I wish I had time to put up some pictures, but we have limited time to share this one computer so I will just tell you a little about our four day cultural excursion through Morocco.
People
Throughout the villages, we met some nice people. We were serenaded by a folk band playing bongo drums. They were all such pleasant people and fabulous with their instruments. They taught us some traditional Berber song responses and dances and they even let us attempt to drum along with them (let me just say, it is not my thing-I couldn't keep a beat)! The majority of the people living in the countryside are Berber people, the indigenous people of Morocco, some of them live in small villages while others are nomads with a permanent home only about three months of the year. Education is a huge issue in these villages and amongst the nomads and their families - there is a huge lack of availability and/or transportation to schools, it is quite sad. But, nonetheless, all of the people we met seemed so happy and carefree, all they needed was to play their music and they would have a smile on their face.
Places
Our travels included many stops as well as many interesting roads. We drove up very narrow, curving roads on the side of mountains that were a bit scary at first, then just a bit bumpy...that may be an understatement. It was quite the adventure! We visited a few different Kasbahs along the way. They are old castles from hundreds of years ago, surrounded by a wall. On the outside, they just look like mud houses with a few designs on the top, but on the inside of the one, there was beautiful tiling and woodwork and even silk from China lining the walls of the bedroom. We visited the Ksar (fortified village) where Gladiator and Prince of Persia were filmed. While it looks ancient, 7 families are still living inside the walls. In the villages, houses are made out of mud and are much less elaborate than the Kasbahs and many people will live in the same village their entire life without seeing any other area of Morocco. We also visited gorges, huge, beautiful gorges. We were able to get out of the van and walk through them along the river which was a nice stretch since we were on the bus for 4+ hours a day. Finally, we visited the Erg Chebbi Dunes which were just phenomenal. The sand was reddish tan in perfect mounds, it almost looked fake. The sky was bright blue and the sun was beating down on us as we rode our camels to the camp. It was a great time in the desert for the night sitting around the campfire and gazing at the vast amount of stars.
Food
Food cannot be forgotten about. In Morocco, basically all you eat is tagine, couscous, and tea, lots and lots of tea! In the beginning, it all tastes amazing...but after a week of the same thing at every meal, you get a bit sick of it. Tagine and couscous are full of vegetables, chicken, and many different spices that all seem to taste the same after a while haha but I will probably be craving it in a week or so. The tea, on the other hand, might be my new addiction, it is a wonderful mixture of green tea, mint leaves, and sugar (many times way too much sugar!). I learned how to make the tea in Fes, so when I get home make sure you come to have some Moroccan tea with me and my new tea pot :) Other foods include bread, and pancake type things, and Malawi-another pancake type thing haha - so lots of carbs! But it is okay, it was all delicious, even when I got sick of it, and I will miss it dearly when I get back home.
So there is a quick blurb of my 4 day cultural excursion last week. We were able to see so much of Morocco that we would have never seen otherwise. Only 5% of Morocco is made up of cities, like those we were staying in. The other 95% is made up of desert, mountains, forests, and small villages - some of the most wonderful sights are in these parts of Morocco and I am so happy that I was able to see them!
Now we are back in Egypt after 15+ hours on trains and planes and buses. We are spending this weekend in Luxor visiting the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens as well as sailing down the Nile and walking along the Avenue of Sphinxes. After this, we are headed to Alexandria, where I may have time to write another entry or add a few pictures, then Sharm el Sheikh, Cairo, and home. Time is flying by! Sorry for any bits and pieces, or thoughts with abrupt stops, I will be sure to elaborate when I get home!
With love,
Lauren
P.S. I hope you are all enjoying the snow at home...can't say I'm jealous ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment