An interesting bus stop and discovering Meknes

Trip Start Feb 23, 2008
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Trip End Jun 05, 2008


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Thursday, May 8, 2008

Up and at em at 6.30 we walked back to the plaza in the attempt to get some petite taxi's to the bus station - after about 15 minutes we succeeded and got there just after 7.    The hotel had provided us with a take-away breakfast of a chocolate croissant and some bread and goats cheese...   Our 7.15am green bus took off on time and we made a few stops along the way and 2 hrs later we were in Ouezzane where we were to swap buses....   The bus stop was at a market place and it was fascinating!    A tagine food shop, fruit stalls and snack shops. The place where we set up camp was a food shop - it had half a carcass hanging up in it -- if the cook had to cook something he would just get his knife and carve away a slab of meat and cook it (and smoke us out at the same time!)...it was really entertaining.   
Our bus arrived at 10am but apparently had engine troubles so we couldn't hop on it for a little bit.  Just before 11 we boarded and managed to get seats.  Before we took off though we had to sit through the infomercials.  2 men got on board and started selling this 'miracle cream' called Rex - it was hilarious!   The next ad was for another cream - we got to smell it and it was exactly like Vicks.    Next a local man got on and sang us a song (if you wanted to give him money after you could) then finally the little kids got on and sold people snacks and drinks.   Finally we were off minus first gear.!     We crunched and grinded our way to Meknes - passing the ruins of Volubilis along the way.   Lots of stops and pick ups and i think we were lucky to make it into town... the gear box would have been smoking!  
At the bus stop we caught cabs to the Hotel Majestic and set off again after we had all checked in.   We went to the medina and decided to have a little lunch - camel burgers!   We wandered through, saw the huge gate of Bab el-Mansour (only opened on very very special occasions) and walked through the narrow streets of the medina to the camel place.   Normally there is a head hanging up (indicating its the camel burger place) but not today.  We found our guy and ordered, watched him cook and then went to a local guys house to eat them in his guest room.  They were like mince meatballs in a big bun with onions and tomatoes - pretty nice if you didn't think about the fact that you were eating a camel.   
We thanked our host and made the long walk to check out the granaries - via the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail - one of Morocco's greatest rulers.   A simple but elegant place with beautiful tile work and lovely keyhole styled doors.   It was about a 3km walk past the Royal palace to Heri es-Souani - the granaries.  Designed by Mr Moulay they stored food for about 12T horses.  Big roofs and a channel underneath where water flowed to keep the temperature cool - amazing - especially out the back - the roof has fallen off long ago but it is impressive how big they were and you can appreciate this more when you are outside.  
we wandered down to the nearby lake where a huge motorbike parade came roaring past.  A few of us decided to get a horse and carriage ride back to the main gate of the medina.   Lots of fun for a 40 min ride for $1.50.  Jo and I took petite cabs back to the hotel and then a few of us went down the street for a bit of tea - chicken and chips!  was kind of nice for a change of tagines and salad ... nothing like a bit of grease!   I got some money out and then ventured up to bed.
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