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.