Last week, I headed to southern Morocco with a group of exchange students. We started with about 20 people. By mid-week, our group was down to about half the original number, including our two guides, Younes and Muhammad. Our trip started in Azrou, where we caught a bus to Merzouga, which is a village in the Sahara Desert. The bus ride was around 9 hours total and many of us got slightly motion sick. When we finally arrived in Merzouga, the sun was rising. We watched, in sleep deprived stupors. I'm not a morning person, but I must admit, it was incredible. Afterwards, a local vendor approached us with a bag full of desert goodies, including animal figures and jewelry.
The desert was freezing when we arrived. Luckily, we grabbed blankets from a nearby hotel!
Muhammad, one of our guides, taught us how to make turbans with our scarves. Although most of us looked pretty ridiculous, it definitely made the hike a little cooler. The sun was pretty intense, but I brought my 50 SPF sunscreen, so I maintained my paleness for the most part.
The photo below is from the top of the sand dune. Although I was warned by a couple of people prior to our trip, hiking up the dune was definitely harder than I expected. The climb was kind of like using a stairmaster. For every step taken, I felt like I fell back two more. When we finally made it to the top, the view was gorgeous!
After relaxing for a bit, we ate dinner with our guides and Berber locals. We had chicken tagine, which was a common meal during our trip. After dinner, we listened to traditional Berber music. The desert definitely got cold at night, but the fire helped. The musicians passed the instruments around, but most of us are fairly lacking in musical inclination...
Exchange students breaking it down, Berber style!
The next day, we headed back into town. The second trip was a tad more painful than the first. Some people got off of their camels and walked for the remainder of the voyage. Donatello hit a few rough patches, especially going downhill. I still can't figure out how the guys managed to survive.
After our hike, we had tea with a Berber local, who displayed carpets for us. The rugs were produced by a local co-op and were beautiful, but also very expensive. I am definitely hoping to buy a carpet before I leave Morocco, but will most likely get it in Azrou or Fez, where the prices are more reasonable.
Our second riad in Tinghir was gorgeous! There was also hot water, which was an upgrade from the previous hotel.
After Tinghir, we headed to Ait Benhaddou, where we viewed the Kasbah, which is one of the most well-preseved in Morocco. We had the opportunity to meet a woman whose family still lives inside of the ksar. She guided us to a room where we drank mint tea, served by her daughter. As she conversed with our guides in Berber, she showed us pictures of visitors from around the world who came to her home. Teary eyed, she explained the efforts of the Moroccan government to persuade her family to leave their house. Her family has been continually harassed to leave the ksar, which would allow the UNESCO World Heritage Site to be solely a tourist attraction. Two members of our group, an exchange student, Ty, and his father, actually spent the night with the family.
The picture below is of the room where we had tea. Muhammad and Younes chatted with her about her ongoing struggle to keep her home. The walls were adorned with carpets, tapestries, Moroccan flags and photos of the king. Outside of this room, there was a small hut which housed goats and sheep.
Multiple movies have been filmed in Ait Benhaddou, including "Gladiator." Unfortunately, the photo below was one of the last I took. My camera died during our adventures, but I am hoping to buy a new one this weekend.
The next morning, we headed to Marrakech. Because it was Mawlid, the day of celebration of the prophet Muhammad's birthday, we had a little trouble finding grand taxis for the trip. After agreeing to pay extra, we were back on the (incredibly windy) road again.
We arrived in Marrakech in the early evening on Wednesday. As we got out of our taxis, Younes warned, "Be careful. Remember, this is Marrakech." Although the other cities we visited were definitely beautiful and historically intriguing, it was nice to experience a change of pace. The site of the largest traditional souk in Morocco, Marrakech is filled with bustling markets. We wandered around the square, called the Jamaa el Fna, one of the busiest of its kind in Africa. The square was filled with orange juice sellers, snake handlers, henna artists and various performers. I kept my distance from the cobras...
The next day, we walked around the souk for a few hours. The vendors were definitely aggressive, but not as bad as I expected them to be. Many of the Moroccans advised us not to buy anything in Marrakech, as it is one of the largest tourist destinations and has ridiculously inflated prices. The prices were ridiculous, but I definitely developed my bargaining skills. My strategy was basically to offer 20 dirhams, regardless of what the item was. I realized that if I started out a little higher than I wanted, it was almost impossible to bring the price down from that point. Luckily, I do not understand the curses they muttered under their breath as we walked away. We watched so many people pay hundreds of dirhams for things that should have probably cost a third or fourth of the final price.
