GREETINGS FROM CASABLANCA, MOROCCO!!!!

GREETINGS FROM CASABLANCA, MOROCCO!!!!
Asalamu-Alikom! (peace be upon you)
Where to begin for Morocco. We arrived in Casablanca on Thursday, September 9^th around 1200PM. We lost two hours on the way over, which aided my much needed sleep after Spain (I will finish writing about Spain after this post, I wanted to write about Morocco since I am here). Upon arriving in Casablanca, a couple friends and I wandered the streets. We found the medina, the old part of the city that is usually barricaded by walls and has a huge market contained within it. The medina was a culture shock for me. When we walked in, there were shops EVERYWHERE, selling everything from purses to shirts to pants to postcards to small trinkets and hookah sets and jewelry. This area is a shoppers paradise. We started walking around and a man approached us. The first thing he says to me, “How many camels do you want for this fine lady next to you?” All I could do was laugh at first, (he said it as a joke), and then said that she was priceless. Two girls, Amanda and Kelsey, and I ended up splitting up from the rest of the group since a huge group did not work very well in the market place. After splitting up, the man that said the camel comment ended up giving us a tour of the entire medina. His name, Omar. He was a sailor, can speak over seven languages fluently, and knows a great deal about the medina. He brought us to shops that had great prices, he even bargained for us (I found out later that in the medina there are people that do what he does and bring you his friends’ shops, and expects a reward for his efforts at the end, Omar was not like this. He never once asked for a tip, he knew EVERYBODY, and even invited me to his house for dinner [I did not accept because this was at a time when I was still freaked out by him]) Omar brought us to the food market within the medina, this was the most fascinating aspect of the entire medina. They had fruits, veggies, nuts, berries, meat from freshly slaughtered cows hanging from the rafters, and live chickens in which they weigh them right in from of you then slice off the heads right there. I have never seen anything like this, ever. What Omar did as well for us, he got us some mint, he told us that the mint is used for when you cannot handle the smells within the food market, you just sniff the mint and everything is A-OK. I ended up buying some pants and a shirt, and I am telling you, the pants are the most comfortable clothing you can ever wear. We went to dinner after spending about two hours at the medina, and went and got something to eat. I had Tagine Kefta, which is really really good.
The next day I headed out on my four day, three nights SAS trip to do a camel trek and spend a night with a Nomad camp. We started the day off with a three hour bus ride to Marrakech, which is a city south of Casablanca. Upon arriving in Marrakech, I was completely awestruck. The atmosphere surrounding the market, the streets was, I can even describe it in words. It is an event you would have to see for yourself. We arrived at the marketplace in Marrakech and ate at a restaurant in the medina. We ate kous-kous with lamb and a raisin-esque sauce over the top. It was if we were the gods of Olympus eating ambrosia. For dessert, we had a orange juice/puree carrot mix. It was not very good. After eating lunch our tour guides, Rashid and Idris took a few of us deep into the medina to a Berber Pharmacy. We had a sampling of spices used for medicinal and cooking purposes. I bought these black beads that are used to clear sinuses and headaches by putting them in a rag, heating the rag, and then sniffing the smell. (I thought it was a good idea since someone with a big nose like me needs something like this since I have a lot of space to keep clear) I also bought some mint tea. The mint tea here in Morocco is one of no comparison. It has been the best tea I have ever had, in my life. Period. After leaving we relaxed at our hotel for the night, and then after about an hour of this we headed out to the oldest Moorish house in Marrakech. I had. One of. The most. Amazing Meals. I have. Ever had. We ate Tagine Lemon Chicken (Tagine, since I did not explain earlier is a way the Moroccans cook their meals. It is a clay dish shaped like a pyramid with a hole on the top. They put the food inside, (the conical top is removable), and set it on a stove or fire. The steam escapes through the hole on the top.) The chicken tasted as if they had just gone to the market, killed the chicken, plucked it, poured the juices all over it, and put lemons over the chicken (which they did, the lemons). We (the group that went on this specific SAS trip was about 90 strong) were treated to a belly dancer show, I did not get chosen to go up and dance with them, but all in all it was a fun night. We celebrated some people’s birthday that night, in which they brought out a type of Arabic cake which had flakes of what seemed like Arabic bread with a glaze over the top. To finish the entire meal off, we had great music the entire night, and had the fabulous mint tea. The next day, we drove eight hours to spend the night with a nomad camp. The view on the way was superb. It is amazing how many people live in mud villages. There were so many I passed on the way to Zagora (where the nomad camp was). The scenery was spectacular, enough to keep you occupied and keep you awake. I slept for a little, however, but it was amazing no matter.
Ok well I am going to post this, I am too tired tonight to finish and I do not want to half-a** the rest, because the rest of the trip was the amazing part. So I will post this so you have an idea of what I have been doing with my time abroad. Good night everyone, I will finish up tomorrow.
Until my next post,
“Bitterness is like cancer, it spreads everywhere. Anger is like fire, it burns the whole way through.”
-Maya Angelou (I am pretty sure that it how it goes)