anyway, there you have it. The reason not to accept sketchy freebies.
So one of the staff from the hotel that I had been chatting with in the afternoon offered to let the three of us stay at his house on Tues night and have dinner there if we wanted. Obviously, this is a very bad ideaa. You do have to realize, though, that I have gotten a ton of random invitations for meals, sleeping at people's houses, my sister sleeping at peoples houses, etc, and they have all been perfectly legit. So I was thinking........three of us, how sketchy can it be? I was really convinced that it was a good idea after he sent us with a shopping list for dinner, then cooked us an amazing tajine meal. He bought the soda and fruit and made us beds on the terrace. ........and then proceeded to lay down next to me. Let me tell y ou, I have never gotten less sleep in my life. Anytime he inched too close I jabbed Rachel and woke her up and he would inck back. Inch closer, jab, inch back. Thankfully, we didn't go to bed until 1am and we had to be up at 4 to make the bus so I only had to endure three hours of the inching game. Anyway, there you have it. The reason not to accept sketchy freebies.
Bus tickets
At that point I decided it was time to go to the bus station to buy tickets. Rachel, Emily, and I had decided that it was best to send one person since the taxi would be cheaper, and my French and haggling skills got me elected. I left about 4. Now, in most countries, you would show up at the bus station, give them money, and come away with tickets. But don't forget....this is Morocco. I showed up, and shook hands with everyone I had met the previous day when we had inquired, and then they asked how I was. . ..Kushi bikhir? Mezzyan? And I assured them that my family, friends, sister, brother, parents, and fourth cousin twice remo ved were all well. I love the hospitality here.......but this time I truly just wanted to buy bus tickets. And when we had established that everyone from there to Ti mbouktu .......only 52 miles away, if you believe the local signs.......was doing well, they......well......invited me to have tea. Right. We had not e ve n broached the subject of tickets yet. So we waited and after about a half an hour the tea arrived and we went through the ritual of pouring it out, pouring it back in, mixing sugar, etc. I have a great picture of the bus station owner stretched out o n the floor of the station p reparing ttea. I was like,,,,,, yea, this happpens alllllll the time at Grey hoound. Right. Anyway, at around 5:40 the guy with tickets finally arrived and looked at me like I lost it when I said I wanted to buy tickets then for the bus tomorrow. I was like, dude, I have been chilling out drinking tea in a dirty bus statioon for almost two hours. Damn right I want to buy tickets.
By the time I got back to the hotel at 6h20 Emily and Rachel were about to send out a searvh party.
By the time I got back to the hotel at 6h20 Emily and Rachel were about to send out a searvh party.
Towing with Turbans
I actually slept really decently on a mattress under the stars because it was just too hot to stay in the tent. The next morning we packed up and rode the camels back to our car drop off. The guides were n ice enough to let me hitch a ride with the girls back to Zagora, so I got out of paying for a bus ticket. The girls had invited me to travel with them for a couple days since we were on the same route and I was really glad to have some company. We had an awesome time gett ing out of the desert because Omar got a call on his cell phone from a couple of supremely cleveer French Moroccan tourists who had geniously decided to drive their completely inadequate car into the desert and .........shockingly.............got it stuck in the sand. So we got to go and tow them out, which normally owuld have been really frustrating and boring.......buttttt... they towed with their turbans! Yeah, you knkow, the cloth things you wear on your head. The entertainment was well worth the heat and delay. The pictures are pr iceless. Even better, the guides got paid for doing it and they bought us sodas on the way out odf the desert..........let me tell you, if you have never had a cold Coke after spending the night in the Sahara..........you cannot appreciate how much I would have pa id for it at that point. Free was even better, though.
