Cobras and Monkeys and Camels...Oh My!

Well folks, we definently aren't in Kansas anymore! This much was evident as soon as we left the plane upon landing in Marrakech. The air was notably warmer and the drastic contrast between tourist and local was apparent immediately. While the plane ride was only about 2 hours from Madrid, the cultural gap was much, much larger. There was no doubt that we were outside of Occidental Europe...and it was beautiful! Although many areas of Morocco have been significantly influenced by the effects of Westernization, the conservative Muslim culture is still dominate. We got through customs and exited into a surprisingly serene airport lobby where we decided to get our bearings and eat our breakfast (packed by Dori and Nerea the night before!). Reenergized, more or less as we were running on about an hours worth of sleep, we decided to head out and make our way to the city. The cabs that lined the street were beat up peach cars that scream safety hazard....our kind of scene! We were grossly ripped off on our first cab ride, a lesson in the reality of haggeling in Morocco (we figure if you pay a third of the original price, they are still coming up on top...easily). But, when you don't know you don't know...and the reality is that a large amount of Dirhams is a fairly small amount of dollars. We made it to the Medina area in the old town and the cabby dropped us off with general directions to the hotel (pedestrian only). You could already get the feeling that the town was alive, that there were a million things going on behind the scenes in the many shops and alley way, and that the wheeling and dealing didn't stop here. We couldn't find the place off the bat and a man offered to show us the (obviously for a tip, no problem) and took us through a maze of narrow, labryinth style streets, where we encountered our first donkey just chilling in an alleyway...yes!....until we got to our hotel. He tried to tell us there were no rooms, but he knew a place that did. I decided to ask for myself and discovered no one was even there for him to ask. Turns out there were rooms...we still tipped the guy, it's just the way it works, and settled into our room for $7.50 a pop (definently not in Paris!) took the afternoon to explore the market...a vibrant, thriving maze that offers you anything you want and about a million other things you would never need...but still look cool. Was invited into a shop for tea, but when I wouldn't buy anything from the guy, he reminded me that 'nothing is free in Morocco' and I gave him some money for the tea. ( I think that statement holds true for major cities and markets, but believe this to be very opposite in the general nature of the people outside of such areas) Got completely lost, found my way back to the main square just in tome to see the night coming to life. Lots of drums, street performers, music, vendors, monkeys on leashes, men charming cobras in front of them , a veritable street circus...yes! That's what I'm talking about! After going back to the hotel, we headed out to get some food and found the square ignited with open grills and vendors. We ate a booth with fellow travelers (one hint: locals eating=budget). We ate and paid more than normal (it was our first night!!) while locals ate a hearty soup for 3 Dirham, ~40 cents. The next day we set out early with a group to go into the desert, ride camels and camp. We got to see a lot of amazing sites and country side on the way out...the utter diversity of landscape was amazing. Snow capped mountains, desert oasises, gigantic plateaus, huge canyons, forests, green pastures and desert...really nice! There were moments when I was sure the van was going over the edge of the mountain and the two Spanish guys upfront would cheer when we would pass a car without a head on collision...good times. We finally made it to our destination and road camels during the sunset to the Berber camp where we would spend the night. We ate dinner and drank tea in the tent and enjoyed a fire and drums later on. Ethen enjoyed the stars and stillness of the land. Everyone crashed after...had been a long day. (funny story: I was charged with the minor task of turning of the gigantic gas lantern in the tent. Easy enough, but when everyone starts second guessing you, you start to wonder, then the Chinese dude in the group, a guy who hasn't said much the whole trip, just looks at me and quietly says 'boom'...gave us all a good laugh and the lights went out) the rest of the story will be continued...early morning and long train ride tomorrow... will post again! Team Lowry