28th of September, Friday - Morocco - Getting To Marrakesh

So the actual trip toward Marrakesh started already on Thursday evening. I'd been in quite a hurry to be done with work, drive home, fix the last stuff and get to the airport, but luckily there was enough time for a cup of coffee when I arrived.
It was already quite dark when my plane started off towards the runway. The lights on the field were quite festive actually.
I expected a bouncy take off since it had been so stormy all day, so much so that my little Peugeot was thrown from side to side by the wind on the drive home. But during lift off there was not a stir in the air to shake out anything from my adrenal glands. Oh well, bummer.
I spent the flight reading my pre-course bundle, a bit about wilderness medicine and what it entails. I haven't had time to prepare for the course adequately - I don't have time Now, actually I don't have time to go on this trip even... but the happy lobe in the brain needs some food from time to time.... Well.. this year its been more like time and time and time and again.

Of course I forgot my toothpaste so that had to be bought on arrival at the hostel in Copenhagen. I stayed at Danhostel Amager, a pretty OK and cheap place for short stays. All kinds and ages of people stay there, everywhere from teenage backpackers to middle age couples, families with kids or the odd business man. I was unlucky with my roommate at the dorm, though and had trouble sleeping due to either loud snores or flickering light from her surfing all night.

Well, bleary eyed and in pitch blackness I got a cab at 0430 in the morning and got to the airport in good time. I decided to get some Dirhams and Euros there. I have no idea if the price was OK or not, but preferred to have that part done in time, since I had no idea what possibilities there would be at my destination airport.

The flight to Paris took 2 hours and I slept most of the way. At CDG airport I had time to get some breakfast and the Starbucks there actually had glutenfree panini, I've never seen that before. Made my day.

The next flight was 3 hours or so. I managed to cover some more pre-course reading, hypothermia, altitude sickness and frost bite. Interesting reading. Anne-Sofie, if you're reading this, I think you'd enjoy these courses...

Upon landing in Marrakesh I realized I should've brought more summer clothing!! I've only planned for the mountains - Fjällräven hiking pants and Haglöfs shell jacket, and of course a fleece sweater, but Marrakesh of course is a hot city in the lowlands.

All the buildings are a shade of red-pink and to my eye they look as if they are not finished. I mean like they build so that they might add on to the top at any time. I'll add a picture later. People were walking in shorts and t-shirts and I came there looking like someone who is about to spend a week in a Norwegian forest... and the sense-moral of this post is....

I was sweating profusely by the time I got to my hotel, after trying to bargain for the price of the cab (its supposed to be done that way some say) and failing. I think I should've waited longer before trying, but at that point I just wanted to get to the hotel, Riad Viva.
There it turned out that they had booked me for the wrong date. The receptionist was very, very embarrassed and sat me down with some mint tea as she super quickly found a room for me at a sister hotel and someone to carry my luggage there, a free taxi ride for tomorrow and a free massage for next weekend when I'm back at the hotel.

At the other hotel, Riad Diana, they again sat me down with some mint tea to "un-stress" me. Funny....
So, now I'm finally in my room, enjoying a quiet evening before tomorrow, when I'll be meeting up with the crew for the wilderness course in the mountains :-)








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