euro 2009

Morocco... I found you beneath that dusty sandy and exoticly smelling carpet of the south... This was the beginning of one adventure that will come to close being ONE of the best adventures of my traveling life so far. Touchdown marrakech on the morning of the 9th. First noticable thing I loved... The warm weather and clear skys... First step... explaination of the trip so far... Ok I board the plan in Seville... stuck up an unusual conversation with this hippy/surfy Quebecer... Seems cool.... but he stunk... aside from that... I figured it was nice to chat, and we talked the entire 1hour flight to marrakech, he was telling me of his travls so far, and asking me about mine.. great happy chappy... We then traded off ideas of places we were traveling to... for me.. I had no idea.. I had done no research and my lonely planet guide was too unhealthy to help me out... So I just rambled off some random places I thought I might visit. Not really understanding of the geographical locations of these places combined with my anorexic timeframe... But hell I didn't think he would notice... thankfully I think he was stoned so he didn't notice. Touch down morocco and it felt like a rush of emotion came over me.. I coould have cried.. ah well not really but for me htis was a special day touching down in africa now having offically been to every main continent on earht except for the polar ice caps... And yes.. I am considering.. but uncertain...

I actually knelt down and kissed the ground.. i was surprised they let me in the country for doing that.. people have been arrested for doing much less... On route to clear customs and I was continuing my fruitless convo with frenchy and I passed though immigration from the churpy immigration offer... and no that was sarcasim... the only place in the world they are churpy is in singapore... Gathered my bag and waited for hippy dude... I just wanted to say goodbye as a courtesy for filling in time as my IPOD has died before the lfight.. and I had no other entertainment.. Nah that sounds horrible.. but it was kinda true. So I continued to wait... 45 minutes later no hippy...?? Where was he, he was right behind me in line... I never saw him again.. Maybe they thought he was me, kissing the tarmack... Who knows... but what ever... I is probably in a better place now.. or in a moroccan prision...!! poor guy... if i could remember his name I would contact his family.. but.. he was just inflight entertainment... so anyways... moving on...
Marrakech... what a sensory overload... I caught my first taxi to the main plaza and the name strangley escapes me much like most of place places in morocco. Found a cheap hotel and camped for a few hours as I was so tired from the night before and that lengthy 1 hour flight...

But then after about 4 hours of kitty napping, it was time to put on my tether leash and walk around the vaciniity of the market square, not really wanting to venture past the tourist lines incase someone spoke to me.. And honestly I didnt want to talk... I stand out like a sore thumb already being blonde... I tried to do my best inconspicuious discuise which consisted of a cap, a hoody and a grumpy look, but I think it was the billabong boardshorts that still gave it away that I was Austrlalian... These people are good... I wish I could tell by just looking at someone where they were from and their shoe size... I was much impressed.. But still.. no sale for me.. I was not dooped into that.. no way.. not the master of south east asian markets.. i knew exactly how to hold my own... until I came to the food parlours.. I crumbled like a cheap cooky... I went for the first person that dragged me by the arm and pushed me into his restaurant...

Admitely the food was nice.. But I was in for some gastronomical orgasims in the near future so I had no idea was I was in for... I just assumed that if it was made by a moroccan it must be moroccan.. Ha.. little did I know right!!
I was impressed by the crazy hussle and bussle of city.. It felt so alive and the smells, sights and people just made htis place scary and exciting in the same breath. I loved it... But I was soon to be overloaded with much more the very next day. Emailed my Host from Lisbon who too was in Morocco and we met up along with her boyfriend and decided in about an hour over a nice glass or fresh squeezed orange juice that we would hire a car and travel south eastern morocco together... And we did... We found a cheap car, stocked up on beer and wine and some food and headed east... Across the mountains we roamed like true travellers stopping in remote towns and villages on route to some amazing destinations like the cascades, ait bin hassou kasba.. which by the way.. we 'ROCKED'... never mind if that joke went over your head... We met awesome locals who took us to some amazing places, and experienced some local lifestyles which otherwise would have been impossible... We drank tea... ate bread, nibbled on cans of sardines... eh.. yeah i know but when i rome right!!! Slpet in Berber tents, learnt some french and arabic... Got ripped off my our friendly neighbourhood mechanic, got hassled but many beggers for food, money and other valuables... Ripped off a local kid which I think Karma will have something in stall for me when i least expect it... But i honestly has no other money...!!
Drank more tea... and watched a million lights in the sky, a thousand sunsets and 2 sunrises... ok it was only about 3 sunsets okay.. it sounded more romantic... Road camels through a perfect sand storm and wrecked my camera... But I admit I was very brown before the sandvblasting.. so thats why I am very white again... eh... well the kid who spoke no english believed me...! Witnessed a monkey in a dress, a snake dance and made some great friends along the way... The magic of morocco begins when you take that step out of the city and head for the hills orl ike we did for toumbuktou... Yeah its a place apparently. Word of advice, forget all your modern connections at home, forget internet, cell fones and ipods... appreciate ever little thing you see... Learn and appreciate the culture even if you don't agree with or understand completely and love the simplicity of the true moroccan culture. This is where you truely finds yourself immursed... There is so much I could say about this place... A nine day trip climbing mountains in tommy hilfiger shoes, exploring gorges in thongs and appreciating the silence of the desert when I stopped talking... All I can tell you is if there is a place on earth that will challenge and evoke your senses, beliefs, thoughts and emotions, morocco is got to be high up on that list of things to do and see. But as soon as it began, it was over... back to the hussle of marrakech, technology and reality as what I know... I was ready for my trip to conclude.. with one last stop before finally getting to my new home... I felt that this destination was and is the coolest place to visit... And learn some french... it helps... A LOT!!!