Break #1: Part 2

Tuesday:

Ryanair is sketch, and I’ll just leave it at that. However, it turns out the rumor that you have to pay to use the bathrooms is false. The flight is only about 2 ½ hours, and I pass most of the time reading The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Totally recommend it.



So we get to Fez! Yeahhhhhhh! We all change over our money (Moroccan money is so pretty) and get a cab into downtown Fez. Side note for anyone who was in the DR: the cars used for Moroccan cabs are not at all unlike the cars used as conchos in the DR. really brought me back.


Concho look-a-likes

We spend about half a lifetime walking around trying to find a hotel and the medina (old city). Turns out we were walking in the complete opposite direction. We take another cab and arrive in the medina, which is like a market and touristy area and full of hotels and good food.

We checked into a hotel for like, 5 or 6 bucks American per person? We managed to convince some guys who were trying to get us to stay in THEIR hotel that I was Spanish, which was pretty fun… anyway, we then got some lunch. Mmmmmmm LUNCH. For about $7 American I got a Moroccan salad, tons of bread, Shishkabob, fruit, and almond milk. It was soooo good.

After lunch we walked around the market for awhile. I bought some knockoff red Converse and some other little trinkets, then found an internet café to let people (read: my dad) know that I am alive. We then head back to the room and I promptly fall asleep. It’s 5pm. I wake up again at 11am. I think that may be a record for me. There were 5 of us, and 3 beds, but I got my own bed because “I slept on the floor last night so I think I freaking deserve it.” It was lovely.



Wednesday:

We walked around the market a bit more, then our group split up for the rest of the trip. Two of my friends headed to Marrakesh, and me and two others got on a train to Rabat. The train car reminded me soooo much of Harry Potter. That was the first of many Harry Potter references that we applied on this trip.

Upon arriving in Rabat (2, 3 hour train ride) we found a hotel right in the city. It was kind of expensive, but it had a shower… which was worth the extra money. I had my first OFFICAL Moroccan couscous… and it was so good. We spent the rest of the day walking around the Rabat’s market and doing some sightseeing. We spent a lot of time at the Kasbah taking photos of the ocean… it was so gorgeous.



Thursday:

Breakfast was freshly squeezed juice. My friend who was in Morocco last semester had been raving about it for awhile, so we obviously had to try it. I got a mixed fruit flavor, but I also tried Avocado. Yes, it sounds like it would be nasty… but it was absolutely delicious. We moved into a cheaper hotel room (no shower =/ ) for the equivalent of like $8 American per person. Crazy.

Thursday I also had plans to meet up with my friend Andy. I’ve known her for ages, and she’s spending the year in Morocco. I went to her school to meet her before lunch, but I didn’t know exactly where to find her. I was going down the stairs to check out another room, when I run into her (almost literally) coming up the stairs. Much screaming occurs… and the secretary or someone comes over to shush us. But it was nuts, seeing someone from home thousands of miles away on a different continent. I’ve obviously had contact with people from home while I’ve been here, but I had yet to spend time with someone who’s from Syracuse. So it was much needed.


Yayyy friends

We all got pizza, then Andy went back to class. My friends and I got henna, went and visited a garden, and spent more time walking along the coast. We ran into some Australian girls who were completely lost (they were pretty far away from Australia, har har har...) and we spent about 20 minutes walking with them.

After that… we met up with Andy again and went to an unfinished mosque. I have no idea what it’s called. But it was cool. We stopped by Andy’s host family’s house for a few and I met her family, then the two of us went to the German Institute.

German Institute, you ask? In Morocco? Why would two people who don’t speak a word of German go out to a German Institute at 10pm?

Well… the German Institute is pretty much the only place in the whole entire country where you can buy alcohol.

Okay, small exaggeration, but still. Moroccans aren’t big on the drinking thing. Anyway, we split a bottle of wine and talked for awhile. I then tried to speak Andy into my hotel room (because it was late and she didn’t want to wake up her host family) but then we got yelled at by the night lady. Yes, Moroccan hotels have someone up at all hours of the night, but Paris Beauvais’ don’t. Go figure. Anyway, turns out you need to present your passport before staying in the hotel, even if you’re staying with people who have already presented theirs. After a lot of hushed yelling in French/Arabic/English, Andy was kicked out. Sorry again Andge.

Link to photo albums on Facebook: one & two.