September 11, 2007 - Marrekech

We scheduled a bus for Zagora, an overnight trip through a private company called SATA. The Moraccan bus system is crazy. We arrived an hour early and there was barely standing room. The tickets were handwritten, therefor barely legible even by the other Moraccans. We were lucky enough to be the first ones to load the luggage and the first ones on the bus, well, we shoved a bit. After finding our assigned seats, mind you we dont speak French, Berber, Arabic, another pissed off Moraccan wanted our seats and tried convincing us we werent supossed to sit there. In the mean time, friends and family load up on the bus to say goodbye to passengers making it confusing and a mess for other passengers trying to find their seats. It was hell, but fun. People start filing off the bus as it is moving out the parking lot, some dont get off till yelled at by the bus attendent. The seats too were made for midgets and offered NO leg room. We both slept, uncomfortably, through the night and missed most of the scary drive through the Atlas mountains, where cliffs and the lack of railing prevail.

September 12, 2007 - Zagora

We got to Zagora at about seven in the morning, and spent a couple hours trying to find a guide to take us into the Sahara. There were no shortages of offers, but since about ten people disappear into the Sahara each year, we thought it would be best to use a reputable company. Once we found one, we jumped into an SUV, and headed south about 95 km, so a town called M'Hamid, which is the jumping off point for camel treks. We got to M'Hamid about eleven in the morning, and our trek wasn't scheduled to leave until four. So we spent the day sitting on a porch, and watching the moroccan version of an old western town. There wasn't much to do, and even if there was, it was way too do anything. When you see pictures of the Sahara, it looks hot. In reality, its even hotter. We finally headed out about four thirty. Camels weren't really designed to be ridden. It was pretty funny to see us try. One of the camels had all our supplies strapped onto his sides, so it meant Curtis's legs had to be pretty much straight out. We went about six km out into the desert, which took about three hours, party because its hard to move fast with the heat. It was so amazing to see. Oregon has some pretty interesting high desert, but its nothing compared to seeing the edge of the Sahara stretch out before you. There was more vegetation than either of us expected, at first, but soon it became just mile after mile of dunes. We made camp a little out of sun down, with several other people who'd come treks from the other directions. While the guides cooked up some dinner (which was delicious), we took the time to lie out on one of the dunes and watch the stars. You forget how many you can see when there isn't a city for miles. After dinner, the guides got out their drums and played for a while. In the morning, we got up early enough to see the sun rise, and then headed back to m'Hamid. That night, we caught the seven pm bus back to Marrekech. We also discovered the state owned bus line CTM, which sold tickets with assigned seating, didn't oversell the bus and left on time. That would've been handy to know...it was in the guide book, which we would highly recommend reading thoroughly.

September 13, 2007 - Marrakech

We got onto Marrekech about three in the morning, and went to get a hotel. The hotel we wanted didn't have any rooms, so we had to go to our second choice. It ended up being for the best, because the second hotel was very cheap, very cute and clean, and it came with our own private bathroom, with a real toilet. Cold showers, but you can't be too picky. We slept in pretty late, and then headed down to the medina. Marrekech's central attraction is the main square in the medina, Djemma al-Fna. Its this huge open area with shops on the edges, fresh squeezed orange juice stands in the middle and a maze of souqs on the north side. The souqs have everything you could ever need or want, and so we spent the day wandering the square, trying different juices, fruits and checking out the many different things for sale. The goods ranged from dried lizard feet from the apothacary stands, carpets, leather jackets and purses, pottery, copperware, and just about anything you could think of. We stayed until dark, and watched some of the preformers (snake charmers, dancers, storytellers and musicians) and then headed home.

September 14, 2007 - Marrekech

Our last full day in Morocco! It was also the first day of Ramadan. For those of you who don't know, Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic year, and its a period in which Muslim's don't eat, drink, smoke or have sex from sun up until sundown. We spent most of the day at the square, with some breaks to check out a few different mosques. As the day went on, you could see everyone get crankier and crankier. But as soon as the sun went down, they guzzled some water, had a few cigarettes and everything was good. We finished our shopping, had some dinner at one of the many stands in the square, and headed back to the hotel to pack. We were noticing how great our bargaining skills have become. We're pretty impressed with ourselves. We even went into a carpet shop, and came out with the deal we wanted which is about the ultimate accomplishment in bartering. So that's about it from Morocco. We fly back to Germany in the morning.

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