This past weekend began at the Globe (the meeting place for any time my friends and I travel) at 6 am. We were due to catch a taxi, one which we called the night before, at around 6:30 am. It was cold, dark, and damp, but we knew our destination would be worth the temporary uncomfortable situation.
So here we were, waiting for the taxi driver. 6:35 am he wasn't there yet and no one was on the horizon. Considering how Morocco tends to work--promptness does not have as much weight as it does in the U.S.--, we decided to wait ten more minutes before we called him. 6:45 am rolled around so we called. No answer; the phone was off. At this point, we began to worry that he wasn't coming. We called the number to another taxi driver that we had secured last minute. He answered and said he would be there soon. Fifteen minutes later, a taxi showed up, but it was for another person. Our bus was due to leave at 7:30 am. In a moment of panic, we asked the driver to come back for us after he dropped that person off. Ten minutes later, 7:10 am, three taxis show up, all asking for us, all upset that they may have shown for nothing. The driver that we originally called the previous night (now 40 minutes late) was the loudest. I wanted to say, you have no reason to be distraught with us due to the extreme lateness, but I don't speak Darija or French, and my Fus'ha (Modern Standard Arabic) is not strong enough yet. Instead, I stayed quiet. In the end, we split up and two of us went in each taxi. Recalling that experience-- and understanding that most people in Morocco (as told to me by a non-verbal communication professor here) speak to each other rather loudly. The elevated speaking does not always mean they are angry-- I know two things for sure: 1.) they were indeed upset with us until we figured out a solution, and 2.) I really have no clue how taxis work here. Hopefully, by the end of my trip, I will understand how the taxi system works. Now, you are probably wondering, 'did she make the bus'? Yes. The bus was also late, otherwise, our timing would have been questionable. The bus was very clean, warm, and reasonably comfortable. These were all good signs, we had a minimum of 7 hours on this bus ahead of us. I slept for most of it but when I was awake, I saw some pretty amazing sights. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of those, but I managed to take a picture of scenery that strongly reminded me of home. The similarity of some Moroccan landscape to that of my home never ceases to amaze me.
After, what seemed to be the longest bus ride of my life, we arrived in Marrakech. Upon stepping out of the bus station building, we did not have time to take in our surroundings because we were swarmed with taxi drivers. At this point, we all are used to being swarmed and have, somewhat of a handle on navigating them (I may not understand the system, but I can successfully secure a driver and negotiate prices in person). One astounding difference in the taxis, however, was the price. I guess it makes sense, the higher capacity of tourists equates to higher taxi prices, but it still surprised me. We secured a driver and immediately began calling 'dibs' on shower order. We all felt the need to clean up in one way or another before we explored. The first night we hit the Old Medina. Due to the prices of taxi rides, we decided to walk as much as possible, which wasn't difficult due to the great location of the apartment that we rented. Bringing you back to the timeline of the day, by the time we went out to explore the Medina, it was getting late. We didn't mind because Marrakech is a known 'safe place' for women and tourists to be out past dark. Additionally, the sunset was amazing. In the picture above,, one can see the sun setting behind the Masjid (the Mosque) from the Medina center. It was breathtaking. At this point, we were all starving and on the hunt for a restaurant with the following requirements: 1.) inexpensive 2.) had tajine on the menu 3.) Moroccan tea! and 4.) terrace seating. We found one that met all of the above requirements, and in addition, there were adorable cats wandering the grounds. As you can see, I am not the only one obsessed with Moroccan tea. All of us love the whole experience of having tea: the set, the pouring (one must make bubbles by pouring from a high point), and the talking that accompanies tea time.
The next day we gathered in the apartment kitchen to make breakfast with the ingredients that we had bought the night before. This was a really interesting and fun experience. The kitchen had some cooking essentials already in it: pots, pans, plates, cups, and spices. However, there was no oil or butter, and we didn't think to buy any to cook our eggs in. We managed to cook some deliciously spiced eggs with minimal to no burning. Our breakfast was delicious and consisted of bread, eggs, tomatoes, orange juice, swiss cheese, and a cheese that (I think) was a lot like cream cheese. The next morning I bought pomegranate from a stand in the souq (market) which was super sweet. We used these ingredients for breakfast during the entire weekend, which saved us a lot of money. After we finished breakfast, we went on our way to participate in tourist-type activities. One of those was Going to Le Jardin Majorelle. This has to be one of the most beautiful gardens that I have been in. It was serene, I could stay in there all day, and every turn had more gorgeous landscaping. Bellow is my attempt at capturing the beauty of this garden.
If you choose to go to the gardens, they do a student discount that, for us, brought the entry price from 70dh (Moroccan Dirham) to 25dh. In terms of dollars, it brought the price from $7 down to $2.50. Which is a pretty amazing discount.
There are benches located around every corner. We definitely took advantage of these benches and spent as much time in the area as possible.
We saw this amazing tunnel of vines and felt the need to take a 'selfie' inside the tunnel.
Lilly pads have to be one of my favorite type of flower. I spent a lot of time around this pond, enjoying all of the lilies and of course taking a lot of pictures. It is not often that I get to see Lilly pads in person.
In these gardens, they had many different plant species from different parts of the world. One of those was Cacti from Northern Mexico AKA also Arizona and California. I couldn't help myself, and I took some pictures of the Saguaro cacti that, to many was an exotic sight, but to me, brought memories of home.
Furthermore, I really enjoyed the placement of coy fish in the garden. It really added to the serene feel of the place. I particularly took a picture of these two because, after watching them for a while, I noticed they stayed close to each other. One would go in one direction and the other would follow, then, they would switch roles. This sent my mind to a reverie that consisted of partnership-style relationships. One person in the relationship doesn't always need to lead; it is important to constantly switch roles and help each other-- just as these fish seemed to do. These gardens sporadically made me think of my boyfriend back home. This weekend proved difficult to maintain contact with him and my parents, but I found little ways to keep that connection. It is important to remember and keep those at home fondly on your mind, but do not dwell or else you risk becoming homesick.
The next day we spent time wandering, with no specific location in mind. One thing that I always enjoy is seeing the murals that paint each city. Morocco has been the first place, that I have personally traveled, to have an ample amount of murals throughout each area that I have seen. These murals are large in size and each one is either highly detailed, holds a significant meaning to the community, or a combination of both.
While walking through the Medina, many shop owners want you to enter their place of business to buy things (normal right?). But there are also people who will deceptively seem helpful, but really, they want money for 'showing you something extravagant'. This is not always the case, but it is very prevalent. So, naturally, when someone told us to come into this cafe to take pictures, I was waiting for them to ask for compensation. However, this particular man was a very kind and wanted to show off the astounding beauty of his cafe. We walked down dimly lit stairs and through a dimly lit hall, but when we reached the cafe area, it opened up to an amazingly bright, clean riad. I was absolutely astonishing.
I absolutely love traveling with these wonderful women. During the week we meet in the library, spending hours there, and on the weekends we travel. So far it has been a truly exceptional experience.
Until next time, Ensha'allah 💖
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