MARRAKECH

We left Paris on Friday afternoon to begin our adventure to Marrakech, Morocco. I was unsure what I was getting myself into, and I knew as soon as we landed that this was going to be unlike the other trips I have been on. First thing I needed to do was exchange my Euros for the Moroccan currency, Durhams. The country has a restricted currency, meaning that money must be exchanged upon arrival and departure to prevent any money from leaving the country. My 250 Euros was equal to 3000 Durham, which meant that I had a full wallet after I exchanged my 3 bills for thirty 100 Durham bills. For the first time, the exchange rate worked in my favor! After we collected our bags, the five of us tried to find a taxi to take us to our hotel. One eager taxi driver was willing to take all five of us, and our luggage in one mid-size Mercedes. A few bungee cords later our luggage was secured, and with the help of a few “skinny” thoughts, we all fit in the back seat. We were driving down a two lane street passing donkeys, mopeds, bicycles, and cars on the shoulder. Sometimes we were driving on the dirt shoulder in order to pass a slow car, and a few times we found ourselves facing oncoming traffic as we were going three wide in our lane. At the end of the Taxi Cab 500, we were dropped off in front of an alley way that would lead us to our riad (hostel). My friend Pat had arranged the accommodations for the trip, and the only directions he was given said to take a left after the “arch” – there are no street names or street signs, which made it difficult to navigate. We walked down an alley, which led to a narrower alley, which led to smaller passage only 5 feet tall, which led us to the doorway of our riad. The owner welcomed us in, made some Moroccan mint tea, and explained where to find dinner, markets, etc. Everyone was extremely welcoming and genuine, which caught all of us off guard- we had expected to be mugged or kidnapped as soon as we stepped off the plane.

It had been a long day for everyone, so they called it a night early, but I started a conversation with two ladies in the courtyard and it led to an extremely interesting evening. They were in their mid thirties and teachers in London. One was from Australia and the other was from Britain—an awesome mix of accents! Between the three of us we drank 4 bottles of Moroccan wine and it led to a few funny stories to tell the next morning. I included a few pictures of the ridiculousness…