Casablanca, Morocco: Day 2

I had a trip planned through Semester at Sea for the last three days in Morocco. I knew only two people going: Corey and Brady, and we boarded a bus headed to Marrakesh at 8 AM. After two hours of sleeping, we stopped at a gas station, where I picked up some Moroccan treats (actually, they were mostly French) for all of you back home. We again boarded the bus and continued our journey, which I stayed awake for. The Moroccan countryside looks surprisingly similar to the drive up to San Francisco from Los Angeles—on the 5. It was very dull, brown scenery. I much preferred our drive through Egypt (I say Egipto now—the Spanish equivalent—because it is so fun to say. Try it. Ee-HIP-thoe.)

Just before Marrakesh, we stopped for lunch in a completely empty, very beautiful Moroccan restaurant, filled with gorgeous fabric couches and tapestries. We enjoyed a Moroccan salad first: white rice, white beans, lentils, peppers, potatoes, chutney, and spicy sauce, yum. It was a giant plate placed in the center of our table, from which all eight of us took spoonfuls of the ingredients we wanted. I piled lentils, white beans, and spicy sauce on my bread and filled myself up before our second course, which was also incredibly delicious. We were served a plate with two different types of fried treats: triangular pastries filled with beef, and little rolls of cream cheese in a flaky crust; all was piping hot. I enjoyed my cream cheese rolls while the others devoured the meat triangles. Our final course was again family-style: a giant bowl-plate filled with cous cous, vegetables, and beef (they had chicken made especially for me, but I was far too full and gave most of it away). We finished with watermelon, which was the lowest point in my meal only because I am not a fan of the seedy fruit.

After lunch we set out for…camel riding! Yay! More camels! Now, I have no idea what our guides or organizers were thinking when they set up our day, because although the day had begun with cool weather, by 2 PM (when we began our TWO HOUR trek) the sun was burning bright and hard. I would have much rather camel-ridden before lunch, and before the hottest part of the day. We are in Africa! It is August! HELLO! So, we climbed upon our camels, which was a task in itself as those camels were screaming like they had had just about enough for one lifetime. When they were supposed to sit, they stood. When they were asked to stand, they sat. As they were all tied together, one camel committing disobedience subsequently led to all of the camels doing so. I was placed on the second camel in line, whose cushions were falling off at a fairly severe angle. I was hyperventilating the first few minutes, asking our guide several times if I was going to die, at which he laughed. Those camels are high up! When you are falling off and walking next to thorny bushes, these are the thoughts that pass through your mind. After about forty minutes of failing to readjust and whimpering quietly to myself, we arrived at a traditional Berber (main population of Morocco) household, where we enjoyed some Moroccan music and delicious Moroccan tea (I’m bringing plenty home!). After a twenty-minute rest, we went back to our camels. I refused to board the same one, and after everyone else had climbed on theirs, they all stood without me! I shrieked quite loudly when three of the guides grabbed my legs without warning and hoisted me up onto the first camel, behind the girl who was already seated on it. Like I said, those camels are high up and that was not an easy task. While her cushions were on straight, there seemed to be a metal bar straight down the center of it (???), making for a very uncomfortable ride and a very sore bum over the next two days.

After two hours in the hot hot hot sun, I was ready to enjoy my hotel. We set out for the Imperial Plaza Hotel and Spa, which sounds a lot nicer than it actually is. Over the course of the next two days, several students found their rooms filled with ash and unclean, two students had their clothes dyed black when the reception counter was painted and no sign was put up, and all of us were put out when the receptionists checked us all out early and our keys no longer worked. My room in particular was smaller than the rest, with no balcony, twin beds, and only one pillow and one towel. I’m not sure what the five hundred dollars I paid for this trip went towards, but I really hope that most of it did not go to the hotel.

My roommate and I settled in to our hotel room and showered, after which I received a phone call to the room: “HELLO!” I responded, “hello, yes?” “DO YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS MADELINE!” I guessed correctly! It was Tom, who had somehow found his way to Marrakesh and our hotel on his own (he was not on our trip). He was to stay with Brady and Corey in their room that night, but he could not find their name on the list and called me instead. We went up to the pool (on the sixth floor), where we found some other trip participants, including Brady and Corey, at the bar. We joined them for awhile before our 8 PM buffet dinner at the hotel, which was somewhat disappointing. Tom, of course, quite enjoyed it, as it was a free meal for him. After we ate, fifteen or so of us gathered in one of the larger hotel rooms before heading out to the “square.” When we arrived at the “square,” we were perplexed by how insanely packed it was at midnight, as people shopped and ate and played with monkeys…

We, however, stood around for quite awhile doing nothing. We were too large a group, and although I wanted to walk around and see the stalls and look at what they were selling, most everyone else wanted to PARTY PARTY PARTY and I was outnumbered. Every place that was suggested required an entrance fee, however, which I was not going to pay. I’m a GIRL! Girls never pay to get into clubs (that’s the rule). I went back to the hotel with another girl who was less than amused, and I was asleep by 1 AM.