Almost home....
Get your cocoa...it's gonna be a long one!
It's 5:30 in the morning and I'm WIDE awake...in Jersey. Yesterday I headed to NYC to see my girls, Geeta and Wendi :) Tomorrow...it's home to see my family and friends in MI :)
I have such a mix of emotions. While I'm sad to see the trip end - because it really was fabulous - I'm also happy to be home....especially knowing that in 6 weeks I'll likely be heading off again for two years!
I feel that I haven't written a proper blog (novel) since leaving Casas Karen, so let me fill you in on the last couple weeks of the trip:
We took the bus from Los Canos de Meca to Algeciras, where we thought the ferry would be cheaper (rather than from Tangier), to find out that the ferry is the same price pretty much everywhere...it's just longer from Algeciras. But, we could hop a bus on the way back to Sevilla pretty easily from there so we bought our round trip tix on the fast ferry and set off for Morocco.
Our first stop - Tangier. Now we'd been warned - Tangier is grungy, dirty, dangerous...full of con men...skip it and head straight for Asilah or Marrakesh... Well that just turned out to be a bunch of BS. Tangier is a port town, and as such, is a little rough around the edges...but it deserves a day or two and has more to offer than pushy guides waiting for you at the port. The Medina (city center) and Souks (markets) offered spices and fresh foods at much lower prices than anywhere else we visited in Morocco and the town, albeit huge, is pretty nice - set on the water and bustling. The one thing that was a little creepy for me was the sheer volume of men sitting at cafes (all day long!) staring (and I mean STARING!) at everyone who passed by. There was a clear separation between men and women, evident much more in northern Morocco than in the south, but people were still really friendly. We found a nice little hotel....when he told me 270 a night for a double I took a deep breath and said 'Oh, OK...thanks' and nearly ran out of there....until we realized that it was 270 Dirham, or about 27 bucks. Now THAT I can do. We got some good food (mmmm....tabbouleh) down the street and met a really nice guy (our waiter) who was happy to help us with our Arabic and to practice his English. We got tickets for our first overnight train, heading to Marrakesh, and stored our bags at the hotel after discovering that the train station doesn't have a left luggage place and the bus station won't take your bag unless you have a ticket, and walked around to check out the town. Turns out McD's, which is usually only good for using the bathroom (free), has some prime real estate in the city and an outside terrace that overlooks it. So we figured we'd take some pics, enjoy the view, pee and be on our way. Not, of course, before checking out the birthday party, though. Too cute! Versions of happy birthday played while kids were being kids and moms were being moms (no dads of course) ....reminded me that we really are all so much more alike than different!
The train ride to Marrakesh took about 11 hours....thank goodness we had a sleeper! Only four to a room, we shared with a couple of Spaniards who were pretty familiar with Morocco and interesting to chat with. But don't let that fool you...we slept most of the way. Makes the time go soooo much faster! And the cots are pretty cozy...they give you sheets and everything :)
Ahhh, Marrakesh! Immediately off the train we're expertly ushered into a 'petite taxi' (cheaper than the Mercedes taxis) and dropped of at the main square; Djemma el Fna - Assembly of the Dead, the busiest square in all of Morocco. It took about a minute to understand that people either wanted to sell you something, act as your guide or receive a handout. It was all a bit overwhelming. Searching for a hotel, we found many CHEAP options...settled on the Peace Hotel the first night...moved on after that for the remaining nights. The square was absolutely alive, no matter the time of day....the souks (markets) full of everything from spices and Jilabas (traditional robes) to shoes and cell phone accessories. It was difficult to look too much...there was so much pressure to buy! While annoying, it also meant we got some decent deals ;) Even worse than the souks, though, for pushy vendors were the food stands. Every night a huge area of the square was covered with outside eateries selling everything from Harrira (bean soup) and couscous to snails and plates of meat. It was cheap and everyone pretty much had the same stuff, although the quality did vary. They guys trying to get you to sit down were something else. They'd bombard you, pull you, kept talking until you were out of ear shot....it was pretty ridiculous. The first night we saw two people overcharged while we were eating, so we added up what we thought it should cost and handed it to them when we were done...worked out perfectly...we're so savvy ;)
Now something that deserves it's own section is honinger (I really have no idea how to spell it) or ginseng spice tea. It's fabulously spicy...known as natural viagra...gives you energy when drunk in the morning, and makes you 'hot' when drunk at night. We later found out that this is not widely available and I think we embarrassed a cute old man in Rabat when we asked if they served it. It's a blend of ginseng, ginger root, cinnamon, a few types of pepper, anise, cardamom and a few other spices. And it's sooo good!! We had it at least once a day while we were there :) One night we were standing around drinking our tea, wondering what was in it, and when we asked, Aziz, a police officer in a nearby town, answered. He was a really nice guy and we chatted for a while. Then we got onto the subject of religion...if his buddies hadn't been ready to leave (for about 30 minutes before he actually did get going), Adam would have been in for a full conversion attempt. It really is inspiring so see the level of faith and conviction some people have about the beauty of what they believe, whether or not I agree with them.
