Morocco After Word

Post 4
Morocco, Morocco, Morocco!! What an amazing country! Although, I would not choose morocco as a vacation spot for the future, this trip was absolutely amazing. The main language of Morocco is Arabic and this was my first experience of the language other than CNN :). The language is actually very beautiful sounding and the people all speak with very soft tones. “Hello” in Arabic (only in Morocco) is actually translated into “peace” and the people of Casablanca and Marrakech were all very polite and welcoming!

We arrived into Casablanca around 8pm (14 hours late) and the custom official were very accommodating allow the ship to be cleared that night. My SAS trip to Marrakech left at 7:30 the next morning and they were practically passing out passports as we were running out the gangway (exit) to make up for missed time (we are only given our passports when we must have them). In Morocco, all foreigners are required to carry passports and “police passes” on them at all times.

Our first stop was at a gas station half way to our destination, Marrakech. Inside, rather than finding typical snacks and drinks, there was a full bakery and coffee shop. I had a “crepe” for $1USD that was nothing like the European crepes most are used to. Instead it was a square of croissant type bread about a half inch think and covered a whole plate when doubled over. It was delicious!

We arrived in Marrakech around 11 and after a traditional Moroccan lunch of chicken and couscous we went to the camel stables to begin our camel trek. The things that we saw on our trek were amazing. We went right through the middle of a small village that was little more than palm trees, mud, and the occasional concrete slab. There ability to make a roof out of palm trees was very impressive as it was a tightly woven pattern of branches around a half-inch thick. The children in the village would come out of their huts when they heard us coming and were all smiles as they waved at the unknown strangers on camels. They seemed very happy to see new people coming through the village; they stared at us until we left their sight. We rode until the late sunset, which was an amazing sight across the oasis palm trees of Marrakech.

The next day we did a combo walking/bus tour of the city of Marrakech, seeing palaces, mosques, cathedrals, and the market place. Our tour guide took us (39 SAS students, 3 Life long learners, and a Faculty Trip leader) into the deepest parts of the market place. Within 30 minutes of walking, we were shown all phases of the products sold in the market place. If you’ve never seen leather being made from the beginning, you’re really missing out :). Every step of the leather making process is done by hand. Pounding the leather is done with a smooth stone and it probably took hours if not longer to do pound the leather into a smooth finish. The other most notable trades were welding and rug making. The welders made everything medal a person could make. One person was working a full sized barbeque grill with tremendous detail. I would guess the grill was being made for a well off French landowner. Morocco is the main destination for the French who are looking for warmer weather during the winter months.
After our trip back to Casablanca a good rainstorm had come in and we toured Casablanca while staying on the bus. I had originally planned on spending an hour or two in the Casablanca Souks, with a couple of other people, but decided that we were already too wet after waiting in line for an hour to get back on the ship. It doesn’t usually take that long to get back on the ship but 300 people returned from their Marrakech trip at the same time and we go through an airport type security every time we get on.
Our next stop is in Dakar, Senegal. Unfortunately, it is a fueling only stop although we will be seeing land we will stay on the ship. It will be the last fueling stop that we are unable to get off. Our next real port of call will be Walvis Bay, Namibia. We then do a one-day hopper to Cape Town, South Africa.