rtw365

Morocco

Morocco was wonderful, and we ended up staying longer and cutting short another part of our itinerary. An amazing country with amazing peoples, and it seems so far away in place and time, even after Lisbon.

We watched the sun set from the ferry to Tangier and watched it rise from the train to Marrakech. Both magical moments.

We spent several days in a Riad in Marrakech, shopping and haggling in the Souks, taking in the crazy experience of the square Jmaa el Fna. Snake charmers, Arab story tellers, musicians and dancers, portable food setups complete with generators and lights over folding tables. People speaking several languages (French, Berber, Arabic, and tourists on top of that) and clothing that seems as much like costumes as anything else. At night with all the smoke and noise and chaos it feels very much like a foriegn language version of Burn Night.

We also enjoyed a visit through the south. It was relatively inexpensive to hire a car and driver, and Omar (our driver) was quite interesting and intelligent making him a valuable resource on the trip. We made it all the way to the Saharan dunes past Merzzougah and a short camel trek with a Berber guide. Well, the sandstorm that woke us in the middle of the night until we figured to sleep with the sheets over our heads (sand blows right through Berber camel hair tents). Taxi rides through Marrakech are crazier than any sandstorm.

So at least I didn't completely miss the desert during Burning Man this year. :-)

I've got some wonderful pictures from Morroco, but don't know when I might be able to upload them -- it's not easy to do so from most internet cafes.

Anyway, after the south we returned to Marrakech for one night in the new city, then took an overnight train, ferry and overnight bus to Barcelona. Two nights in a row of "sleeping" on ground transportation is a bit much, especially after so much driving through the south.

posted by Dale L. Larson @ 9:50 AM