During our time in Morocco we met dozens of friendly people who wanted more than to just sell you something...they wanted friendship and positive exchanges. Friendship and brotherhood can not be over-emphasized. Men walked around holding hands with other men - not as a sign of sexual intimacy, but as a sign of friendship. Women held hands with other women as well, but not women and men generally unless married. It's a society in which it is OK for a man to have his arm around another man or to simply enjoy the company of another man because they are brothers...friends. That I really liked. There were other things, like the separation of men and women that I wasn't so keen on....but the brotherhood...it warmed my heart.
There was a film festival going on in Marrakesh while we were there. One of the screens was in the big square and another was just down the street in a beautiful theater. We went to see Earth, part of the series Fire, Earth, Water by Deepa Mehta. We weren't ready for the intense drama that ensued....we were just hoping it might be in English or have pretty pictures... Turns out Earth is a film about the independence and breaking apart of India (into India and Pakistan). It is intense, disturbing, and incredibly well done. Highly recommended.
Once we'd had our fill of Marrakesh, or at least a good taste of it, we headed for the capital city, Rabat. Rabat is much more modern, but still a nice blend of old and new....donkey drawn carts still share the road with Mercedes and motor bikes are everywhere. The souks have a more modern feel - Garry you would have been in heaven with the selection of Chucks - but there's still the same ole spices and such as well. We got bamboozled into a little tour of a palace that now serves only as a rental facility for weddings and grand parties. It was pretty cool, but a bit sketchy as well...after giving the 'guide' what I thought was fair ($10) and what he told me was less than half of what he normally got (whatever hon), he wasn't angry or rude...he still walked us back through the maze of streets to the medina in which he'd spotted us and was chatty and friendly. Again, I repeat, the people of Morocco that we had the pleasure of knowing were really, just friendly, even when you didn't do what they hoped for. Rabat is a nice city, but not somewhere we felt the need to spend too much time. Pretty soon we were off to Asilah....a beach town 40 minutes south of Tangier. Met a really nice guy on the train - Rahid....notice that it's only the men who talk to us? Yep....
All those guidebooks that tell you to skip Tangier and head to Asilah? Yeah, well I suppose it's because they like smoking hash.... We were offered more hash in 2 days in Asilah than in the rest of our time in Morocco combined! Most people took us for Spaniards, so we heard "quieras buena hashish?" and "fumas?" again and again. I'm sure Asilah is hoppin in the summer, but with the cold weather setting in, this beach town was pretty dead and the locals were pushing extra hard to earn a buck - we managed to avoid being sucked into another tour ;). The medina was beautiful though, with murals on many of the walls set against the sea.
