hiii...
I got back from Africa last night...and mannn oh man...
Just some back ground information on Marrakech--- Marrakech is a city in southwestern Morocco,which is in northern Africa. About 32 million people live in Morocco...its 98% Muslim and 99% Arab...Everyone speaks both Arabic and French...and a few people speak English or Spanish..
-we left madrid friday night, transfered to another flight in casablanca, and arrived in marrakech at about 11pm. When we stepped off the plane, we were all just like..in shock. Sooo many men everywhere..and the women were dressed in traditional attire, pretty much covered from head to toe (wearing hijabs over their head/face and long dresses). Right away, we felt so out of place. In Madrid, I can pretty much fit in and go with the flow because of my dark features..but we all soon realized that there is nooo way to fit in in Morocco...we just had to come to terms that we looked as touristy as they come. When you exit the airport, you have to walk to a parking lot across the street in order to get a taxi..so we walked over there and immediately got bombarded with taxi drivers trying to offer us the best deal. They wanted to give us a fixed price, but our travel agent told us to insist that they use the meter...however, with the language barrier, and it being night time and us being 3 girls...we just took whatever we could get...haha. On the way to our hotel, we noticed that there is NO organization on the road...no lines, no "sides"..nada. Cars, buses, taxis, bikes, little motorcycles...just weaving and swirving and passing...I'm serious, it was crazy...haha we were for sure scared for our lives...no one else seemed to have a problem with this...haha, ashley said that there is a "rhythm to their chaos"..but I just saw chaos. We got to our hotel...Riad Magador Marrakech...it was nice and felt safe...whew
-On Friday, we ate breakfast at the hotel and bought tickets to one of those city tours where you sit on top of the bus...it was a smart move. the ticket was good for 24 hours and you could get off and get back on whenever you wanted to. we saw a lot of cool stuff...marrakech has a lot of cool monuments and gardens..we saw the ruins of palaces and old mosques...we ate lunch in the main/center part of the city--its called Place Jemaa El Fna..its where everything takes place. I got chicken shish kabobs and they were pretty good...We had to be really careful about what we put into our bodies...you can't drink the water there or eat any raw fruit or vegetables...no ice, no juice..nothing. Anyway, that afternoon, we took a tour of the outskirts of the city. There were a lot of nice, big houses...they said that thats where famous people stay when they are in town for anything...Marrakech hosts a few international festivals throughout the year. It was nice to see that part of town...its very different from the central part of the city...it seems that Marrakech is a place where the poor are very poor and the rich are very rich. That night, we went to Place Jemaa El Fna again...everynight, people set up little booths and sell anything you can imagine...purses, jewelery, shoes, scarves, handcarved chess-sets...soo much. it was scary to walk through all the booths because the men are very forward..they would grab your hand and say "pretty girl come to my booth..we make good price for you!"..or "just look just look...let's bargain"..."america america!"...it was overwhelming because there were sooo many men..and it was just so crowded and hot and stuffy. we bought some bracelets and I got a few things for my family...everything there is so cheap---their currency is the dihram (1 euro= 11 dihrams) so that was pretty nice....we walked through pretty quickly...it was an uncomfortable situation...and you think,do they not know that this is not ok?? do they not know that this is not how you treat women? but they really don't...this is how they were raised..its sad but true. After we got done with the booths, we went to the center of the plaza to eat. Every night- restaurants set up little booths and tables and try to persuade you to come to their restaurant and eat...everyone is cooking and grilling and yelling at you..its chaos. Ashley and Tory ordered couscous (a traditional dish in Morocco...a mix between rice and grits)...but I couldn't bring myself to order anything. I think all the smells plus all the people and food everywhere....ehhh..I wasn't feeling too great. During our meal, little kids would come up and ask for the food we didn't eat...or a sip of our drink..it was sad and I had never been in that type of situation---where people were so needy and forward about asking you to give them something. Since it is Ramadan during this time, everyone eats and parties hardcore at night because they have to fast during the day...so once the sun goes down, the city comes alive. it was a crazy experience.
On Saturday, we hopped back on our bus tour and got off at a stop where we could ride camels! I was so excited...again, we bargained with the guys to let us ride for cheap...we won :) They led us around this big patch of dirt...it was pretty uneventful...but come on, when am I ever going to get to ride a camel again? It was fun... That afternoon, we had planned to visit the Museum of Marrakech and a few other exhibits..we took a cab there, but he let us out pretty far from where we needed to be because the streets are so narrow and crowded--it'd be impossible for him to drive...So, he pointed us in the direction of the museum and we just started walking....We realized prettyyyy quickly that this was like, the heart of Marrakech...you know, dirty and gritty....there were "houses" on each side of the street..little markets..little shops...we were just in the middle of "real life" in Marrakech..it was so crazy. There were little barefoot kids running around and people were just sitting on the side of the street, talking, hanging out....there were some mules & buggies...cats..oh yeah--I forgot to say that earlier...Marrakech has sooo many cats...gross, right?? Where did they all come from and why are they EVERYWHERE?? wondering the streets..under your table in restaurants... Sick....Ok moving on...As we were walking to the museum, little boys would say "Hello hello..where are you going? museum? central plaza? monument?? I will take you"...and we had no choice but to follow them because the streets are sooo narrow..but after we'd follow them for a minute, they would say "you pay me...i am tour guide"...so then we'd be like, umm no..go away...we know where we are going... it was just crazy...they'd jump in front of you and yell "i showed you where! pay me!"...we just had to ignore them and keep walking...Another thing, one time a little girl snuck up behind us and put a rose in Tory's purse and then said.."you pay me for rose"...we were like um nooo..and howww did this rose get in her purse? haha..they were so sneaky...So we got the museum but it was supposed to close in 30 minutes..we decided it wasn't worth the money..and we had gotten enough "culture" just by walking there. We walked back to the street where we got off and caught another cab...the driver said "yes I will take you..but you come with me for 2 minutes"..so we were like ok whatever...Then, he starts drivingggg down that narrow street! I swear to you, I could touch both sides of the street with my hands streched out...Little kids were knocking on the windows as we were driving...cats were crawling everywhere...bikes were brushing the side of my window...it was insaneeee...the driver got out of the car to run an errand and left us in the middle of the street...haha we just locked the doors and prayed he'd be back soon...little boys were knocking on the window asking us if we wanted our picture taken..(in exchange for money of course)....We sat in the cab for about 10 minutes and he finalllly returned... we asked him to take us to the best icecream ( or "glass) in town...he took us to a tiny bakery and waited for us to order..he then took us back to our hotel...he was super nice...thats the weird thing--there were like 2 different kind of men in Marrakech...the creepy, forward, rude men on the streets...and then men like our cabdrivers who were all so nice and helpful...it was strange. That night, we went to Place Jemaa El Fna for more shopping and then ate at a little cafe near our hotel...I don't know why, but there were only about 5 women eating at the restaurant, plus us...there were dozens of men--hanging out and drinking...and none of the women we saw were dressed in traditional attire...so I wonder if there is a rule or its expected for the woman to stay at home at night while the man goes out with his friends...who knows?
-We caught a flight back to Madrid Sunday afternoon and made it home safely...
-It was a crazyy trip..such a culture shock. I had a good time, but I doubt I'd want to go back anytime soon (or ever)...it was just like we stepped into a different worrrrrld...I dont know what I was expecting before I went, but I didn't expect that...however, I'm thankful for the experience! Check out my pictures--- hope you all had a good weekend!