Anyway, we got a ride back to Zagora, which is on the edge of the Sahara. We were not really planning on spending a lot of time there, but this was Monday afternoon and the next bus to where we wanted to go, Rissani, was not until Wednesday. After brainstorming possible ways to tack together taxi and other transportation we decided that it was best just to wait until Wednesday. We found a hotel that let us sleeeep on the terrace next to the sw imming pool for 40dH, so that was amazing. Plus the added benefit of sunbathing during the hottest hours of the day. Let me tell you, I did not move from the pool all day Tuesday until the sun went down a little around 4
Anyway, we got a ride back to Zagora, which is on the edge of the Sahara. We were not really planning on spending a lot of time there, but this was Monday afternoon and the next bus to where we wanted to go, Rissani, was not until Wednesday. After brainstorming possible ways to tack together taxi and other transportation we decided that it was best just to wait until Wednesday. We found a hotel that let us sleeeep on the terrace next to the sw imming pool for 40dH, so that was amazing. Plus the added benefit of sunbathing during the hottest hours of the day. Let me tell you, I did not move from the pool all day Tuesday until the sun went down a little around 4
Camels II
Good. Okay yeah so I told the guides that I did not want to stay with them and I took my stuff to the campsite. I met Rachel and Emily, two really fun English girls who are traveling on vacaation from university...imagine that. They later told me that it was really funny seeing me walk up because I was caaarrying ALL my stuff, including this really big pink leather handbag that I bought in Fes. Add that to the fact that by a lucky coincidence I happened to arrive by a private 4 by 4 ride, and they thought I was super rich or som ething. LOL . Anyway so I arrived too late to do a sunset camel tour, but one of the guides took me out on a camel in the near complete darkness. It was really neat......so peaceful. you really f orget that you are not the only one in the world. The n ight in the desert was also really cool, as the Berber guides prepared an amazing meal for us a la the Inca Trail. The three of us asked them to come eat with us, and they seemed really surprised. It makes me so mad that there are so many arrogant tourists that come through that don't want them to be around........I am embarassed for them. Anyway, we were more than repayed for our "kindness" because the guides took a liking to us and invited us into their tent for some music and then wee all headed out to the dunes until about 2am. they played drums and attempted to teach us enough Arabic to sing al ong. Afterward we sang the river soooong because it was the only one that we all knew the words to.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
camelssss
So after a day and a half of shopping in Marrakesh, I left yesterday morning on a super early bus to Ouarzazate. There was a super nice guy at the bus station who helped me find the right ticket window and haggle for a price in Arabic. I felt really bad for thinking that he might be creepy when all he did afterward was take me to the public bus stop, warn me to watch my stuff, and help me catch the right bus into town. There was also a really nice lady on the bus next to me who is originally Morrocan but lives in France now. She kept me entertained, negotiated baggage prices, and made sure I got off at the right stop. When I did get off in Ouarzazate I dropped my things at a hotel and went to the camel trek agency. In a really great coincidence, there was a guide headed back to the city that I needed to go to so for the price of a public bus ticket I got private transport to my destination, free lunch, and afternoon tea with his family. I did have to endure a small amount of harassment, but all in all it was a good deal. I was never too concerned since there were three of us in the car.
The two guides offered to let me stay wit h them for a few days for free after my camel trek but I declined. There is a limit to accepting sketchy freebies and I think that would hav e crossed it.
More later........
The two guides offered to let me stay wit h them for a few days for free after my camel trek but I declined. There is a limit to accepting sketchy freebies and I think that would hav e crossed it.
More later........
Friday, August 17, 2007
And by Essaouira, I meant Marrakesh.
So my plan for my trip after my placement was over was to go today to Essaouira, by way of Marrakesh. After more than four hours of sweating on an overbooked train with crying babies climbing all over me, I arrived in Marrakesh with very little patience. Diane, impatient....imagine that. I was not able to reach most of the hotels in Essaouira, and those that I could reach were all full. I was envisioning arriving and wandering for hours around the city and ultimately paying a fortune for a mediocre hotel if I was lucky. I had just convinced myself to go anyway since I had already bought the 9 dollar bus ticket when the guy in charge of luggage told me I had to pay to check luggage. That was the last straw. I didn't even care if it was 25 cents. It had all of a sudden become quite obvious that I should not bother going all the way to Essaouira, only to return tomorrow to Marrakesh...the bus ticket is a sunk cost, but there is no point in going there, paying for a more expensive hotel, paying the return ticket, etc etc all for the sake of saying I went there. There is no particular attraction other than being a nice beach town, and I have seen plenty of those. So.........here I am in Marrakesh.
I did a little souking today and bought a mystery gift. One shopkeeper who had the sad misfortune to think that he could flirt his way into a sale dressed me up in Berber clothing. I got a picture. He got my thanks.