At one point, we passed a shop whose owner shouted, "I have shoes! I have shirts! What do you want?" I blurted out "Husband!" He was quite friendly after that and even said I could have one for free. One of the other girls got offered a thousand camels by a salesman. Pretty impressive, right?
All of the Americans were happy to find multiple ice cream stands in Marrakech! There are a few things that most of the exchange students miss dearly from the United States. Among these delicacies are ice cream, peanut butter and hot sauce.
From Marrakech, we rode a bus to Essaouira, a coastal city. We settled into an apartment for the night and headed out to dinner. Unfortunately, by the time we left, most of the local restaurants were closed. We finally found a place and ordered. All of us were starving and I was delighted to see hot sauce. One thing I expected in Morocco was spicy food and I have yet to encounter it...
On Friday, we had breakfast and headed to the beach. It was beautiful and fairly warm. The water, however, was freezing. We all put our feet in for a bit, but that was enough for me. After a few hash cookie offers, we headed to the buses.
The ride back to Marrakech was 3 hours and we had a few hours to spare before our train left for Fez. The station had a McDonald's and a KFC. I'm not normally a huge fan of McDonald's, but I must admit, our dinner was pretty glorious. We devoured it in about 2 minutes flat.
After a 7 hour train ride, we arrived in Fez. We took taxis back to campus and ended up getting back around 4 AM on Saturday morning.
We underestimated the cost of our vacation and I ran out of money about halfway through the week. Luckily, some of the other students very generously loaned me cash. Thanks again, everyone! For the trip, which lasted from Thursday to Saturday, I spent a total of about 4,500 dirhams. That translates to about $550 in the states. That cost includes food, guides, lodging, travel and a few souvenirs. For a 9 day journey, that's pretty impressive! Since our arrival, many of the other students have commented on everyone else's tans. The funniest response I've gotten so far was from one of the guys in our exchange group. After commenting on everyone's new complexions, he glanced and me and asked, "So you didn't go?" Luckily, I'm a good sport about my pastiness! :)
Sorry I've taken so long to update! More to come! Have a wonderful weekend!
After watching the sunrise, we slept for a few hours on couches in the hotel. Then, we grabbed breakfast and headed into the desert to climb sand dunes. We came across a few beetles along the way...
The photo below is from the top of the sand dune. Although I was warned by a couple of people prior to our trip, hiking up the dune was definitely harder than I expected. The climb was kind of like using a stairmaster. For every step taken, I felt like I fell back two more. When we finally made it to the top, the view was gorgeous!
On the way back from the dunes, a couple of students played soccer with local kids.
After heading back to the hotel, the camel caravan commenced. Some Moroccans warned that the ride would be uncomfortable, but I underestimated that too. I named my camel, who was the leader of the pack, Donatello. The trip lasted about two and a half hours and resulted in a newfound gait for many of us.
Donatello, in all of his glory!
Our camp consisted of canvas tents with mattresses inside. The beds were actually surprisingly comfortable! Because we rode the bus through the night, I was exhausted and slept very well the following night.
Exchange students breaking it down, Berber style!
The next day, we headed back into town. The second trip was a tad more painful than the first. Some people got off of their camels and walked for the remainder of the voyage. Donatello hit a few rough patches, especially going downhill. I still can't figure out how the guys managed to survive.
After Merzouga, we headed to Tinghir, where the Todra Gorge is located. We arrived in the evening, so we didn't get a chance to hike until the next day. After breakfast in the morning, we headed out on a four hour hike. Once again, the views were beautiful! We ran into a few donkeys and mules on the way up and also acquired a very friendly dog! :)
After our hike, we had tea with a Berber local, who displayed carpets for us. The rugs were produced by a local co-op and were beautiful, but also very expensive. I am definitely hoping to buy a carpet before I leave Morocco, but will most likely get it in Azrou or Fez, where the prices are more reasonable.
Our second riad in Tinghir was gorgeous! There was also hot water, which was an upgrade from the previous hotel.
Because showers were generally either absent or freezing, we developed a new concept of personal hygiene. We remedied the situation by wearing our hair in braids (special thanks to Kim) and using excessive amounts of a cheap (but quite classy) body spray called "Aqua," which we found at the Marjane. I'm on the left in this photo!
