Day 3 - The Desert

We awoke early the next morning before the Riad and its staff was up. Sherif had set up breakfast for us the night before and we gobbled it down and quickly left for the tour office. We were still unsure of the proper time since it changed the evening before and wanted to make sure we didn't miss our transport. Once everything was in order at the Sahara Expedition office we hopped in the van. We were joined by an Australian girl near our age and a middle aged Columbian man and his mother. Our driver once again spoke very little English. An hour and a half into the 7 hour drive we came to the High Atlas Mountains. The name suits the mountain range with low gorges, high peaks, and a winding highway with steep drop offs. The Columbian people spoke little English but we became friendly with the Australian girl whose name was Lisa. She was on holiday for a week before heading to Scotland to work as a sheep sheerer, the same job she does back home in Adelaide. She was very friendly and we bonded over the similarities in our lives that transcended our cultural differences. She had never heard of the American Outback Steakhouse and was very amused at the names of the dishes. We stopped for lunch in the city of Quazarte. Quazarte is famous for only one thing really, movies. Most movies that are set in Egypt and the desert are actually filmed in Morocco. There are a few studios in Quazarte and movies that have been filmed there include Lawrence of Arabia, Prince of Persia, The Mummy, Gladiator, Troy, and many more. We ate a traditional Moroccan lunch of tagine and bread. Tagine is a dish where they steam meat and veggies in a terracotta pot with different spices and lemon. Once lunch was finished we hopped into the van for another three hours. The scenery started changing and becoming drier and more desolate. Finally, we reached Zagora. Here the five of us loaded up on water and climbed onto our camels in preparation for the 2 hour trek into the Sahara. We met two desert guides one who spoke English and one who didn’t. Surprise surprise, the non English speaking guide was ours. Ten minutes into the trek, the older Columbian woman was complaining of discomfort. She had bad hips and had been walking badly all tour. After much confusion between the Columbians and the desert guide, they dismounted their camels and walked back to the city to stay in a hotel for the night. Now we were down to three. The sun had started going down early in the trek and by the time we reached the camp, night had fallen upon us. It was pitch black when we hopped off the dromedaries and made our way to the tents. You could just make out the faint outlines of the dunes closest to you. Once we arrived at the tent, the English desert guide we had met before, Abraham filled us in on the evening’s happenings. Our guide brought us a dinner of tea, soup, bread, tagine, and honey dew melon which we ate in our tent. Once dinner was finished, the guide told us to leave the tent and sit in the sand outside to converse and enjoy the cool desert air. The sand was very fine and soft. Lisa, Nicole, and I chatted for a while under the stars. The guide would sit quietly and listen, but understood very little of what we were saying but managed to ask us where we were from. When we said the US, a smile formed on his face and he said "Oh! Barack Obama!" We laughed and said yes, Obama's the man. The guide left shortly after to join the others to build a fire. When we started hearing drumming, we walked over the dunes to the fire. The guides had gathered to drum and chant traditional Berber songs around the fire. It was an amazing experience but we were exhausted from our journey and retired to bed.

Day 3 - The Desert

We awoke early the next morning before the Riad and its staff was up. Sherif had set up breakfast for us the night before and we gobbled it down and quickly left for the tour office. We were still unsure of the proper time since it changed the evening before and wanted to make sure we didn't miss our transport. Once everything was in order at the Sahara Expedition office we hopped in the van. We were joined by an Australian girl near our age and a middle aged Columbian man and his mother. Our driver once again spoke very little English. An hour and a half into the 7 hour drive we came to the High Atlas Mountains. The name suits the mountain range with low gorges, high peaks, and a winding highway with steep drop offs. The Columbian people spoke little English but we became friendly with the Australian girl whose name was Lisa. She was on holiday for a week before heading to Scotland to work as a sheep sheerer, the same job she does back home in Adelaide. She was very friendly and we bonded over the similarities in our lives that transcended our cultural differences. She had never heard of the American Outback Steakhouse and was very amused at the names of the dishes. We stopped for lunch in the city of Quazarte. Quazarte is famous for only one thing really, movies. Most movies that are set in Egypt and the desert are actually filmed in Morocco. There are a few studios in Quazarte and movies that have been filmed there include Lawrence of Arabia, Prince of Persia, The Mummy, Gladiator, Troy, and many more. We ate a traditional Moroccan lunch of tagine and bread. Tagine is a dish where they steam meat and veggies in a terracotta pot with different spices and lemon. Once lunch was finished we hopped into the van for another three hours. The scenery started changing and becoming drier and more desolate. Finally, we reached Zagora. Here the five of us loaded up on water and climbed onto our camels in preparation for the 2 hour trek into the Sahara. We met two desert guides one who spoke English and one who didn’t. Surprise surprise, the non English speaking guide was ours. Ten minutes into the trek, the older Columbian woman was complaining of discomfort. She had bad hips and had been walking badly all tour. After much confusion between the Columbians and the desert guide, they dismounted their camels and walked back to the city to stay in a hotel for the night. Now we were down to three. The sun had started going down early in the trek and by the time we reached the camp, night had fallen upon us. It was pitch black when we hopped off the dromedaries and made our way to the tents. You could just make out the faint outlines of the dunes closest to you. Once we arrived at the tent, the English desert guide we had met before, Abraham filled us in on the evening’s happenings. Our guide brought us a dinner of tea, soup, bread, tagine, and honey dew melon which we ate in our tent. Once dinner was finished, the guide told us to leave the tent and sit in the sand outside to converse and enjoy the cool desert air. The sand was very fine and soft. Lisa, Nicole, and I chatted for a while under the stars. The guide would sit quietly and listen, but understood very little of what we were saying but managed to ask us where we were from. When we said the US, a smile formed on his face and he said "Oh! Barack Obama!" We laughed and said yes, Obama's the man. The guide left shortly after to join the others to build a fire. When we started hearing drumming, we walked over the dunes to the fire. The guides had gathered to drum and chant traditional Berber songs around the fire. It was an amazing experience but we were exhausted from our journey and retired to bed.