Monday morning we walked to the train station, battling hurricane level (really people...) winds to remain upright. At one point we went across a bridge and literally had to hold onto the railing to not get blown over. But we made it and hopped on the train back to Tangier to catch the ferry to Algeciras. Spent a bit of time in Tangier gathering a few last minute necessities such as dried fruit and nuts ;) and got to the port in plenty of time to make our 2:30pm fast ferry. Went to information to find out where to go...showed her my ticket even...sent us around the way to wait so we could find out we didn't have the right tickets to board - we'd have to change them. Went to the company's storefront down the way to find out the fast ferries had been canceled, we'd need to get on a slow one....but we're not sure when they're running...maybe 5pm? Just go up and wait. Nice. On the way back we run into a guy who works for the company who is somehow going to get us on the ferry that just told us our tickets are no good....OK...I've learned to not ask too many questions, just accept the help. Lo and behold, our tickets are magically transformed and we're invited onto the boat (that doesn't leave for another hour and a half). I'm sick before we even start moving....Adam started feeling it not too long later. It was a rough ride....when we reached port, we had 20 minutes to jump on a 2 and a half hour bus ride to Sevilla. Thank goodness we had a nice driver who pulled over and let Ad puke on the side of the road....really, it was a rough night.
We got to Sevilla before midnight and took the easy way out - a taxi straight to the hostal of Buen Dormir, yes 'good sleep'. Thank goodness it was a nice place :) Neither of us felt well the following day, but I felt good enough to get up and check out the town. It was beautiful!! And it was in full Christmas swing....poinsettias everywhere and even a temporary market full of mangers and other Christmas decorations in one of the main squares. There was also more construction going on than I'd seen in a while...and people were actually working! The second day we tried to go to Alcazar, one of the beautiful old palaces....until that is, we found out it was 7 euros to get in. Hmmm....thanks, but no thanks. So we wondered through a couple parks - go figure, and made our way to Plaza de Espana, the largest plaza to be called by this name in Spain. It was awesome!!! Mosaic tiles everywhere...impressive architecture, and it was nearly empty. Each city had it's own little mosaic with a couple benches and a map showing it's location. It was built for a fair back in the 20's...you'd think it had housed royalty, but all we could see were some government offices. Nice place to work. After a full day of taking in the sites, we headed to an intimate Flamenco show at the Cultural Center. It was set in an old courtyard and there were probably 30 people there. We got there early to get front row seats (there were only two rows), and it was so worth it. Two dancers, a singer and a guitarist - each equally amazingly talented. Certainly the highlight and passion of Sevilla. Met a girl from Seattle who moved to Sevilla to study and perform Flamenco....says it's a difficult place to get work because it's such a center for it, but that also makes it a great place to study.
Thursday morning (6:30am) we hopped on a flight to Dublin....ahh, back in good ole Dublin. It felt strange to have people speaking to me in nothing but English and to hear so much English around me. Sure makes things easier...but also a little less interesting ;) It was cold and rainy (go figure) our two days there, so we took advantage of the time to chill out, get some much needed extra rest, and watch the Never Ending Story - I admit I had never seen it...oh the poor deprived childhood I must have had... ;) The one place we did make the trek to was the Guinness Storehouse to pick up a couple souvenirs/gifts that I didn't want to lug around with me for 4 months. We also found an awesome Pakistani owned Indian restaurant called Tasty Hut. They'd been open 3 months and the owner was fantastic!!! Met up with Bri, a girl from Canada we met in Greece and her friend Trevor for some 'live jazz', which turned out to be a woman on piano and one on vocals singing songs like 'natural woman'. Not bad, just not what we expected. Had one final pint of Guinness and called it a wrap.
The flight home was loooooong, but uneventful. Customs took my avocado, but otherwise let me through without a problem ;)
And now we're sittin in luxury in Jersey. I've taken a hot bath, eaten tofu, worn jeans and slept in one of the most comfortable beds ever....it's sooo nice! And I can't begin to explain how awesome it was to see my girls yesterday! I'm looking forward to coming home and being able to unpack and really be done traveling. It's been an incredible experience....and now I'm ready to rest for a little while.
Thanks for reading and keeping up with us as we traveled. All the positive energy and thoughts have been much appreciated, and although I don't generally respond to the comments, I read and enjoy every single one. I'll be keeping this blog through Peace Corps and plan on updating it as much as possible...so stay tuned :)
Happy holidays...whatever it is you celebrate, and be good to each other.
With love and happiness,
Lor
posted by Lor @ 6:04 AM
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