Mama Africa

Morocco has proven to be yet another land of extremes. People fast all day during Ramadan only to stay up all night to get their fill of food and entertainment. "Guides" peddle you for cash (for some service they have supposedly provided) while strangers welcome you in off the street for breakfast or mint tea. The chaos of the street is mixed with the serenity of prayer. One breeze is filled with the butcher's stench, the next with the sweet aroma of spices. A man crosses the road with his Mickey Mouse loving son in one hand and 10 chickens in the other. It is a place that stirs your senses and your mind - and so far, I am a fan.

We started off in Tangier - a city that leaves much to be desired. In the end we spent about 2 days there when we should have left after about 2 hours. What can I say? We move slower than molasses. However, if I can say one thing about Tangier....it was good practice for shooing off guides and carpet vendors....practice we have come to value!

Next stop was Chefchaouen, a laid back "city" in the mountains with a small, manageable Medina (another name for walled city with lots of winding, complicated streets). It was here that we made friends with various mothers and daughters, effectively filling all our evenings with duck duck goose and hand games. One night there was a free concert in the Kasabah (castle)-complete with traditional Moroccan instruments and refreshments delivered right to your seat. As I sat watching the performance, soaking in my surroundings, I had a "moment." I seem to have had a lot of these "moments" this past year, where I am thinking "What the hell is going on? Where am I? Why is this overzealous woman sitting next to me trying to feed me a cookie? And why is the other woman sitting next to me trying to get me to clap to the beat? Who is that child on Jess's lap?" It takes me a minute and then I realize....ah yes, I am in Morocco...of course I am at a free concert and WE have become the main event! Overall, we spent a lot of time roaming the Medina or lounging in our hostel, waiting for the sun to set so that we could go outside to eat. Although it isn't prohibited in the least to eat in public, I know that if I were fasting, I wouldn't want someone chowing down on chips and a sandwich right in front of me. So, we exercise a certain level of respect.

Moving on from the mountains, we arrived in Fes. We liked this city from the start because there is so much going on. There are tons of vendors selling beautiful things, lots of different street foods, and much to keep your eyes busy whilst walking down the street. One must always be aware in Fes; you are likely to get run over by a runaway push cart (filled with God knows what), dog, donkey, child, or carpet vendor if you don't pay attention. Since we aren't Muslim, we couldn't go inside the innumerable mosques that takeover the city. But, we did get to glance inside...the amazingly detailed tiles and carvings are gorgeous and watching all of the people arrive, clean themselves, then pray in unison has a really calming effect. I have put up some pictures of a mosque turned school (so we were allowed in) so you can get an idea of the architecture.

Our first day in Fes we randomly met this guy named Adel. He invited over to his house for "breakfast" (not our kind of breakfast...its after sunset and called this because it's the meal that they "break the fast"). Though he was a friend, he was also a tour organizer, and we cashed in on this fact. He ended up throwing us on a 6 day tour with a group of 12 Spaniards for an incredibly cheap 250 dolla, everything included. So, with the tour we went south to Merzouga, got on some camels and set out into the desert for a couple days, then continued west to see some gorges, an awesome waterfall, and ended up all the way north to Essaouira (where we are now).

By far, the best part of the tour was the 2 nights we spent in the desert. We camped out in the Sahara just 20km from Algeria in the dunes called Erg Chebbi. I was a little skeptical at first...considering the fact that 1- it was pouring rain when we first arrived at 8pm after 9.5 hours in the car 2- I hate animals...no less smelly camels that spit. But, to my surprise, I loved every second of it. There is something about your first time camping in the desert that is magical. That's right, I said it. By the time we got out there the rain had stopped but the lightening had picked up. If you looked just in the right direction when lightening struck, you could get a full view of some of the dunes - the bright orange sand contrasted to the dark blue, star ridden sky. It was unreal. I was almost giddy with excitement...even after we stopped and my camel started peeing...practically on Jess. The craziest part was that we were being led out there by a guy who had no flashlight or compass and was walking the dunes like it was some clearly labeled highway. I asked him how the hell he knew where he was going and he said "No problem. I love Mama Africa." Well, me too! The trip only got better and I will always remember the night I slept outside on top of a dune, underneath the stars and moon, with nothing other than Jess to keep me warm. We stayed out in the dunes for 2 nights and it was hard to leave. I think that we might return. Here is a picture of our camel parade:

The rest of the tour was mediocre in comparison to the desert, but still entertaining. Pictures of all the sites are now up. At the moment we are in Essaouira, a beachy city in the north. We suspect that we will head down to Marrakesh in a couple of days then (hopefully) back to the desert to become one with Mama Africa.

In other news, we have booked a flight home for October 17th and hope to see everyone at my house for a homecoming party! Can't wait to see all of you.

Thank you!

We just wanted to say a quick thanks to all of you out there who have donated to us at some point during our trip. Despite the fact that this video does single out my Aunt Anne and Aunt Denise, it was made with all of you in mind. Personalized videos will be made upon request....you name the song, we write the lyrics. Here our first work,entitled Favourite Things!

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Here are the lyrics if you can't understand our beautiful voices:

Cheese on white bread with tomato and ham
this is our dinner, i know it sounds bland
but when you're at home you may not realize
that real ham is better than meat surprise!