Day 2 - Marrakech

We had an easy flight on Ryan Air (contrary to what we've been told in the past), and arrived in Marrakech at 7am local time, 5 hours ahead of EST. Just to give you some light background information on Morocco, the N. African nation was previously controlled by Spain, and more recently France until they gained independence in 1956. While Moroccan Arabic is the official language, much of the country is bilingual in French. The Moroccan currency is the Dirham and at the current exchange rates, 1 USD is equal to 8 DHM. A driver was waiting for us at the gate, greeted us in Arabic, led us to the van, and we set off. The driver, non English speaking, drove the 10 minutes into the Medina. Marrakech is split into two parts, old and new. The Medina, old city, is surrounded by walls and is where all the action happens. Our Riad is located deep in the Medina, so our driver took us as far as possible until driving was no longer possible. A Moroccan woman greeted us and with broken English led us through a labyrinth of small alleys and streets to Riad Ker Saada. A riad is a large square house with a center courtyard lined with various rooms. Our riad is three stories, the third being a rooftop deck. The woman led us to the courtyard and gave us two glasses of sweet, fresh squeezed orange juice. It was probably one of the best glasses of oj I've ever experienced. We arrived before most of the guests awoke and after a short rest was greeted by Sherif, the owner, with trays of coffee, tea, and food on the rooftop deck. We soon learned that Sherif was a Berber (the indigenous and cultural population) and he presented us with various options for spending our day. Since we really only had one full day in Marrakech, we decided on hiring a private guide to take us through the city to the various sites. Sherif wrote down a few meal and site suggestions before leading us to meet the guide.

Our guide's name was Mustafa (like the Lion King), and he spoke very good English. He started to explain the history of Marrakech, which is considered an Imperial City of Morocco. We learned that the traffic, both car and foot, was busier than normal due to Mayday celebrations. It was the first of May and the locals celebrate the beginning of summer and daylight savings which turned that evening at midnight.

Our first stop was the El Badi Palace. The palace was home to Ahmed el Mansour, once a cruel prime minister of Marrakech. The palace was stripped of everything movable, but with its ornate carvings and mosaics, it has a lingering sense of luxury with large rooms, and shallow pools.

After leaving the palace, we set off to the Jardin Majoralle, a large garden in the outskirts of the city via taxi which cost about 20 dirham (<$3). The garden was built by a famed French artist and later bought by French designer Yves Saint Laurant. The garden was a true oasis of bamboo, ponds, and beautiful exotic plants. We spent about 40 minutes in the garden before catching a taxi back to the Medina where we visited the Ben Youssef Medersa. This was a place for students taking courses in the mosque and learned about the Islamic religion and Moroccan culture. It was completely rebuilt in the sixteenth century by the Saadians with a strong Andalusian influence. Like the palace, the ornate carvings and were overwhelmingly perfect. The attention to detail throughout the city is astounding. The entry fee for the Medersa included the Marrakech Museum which exhibited jewelry and sculpture. The museum is located within an ancient hamaam bath which is a weekly process of bathing in the Islamic culture. After visiting all the museums and palaces, it was time for some shopping.