After Tinghir, we headed to Ait Benhaddou, where we viewed the Kasbah, which is one of the most well-preseved in Morocco. We had the opportunity to meet a woman whose family still lives inside of the ksar. She guided us to a room where we drank mint tea, served by her daughter. As she conversed with our guides in Berber, she showed us pictures of visitors from around the world who came to her home. Teary eyed, she explained the efforts of the Moroccan government to persuade her family to leave their house. Her family has been continually harassed to leave the ksar, which would allow the UNESCO World Heritage Site to be solely a tourist attraction. Two members of our group, an exchange student, Ty, and his father, actually spent the night with the family.
The picture below is of the room where we had tea. Muhammad and Younes chatted with her about her ongoing struggle to keep her home. The walls were adorned with carpets, tapestries, Moroccan flags and photos of the king. Outside of this room, there was a small hut which housed goats and sheep.
Multiple movies have been filmed in Ait Benhaddou, including "Gladiator." Unfortunately, the photo below was one of the last I took. My camera died during our adventures, but I am hoping to buy a new one this weekend.
The next morning, we headed to Marrakech. Because it was Mawlid, the day of celebration of the prophet Muhammad's birthday, we had a little trouble finding grand taxis for the trip. After agreeing to pay extra, we were back on the (incredibly windy) road again.
We arrived in Marrakech in the early evening on Wednesday. As we got out of our taxis, Younes warned, "Be careful. Remember, this is Marrakech." Although the other cities we visited were definitely beautiful and historically intriguing, it was nice to experience a change of pace. The site of the largest traditional souk in Morocco, Marrakech is filled with bustling markets. We wandered around the square, called the Jamaa el Fna, one of the busiest of its kind in Africa. The square was filled with orange juice sellers, snake handlers, henna artists and various performers. I kept my distance from the cobras...
The next day, we walked around the souk for a few hours. The vendors were definitely aggressive, but not as bad as I expected them to be. Many of the Moroccans advised us not to buy anything in Marrakech, as it is one of the largest tourist destinations and has ridiculously inflated prices. The prices were ridiculous, but I definitely developed my bargaining skills. My strategy was basically to offer 20 dirhams, regardless of what the item was. I realized that if I started out a little higher than I wanted, it was almost impossible to bring the price down from that point. Luckily, I do not understand the curses they muttered under their breath as we walked away. We watched so many people pay hundreds of dirhams for things that should have probably cost a third or fourth of the final price.
At one point, we passed a shop whose owner shouted, "I have shoes! I have shirts! What do you want?" I blurted out "Husband!" He was quite friendly after that and even said I could have one for free. One of the other girls got offered a thousand camels by a salesman. Pretty impressive, right?
All of the Americans were happy to find multiple ice cream stands in Marrakech! There are a few things that most of the exchange students miss dearly from the United States. Among these delicacies are ice cream, peanut butter and hot sauce.
From Marrakech, we rode a bus to Essaouira, a coastal city. We settled into an apartment for the night and headed out to dinner. Unfortunately, by the time we left, most of the local restaurants were closed. We finally found a place and ordered. All of us were starving and I was delighted to see hot sauce. One thing I expected in Morocco was spicy food and I have yet to encounter it...
On Friday, we had breakfast and headed to the beach. It was beautiful and fairly warm. The water, however, was freezing. We all put our feet in for a bit, but that was enough for me. After a few hash cookie offers, we headed to the buses.
The ride back to Marrakech was 3 hours and we had a few hours to spare before our train left for Fez. The station had a McDonald's and a KFC. I'm not normally a huge fan of McDonald's, but I must admit, our dinner was pretty glorious. We devoured it in about 2 minutes flat.
After a 7 hour train ride, we arrived in Fez. We took taxis back to campus and ended up getting back around 4 AM on Saturday morning.
We underestimated the cost of our vacation and I ran out of money about halfway through the week. Luckily, some of the other students very generously loaned me cash. Thanks again, everyone! For the trip, which lasted from Thursday to Saturday, I spent a total of about 4,500 dirhams. That translates to about $550 in the states. That cost includes food, guides, lodging, travel and a few souvenirs. For a 9 day journey, that's pretty impressive! Since our arrival, many of the other students have commented on everyone else's tans. The funniest response I've gotten so far was from one of the guys in our exchange group. After commenting on everyone's new complexions, he glanced and me and asked, "So you didn't go?" Luckily, I'm a good sport about my pastiness! :)
Sorry I've taken so long to update! More to come! Have a wonderful weekend!
