Morocco Day 1 (February 3, 2009)

Ported in Casablanca this morning. It is a little more free-and-easy this time around because my Semester at Sea sponsored trip is taking care of everything for basically the whole time we are in Morocco. The only downfall to this though is that we were supposed to get here yesterday, which means some adjustments had to be made to our already set itinerary. Basically, our “Marrakech and Camel Trek in the Sahara” trip is now just Marrakech and the Sahara; which is somewhat of a downer because the camel trek was the main reason why I signed up for this trip. But as our executive dean told us the first day onboard: “you got to be flexible” – I’m trying to live by that slogan. But anyways, we got into Casablanca then headed straight for the Sahara, passing through Marrakech on the way to pick up our guides. On our way through the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara, they informed us that Morocco’s number one export is olive oil -- we saw a number of these olive trees throughout the road trip. Along the way, we stopped at a small grocery store in the mountains. Some of the students experienced their first Moroccan bartering session…I just got a coke – which tasted exactly the same as it does back in the states. After the stop we continued on our way. It is mind-blowing how many of these natives live. I first noticed this when driving on the outskirts of Casablanca. We saw numerous beautiful houses and estates followed by shacks, constructed of sheet metal roofs and mud sidings. Once we arrived into the mountains, it was as if we had entered a third-world country. We saw shepherds, numerous small agricultural fields, and women hiking up very steep cliffs, carrying huge loads of hay and other materials on their backs…absurd. It is crazy to think that these people have been living like this for thousands of years! It is also amazing how spread out and individualized each village is. We passed numerous small villages throughout our road trek, yet there was a noticeable stretch of untouched land in between any two of them. Around 5 o’clock, we had finally made it to the restaurant where we would be eating lunch. I had my first taste of Meat Tagine – a Moroccan specialty. It is essentially a meat stew, usually made with lamb, potatoes, and a few vegetables. It was really good! Even after this first dish, I could tell that I was going to enjoy Moroccan food way more than the food in Spain. Moroccan food simply has more flavor. The dessert was simple, but tasted amazing – orange slices topped with cinnamon sugar. Which brings up another point, Moroccan produce (specifically fruits) – best I’ve ever had. After lunch, we all did a little more bartering at some nearby shops. I bought a hat, which was presented to me, at first, by the store owner forcing it over my massive amount of hair to get it on my head. He told me word for word “see, it fits, it fits. And if you wet hair, it fit better”, after that effort, I had to buy the hat – only four American dollars too. We then continued on our journey to the camp site in the Sahara. I was a little skeptical at first but soon felt very safe. We ate dinner once we got there – meat tagine followed by fresh fruit for dessert! After dinner, there were a few bonfires, dance parties, local music (provided by people from a nearby village), and men making different artwork from palm tree leaves. The entire night was very fun.