Breakfast was tasty as I ate some Moroccan crepe like bread spread with honey along with baguette pieces with butter and orange juice to drink. After breakfast, the excursion company sent a van to pick us up. We sat in the van with a British couple who were also heading to the Palmerie to ride ATV’s. We mainly talked about travel and our equal dislike towards the French and treatment we have received from them when visiting France. Matt actually had a positive opinion of the French and that they were friendly when he went to Paris. I think Matt just got lucky with who he talked to.

We then reached the site where the camels were sitting there waiting for us and some French and Moroccan tourists that made up the rest of the caravan. Before riding the camels, we had blue towels tied to our heads to form head cover cloths like a Bedouin trader would wear. The first leg of the camel ride lasted a little over an hour. I had never ridden a camel before, and it was a once in a lifetime experience to roam across the desert on one. Camels are not the fastest animals in the world, but when whipped into a frenzy they can burst in speed. Sitting on a camel after a while hurts your legs and groin region because the hump of the camel makes sit a splits like position for the whole ride. The camel riders who rode/ride on a camel’s back for days at a time across the Sahara are either really flexible or found a technique to alleviate this pain.

For a lunch break we stopped at a small rest house in the middle of the path. We saw an old traditional hammam (Turkish bath) cone and then had some tea and appetizers for lunch while resting on some low to the ground couches. Then we hopped back on the camels for another hour to finish our journey. Camel riding was a fun experience, but I doubt I will do it again.

After finding a map of the city outside of the Medina, we decided to go out to the new town for the afternoon. Our first attempt to exit the medina ended up with us walking to the entryway of a mosque. However, we ended up turning the other direction and found the exit gate. In the new town we saw some buildings, a large cemetery, and a park filled with towers. Some Moroccan oddities I saw in the new town included people hopping on and off moving buses, donkeys and camels on the highways with cars, and people arguing about their personal lives in Arabic in the park and the streets.

It was close to dinner time so we headed back to the medina to get more shish kebabs. I first haggled in the souks for a Christmas gift for my mother which I cannot say in case if she reads this. We then went to another stall and ate beef and lamb kebabs. We then went to the far north side of the square where a towering mosque stands and you can see the stripes of light and smoke that cover the stalls. After some time in the square we walked back to the riad, but got lost on the way back. It got scary as we were in some random alleys that we did not know where it connected to familiar paths. The souks were closed and the riff-raff were on the verge of coming out to cause trouble. Fortunately we got back on the main path and escaped potential dangers. We then chilled at the riad and read about Moroccan architecture before going to sleep.

On Sunday, we ate breakfast at the riad. The Marrakech airport was the only airport where I have seen gender segregated airport security. We flew back to Milan where Matt caught a train back to Rome. I was exhausted after a long weekend and made myself some food and took care of some business before going to sleep.

Friday morning was spent getting to the Malpensa airport and flying to Marrakech. It was really exciting, as it was the first time I had ever ventured to Africa or the Arab world. The sky was exceptionally clear so I was able to see the scenery below during the entire flight. Overall, my flying experience was much better with Easyjet than Ryanair as Ryanair makes you take off and land in obscure cities at least an hour away from the actual destination whereas Easyjet takes you to more convenient airports at the same or lower prices.

Country #9 Morocco

Destination #17: Marrakech, Morocco

The day truly started when we exited the customs checkpoint at 1:00 that afternoon. We were met by our cab driver and walked to the car. The taxis in Morocco match the color of the surrounding desert sand and there were no seat belts in the back seats of the cab. Until reaching the medina (old part of town), the cab ride was smooth and Marrakech looked like an Islamic Arizona with lines of the Moroccan flag covering the sides of the road. However, when we entered the medina, Morocco showed its true chaotic colors. The roads were narrow and filled with just as many donkeys as cars. We then arrived to our Riad (Moroccan guesthouse/palace) where we were staying for the next two days.

The riad was a nice, calm place in the middle of the hectic medina. Within the heart of the old city, it was designed like a traditional Muslim estate from the middle ages. It had a medieval blue entry door with a smaller door carved into it that actually served as the entrance. It also had a tricky set of locks that I never figured out how to open. Inside there was a semi-outdoor living room with a retractable tarp for roofing. It was filled with books, board games, and rawhide couches. The ceiling were very low, especially in the bathroom where my head grazed it. I always had to watch my head when climbing up or down the stairs. On the top of the riad was a large terrace which provided a view of the medina and plenty of tables and lounge chairs to kick back or eat breakfast. However, the medina is are the city’s roofs topped with a sea of satellite dishes. Our room was right next to the terrace and was locked with a padlock normally used for a school or gym locker.

After settling in, we tried to find the medina square to eat some lunch and haggle in the souks (Morrocan markets). We tried to find the square Morrocan teenagers like to make a joke out of lost tourists and try to tell you that a certain road is closed or the square is the other way to mislead people. I learned, like in India its best not to talk to the locals as they just look at you as money tree and try to find ways to rip you off or sell hashish (marajuana).

We went in a circle three times and still could not find the square. Lost and hungry we decided to eat at a restaurant that was close by to the riad. It ended up being a somewhat fancy (and overpriced by Moroccan standards) place that sort of served as a refuge for weary and hungry western travelers. The seats and table were low to the ground, but comfortable. Even with English lyrics the music gave a calm Middle Eastern vibe to the place which had waiter dressed like guards from the 19th century and the looks of an upscale version of the bar in the movie Casablanca, but with an open aired roof. I ordered a soda and beef tagine with tomatoes while Matt ate couscous. The food tasted good, but it was not filling at all and left me unsatiated. Also the waiters took their time helping us as we ended up sitting in the restaurant for nearly two hours. Half of that time was waiting for the check after asking for it.

We then decided to try some alternate routes to the square and after two more attempts of finding it, we finally reached the souks. The souks are narrow streets of small shops and open air stands covered by a makeshift roof from an iron plate and hanging Moroccan flag banners.

Matt and I began haggling for various goods to bring back to the states. I bought myself a traditional red Moroccan fez (see picture below) and haggled it down to 40% of the asking price. Matt bought a Fez for his brother at a slightly higher price and some leather slippers for his girlfriend. We also tried haggling for other things, but at the end of negotiations, their prices were still too high for me to actually want to buy anything else. Haggling is very fun and unique to my travels in the third world (previously India and Mexico). It would be interesting to see more haggling stateside, but that the souks are part of what gives Morocco its flavor.

We then arrived at the main square in time for dinner. We saw snake charmers, dealers of lizards and ostrich eggs, and a variety of street dealers and performers before eating. We ate at one of the stalls and had some delicious beef shish kebabs with some fries and soda. After eating we saw a Moroccan drum band and walked around the lively square. We then headed back to the riad as the medina becomes unsafe after the souks close. I then chilled at the riad lounge and wrote my notes for the day. I shortly fell asleep after as another intense day was in the waiting for Saturday.