Morocco!

Morocco…Home of snake charmers, Berber creations, and tasty cous cous. For anyone that loves food as much as I do, Morocco is among the Top 5 countries in the world known for its amazing cuisine. (The others include Italy, France, Mexico, and Turkey.) Most meals are served family style and usually consist of various sautéed vegetables, such as squash, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini. This is accompanied by either lamb or chicken smothered in carmelized onions, and is served on top of a heaping pile of cous cous, which is a type of tiny pasta. An example of dessert would be grated carrots in freshly squeezed orange juice with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Odd combo, but very refreshing.

Although the food was fabulous, Morocco had many other great things to offer. In Casablanca, the city in which our ship was ported, you could find several Souks. Souks are market-lined streets, where locals and tourists come to buy all kinds of Moroccan goodies/neccessitites. These goodies include rugs and carpets, traditional Moroccan garbs, food, jewelry.. You name it! Casablanca is also home to Rick’s Café.. (obviously, not the original one from the movie, being that it was filmed in Hollywood) This Ricks Café was actually established by a woman who once worked for the U.S. Consulate in Morocco..just a fun fact….

Sadly, the second day I was in Morocco, I acquired strep-throat which kept me in bed all day.. BLAH! After a day of wallowing in self-pity, I threw on my newly acquired turquoise, moo moo-style, Moroccan get-up and dragged an overnight bag with me to the meeting spot for an excursion I had planned for that day. Who knew, this may be the last time I’m ever in Morocco.. After all, pain is mental….especially when carrying a large amount of extra strength Tylenol and Ibuprofen.

This would be my last excursion. After taking a three hour bus trip to Marrakech, we ate the lunch that I described above, and toured one of Marrakech’s largest souks (also the same souk, where part of Sex and the City 2 was filmed). In the souk, we were taken to a Moroccan pharmacy. Here we learned about many different herbal remedies and were able to test all kinds of infused oils used for cooking and cosmetics. I thought this was fascinating. (Fun Fact: Cumin when consumed before a meal can take the place of Pepto-Bismol or Imodium.. Great thing to know when you’re still adapting to a culture’s peculiar concoctions.)

After this, we were free to wander the souks on our own. Walking through the markets, the smell of camel hide and spices filled the air. I can’t say that it was the most pleasant of smells, but definitely added to the experience. After trying on traditional Moroccan shoes and admiring all of the wonderfully detailed carpet bags, I came across a frail man sitting in the street who happened to be selling prickly pears. Needless to say, I popped a few pepto-bismal and gave into my daring taste buds. To my surprise, the cactus fruit was mildly sweet, similar to the texture of a kiwi, and was well worth the two durum I spent on it! (Equivalent to about 25 cents)

Before I left the souk, I managed to consume cactus, haggle for a handbag, and be temporarily tattooed by a henna artist. Oh and did I mention, I got a picture holding a snake and monkey.. Not at the same time of course.. At dinner we were entertained by belly dancers.. ONCE AGAIN! ------- I’ve never noticed so many details on a plate than during these meals.

The next day in Marrakech, we traveled about an hour by bus through Berber villages in order to get to the Atlas Mountains, where we went hiking and zip-lining. The view was similar to that of the Grand Canyon, but with mud brick villages in the distance.

Not only was this the end to my final excursion, it was the final country we would be visiting before heading back to the States…and what a great country to end in. From strep-throat to souks, and blazing hot buses to zipping across the longest cables in Africa, my journey in Morocco was a great one.