This past weekend was the one I had been waiting for for a long time. My friend that had studied abroad before me told me that Morocco was one of the most amazing experiences of her life and that it was a must during my time abroad. So, even though it cost an arm and a leg, I knew I wanted to venture to Africa to see what the Sahara desert had to offer. As the trip got closer, I started to get more and more nervous because, let's face it, I'm not exactly the extreme-outdoors type, so tent camping in the desert seemed a little scary. And boy was I in for some surprises when I got there....
We left at 4am Friday morning to begin our LONG trip to Africa. We took a bus and then a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar. Even though we didn't get to the hotel until about 6pm, that day wasn't too bad because we slept almost the entire way. The hotel was called the Menzeh Zalagh and was located in Fes. It's actually a 4 star hotel, but keep in mind that it's 4 star in Moroccan terms. The bathrooms were less than beautiful and of course we couldn't use the tap water for fear of getting sick. But it honestly was a pretty nice place. That night, we had our first experience with Moroccan food and, even though I didn't know what half of it was, it was pretty good (especially the dessert!).
The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast (which was ALL carbs--rolls and biscuits) and then headed to the Medina of Fes, which is basically a giant market made up of over 9,600 alleyways in the middle of the city. Thank goodness we had a guide to lead us through. The tour was definitely eye-opening. It was crazy to see how some people live every day. Fes has no sanitation system, so there is garbage everywhere you look and sometimes the smell was nearly unbearable. There were fruit stands, fish stands, diaper stores, clothing stores, you name it. There were people EVERYWHERE! We took individual tours of a few different places. The first was called a farmacia, which was basically a shop full of spices and beauty products, like Moroccan oil, lipstick, and soap. I thought that was going to be boring, but that was actually my favorite stop of the whole day. I got some makeup and some delicious smelling spices (that hopefully my dad will use because Lord knows I can't cook!) I think most everyone bought something there; the owner was an excellent salesman.
The second stop was at a giant old palace that sold nothing but carpets. Obviously this one didn't really interest me that much because I have no need for giant rugs, but it was so cool because the place was huge and there were thousands and thousands of rugs, some of them cost as much as 25,000 euro. (clearly out of my price range!) Even though we didn't make any purchases, we climbed to the roof of the building and got a great view of the city, so it was definitely a worthy stop.
Next, we went to a scarf shop, where they make all of their fabric right there. Everything was so beautiful and it was definitely hard to decide what to buy. Shopping is really fun in the Medina because you can talk everyone down and get things for cheap. I wasn't very good at it, but managed to talk the salesman down a couple hundred dirhams (about two euro) and get some really awesome scarves. The people at the Medina are so friendly (mostly because they want to sell stuff to you,) so bargaining can be fun..We walked by one stand and this man screamed to us, "Hello flowers! You are welcome in our country!"
The last stop was the tannery, a shop with all things leather. When we walked in, these men were trying to hand us little plant leaves. We didn't know what they were so we didn't take one. As it turns out, it was mint and you're supposed to carry it through the store and sniff it because the entire place smells like a cow farm from all the leather. It was one of the strongest smells I have ever experienced in my life and it was NOT pleasant. Looking down from the tannery, you could see a whole bunch of men standing in pools of dye coloring fabric and another great view of the city.
We finally stopped for lunch at a great little restaurant for some more unknown food. It was amazing and we also had our first encounter with cuscus, which ended up being the best thing we ate all weekend. (It's a good thing we liked it because we ate it for almost every single meal after that). After lunch, we went back to the hotel to get ready for a belly dancing show. It was at a restaurant near the Medina called So Ho Bag. Watching all the women dance was CRAZY. I never knew people could move their hips like that, but it was fascinating to watch and definitely different than anything I'd seen before.
The goal of the next day was to arrive to the desert by nightfall for a view of the sunset. We spent all day in the bus and we made it there on time, but got to the desert just in time for a sandstorm. It was AWFUL. The wind was crazy and it looked foggy outside from all the sand blowing everywhere. We had to delay our trip into the desert by a couple of hours, so we went to a fossil shop where they make furniture and decorations from ancient fossils. It sounds completely nerdy, I know, but the stuff was so cool. This time, I enlisted the help of a friend and she helped me talk the salesman down so I could get a nice candle holder.
FINALLY, it was time to head to desert. With scarves wrapped around our hair and faces to keep the sand away, we crammed into jeeps and took an hour long ride to the camps. It was pitch black by the time we got there, so we had to set up our tents in the dark. The tents were NOT AT ALL what I was expecting. They were literally pieces of burlap cloth help up by large sticks. We all had a cot and a blanket, but due to the sandstorm that had hit earlier, they were all covered by about ten pounds of sand that we had to brush off. I'm just gonna be completely honest and say that the first night, I just wanted to go home. I wanted a bed that wasn't covered in sand and toilets that actually flushed (they had set up restrooms with two toilets for over a hundred people-NOT a good situation). The Sahara is also home to beetles the size of house cats, which scared the daylights out of me but were completely harmless.
We ate dinner (more cuscus and vegetables) and then went right to bed. The desert gets really cold at night, not to mention we had a nasty stray cat in our tent, so we didn't get a great night's worth of sleep. We woke up early to get out on the dunes for the sunrise and, as soon as I saw the view that it had to offer, it made the entire trip worth it. The desert was absolutely beautiful and the scenery took my breath away.
Later that morning, we got to take a camel ride through the desert. Yes, you heard me correctly: the girl who hates animals rode a camel through the Sahara. It actually ended up being my favorite part of the trip. The camels were HUGE, much bigger than I thought they would be, so the getting up and sitting down was kind of frightening, but they were so fun! We wore our headbands that we bought from the Berber children (who hung out next to the camp all weekend) and rode the camels to the a huge dune that we climbed for a great view of the desert.
We rode our camels back into the city and got to walk around there a little bit and I have to say that was a BIG eye-opener. It is amazing to see how some people live everyday. Kids walk around with no shoes on, most of them aren't in school. They walk through the desert with their homemade crafts to sell. It is impossible to see those people and not be thankful for what you have. We are so lucky that we only lived the desert life for a couple of days, but it is heartbreaking to think that those children will have that life forever.
After a HOT walk back to our camp, we spent the rest of the day hanging out, sweating, and walking around the dunes. I took a million pictures, but they all look fake. Believe it or not the desert is one of the most beautiful (I realize how much I overuse this word and I'm sorry!) places I have ever seen.
We spent our last night in the desert watching an amazing sunset and listening to a Moroccan band in the big tent. We survived ANOTHER sandstorm AND a rain storm and spent another night on sandy, gritty matresses. Yuck. Two nights in the desert was enough for me.
We had another long day of travel and ended in the city of Meknes to stay at another hotel. We were all thrilled to finally have a shower and real beds to sleep on. We ate dinner and went to sleep and woke up yesterday for the longest day of travel I think I've ever had. We were on the buses by about 7:30am and didn't walk in our door until about 1am. I was so thankful just to be back "home" to my bed and running water.
So, this weekend wasn't at all what I expected.
But it was everything I could have ever dreamed of.
Africa was the adventure of a lifetime and I know I will never forget my weekend of sleeping in a sandbox, riding camels, and amazing sunrises. God is good. Life is good. That's just about all I have to say.
Oh, and one more thing: To everyone at home, I MISS YOU!
Here's the link to my full photo album:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2901695142040.2122873.1250280194&type=1&aft=2901876266568&l=48b91b4011
Now time to celebrate Holy Week Sevilla Style!
Until next time,
Nat
