(December 19 – Valencia, Spain)
There isn’t much to see in Valencia. We were told about this but we stopped here anyway since this is on our way to Morocco. We did hear they have a great aquarium. We start off looking for some coffee and maybe some breakfast. We know we can’t find bagels in this city but we attempt to ask hostel lady just in case. Yup never heard of a bagel. So sad. So we decide we will find something else on our own. We start to walk around the city which is actually kind of cute. It is starting to look like all of the other European cities I have seen but still cute. There is a lot of shopping here, there is an apple store, all the good stuff. We decide by looking at the map that the aquarium doesn’t look that far away so we try to find it. It is outside of the city but we can certainly walk there and there is a park that we can walk through to get there.
The park is nice and quiet and there are quite a few fountains on the way. There are also many people riding bikes which we thought of doing but we didn’t. We get to the aquarium area and we see very cool architecture. The buildings are all modern and different and really cool. The bridges that you can see that go over the park and out of the city are cool too. That’s what is cool about Europe all the buildings have character and they don’t build them too high. By the time we reached the aquarium and found out how much it was to enter (24 euro) we decided it wasn’t worth seeing a bunch of fish so we turned back and headed for some lunch. We found a cute little place, had some more tapas and some beer. We found this off the beaten path and after we were threw with lunch we headed to the center to do some shopping and head back to the hostel.
Once there we finally ran into someone at the hostel. Her name was Heidi and she is from Australia. She seemed cool and she was willing to go out tonight which is what we were interested in doing. We picked up a flyer that talked about this great international party…meanwhile it is Monday night! Apparently, there is an international party every Monday night. Must be a big deal. She had ran into some other people around the hostel and agreed to meet us later and head to this bar. So we went to have dinner and then we came back to find the gang and head to the party. All we seem to do is look for food. Anyway we got back and we couldn’t find anyone. We have to get up really early to catch our flight tomorrow to Marrakech and this international party no longer sounds as exciting as it once did. So we decided we are going to watch a move. Lame…I know. So our second night in Spain and we are hanging out in the common room watching a movie. It is a good one though!
As soon as we sit down and start watching out of nowhere come all of the hostel guests. Heidi is here and several newbies. They all come over start talking to us. There is a family here too and the one guy is from Barcelona. We tell him that we are going there after Morocco and he gives us some good tips on where to go and what to do so I write a list. The gang is ready to head to the international party but we are no longer interested. It is after midnight and we have to get on the subway at 5am. The movie is still going but no one is watching. It doesn’t look like the gang is actually going anywhere and we are all having nice conversation. They are drinking while we are curled up on the couch in our pajamas but no one seems to mind. After a while we decide to head to bed. Tomorrow is going to be really interesting. I have never been to Morocco before and I can’t wait.
(Tuesday, December 20 – Marrakech, Morocco)
We get to Morocco and this is really cool. Kind of reminds me when we arrived in Egypt last year. Very similar. The bus situation couldn’t be easier. The bus was right outside the one we needed and we hopped on. We only waited about 15 minutes and then it headed into the city for only 30Ds (aka durham). The exchange rate is similar to that of Ukraine so that’s about $3. The bus takes us right into the old city in front of the mosque and a short walk from our hostel. The hostel owner gave us some great directions. Good for Stephanie for printing them and putting them in the color coded itinerary. I am not sure where we would be without the itinerary. Neither one of us did much research on what to do once we got to these destinations. That might have been my responsibility. I am on the NO PLAN plan these days. I just want to see where life will take us.
So we follow the directions and we end up down some alley. Not unusual. We find number 18 on a wooden door as instructed and we knock. The door opens and we are welcomed in. There are a few people sitting around some tables in what looks like the common room. The hostel is nice and very Moroccon. Not that I know what Moroccon is at this point but it looks like that. The common area has a few tables in it and along the wall is a couch with some pillows and then there are some chairs around the tables. You can see all the way to the top of the building and there is a terrace up there. The hostel is 4 stories with the fourth being the roof. There are bedrooms on each floor except the roof, with bathrooms and showers. The beds are large single thick pads on the floor and it makes for a very Moroccon feel. It is very cute. It is a little dark and chilly but these buildings are made to keep cold air in when it is ridiculously hot in the summer so I can understand. We are here in the winter months and it isn’t even that cold outside. In the sun it is quite warm! There are lots of colors, tiles on the wall, incents is burning and Bob is playing on the ipod we are definitely in the right place.
The hostel owner comes to greet us. Her name is Crystal and wouldn’t you know it she is American! Apparently, she met her husband in America and he is Moroccon. She moved here and started a hostel with him. Not sure the whole story because we didn’t talk to her much after this introduction as she was under the weather. She was really cool though. She told us where to go and what to do to get started and pointed us off in the right direction. She is also from NY so that makes her cool right away and we bond. Unfortunately, she can’t provide us with a map but I am sure by the end of the day we will have one. She tells us that Tajine is the native food so considering we are starving we take this information and head to find…what’s that? Yes….FOOD!
