6th of October - Morocco - road trip, red soil and friendliness

My final Saturday in Morocco began kind of half spontaneously. The night before I had a bit of inactivity-anxiety. I had though about what one of the guys had talked about the day before. He told me about places worth seeing in relatively close vicinity to Marrakesh and I figured, what the smeck, why not. When will I be back in Africa again? No idea. So I googled it a bit and booked a day trip starting the next morning. I booked it so late, close to midnight, that I wasn't sure it would go through as pickup time was 7:30.
video

The whole thing ended up in a waay too short night. All my clothing was used up so I did some old fashioned backpacker's laundry (hand soap and lather in the sink). I decided to try sleep as long as possible and got up at a bit before 7 AM to give myself just enough of time to get my stuff packed for the day. Breakfast time at the riad hadn't started yet, but I thought I'd just figure something out later. Lucky me getting up early enough, because as it turned out my pickup was early too, 7:15. So I skittered around in my room to find all that I needed to bring with me. Contact lenses into backpack, water bottle, sunglasses and a sweater.
The pickup guy drove me to a spot near the main plaza where the rest of the day trippers would show up. I didn't have enough cash to pay for the trip and had to look for a working ATM. The fourth (4!) one I tried actually functioned normally.
When the minibus finally arrived it was quickly filled with screaming Chilean women... well, actually three (but it felt like a buss load) and a young Italian couple.

We were swiftly outside of the city and I soon fell into an observer mode and completely drank in the fantastic, red scenery. At one point I was very surprised to see something that seemed to be a female lion, lounging in a dry river bed with its back to the road, somewhere in between Marrakesh and the mountains. I was so stunned that I didn't get a pic of it. A lion? So far from the mountains? Maybe I was imagining it.... A huge dog maybe? But it looked just right for a lion. I don't know.

Our first stop was in the mountains on a col of a sort and offered the chance for me to grab my first coffee of the day. Really good coffee at that. Two espressos, yummie.
At another scenic spot I took a pic of the Italian couple, so that they got something with both of them, together. The girl then took a pic of me and kept laughing since the wind held my hair in every other direction than with gravity.

The next stop was at an argon oil shop, where grabbed the chance to look at some products and actually bought a little. I received a quick history of the production of handmade oil. I highly doubt that that is the way the oil is made these days, though. The women showing off the process were veeery bored too ;)

video

video

A bit poorer, but all the happier our trip continued toward Aït Benhaddou, through the red landscape mottled with desert bushes and palm trees.

I started noticing my skipped breakfast at midday. Luckily I had a single slice of bread (totally crumbled by now) left in my pack. That became the energy source of the first half of the day.

We arrived in Aït Benhaddou at 13-ish. Our guide didn't really know anything about the place so I had to google it later. The area is nowadays a UNESCO world heritage site and the old buildings are quite interesting. They are made of adobe and I find they look like big sand castles, some having four towers, one at each corner. Some famous movies have sections filmed there, Gladiator for one...

There was a fantastic view from the top of the hill. Aït Benhaddou used to be an important stop in the trade route between Sahara and Marrakesh.

I was very fascinated by this place and was so immersed in looking at everything that I was totally taken aback when Chris and his sister suddenly stepped out of a little house in front of me. Such coincidence.They were wearing backpacks and day-packs, sunburns and smiles. How fun and funny. I would've thought they'd be only halfway on the 1000 Kasbah road by that time.
They seemed to be having a great time. Wow, would've loved to join them yesterday, but, as previously said, wouldn't have wanted to crash a sibling-party, although some people just spontaneously seem like easy ones to travel with. Very sweet people.
After a little chit-chat and a couple of hugs and farewells we went our separate ways and I kept smiling the rest of the day.











video

My day trip group had lunch there in Aït Benhaddou before heading to Ouarzazate. That town was really not very interesting. It has a film museum, which I have little interest in. I don't think that anyone from the group went into the museum. Instead some of us headed to the nearby souk. I bought a couple of tiny tajines, took pictures and was happy.

video

The trip back went the same route again and I got even more lovely pictures of the red soil, red buildings, people and mountains. The feeling of wanting to just grab my backpack and go walking in that nature was palpable... but not now... someday maybe...

I got back to Marrakesh, feeling completely at ease. I spent my evening at the riad and began preparing for my journey back home.

Home... so strange, feels like I've been away for months...
.........................................................