The shopping area is known as the Souks which are narrow and busy streets filled with vendors. The souks somewhat resemble the Straw Market in Nassau, but without the knockoffs and with a much more authentic feeling. It is in the souks where you truly feel like you are in another world. Bargaining here is accepted and encouraged. Shopkeepers will fight for your "democratic price", fair for both parties. The one souvenir Nicole and I both bought were traditional Berber head wraps for use on our camel trek the following day. For two, the initial price: 600d Paid price: 300d. Bargaining with a smile is key. After our purchases, we stopped for lunch. Between us we shared mixed meat kabobs, salad, and fanta. We headed back to the souks for more browsing before partaking in the festivities at Djemma al Fna, the main square. It is here where we left Mustafa and thanked him for all of his help. The square is the center of the Medina and is the life of the city. During the day there are performers, monkeys, snake charmers singing cobras into dances of serenity, and numerous spice and juice stalls (freshly squeezed oj, lime, and grapefruit). We soon learned that taking photos and watching were not free and required payment to the performers. Nicole's hand was grabbed at one point by a woman who started drawing intricate henna designs on her wrist. No matter how hard Nicole tried to yank her hand away, the woman's grip was firm. After she finished she demanded payment. Luckily if they use this technique and have not agreed on a price you can give whatever you deem fit. They might argue for a bit but are eventually at a loss and give up. Another similar scenario occurred with a monkey. Needless to say, we had enough and headed back to our riad. Our originally reserved room was taken so we were upgraded to a much larger room on the second floor. It was very well appointed. After showering we left the room to enjoy the Riad. Relaxing in the cool courtyard under the palms was a definite highlight of the day. Sherif would occasionally sit and chat with us about Morocco, the US, and various topics. He put on some music and we soon learned he was fond of traditional Berber music and Bob Dylan. When we were ready for dinner, we asked Sherif for a recommendation. He asked us if we would rather eat in the square or enjoy wine. We chose wine. He told us of a great place but we were unsure of the location of the restaurant so Sherif said he would show me while Nicole was getting ready. We walked out the front door Sherif hopped on his motor bike, and said lets go. I said "on that!?!?" He just smiled and said yep. Now I hadn't mentioned this earlier, but there are no lanes in Marrakech and in fact there are no proper roads/bike lanes. The motor bikes weave in and out of people like native New Yorker's in a hurry. If you’re walking, hear a honk and don't move out of the way, your toast. The bikes come within inches of you and each other. I hopped on and we sped away to the square. Mr. Toad's got nothin' on Sherif. Five minutes and a couple close calls later, we arrived at the restaurant. Like a campaigning politician he walked right in, shook hands with all the workers and got us an instant reservation (they had been booked for days). He told me we had a reserved table for 8:30 but if the menu wasn't too our liking then just let them know, no worries. After arriving back to the riad, Nicole was ready and we headed to the restaurant. We arrived but didn't end up taking the reservation because it was a littler fancier then we planned for and sharing was not an option. So instead we decided to brave the square. At night Djemma al Fna is a completely different scene. The acts are larger and crowds circle them. For food, large stalls are set up in the evening with picnic bench style tables set up all around them. The stall keeps were very aggressive and practically pulled you to a table. After deciding on a stall, we let ourselves be captured and ordered kabobs, bread, couscous, soda, and mint tea. If converted, dinner came out to about 6 dollars a person, practically a steal. We left the square and headed back to our riad to catch some sleep. The next morning would be an early one to catch out bus to Zagora.

Day 1 - Arrival in Madrid

We arrived in Madrid at around 8 am local time, 6 hours ahead of EST. After getting our bearings and asking the information desk of the best way to access downtown and our hostel, we proceeded to the Metro station that services the Barajas Airport. The metro was the obvious choice being only 2 euro as opposed to a 30e taxi. The metro system in Madrid is very efficient and after two easy transfers we arrived at the Plaza De Tirso De Molina. The hostel we stayed at is a block from the metro. It is called Mad Hostel and mad it was with tourists from all over Europe and North America. After dropping our bags, we set off to an Orange Mobile store to buy a European sim card which was a mission in itself. My Spanish is not where is should be but we were able to bridge the communication gap and I was able to set up my new mobile. We then headed to Puerta Del Sol, a commercial square bustling with tourists and locals. Many small alley's and narrow side streets intersect Puerta Del Sol and it is a good place to people watch. The square is officially the center of the nation and six of Spain’s National Routes begin there at Kilometro Zero. After breathing in the square, we headed to Plaza Major, only a short walk down the Calle de Major, a wide commercial street lined with stores and restaurants. The street runs south through the medieval city and if you are not careful you can miss the Plaza Major all together. The Plaza Major is the most important and historical landmark in Madrid and it is immaculately preserved. Cafes line the plaza and after browsing a few, Nicole and I picked one and ordered Cokes. I ordered paella, consisting or seafood, rice, and veggies. Nicole ordered a salted beef sandwich. The plaza was filled with young school children on fieldtrips, tourists, and locals alike. A couple street performers were set up at various points and the most entertaining were the bubble makers who used circular strings to blow giant bubbles which they sent floating through the square. After gobbling up our food, we decided that we needed some much overdue sleep and headed to our hostel. Before crashing we met two girls from Boston and Canada staying in our dorm with us. We awoke at 3am to catch an airport shuttle back to Barajas for a 6am flight to Marrakech, Morocco.

Europe

Hi all! This is my first attempt at keeping a blog and luckily for me I will be using the blog as a way to keep all of my friends and family updated on my travels! I started blogging during our third day in Morocco, and we will be up to date and in the present starting May 5th. I apologize if some of the entries are a bit lengthy. The best way to contact me and ask questions and keep me informed of happenings back in the states is by email, facebook, and Skype!

Email - daniellevy@me.com

FB - Danny Levy

Skype - dhl7872