It is at this juncture that we realize that we are terrible at picking out restaurants and that we should always go with the one next to the one we think we want to go to. We have realized that once we make a decision we tend to prefer the restaurant next to us. It always seems to have something we didn’t see when we were making our initial decision to sit down. This happened in Valencia a few times. So as we sit down at the café in the square we ask for Tajine now mind you it isn’t even lunch time yet. Anyway the waiter tells us that they don’t have it and that it isn’t time yet so without any hesitation since we are starving and done with picking the wrong restaurants we stand up and head next door. They were much more concerned with us eating with them anyway and we should have chose them right from the start but again…we suck at picking out restaurants. So finally we sit down and we ask them immediately…”do you have Tajine? And are you serving it now?”
We get our meals. We both got chicken. It is delicious. It comes served in a clay pot with lots of saffron. It is really good. You can either get this or chicken cous cous but for some reason it doesn’t come together and who wants two chicken dishes for lunch? Anyway it is great and we are ready to take on the town. We have some coffee and head for the siouk. Now Crystal told us we should get lost in the siouk and without a map that will be the easiest thing we do. The siouk is their version of a market. And if you have ever been to a market in places like this you know you need to mentally prepare yourself. They are going to harass us so get ready!
We head into the siouk and it is one big maze. I am just headed in whatever direction I see fit at the time I see it. There are some really narrow streets we walk down meanwhile we are not alone. There are tons of other people walking around with us, tourists and locals, donkeys, bikes, motor bikes. The only thing I haven’t seen try to come down these roads are cars and I wouldn’t be surprised if I did see one or saw one attempt to fit down these streets. People are crazy here. I would just get pissed off having to break everytime I rolled up behind some damn tourist that doesn’t realize I have to come down these streets on my motor bike with my donkey! Welcome to Morocco.
About an hour later we are still walking. I am not sure where we are going and I am pretty sure we have gone around the same streets a time or two. We have no real destination and even though there are museums somewhere back here and leather tanneries which we hear are worth checking out neither of us is really that interested so we continue to wonder. We finally end up in a tiny square behind the square and some ladies ask us if we want some henna. Now I don’t realize this until later and you will understand once I tell you the story but the women were only asking for 5Ds for this henna. Now if there is one thing I want on this trip it is henna. I have always wanted to try it and I plan to do it here where it like came from??!!
Stephanie spots some earrings she is interested in and that keeps her attention for a few moments and I walk around the square seeing if there is anything of interest when all of a sudden a man comes up to me and asks me if I want to come to his shop and have some tea and help him practice his English. I didn’t really get a good look at this guy and I am not even sure I know where he came from. I am tired and I have my sunglasses on which impairs my vision while the sun is shining down right into my eyes. I walk away but I am not sure where I am going and Steph proceeds to tell me that he was cute. Damnit! Now I wish I had gone over to talk to him but I didn’t want to buy any carpets. Meanwhile if he was trying to sell us carpets he certainly wasn’t doing a very good job. He let us go pretty darn easily.
We realize we are close to the main square and I am a bit tired of walking. I also have my boots on and my feet are screaming for a break. We find our way out of the maze and into the square and head for the hostel. Oh but wait. You can’t get away that easily you silly Americans! You keep smiling and talking to strangers and someone is bound to take advantage of you!!!! Well I did it good! I met Fatima. Fatima was talking to me from across the square and she just knew I had a big fat S on my forehead for SUCKER. She saw me coming from a mile away. There was something about Fatima that drew me to her. I started to walk over and she grabbed my arm and started drawing. I knew I was stuck like chuck. I was trying so hard to remember how much those women were going to give me henna for. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t even think of what the exchange rate was. Oh no! I am lost and I am about to get took! Well she got me for 250Ds. Yup that is $30! Have you ever heard of ANYONE paying $30 for henna!?!?! Well now you have. SUCKA! That was ridiculous. I thought she was giving me a deal. She came down from 500Ds. I couldn’t believe it. I thought we were friends. She even drew an eye on my palm to keep bad people away from me. Well it didn’t keep her away from me. Look at it this way I either fed her family for a few days or allowed her to take a well needed vacation! Always think positive. I help people that is what I do.
Back at the hostel and my feet are happy. We take to the roof and read some English entertainment magazines while sunning ourselves. Unfortunately, the sheesha isn’t working and there is no alcohol in old city but this is the life. I could stay up here for days. I am burning the henna into my skin so that it will last longer than the 20 days I paid for. I am trying to get all I can get out of this. It isn’t the prettiest thing I have ever seen but it isn’t too bad. It is blacker than anything it looks like I took a magic marker to myself. After some fun in the sun Steph and I head to New Town. We want some food and we have no idea where we are going or what we want but we walk to New Town and figure we will find something. It is like walking around NY. There are so many streets and you just don’t know where to go so we wonder around for what seems like hours before deciding we want something in the Asian category. I am thinking Indian. Then all of a sudden we come across a Thai restaurant and after a long time of searching we sit down and we are happy. Apparently we have also realized that we eat too early. People eat late in Europe and even though Morocco is in Africa it seems to follow suit. That is why no one is out and those who are are at cafes sipping coffee while we want food! The Thai place ends up being really nice and we have some sushi and some thai. The food is really good and after we walk some more and then head back to the hostel. Tomorrow we will do this again and maybe better.
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