On To Morocco!

Post 3
Morocco, here we come! We have around 150 miles left until we arrive in Casablanca. We were schedule to arrive at 800 hrs this morning; however, we had not yet left Gibraltar where the schedule indicated an 8 hour bunkering stop. Rough seas made it impossible for the bunkering crew to hook-up the fuel line despite trying for around 3 hours. We spent the night at anchor surrounded by probably 50 other boats within seeing distance. We were told that the straight of Gibraltar is approximately 9 miles wide and from our anchor point we could see both the European and African coasts. Right now however, we now are well on our way and enjoying the roller coaster of the stormy seas at 22 knots.

The first day’s field trips are of course, unfortunately cancelled, so no Coca-Cola plant visit. We will start with day two trips tomorrow as soon as the ship clears customs (takes about 2 hours) in the morning. I am attending a 3-day trip to the city of Marrakech, which is considered the gateway city to the Sahara. Marrakech’s history dates back to when the early caravans took refuge around the plentiful oasis. The Saharan nomad Almoravids were the first to settle the area and the vast palm groves supplied the people with a healthy supply of dates for food. Today, Marrakech is the top tourist destination in North Africa. During our trip, we will be exploring the city’s history as well as life in Marrakech as it is today. On the second day, we will have the opportunity to take a day trip through the palm groves on Africa’s oldest form of non-biped transportation: camels. During our trek we will also experience smaller villages and traditional Moroccan food as well as their famous mint tea.

I must now report to the Union (the auditorium) for our Global Studies class. Today’s topic is about understanding ways of people in Islamic countries since we are traveling to our first Muslim country. Thanks for reading,
-Kate