I called to investigate for my camel trek on Monday and I think it is going to work. Very excited. I also am ridiculously excited about seeing people in London in 2 weeks to catch up. I miss everyone so much already and I can't wait to recap the summer over a few cold.....uh......Lemon Fantas.
I did a little souking today and bought a mystery gift. One shopkeeper who had the sad misfortune to think that he could flirt his way into a sale dressed me up in Berber clothing. I got a picture. He got my thanks.
I called to investigate for my camel trek on Monday and I think it is going to work. Very excited. I also am ridiculously excited about seeing people in London in 2 weeks to catch up. I miss everyone so much already and I can't wait to recap the summer over a few cold.....uh......Lemon Fantas.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
70 Euros
Grrrrrrrrr so I think I mentioned on one of my first blogs that I had lost my bank card right before I came here, right? Right. So my sister brought me 350 Euros this week for my trip to Spain after I leave Morocco. I counted them when she gave them to me, and I put them in my purse. I had them in my purse for a few days, and my purse was never out of my sight. On Thursday or Friday last week, I decided that I really should not be carrying around so much money because it can be kind of dangerous. I left the money under my pillow when we went to Chefchaouen. When I took it out yesterday, it had been moved to inside my pillow and there were 70 Euros missing.
I hate to even begin making assumptions about what might have happened to the money. I did mention it to my host family in a very non-accusatory tone and they got extremely defensive, as I would in their position. The fact of the matter is that it is almost impossible that the money fell out of my purse because I am missing a 50 Euro bill and a 20 Euro bill. The 50s and 20s were not next to each other. If some random person had reached into my purse, he or she would have stolen all the money. Stealing one 50 bill and one 20 bill, particularly when I had several 50s and several 20s, makes it seem careful. Anyway, it is very upsetting for two reasons: I no longer believe that I can trust the people in my house, and it is a LOT of money. I will still be able to take my trip, but I will not be able to visit all the cities that I wanted. When I think of how hard I have personally worked cleaning tables, folding menus, cleaning bathrooms, etc etc for very little money, it kills me that someone can just take it like that. Go figure.
I hate to even begin making assumptions about what might have happened to the money. I did mention it to my host family in a very non-accusatory tone and they got extremely defensive, as I would in their position. The fact of the matter is that it is almost impossible that the money fell out of my purse because I am missing a 50 Euro bill and a 20 Euro bill. The 50s and 20s were not next to each other. If some random person had reached into my purse, he or she would have stolen all the money. Stealing one 50 bill and one 20 bill, particularly when I had several 50s and several 20s, makes it seem careful. Anyway, it is very upsetting for two reasons: I no longer believe that I can trust the people in my house, and it is a LOT of money. I will still be able to take my trip, but I will not be able to visit all the cities that I wanted. When I think of how hard I have personally worked cleaning tables, folding menus, cleaning bathrooms, etc etc for very little money, it kills me that someone can just take it like that. Go figure.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Chefchaouen
I am gonna make this one pretty short because it is after eleven here and I have to work tomorrow morning. We just got back from Chefchaouen a couple of hours ago. I wasn't actually planning on going until I found out that Ouarzazate and Essaouira were out of the question, but I am so glad that I did because everyone else went so it ended up being a really fun group trip. We got there about 4 yesterday and went to the Kasbah, then we went out for tea and dinner at the place that Alex and Pat had recommended to us. We did some shopping and serious haggling at night.....I spent like 20 minutes or more trying to get this one scarf for 70 Dh instead of 80. It is kind of ridiculous when you think about the fact that you are negotiating between 8.75 dollars and 10 dollars, but the haggling is part of the fun. And just in case you were wondering, I did pay 70.
I also bought necklaces and a sash...a rather excessive amount of shopping, but it is my last week so I think it can kind of be justified.
Today we had a "five" hour bus ride back, which is to say that we got on the bus at quarter to 1 and did not get off until 8, save a short lunch break. It was hot and boring, but the good news is I was actually productive and spent about 6 of the 7 hours studying. Janice is my hero and had the spray bottle to keep us cool.