This trip has really given me a feeling of needing more travel and to focus on what is important. I suspect, however, that the feeling is based on the people I've met and spoken to during this week. Some I'd really love to meet again. I also want to meet more people, new ones, as well as these ones in their own habitat. I mean, we know that we have some interests in common, that is why we've met in the first place, but how different are we in our everyday lives? How alike or unlike each other are we really? During this week some have been peppery and quick, others silent and unobtrusive, some functioned as older siblings, hearing and taking care that no one was left outside, and some took the lead and set the pace and made sure that everyone kept hydrated and fed. All in all I guess the people in the groups completed each other.

So... what now? Tomorrow I'll head home. It's going to be a long and boring trip. 
I have no more travels planned for this year, so no blogging for a while, at least not travel blogging. I will add some fixed posts regarding different outdoors topics when I have the time. Stay tuned for those...
Also, I need to work on my French. I suspect I will be needing more of it in the future :-)
Well then, Lis over and out!

5th of October - Morocco - hang out in Marrakesh - post expedition blues - we've been to many places, but not enough of them

Many of the WMT group left town already in the morning, heading back to their respective countries and cities, but a handful of us stayed for a while longer. Today we spent our day in the city of Marrakesh doing regular touristy stuff. A few had the time to have breakfast together and chat a bit before some left to go to the airport, the siblings to their Atlas trip and we others prepared for our city tour.

My plan was to check into another hotel today, one that I'd booked months ago, a really nice riad with a pool and lots of space, but I decided to start off with just leaving my things in the room with some of the others, though, and go shopping with them. We headed off toward the center plaza and market with all it's intense shopping hysteria. So much glitter and glam, spice, music, incense, animals, colours, glass, decorations, brass and so on and on. Our goal was the Palais Badia. There were huge stork nests on the walls around the palace, some balancing quite precariously.  The palace was once upon a time the largest building around with large pools of water. It now houses a Minbar, a pulpet where an imam stands for the sermon, from the 12th century. Pics were not allowed though. Under the ruins there were former prison areas with old shackles and chains. In the old times people would get 15 day prison sentences and guilt needed to be proven. If found guilty people were either branded with hot irons or lost limbs.
video

On the way back to the market, I visited a synagogue museum. Quite beautiful actually with its deep blue decorations.
video
video

I had set my mind on trying to haggle at the market. I'm reeeally bad at this art and I totally prefer set prices, having grown up in a culture where what you see on the price tag is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Here though, it is expected and if you don't they will tell you to do it. The salesman will actually get disappointed if you don't. I think I did fairly well though. We passed the market three or more times this day. I tried asking for a price, more or less laughing at them, shaking my head, offering my price and they would think it outrageous. We would struggle a bit. I left shaking my head. They'd call me back after a minute and we'd reach an understanding, they made some, I lost some, a win-win/lose-lose situation and both of us more or less happy =)
I got two brass lamps, a brass candle light stand, a seat pouf and a tiny tea pot for Moroccan mint tea (will get the actual tea at home though).

In the afternoon I got my backpack and headed to my other hotel, Riad Viva, a lovely, classical riad with a fountain in the center, beautiful decorations and a little pool on the roof terrace. On arrival I was offered mint tea (surprise), had a wonderful shower and hopped into the pool.
Later I rejoined the others. Two more in the group were leaving in the evening, Sophie and Ben. We had time to go for drinks at the bar we had been to the day before. Jemma and I decided to try some gray wine. We had never heard of it before so we wanted to find out just what the name entailed. Unfortunately we found out why we never have heard of it. I don't think anyone would buy such a thing back home. It tasted .... well it didn't taste, but it had an aftertaste of yeast, as in sake, but without the niceties of the Japanese beverage. The whole thing turned into a joke and somewhere in between poetry got involved. Our wine became a haiku:

"Grey wine, beautiful.
The bottle, the colour, good.
The taste, not so much."
Jemma.

Quotes and poetry became a theme this evening and as we waited to receive the rest of the drinks and mused about the wine bottle Hillary popped the descriptive:

"bottle neck of the bar"
Hillary

Later came:
"We've been to many places, but not enough of them." as we talked about traveling and post expedition blues.

When Ben and Sophie departed, we headed to a restaurant that Jemma had found in her tourist book. A very nice place with lots of decorations and live music. We had a three course meal - the last real one in genuine Moroccan style with small tajine pots for different veggies, large tajines for the hot food and fruit for dessert. We had the worst background music, however. Some 90:ies melted butter pop music.

video

As we left the restaurant we bought even more things from the last open shops. We walked through the nightly chaos on the plaza filled with music, blinking lights, incense and people and the group decided to walk me home. They all received farewell hugs and goodnights.

While I uploaded some pictures in the night I decided to follow my adventure guts and googled activities for  the next day. After having talked to Chris earlier I realized I would regret it if I didn't.