My Road to Marrakesh

My dress still smells like the smoky Medina and my fingers are still stained from the spices in the tagine we feasted on, even though I have sadly returned to Madrid. Molly and I had so much fun in Marrakesh,
from the donkeys that pull carts all over the souks
to the waterfall we hiked to in the Atlas Mountains. And yes, I did it all in saddle shoes and a dress!

We arrived Saturday about 1, and it was a good thing we hired a guide to take us to our hostel, because it's a total labyrinth! When we got there, delicious Moroccan mint tea was waiting for us, yum! Even just going from the airport to the hostel, I got the immediate 'we're not in San Francisco or Madrid anymore' vibe-men and women wear long robes and all the women cover their hair, although lots of people wear western style clothes, too. Noisy motorbikes that reek like diesel are everywhere, roads, sidewalks, even driving on the shoulder, because traffic laws in Marrakesh are basically nonexistent. Every time you step into the road you are playing chicken with donkey carts, motorbikes, regular bikes, pedestrians, trucks and taxis. The beautiful Atlas mountains overlook the city:This is in a garden that's near the main square, the Jema Lefna. Molly and I ate tagine,
traditional Moroccan cuisine that is cooked in a heavy clay pot on a stove. We wandered around the Jema Lefna the first day, trying to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Morocco. This is why photos just don't capture this amazing place. You really have to be there to smell the donkey poo in the streets, the reek of the diesel, the spicy, smoky smell of the food being cooked in the square, the metal workers and tanneries, the sounds of the snake charmers and men enticing you to shop in their booth, the experience of nearly being run over 800 times a day. Maybe I'm not painting a very good picture, but it was fantastic, really.The busy Medina

We also went to the Balace Bahia and wandered around the beautiful gardens, and marveled at the architecture:The garden in the palace.The beautiful and intricate roof in the palace.

Also, cats are like the pigeons of Morocco, they're everywhere basking in the sun and looking for food.
Me and a Moroccan pigeon.

Our first night in the hostel was actually Nezza's (one of the girls who works in the hostel) birthday. Even though we were pooped from our plane trip and the culture shock of being in Africa, we joined the party and danced to Arabic discoteque music, taught everyone the sprinkler, and, of course, smoked tons of shesha (hookah).Smoking shisha

On Sunday me and Molly and some other people staying at the hostel got a guide named Mustapha to take us to a traditional Berber house. He showed us how they live, and how they eat
using the traditional Berber stove. Then the Berber women showed us the Moroccan tea ceremony:I hope I can recreate it! It's so good because the plate of greens on the right is all fresh mint, and the big white cone on the left is sugar. Mmmm. Then we ate a delicious Berber breakfast of fresh bread, honey, olive oil, and fresh butter before we went for our camel ride.

Riding a camel is NOT like riding a horse-it's super bumpy. And I now think camels are probably the second weirdest animal, right behind the platypus.

After camels were were supposed to drive further into the Atlas mountain to begin our hike, but there was a rockslide that consequently caused a huge traffic jam. We got out of our van to explore the situation.All the Moroccans, surveying the rockslide.

The pile up was so vast, everyone parked their cars and got out and started a drum circle and singing to pass the time while the road cleared.This is why I thought Morocco was so amazing. No one was mad or impatient, no one was yelling at each other. There were no construction workers, policemen, or ambulances. The citizens took it upon themselves to clear the road and then the men started directing traffic to clear the jam. It was excellent.