50,000 Camels

I’ve been sitting in front of a blank word document on my computer for about 15 minutes now because I’m not sure where to begin and I’m not sure how to best tell you all about Morocco.   I’m also exhausted, so that’s probably a contributing factor.

I loved Marrakech.  Loved, loved loved. 

I want so badly to give a detailed, daily description of the past 4 days, but I think it would become tedious.  I’ll try to address some general areas and maybe add some more in the following days.  My bed is only inches away from me and it’s looking pretty tempting.

The lodgings:  We stayed in a BEAUTIFUL riad just minutes away from the souks (markets) in Marrakech.  I thought Sevilla was confusing – TRAINING WHEELS compared to Marrakech.  I’m actually very proud to say, however, that I had the souks down by the time we left.   When we first arrived, we got scammed by a guy who wanted to help us to our riad.  We were headed in the right direction, but we never would have found it ourselves (this is what we are telling ourselves so that we don’t feel bad about getting scammed).  This is a common scam – they offer to point you in the right direction, then walk you there, and then DEMAND money and when you offer a few bucks (20 dirham) they yell at you.  ☹  But the riad (go google image that) is a home where the outside is super ugly and dull and the inside is usually surrounding an open air courtyard and is covered in tile and dark wood.  I have pictures, this place was great.  A French expat and his Moroccan wife own it and rent out 4 rooms to travelers.  Our room was wonderful and their rooftop terrace was even more great.   They served us breakfast up there every morning and it was a beautiful way to start each day.  This leads me to…

The food:  Well, breakfast was delicious.  Unidentifiable Moroccan melon, lots of bread, jam, Moroccan pancakes, orange juice, and Moroccan tea.  Moroccan tea is out of this world amazing – it’s mint tea that’s made with green tea and stuffed with mint leaves before it’s boiled a second time.  Oda – the wife of the French expat - showed us how to make it last night and we drank a pot on the roof during sunset.   During the day we went off of some recommendations from locals, friends, and Lonely Planet.  I had the best couscous I’ve ever had in my life (along with some very bad couscous), a delicious vegetable/chicken tagine (google image it), some beef skewers, and a chicken shwarma wrap (throughout all 4 days… not at once).  But the tea…. You guys, it was unreal.  ALSO, the orange juice was ridiculous.  The plaza is filled with orange juice carts and the vendors sell you a glass for 4 dirhams (like 55 cents).  They’re squeezing it all right there and it’s so good. 

The weather:  I have never been so hot in my life.  It was over 100 each day we were there and I was wearing pants half the time.  I also forgot to bring deodorant, so feel bad for Marci & Cicero and the little boy I sat next to on the train today (although I did teach him how to play flippy cup – without alcohol, obviously – so I don’t think he minded too much).   I was offensively dirty when I got home.   I showered immediately (well… after I checked the score of the Packers game…)

The shopping:  It was a good time!   I know I explained the medina in Casablanca as intense, but this was even more so.  I never got sick of walking through the souks, there was always something new to look at.  The souks are a sensory overload – everything is colorful and sparkles, and there are many lights all lit up, and all the fabrics are out there for you to touch.  The smells are overwhelming – incense, fresh bread, spices, marijuana, leather, cedar, urine, oranges, olives.  It was wild.  We spent a lot of time walking through the souks, looking at everything for sale, comparing from shop to shop, asking prices, just getting a feel for what’s out there, what’s worth buying and what’s not, and what bargaining can be done.  I didn’t buy anything until yesterday because I wanted to be SURE ☺  I did a pretty good job bargaining I think – well, I could’ve been worse.  It was just hard for me to haggle over 3 dollars when I had more money in my wallet than most of these guys will earn in a week.  The shopkeepers do very well for themselves, but the guys working there are paid only 30% of the profit of what they sell.  And when you sell a few scarves a day, that’s not a lot.

The people:  I will write again later about the friend I made, Mohamed.  He deserves an entry all to himself because he makes up about 60% of what I loved about Marrakech.  But the people were fun, and mostly very friendly.  You may be surprised to learn (I sure was), that I am very, very popular with Moroccan men.  I was traveling with another woman and a man, but I received about 90% of the attention.  They loved me.  I think the lighter hair, the blue eyes, and the light skin are a bit unusual.  Mom & Dad – you better move out to the countryside, because my going rate is apparently 50,000 camels (according to a man who approached me in the souks).  So, if I accept an offer, you can split the camels.   The guy I traveled with – Cicero – was asked by one man to wife swap.   We were all asked often if we were British –a lot of Europeans in general travel to Marrakech.  And the Moroccans can’t tell the difference between our accents.  I was disappointed to hear today that some students were saying they were Canadian or British instead of American.  How can we ever change our image abroad if we aren’t being our own good ambassadors for our country?   Why would we leave that huge responsibility only to the government?  I got an overwhelmingly positive response from people when I said I was from the US.  A lot of people would say “Obama!  Yes we can!”; a lot of people, when they heard I was from Chicago, would say “Chicago Bulls!  Basketball!” and a lot of people were just excited that we came to Morocco. 

The rest:  We spent yesterday seeing some of the noted things in Marrakech (at the advice of Mohamed). We went to the Bahia Palace (which was insanely similar to the Alcazar in Sevilla – again, that Moorish influence), the Jewish Quarter (where the people were less than welcoming –  more on that another day) and the Saadian tombs.  We were near the Kasbah but it is not open to the public.  The GIANT plaza (Jemaa el-Fna) connected to the south of the souks is crowded during the day, but takes on a new life after sunset – food carts come out of nowhere and set up pop-up grills, tables, and mini-restaurants; their workers run around trying to get you to sit down at their table – “please, excuse me, yes, come here! Air conditioning & 5 stars!”; snake charmers and monkey handlers call people to come see their talents; women doing henna chase after you with books of their designs; drum circles form and people stand around them watching and listening and singing.  There’s even a man who sits there with a table full of teeth.  (I have no idea why).  We went there every night – it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

I’ve written way too much.  I need sleep!!!!   I promise (or threaten?!) to write more tomorrow.

xoxo