Drumming and dancing with desert Berbers around a flaming fire, sleeping under the bright stars in a blanket tent surrounded by desert, riding a camel in pitch darkness to our desert oasis and using bargaining skills with a moroccan for a woven blanket....... Getting lost in the medina of Fez within its 9,000 unnamed streets, tasting the wonderful aromas of the abundance amount of spices used in moroccan cuisine... and taking in all the other aspects of the moroccan culture are a few highlightes that made this trip epic.
Rich & colorful architecture, spices that make your mouth water, music that makes you want to get up and dance, instruments that bring a cultural sound in your ear, the sahara desert (yes it does get cold, in fact, freeeezing), friendliness and smiles among the hospitable moroccan people all of which make it unique & interesting in itself.
I wont bore you with the day by day details, although i will highlight some moments that contributed to the great 5 day trip through morocco.
15 hours of driving in the first 2 days in our 2 large busses started the trip, along with unique & interesting rest stops. One included our first 'squat toilet', and tasting new moroccan chips and candies. We stayed in unique moroccan hotels and ate tasteful moroccan food full of rich spices. On the second day, we did an hour jeep ride from the desert hotel cranked with moroccan tunes with twists and turns in the desert, and a half hour camel ride in the pitch darkness ALL to arrive to the Sahara desert.
My first moroccan meal at our first stop in Rabat, the capitol of morocco on the coast, was Pastilla, a national moroccan dish defined as an elaborate ‘meat pie’ with layers of phyllo dough, meat (we had chicken with spices, broth, almonds, onions), and a topping of ground almonds, cinnamon, and powdered sugar. The topping was the best part! Shout out to fam- I plan to make this sometime in the near future, potentially over break. After a great meal, we went to the ocean to view the beautiful scenery.
From the hotel, the jeep ride to where we would get our camels was a blast with our new and dear friend, Hanna, as we barley could communicate but with simple words. He had all smiles & laughter and wanted to make the ride as fun as possible (although my jeep ride back the next day was full of more bumps and turns).
Kirstie and I exclaimed this felt like the Indiana Jones Adventure Ride in Disney Land, which is favorite amusement park ride ever built! I was reliving my childhood at Disney Land on a real adventure ride in thereal sahara with a real moroccan. Riding through the desert in the dark on our first (of two) camel ride was an experience to remember. All we could see was miles upon miles of sand dunes lightened by the bright moroccan moon and the millions of shining stars above.
After settling into our blanket tents, we ate a moroccan meal filled with veggies, egg, and meat at low tables under candle light. We then gathered around the berbers playing moroccan music and beats with their drumming and other instruments. We danced, talked, and played music. There were about 15 of them, they all live in the desert with a low maintenance lifestyle. I even drummed with them for a while (you'd be proud Russ & Julie!)
After a few hours, we went to bed with the thought of waking up at 6:30am to see the desert sunrise at the top of a 30 minute climb of a sand dune. Unfortunately, i got sick that night (was outside my tent for 3.5 hours throwing up in the sand with stars above me) and was unable to get out of bed for the sunrise but as the day went on, I felt better.
Where I slept, with the dunes next to us
That day (the 3rd day) consisted of a 2 hour camel ride to a desert hotel where we got to shower, relax by the pool with the sun in our eyes, eat yet again, another great moroccan meal, and hangout in the sand dunes. We explored a unique desert town with only 50 families (if i remember correctly) and went in a beautiful carpet shop full of an abundance amount of color and endless beautiful hand woven carpets made by the berbers.
We enjoyed a moroccan desert sunset, had a jeep ride back, and was greeted with an obnoxious, slightly comedic- yet pleasing greeting of moroccans on the rooftop of the hotel. They were playing loud and large instruments. I stayed outside for about 5 minutes watching them gleefully. We were also greeted with moroccan dancers inside the hotel as we walk in. This was the coolest hotel we stayed in; it was very moroccan themed with lanterns and architecture that contributed, with beautiful lit walkways. The dessert table in the desert (how often can you put dessert and desert in the same sentence?), was a sight to remember, which i filled my plate with a full array of pastries, fruit, and chocolate flan....I might add before the meal.
Eleven hours of driving and a day and a half later, we arrive in Fez the second largest city in Morocco, with its own charm and interest, to explore the medina. The medina is a labyrinth of a city enclosed with people, 90,000 business, schools, or mosques. There were no boundaries between the historical and cultural past and modernity. A traveler must be in harmony with this or they will have a frightening experience.
A 3 minute walk into the medina and you could already have experienced one or more of these things: crushed be people carrying bags of groceries, step in poo (human or donkey?), have a donkey step on your foot, smell something you’ve never smelt before, have a small child beg you for money or have a seller offering a great price for a rug. There is no concept of space. People, mules, wheelbarrows, motorbikes, donkeys, beggars, and anything in between share the 2-6 feet wide streets. I can say that beyond all that, I enjoyed every moment.
The biggest challenge was yet to come...bargaining with a moroccan carpet seller. You have not experienced Fez without this sport, truly it’s a sport. I knew I wanted a carpet (I really just wanted to buy a magical blanket and be Aladin for a day) or blanket hand woven by the berbers in the desert so I found just that. Price: 200 euros. 200 EUROS! With my bargaining tactics (learned from the greatest, my dad), I brought the price to 45 euros. Its an off-white hand made blanket (or rug) with a simple black/green/red design on it. I am pleased with my purchase.
Along with the natural hustle and bustle of the medina, as a group we went into a spice/perfume/pharmacy. They definitely made business that day with all our american purchases, some included bags of spices (a 45-spice!), moroccan curry, saffron (cheap there) moroccan oils, lotions, lip balms, etc.
After a narrow winding mosaic staircase, we were up on a high terrace overlooking the workers in their leather making at the Chouwara tannerie. A site in itself. With the many, many steps from cow-skin to leather we were taught by a guide that this process has not changed much since the beginning...donkeys labor through the medina streets carrying animal skins to the dye pits in which the skins are boiled, and washed many times through a water generated wheel, then soaked in various substances, then they are dyed in indigo, saffron, and poppy for added color.
With everything that is said, written down, or photographed about Morocco, nothing can compare to physically being there. Every insignificant, overwhelming, or beautiful situation while traveling make up the whole experience. Depending on your expectations and preparations, you can have a spectacular or a lousy trip. Going on this large tour group type-trip, I knew it would be a different experience than my normal travels. I was willing to put that aside, and enjoy the trip! I met new friends in seville, made memories of a lifetime, left with beautiful henna on my left hand, and....of course, ate amazing food.
PS, go on facebook to see more photos not included in the blog, such as feeding & playing with monkeys, making friends with little moroccan boys who live in the small desert town, interesting moroccan doors, and beautiful moroccan scenery. Also, a video to be posted later.
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