Day 20 - July 18th
Trip Start
Jun 28, 2008
1
20
42
Trip End
Aug 08, 2008
Marrakech,
Morocco
Friday, July 18, 2008
We didn't realize we were holding up the driver...the driver must have came a few seconds after we left the lobby, but luckily no one cussed us out on the bus. The driver, like many others in the country spoke many languages. I gave him major props - as he was taking us around places and pointing things out on the road, he started out in a different language each time and always translated what he said - he had to speak French, English, and Spanish on this trip.
On the way to the Atlas
On the ride we passed many places of interest and stopped at a place that they make traditional Moroccan pottery. No pottery wheels here, or, excuse me, yes, they do have pottery wheels but they're not electric - they use their foot to spin it. That's pretty awesome - to keep it at a consistent speed and to keep it going, it was really cool to see. He used his hands the same way as we do in the states and used a thread to cut it off the wheel. The coolest thing, actually was when he created the tajine. The tajine (a dish that they cook their Moroccan specialty in) has two parts, the top fits in the bottom - so, you have to make sure it's created and actually fits. Nope, no rulers or measuring tape here - he did it by hand...and just knew that it fit directly inside it. It was pretty neat.
Beautiful
After leaving there, we made it into the mountains. They were gorgeous. We learned all about the Atlas mountains -- there are 3: High, Mid, and Low Atlas Mountains. We also learned about the inhabitants - the Berber people. So, we made it to the mountain. Once we arrived, we learned we had to pay an additional 30 Durham (which, is about $5 US) to climb it with a guide. My oh my - uproar on the bus - they were yelling at the driver in French - you should have told us, blah blah blah...I didn't want anything more than to get off the bus...c'mon, it's $5, don't yell at the driver, yell at your concierge who arranged it - it's not his fault.Shajine and I realized that this guy lives in the mountains - that's how he makes his money...it's $5 US, we wanted the guide - so we went! It looked like a short trek...but boy did they fool us! I'm not quite sure how high we actually went but it felt like we kept going higher and higher! Up rocks, putting my foot in little crevices, using my entire body to get up areas, walking over bridges made of logs that were full of holes...I did it all! I was so proud of myself!
The Bridges we walked over
Climbing
Climbing More
We Made it to the Top! -- with our tour guid
Us at the Waterfall
Our Norweigan Friends
I was there!!!
We made it to the top and saw the beautiful waterfalls - it was so peaceful up there - so worth it! While we were up there we made friends with the other people in our group - the Norweigan men - Morton and Steiner and our French friend, Aurelis. The Norweigan men spoke to us in English - Aurelis had a little bit more difficulty - but we did it - we were all talking and enjoying the scenery!Ahh, time to go down! I needed a drink - the guide urged me not to purchase a drink at the top of the mountain because of the expense - the Berber people had to bring those drinks up on their backs to the top...they're not cheap! So, instead, on the way down, I stopped to get my Fanta! Guess what, it's really orange this time - and it tastes just like the US - yumm! Well, going down was much harder than going to the top - we had to use our body weight, including our bottom and slide down certain rocks to make it down safely. It was so worth the $5 guide, we made it down safely - he knew where we should walk and what stones we should avoid, etc. He was great.
Once we made it down we got back to our bus and then headed to lunch. We all ate together, Morton, Steiner, Aurelis, Shajine, and I and had our 10-course lunch, consisting of many Moroccan specialties, including Chicken Tajine. We knew what that was - and it was great! The food was delicious! It truly was a great experience.
We made it back to the hotel, showered off all the nastiness (yes, we were disgusting), took a little nap and then were ready to hit the town again. We took a taxi ride over to the Jamaa el Fna (the city center of the old city) - let me explain, to get into this area, it's enclosed by this major wall, of which there are only a few entrances and it closes - the tourists truly stand out in the city, it's not unsafe, but it truly is very Arabic! It wasn't scary, but we definitely stood out! We felt eyes, they knew we didn't belong, but we were trying to find the art fest! There was a huge art fest happening in Marrakech at the time. We got there, that wasn't it. We thought it was a wasted trip - we quickly got back in another taxi and headed back to the Hotel.
Once we got back to the hotel we really wanted to go out and find some sort of folklore - so we were told to go to Plaza 16 de November. So, we went - and we found a stage on a fountain - people were everywhere! On the way out of the taxi, the taxi driver dubbed us Fatima (Shajine) and Aysha (me) - we were now Arab. He told us to hold our bags tight and off we went!
Moroccan Folklore
At the Festival in the Street
We needed a drink so we went into a familiar stop, the McDonalds. One guy in there could tell we were tourists and he was trying to overcharge us for drinks but the nice gentleman inside gave us the right price, I'm glad we got our drinks! Then we walked over to the fountain and found a seat. While waiting, we watched all of the culture in the square - kids playing, far away from their parents, so much trust, one little kid got scared by a scooter (by the way, tons of scooters here) and the guy got off the scooter, brought the kid to his mother and kissed him on the forehead...this would NEVER happen in the states! People are so nice here!
Funny...in the area we met a little girl, she kept grabbing Shajine (the little kids are really touchy here) and then we eventually found out her name was Fatima - what a coincidence! She was so cute. Then I met this little boy - he kept offering me his food, he started by offering me a lollipop (that he had already licked and eaten half of), then his hat, then ½ of his cupcake. I kept saying no, so I figured I finally had to say yes. It was a darn good cupcake, I must admit! So kind - sharing!
We couldn't communicate - he kept trying to say things to me while the show was going on, but I clearly couldn't understand. I tried to ask his name and found out that his name sounded like "Patreeek" - even though I'm sure I butchered it. Then, I was trying to ask him how old he was so I started counting in French - eventually I found out he was 11. (Thanks for teaching me that as a child, Aunt Laurette). Then I said, hey, I can teach you to count in English - I started counting and he continued it - I was shut down...he already knew that! Such smart kids!
Well, off we went - we said bye to Patreeek and his family and were off to find a taxi. We had walked for about 5 minutes and suddenly I feel something on my hand - Patreeek had ran all the way from where were sitting and he was basically indicating that he was going to walk us to our hotel. We said, no, "taxi" - and he said, okay - he was going ot get it for us. This little 11 year old wanted to make sure we made it home safely...it was not our "job" to get a taxi...it was not our "role" to make sure we made it home safely - it was his! Clear-cut gender roles in this country - it was sooo sweet! He got us a taxi and we waived to his Mom and sister as they watched to make sure he was safe across the street. Man, I need to up my standards for the men in my life - if this 11-year-old can do this, so should the men in the US!
Me and Patreeek
Fatima (Shajine) loves Patreeek
So after a wonderful night, it was time to go to bed...6 AM wake-up call tomorrow!
