I’MMM BACK! in Rabat that is.
I’ve just had a few days of recovery and I am getting back into the swing of things in Rabat. My trip was INCREDIBLE and I had a wonderful time. I would love to write about it in one long blog post, but to do it justice, I am going to break it up into a few sections.
Part 1: Marrakech
We left Rabat at 8am, and I was giddy with anticipation even that early in the morning. My excitement was dulled a bit as I lugged my bags through the Medina after waking up 10 minutes earlier. The entire BU Program went on the trip together, along with our Program Director Fadoua and our Driver, Muhammad. After immediately falling asleep on the bus we stopped at a rest stop called “Desert Oasis”, little did we know that in two days we would be sleeping in a real Oasis.
We arrived in Marrakech at about noon and grabbed some delicious lunch. We then got 4 hours of individual time to explore Rabat. My friend Sara and I ventured out to the Sa’adian Tombs, which are a 15th Century relic of an old Berber Dynasty. {PICTURE}
Sarah and I met up with the rest of the group and we headed over to a few Major Marrakech monuments. We went to the Ali Bin Yusuf Madrassa (A 16th Century Quranic School) the Marrakech Museum, and the Almoravid Qouubba (an 16th Century Mosque and religious sight).
The tombs were no doubt the most interesting monument, but walking around Marrakech was like a museum itself. Though it is very touristy (much more so than Rabat), it was really fun and a complicated place. After living in Morocco for over a month, I almost feel comfortable in the Medina and have learned to enjoy bargaining for things. Though I didn’t buy much in Marrakech, I did get a great deal on Soccer Jersey. I bargained it down 150 dirhams, first by surprising him by speaking only in Arabic and then by saying “I am a student, I am poor”. I was proud of myself.
We ended our free time with a walk through Jem’iya Al Afnna. This is the main square in Marrakech and has every cliche and fun Moroccan attraction. From Snake Charmers, to Monkeys, to Storytellers, the square is always busy and it was a great place to people watch.
We ate dinner at a Cafe near our Hotel (I had Pizza!) and then walked around the square some more. The square really came alive at night. There were thousands of people out walking around, playing cheap little carnival-esque games, eating, dancing, listening to story tellers. It was really fun. I bought some fresh squeezed Orange Juice from the street (delicious) and some dates to snack on.
We ended the night at about midnight and all hung out in the hotel for a bit. I was exhausted and wanted to be well rested for the next day, which turned out to be mainly driving through the mountains. After two hours into the drive the next day, I was told that we had 6 more to go…guess I should have read the schedule.
Overall, Marrakech was great. It was really touristy, with a lot more foreigners than I have ever seen in Rabat. The vendors were a little more aggressive and the Moroccans were a little ruder and condescending to tourists but my Arabic changed that a bit. The city has a lot of really interesting history and some very cool things to see. It’s definitely a must-see on any trip to Morocco.
My trip just gets better and better…so I will write more later!
Ma’a Salaama
Arabic Word of the Day:
كرة القدم
(kurat al qdem)
Football [Soccer]
fun!