Still in Morocco, my friends. Still in Morocco. We're doing better though--we've finally slept off our jet lag, have found our groove (temporary, I'm sure, as most travelers know), and are actually beginning to enjoy Morocco...just in time to leave.
Where were we this past week?
Good question. As you know, we left to stay in a hotel in Casablanca to work with the downtown branch of the British Language Academy (where we are currently volunteering). The hotel was nice but the wrong choice; we should have rented an Airbnb (see below for current accommodations). However, we persevered. I got sick (just a minor head cold) and recovered just in time to take a 5-day trip with other volunteers.
How was traveling with fourteen 18-22 year olds?
Another good question. As I wrote a friend, you might initially think this would be a lot of fun, but you have to remember brains aren't fully developed yet. And, they're experiencing the world (for some) for the very first time. And they're a bit unsure of how to work in a group. Meeting the bus at 8:00 a.m.? Sure, if 8 really means 9 (because they all went out the night before and got home at 4:30 a.m.). Did they eat or get water or anything? Nope. Because.they.were.still.drunk. Hah! Anyway, we did have some highlights, and some taught Sila how to further his quest with his Rubik's cube.
But where, oh where, did you go?
So many good questions. You're on a roll. Well, we started off by hitting a little seaside town. It wasn't that spectacular (think El Jadida but smaller). Then, we hit Tangier for the evening. This is the town where you can cross into from Spain, and you just have to take a ferry through the Strait of Gibraltar. It's nice, but we've been before.
Then, off at 8 a.m. (really, 9:30--see section above) to some waterfalls (a little rock jumping and swimming in a slightly trashy river for us) and the blue city, Chefchaouen. This city is an iconic tourist city that paints its buildings blue. Some highlights included walking up and seeing sunset, buying a painting from a street artist, and then sitting on some chairs in a man-made river. It was weird but Sila seemed to enjoy climbing the rocks. The problem, though, with a city such as this is, as Conan astutely captured, "it's a shell city." In fact, he compared it to Key West, which is a great comparison--yes, people still live there but it's for the entire purpose of tourists. Chefchaouen has the same feel, and it's a place that made me realize there are so many places around the world where they are just selling stuff. The same old stuff. Anyway, I digress.
The next morning, the group decided 11:00 a.m. was a more realistic departure time because we were heading to the city of Fez for two nights, so why not get a later start? They're funny bunnies, I tell ya. Funny.bunnies. Fez is the place where there are famous tanneries, and men work 12 hour days to produce very soft leather for all your leather goods. It reeks, but it's still cool to see. The Medina is also a very large one (over 10,000 streets), and we learned so much about the city by taking a walking tour. We also saw sunset from up above before snuggling into our very comfy bed and cold room (ac is not standard here).
Great, but where are you now?
Back in Casa, my friends. Smartly, we decided to book an Airbnb, which is exactly what we needed. Space, routine, and quiet. The place is HUGE and all for a very whopping $55 a night. We're here until Tuesday, which is when we fly out to Senegal. Tomorrow, we plan on a Fun-day Friday, and we're going to the biggest mall in Africa! Who would have thought that a mall is something we would want to do? Actually, there is a lot of comfort in malls--they remind you of home. This isn't just a mall, though. There is an aquarium, atriums, and a movie theater (hoping to hit the release of The Woman King!). Check it out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco_Mall
What did you eat for dinner tonight?
A relevant question, indeed, especially since I am finishing up this post right after dinner. Well, we did the classic "ooh, that looks good" (from someone's plate) and ordered one. The man repeated and almost seem to emphasize the dish to make sure we wanted it. Oh, yes. Yes, we do. What was it? Cow hoof. Slippery, slimy cow hoof. But, in true traveler style, we ate it. Well, some of it. Sila tried one bite, Conan a few more, and I probably ate the most (thanks, Ma, for raising me on cow parts--you were preparing me for some good eats abroad). Anyway, we forgot our phone, so you'll have to do with visiting this site that captures what we had: https://tastymorocco909421219.wordpress.com/2020/11/18/cow-feet-with-chickpeas/
Thanks for following along, friends. We miss and love you all!
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