I was just skimming my previous post and realized how discordant it is written, with random and unfinished sentences. Excuse mywriting when Im blogging on the run.
Im back in London feeling a bit down and restless. Despite the harrassment, I miss Morocco. I spent the two hours on the plane reading the Rough Guides, which has gotten scruffy and umm..dirty after an incident with a mushed banana in my bag, and concoting a future return trip (haha. but seriously, no I dont think a revisit will happen in any near future at least). Goodness, landing in Stansted airport was like landing in Heathrow airport. It was packed. There were long custom lines and delay in the baggage terminals, resulting in many people missing the last Stansted Express (train) and falling back on the limited buses. The bus lines were long. The temperature must have been near 0 degrees and it was drizzling. Yep, I was definitely back in England.
On the plane, feeling a bit bored, I listed 10, no 11 memorable moments in Morocco:
1. Riding atop a jeep over the Sahara Desert
2. Eating a kebab of lamb liver that had dropped on the dirt ground, then picked up by the food vendor who put on the grills for a few seconds and handed it over to me. I didnt want to offend. I chewed slowly(not that the rate of chewing would make it any more hygienic)
3. Visiting a hammam (see previous post)
4. Riding a mule
5. Climbing waterfalls in the Ourika Valley
6. Trekking around Imlil and the nearby Berber villages with the Atlas mountains in the backdrop
7. On the 11 hour overnight bus journey from Rissani to Marrakech, being the only foreigner and female on board and the only one on the bus for the entire duration (people got on and off at various stops); being stared; every movement watched by the pairs of eyes in the dark. I hid in my sleeping bag pulling the hood over my head.
8. Buying camel meat from the butcher and having it cooked right before you (eaten wrapped around with bread)
9. Grand taxi rides. Took many of these and the experiences ranged from semi-uncomfortable to extremely uncomfortable. The fewest number of persons in one ride was 6 people (four in the back and two in the front) and the most in one ride was 8 (four in the back and four in the front). No journey was less than an hour long!
10. Having dinner at one of the great many brightly lit food stalls in Marrakesh bustling market square - Djamaa El Fna - UnhealthilyI had market food for several nights in a row, an assortment of lamb brochettes (metal skewers of bits of lamb liver, meat and fat), fried aubuergines (the only vegetable I probablyhad), tagines of calf feet and some offal parts with flat chewy Arab bread. I think my iron level of excessively high as a result of my meat intake.
11. Washing dishes in the kitchen of a Moroccan restaurant in Rissani - there were two young boys, apparently labourers of a small local restaurant, being ordered around to clear tables of a large party that had just left and wash up. I joined them in the cleaning up, and did the dishes. Hmm...it was hard because there was only cold water and washing powder (for clothes) were used in lieu of detergent. The kitchen was rather unsightly, with overflowing bins, unkempt floors and clogged sink which meant we had to wash in a large bucket.But still, I now have appreciation for those who clean my plates every time I have a meal.
Im in a listing mood. So Ill list what I brought overseas. I didnt buy much in Spain, apart from a jacket because it was unexpectedly chilly at night, a top, a bag, and some minature colourful wooden pegs (haha) and sweets. In Morocco, I brought for my mum some ceramic and copper plates, saffron and spices, shawl and leather camel for display.
For myself, I brought:
a. a tagine - a ceramic cooking pot with a conical lid used for stews which are left simmering for hours
b. small traditional tea pot - for making Moroccan mint tea
c. berber slippers (which I intend to wear outdoors)
d. djellaba (aka the ku klux klan outfit..I mean robe... which I think Ill wear indoors...ahha)
e. 5-spices mix
f. scarf
(on the bus in Spain)
Back in the land of the Spanish. It doesnt feel so good. I miss Morocco. Im surprised. Its actually harder to communicate here than in Morocco. Spaniards speak little to no English. Its frustrating. The strange thing is Spain feels sterile in comparison. Of course, before going down South I thought Spain was exciting. But now returning to the continent, it feels so much more subdued. Its hard to put into words, but Morocco is simply stimulating. Maybe countries like Morocco are the types of destinations I prefer to travel to. Prehaps I just get bored easily....?
I think the best way of travelling is choosing a few places and dividing your time amongst those places, rather than visit a lot of places and spreading yourself thinly, so you can really get to know the place. Of course, that is a difficult task if you are limited with time, as I was in Morocco. The only place I spent any significant time in was Marrakech, not even in Fes because I had to change accommodation. In Marrakech, I actually felt I was living there and not just visiting. For consecutive days, I was sleeping in the same place, had breakfast in the same hole in the wall local institution next door, made a number of trips to the laundry guy down the street, did mundane but necessary errands such as having my pants altered at a tailor, sending post in the post office etc., had dinner at the outdoor stands in the market square. Just going through the simple routine, I got on familar and friendly terms with the hotel owner, the laundry guy, the restaurant owner and of course the guy who squeezed my fresh orange juice each morning. It felt good to not be on the move for a few days.