25 dollars
doubled our money
and we knew what to dooooo
we bought us a few of our favorite things
and for this we thank you!

a pint of Guiness
2 bananas
and a Snickers bar!
the dollar is weak but we stretched it quite far....
it got us more than 5 gallons of gas in your car!

And now for a personalized video, just for you, Aunt Anne. For those of you out there reading all of her comments on this blog, you will understand.

BARCELONA!

As promised, here is a quick update on our short but sweet trip to Barcelona. We met up with the lovely BU Meg(h)ans (actually 2/3 of the BU Megs...) and had a chilled out week seeing the sites, lying on the beach, and catching up on our 1st years out of Boston. It seems as though we are not the only ones going through a year of transition, learning lots about ourselves and how the world works. It was refreshing to be reminded of those at home and all we have to look forward to when we return. A special thanks to our sugar mamas because without you we never would have looked trendy in a trendy place, experienced tapas and real sangria, nor would we have had the pull we needed to go to the wonderful city that is Barcelona.

I don't know about the others, but I have found my new favorite artist and architect: Gaudí. The Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, and Casa Batlló are like nothing I have ever seen before. The works left me feeling like I was in some sort of Doctor Seuss inspired heaven. Check out the links to get a better feel of what I am talking about.

The Picasso Museum forced me to find a new respect for the artist. I am not proud to say it, but I previously had little taste for abstract paintings my little cousins could make (no disrespect to my little cousins). But, now that I have actually given the guy (Picasso) a chance, I think he is the real deal. I think everyone was impressed with the museum...but if they weren't...who cares!?...it was free that 1st Sunday of the month! Beyond this, we saw various statues throughout the city, walked the Gothic corner, and spent plenty of time on the beach. The "magic fountain" show in front of the Palau National was truly magical. We went with a collection of characters that we met during the week who should not go without mention. Thanks for making our week that much better and lets just say now we have 4 reasons to go to Seattle! Beyond that, we learned that the party never stops in Barcelona and that is just one of many reasons why it is Jess's new favorite city.

As for right now, Morocco is the spot. We dropped off our bags in Madrid and are living out of our small day packs with just a couple of shirts and pants. So, we should be sufficiently smelly by the time we leave. Clueless as we tend to be, we arrived smack dab in the middle of Ramadan, so that should make an interesting country all the more interesting.

That's all for now...some pictures from Barcelona or up, but not all of them. Thanks for reading and we always love to read all of your comments!

Amanda and Jessica Loureiro

I will always remember the day I became a Loureiro. It´s not everyday that a fine Portuguese family decks you out in white dresses, makes flower headpieces for your hair, puts a candle in your hand and has an official priestess (otherwise known as Auntie Joanna) "officially" cleanse you into their family. "Typical" of makeshift baptisms in Portugal, we had our adoptive parents by our side, my Godmother (Auntie Ze) dressed in authentic Egyptian headgear, Jess´s Godfather (Uncle Armando) clothed in Arab garb, and plenty of water to soak even the unassuming onlookers in the family. Upon completion of the ceremony we were given our certificates of initiation and, most importantly, our "L" rings made by our ever so crafty Mami. The affair was proper and serious, so we believe the Portuguese government will indeed recognize our adoption and we will be receiving duel citizenship and our passports shortly. In fact, they should be made out in our new names: Amanda Boobs Loureiro and Jessica Loca Loureiro. In all seriousness, we couldn´t have asked for a better send off from such a wonderful group of people. One week quickly turned to 2 and before we knew it we had been living and laughing with the Loureiros for a full month.

Beyond the baptism, we have been quite mobile since I last wrote. Apparently the thing to do in the summer throughout Europe is attend music festivals. People live in their own filth for a period of days, all to enjoy live music in a tired, drunken haze. Even though Jess and I tend to stay away from irresponsible shenanigans such as these, we are indeed traveling Europe and, therefore, are obligated to attend at least one festival. So, Paulo, Jess, Chico, and I packed the car with a tent and not much more and attacked this thing like any good "festivaler" would: unprepared and open-minded. We ended up having a really entertaining time for a couple of reasons. Firstly because of the "typical" and "traditional" Portuguese instruments and music. Secondly because of "little" Chico, Paulo´s friend from years past who sports a mustache and leather jacket. He managed to keep us guessing and added a new, interesting dynamic to our previous group of three. When the festival ended, the boys couldn´t seem to tear themselves from our side, so we continued our road trip to the beautiful beaches in Alentejo and the even more beautiful Auntie Cuca (and family). After a couple days of soaking up the sun we moved back north to Lisbon.

Though our time in the capital was short lived, we saw a decent amount. The four of us checked out the contemporary art museum, Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, the discoveries monument, the smaller version of Rio´s Jesus statue, countless more tiled houses, the ´98 oceanic exhibition area, and ate some traditional pastries. I wish we had more time and energy to see more. I guess that means we will just have to go back!

As Auntie Ze commented on the last entry, it was a nostalgic goodbye (even though it was 7am when they selflessly drove us to the airport). Throughout our time in Portugal we were overwhelmed by the Loureiro´s generosity and open arms. It boggles my mind how at ease I felt with everyone in the family and can´t thank them enough. I truly feel as though we have a second family over in Portugal and we can´t wait to return. Kisses to the Loureiros!

At the moment we are in Barcelona with Meg and Meg from Boston University. The city has some gorgeous sites and it is really great to catch up and see some ladies from home. More on Barcelona later. Oh yea, we also bought a flight to Morocco, so we are headed that direction next week.