So I have officially gotten permission to invite Janice over on the terrace tomorrow, which is quite a feat. There will definitely be some serious sunbathing and shopping this week. It is gonna go by soooo fast because I have the classes in the morning and at night on Monday and Wednesday, Tuesday is quiz night, Wednesday is our going away dinner for me and Janice, and then last minute shopping, seeing the sis off, etc...gift shopping for host family, yeah I better just go to bed and think about this tomorrow!!
I also bought necklaces and a sash...a rather excessive amount of shopping, but it is my last week so I think it can kind of be justified.
Today we had a "five" hour bus ride back, which is to say that we got on the bus at quarter to 1 and did not get off until 8, save a short lunch break. It was hot and boring, but the good news is I was actually productive and spent about 6 of the 7 hours studying. Janice is my hero and had the spray bottle to keep us cool.
So I have officially gotten permission to invite Janice over on the terrace tomorrow, which is quite a feat. There will definitely be some serious sunbathing and shopping this week. It is gonna go by soooo fast because I have the classes in the morning and at night on Monday and Wednesday, Tuesday is quiz night, Wednesday is our going away dinner for me and Janice, and then last minute shopping, seeing the sis off, etc...gift shopping for host family, yeah I better just go to bed and think about this tomorrow!!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Hammam Part II
So yea, anyway.....
It is just really weird how you think you are so eager to get home or do certain things and then when you are just about to leave you realize that you could actually spend more time in a place and still be happy. That has never really happened to me before because usually my eagerness to return to home soil outweighs any desire I have to stay in a country. I think that having spent so much time with the other PA interns has really influenced that feeling because I have always felt like I have been surrounded by a network of close friends and you normally don't have that when you travel. It is such a great feeling to be able to have an unusual and crazy experience, but still have a lot of people that are in the same situation. So you can call someone up and be like.....Yea I just have to go to the plate store, drink some mint tea, and then let's meet at hash corner, and no one else thinks you are crazy.
Today was a very good day for my Moroccan culture, as I had mint tea on two different occasions, went to the kasbah, ate couscous with my sis and host family for lunch, and....yes, you guessed it....went to the hammam! So the end result was quited good because I am ridiculously clean...the process was pretty crazy though because we went in and there were just topless women walking around all over the place! So we were given buckets and towels and we wandered into the steam rooms and found our way back to the hot water spout to fill up the buckets. We got scrubbed down by almost entirely naked women......modesty is out of the question. The lady that scrubbed me down looked at me like I had lost it when I tried to suggest that I might leave at least one article of clothing on...she shooed me along in the clothes removal process and continued to clean me like a mother might clean a 5 year old child. At the end I did finally get used to the idea that everyone being partially or entirely naked is not at all awkward for them, so it is really just part of getting clean. I am really glad I ended up going, although it definitely requires a certain attitude going in...
It is just really weird how you think you are so eager to get home or do certain things and then when you are just about to leave you realize that you could actually spend more time in a place and still be happy. That has never really happened to me before because usually my eagerness to return to home soil outweighs any desire I have to stay in a country. I think that having spent so much time with the other PA interns has really influenced that feeling because I have always felt like I have been surrounded by a network of close friends and you normally don't have that when you travel. It is such a great feeling to be able to have an unusual and crazy experience, but still have a lot of people that are in the same situation. So you can call someone up and be like.....Yea I just have to go to the plate store, drink some mint tea, and then let's meet at hash corner, and no one else thinks you are crazy.
Today was a very good day for my Moroccan culture, as I had mint tea on two different occasions, went to the kasbah, ate couscous with my sis and host family for lunch, and....yes, you guessed it....went to the hammam! So the end result was quited good because I am ridiculously clean...the process was pretty crazy though because we went in and there were just topless women walking around all over the place! So we were given buckets and towels and we wandered into the steam rooms and found our way back to the hot water spout to fill up the buckets. We got scrubbed down by almost entirely naked women......modesty is out of the question. The lady that scrubbed me down looked at me like I had lost it when I tried to suggest that I might leave at least one article of clothing on...she shooed me along in the clothes removal process and continued to clean me like a mother might clean a 5 year old child. At the end I did finally get used to the idea that everyone being partially or entirely naked is not at all awkward for them, so it is really just part of getting clean. I am really glad I ended up going, although it definitely requires a certain attitude going in...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Last week
So this is my last full week and I am starting top think about all the things that I will miss about being here. It is kind of strange how so much drives you crazy until you are leaving and then you realize how much you will miss it. I will miss the other PA interns a LOTTTTTTT and my students sooo much. This weekend when I went to pick Katie up in Casa one of my students met us there and invited us to spend the whole weekend with his family. We ate several meals there, slept there, and went to the beach and into the city with him. It was such a nice and incredibly considerate, unexpected invitation that I didnt know how to react. I wish I had known ahead of time so I could have been prepared with a gift.
