Flash News: Ive been hammam-ed! The entire trip, Ive been building up the courage to visit a hammam. Whats a hammam? an arabic public bathhouse. Some hammans are exclusively for females and males; others have separate bathing hours, typically the most convenient hours for men, namely in the mornings and evenings, with the afternoon hours for the women.

I went to the one in the medina (old town) in Marrakech. Its costed 8 dh. Cheap. It was up a flight of stairs. I opened the door and I was immediately ushered into the room which I took as the changing room because there were four to five women some partly dressed and others bare naked. I felt self conscious for them and looked down. I signed language to the lady in charge asking if they had lockers (to store my wallet etc). They had none. Instead she took me by the arm into the actual bathing area and pointed to some hooks. In the bathing room, it was moist and humid, likening to the western steam room. On the far side, there were naked women, save their knickers, of all ages scrubbing one another with kiis, a scratchy black glove I think is made out of camel hair, sitting on small plastic racks surrounded by buckets of water and accompanying smaller buckets to wash oneself with. I swallowed deeply and told myself, no problem, I can do this. I went back to the changing room, slowly taking off one piece at a time until I was left with just my knickers and bra. Ah, one good reason for travelling alone. Somehow it makes it easier to experiment cultural customs. I took my bag, leaving my clothes in the room, with me. The lady handed me two buckets (small and big) and a plastic rack. I went into the other room and glanced at what the others did. I copied and filled my bucket with both hot and cold taps on full blast until it was full. Now feeling self conscious with my bra, I took that off. I sat myself down and poured copious amounts of warm water all over me from top to bottom. Ah. it felt so good. myself one of those kiis to exfoliate back in London. Hammams are socializing places for the women. its amazing. I walk each day pass women covered from head to toe in a veil, or to less extreme, their head is covered by a scarf. But in the hammam, everyone is exposed and open to

Conclusion? It was fantastic. I wished I went right from the beginning. The feeling you get after an hour in the hammam is great. You feel you have really cleansed yourself. I have now brought another. its a place where the women chat and gossip. Afterwards in the changing room, they enjoy cups of mint tea. They could spend hours in the hammam! Usually, going to the hammam is a weekly ritual - once to twice a week.

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Yesterday was one of the best days I had in Morocco. It was so good. I escaped to the Atlas mountains, away from Marrakech and the associated crowds, people, pollution etc. I spent the day trekking near Imlil (I took a collective grand taxi, 8 people this time! from Marrakech to Asni and from Asni a local taxi to Imlil village). The weather was also perfect, not a wisp of cloud in the sky. As we drove through the valley, I could see smoke rising from berber huts, the snow-capped Jebel Toubkal (highest mountain in Morocco) in the far distance, women washing in the river and scrubbing against the rocks, shawls and rugs laid out to dry under the hot sun over the rocks, school children walking in groups along the dirt roads. The road meandered the whole way through, giving me little chills when the driver did little to brake around the cliff corners.

I walked up and down the valley, crossing bridges and climbing up a steep mountain which laid a rural berber village (the initial inhabitants of Morocco). I spent at least an hour and a half just walking around the village, mainly spending this time engaging with children I passed. the women and children I met were hospitable, inviting me for tea. I longed to find a softening side to Morocco and that day I think I found it.