I will really, really miss all the students because I feel like a few more months would give me so much more time to impropve their English. There are some students that didnt even speak a word when they got here...I just need more time. We have made so much progress....today we did questions in the past, and their grammar just got like 1506 percent better by doing that.
I was gonna write a bunch of other stuff too but Amandine is waiting for me so Ill do it later.
I will really, really miss all the students because I feel like a few more months would give me so much more time to impropve their English. There are some students that didnt even speak a word when they got here...I just need more time. We have made so much progress....today we did questions in the past, and their grammar just got like 1506 percent better by doing that.
I was gonna write a bunch of other stuff too but Amandine is waiting for me so Ill do it later.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Sissssssssssss
Yes, that's right!! Just one more day until the sis arrives. Very exciting. I am going to go pick her up in Casablanca tomorrow, although I told a couple of my students that I am actually going today to pick her up so that I could get out of a lunch invitation. The same (male) student has invited me several times and it is starting to get creepy. He always asks me if I am his favorite student and I tell him that all my students are my favorites. So now I just need one more excuse for next week.......I feel really bad but his lunch invitations always turn into afternoon invitations and I just don't want to feel uncomfortable all afternoon. Is that selfish?
So I finally got everyone to play Mafia yesterday, which made me ridiculously happy. It was just like camping with the Outing Club, minus the bonfire. I also went to the post office in the afternoon, which would not be worthy of mention at home, but it was actually quite an ordeal here. I received a slip in the mail saying that I can come pick up a package until 18 45 Monday through Friday, so I went with my friends at about 5 20 yesterday. After about 45 minutes of arguing with the Postal worker I was informed that I actually have to come before 16 00, because that is the time when the customs workers are there. I told them that I thought it was ridiculous to send a note with the incorrect hours and he told me that I needed to come before 16 00 because that was then the customs workers are there. I said that I understood that, but that I would have appreciated the message slip being sent with the correct time so that I did not have to make two trips. I told me that I needed to come before 16 00 because that is when the customs workers are there. I was so tempted to say...wait, what? I should come before 1600? I am confused. But I did not think he would appreciate my humor, at least not in French. He just kept repeating it over and over like a slowly dying tape recorder. Needless to say, I am still not in possession of the package.
Well, that is just about all. I am going to see what the odds are of acquiring lunch at this early hour of 2:10, and then I am going hotel shopping for sis and back to the post office. Before 16:00. I hear that's when the customs workers are there.
So I finally got everyone to play Mafia yesterday, which made me ridiculously happy. It was just like camping with the Outing Club, minus the bonfire. I also went to the post office in the afternoon, which would not be worthy of mention at home, but it was actually quite an ordeal here. I received a slip in the mail saying that I can come pick up a package until 18 45 Monday through Friday, so I went with my friends at about 5 20 yesterday. After about 45 minutes of arguing with the Postal worker I was informed that I actually have to come before 16 00, because that is the time when the customs workers are there. I told them that I thought it was ridiculous to send a note with the incorrect hours and he told me that I needed to come before 16 00 because that was then the customs workers are there. I said that I understood that, but that I would have appreciated the message slip being sent with the correct time so that I did not have to make two trips. I told me that I needed to come before 16 00 because that is when the customs workers are there. I was so tempted to say...wait, what? I should come before 1600? I am confused. But I did not think he would appreciate my humor, at least not in French. He just kept repeating it over and over like a slowly dying tape recorder. Needless to say, I am still not in possession of the package.
Well, that is just about all. I am going to see what the odds are of acquiring lunch at this early hour of 2:10, and then I am going hotel shopping for sis and back to the post office. Before 16:00. I hear that's when the customs workers are there.
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