8th Country: Morocco!

To prepare for our final port, Anthony and I watched the one and only Casablanca. Having not seen it before, we didn’t want to miss out when SAS played in the Union. I enjoyed the classic film – and it definitely pumped me up for the next four days. One of my missions became seeing Rick’s Café! (Although sadly that did not happen - But I still had a great time in the beautiful country of Maroc!)

“The ship may roll” – was the warning we heard on the loudspeaker as we prepared to enter the Harbor of Casablanca. We were told to refrain from excessively moving about the ship, and to secure our belongings so they would not slide around. Okay - definitely not the most comforting news to hear. I guess it is that the cross currents are especially strong there, as it is where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet. Luckily, there was no such scary fiasco, and the ship cruised on into the port safe and sound.

Arriving in Casablanca, I had to get up and be ready early, as our trip left first thing in the morning. A large proportion of the students were on the Camel Trek trip – translating to SAS basically invading Morocco as an amoeba of about 175 American students. Wonderful! For our trip, there were 14 small mini-buses waiting for us outside of the ship. Sad to not have the large luxurious buses, we sucked it up and approximately 15 students crammed into each bus. When I say “cram” – I literally mean cram. I had been any taller I do not think I would have been able to fit into the seats! We had zero legroom – and every seat except one was full. To top it off, there was basically no air. At times, there may have been small amounts of cool air blowing out of the vents, but mainly it was either hot… or hot. But… what am I complaining about?! We were only going to be spending about 25 hours in it! That’s not too long. At least Kate, Becca, Nicole, Anthony and I managed to secure seats on the same bus. And we had a small, friendly, Berber driver by the name of Omar. However, he spoke little English. Instead, he spoke mainly French, but it was hard to understand him because it was of an Arabic dialect. But cool fact: He was the driver in the movie Babel, with Brad Pitt! He even showed us his ID cards from the film... he seemed so excited to share this news with us! … And I thought it was neat. I regret not getting a picture with him!

Starting the vehicle, Omar began departing Casablanca and headed towards the city of Marrakech. The ride lasted a little over 4 hours, which included our long stop at a gas station. I am not sure whose idea it was to have all 14 buses stop at the same one – but I must say it was a poor one. Every SASer wanted crackers, chips, or some drink… and the line was ridiculously long! Plus, no one had local currency yet, so charge it was. It took much more time than any of us wanted…But I was able to get a delicious Solero bar – vanilla ice cream coated with peach, mango and passion fruit. I had had one in Spain and had been craving another one. So, I was happy… I do love my mango!

Arriving in Marrakech around 3, we immediately went for a late lunch. We ate at a restaurant in a nice square. I can’t quite remember the name – but it was like Germanfore, or something like that. The plaza was exciting and alive, filled with snake charmers, monkeys, acrobats, henna drawers, a huge bazaar, and lots of vendors offering a variety of food and drink – with freshly squeezed orange juice being the most popular. Our meal consisted of bread and six small appetizers dishes, followed with a lemon chicken and dessert. Dessert was the best part… SO good! Our table had a huge dish of sliced orange pieces topped with cinnamon and crushed nuts. I am not sure what type…maybe almond, but oh they were so yummy! As Ant wrote in his blog, I definitely went back for 6th or 7th’s. In addition to that, they had biscotti, and some pie crust-filled cookie thing… not sure what was in it, but everything was scrumptious! Following dessert…we had mint tea. I’m not a big tea drinker, but it reminded me of a warm mojito… yum!

While letting our huge meal digest, we had some free time to explore the plaza and the bazaar. It was a tease though – because we still had not been able to access an ATM to withdraw funds. Vendors did not believe us when we said we were just looking because we had no money. Oh well. After not buying anything – it was finally time to check into our hotel. Staying at the Hotel Meyriem, Becca and I shared a room. It was nice – most definitely not like the Marriott Cairo, but better than it could have been elsewhere!

For dinner, only a few hours after lunch, we headed to a place called Chez Ali. I had a blast! It reminded me a little of the horse show we saw in Orlando – Arabian nights I think it was called. We spent a few hours there, walking around, eating dinner, and enjoying the show. The dinner served was delicious – bread, meatballs with egg (odd combination…but surprisingly tasty!) chicken with couscous… and a large fruit plate full of fresh, juicy oranges, peaches and plums. Throughout the meal, which took place in a tent, different musical acts would walk by, providing unique entertainment. Chez Ali is definitely aimed for tourists – but just being there immersed in everything - in all of the music they were playing, the traditional food being served – it felt like something more. The riders of the horses were very talented; doing tricks carrying rifles I would not survive doing. There was also a belly dancer perform who was much better than the one we saw in Egypt. The fireworks and live magic carpet that floated across the arena made for the perfect ending. After getting back to the hotel around midnight, I called it a night. I was pooped…

With our 5:45 a.m. wake-up call, I fell back to sleep until about 6:20. Running late, I showered as quickly as possible, gathered my belongings, and flew down to breakfast before meeting in the lobby at 7. I should have taken my time…because 2 people on our bus were late. They slept through their wake-up call, and we had to wait almost an hour. Waiting was definitely something of a habit on the trip. Anyways, we left around 8 for our 8-hour drive in our comfy vehicle…haha, just kidding. We drove over the high and Mid-Atlas mountains to a place called the Draa Valley. The drive was horrendous – and most people on the bus joked about our possible death - if our bus made any wrong movement, we would plunge down the ridiculously high slopes of the mountain. Most areas didn’t even have guardrails! I did not find it funny in the least. Neither did Anthony. We closed our curtain for most of the time, and prayed.

After surviving part one of the long drive… it was time to ride camels to the nomad tents…through the Sahara!!! Anthony and I double-upped, and rode a tan camel whom we named Fred, short for Fredrique. It wasn’t bad…it was fun! But boy was it hot and sandy! I was chewing sand, getting it in my eyes – everywhere! Most people had brought scarves to wrap around their face, but did I? No…bad decision on my part. Oh well… I just put Anthony’s extra T-shirt over my head and covered my face with it. I looked stylish. And we stopped at a sand dune to take some pictures… it was definitely a Kodak moment we couldn’t pass up! I think I got some sick shots. Too bad my outfit was horrible… I do not look good in any of my desert pics! Oh well.

Arriving to the nomad tent, I determined that we were in for an amazing night. It was like this small, pop-up village in the middle of nowhere, with just the nomads and us. They were very welcoming, and they greeted us with musical performances – which lasted late into the evening. The area provided a very laid back atmosphere, and students played cards, danced around the fire, chatted with friends, …it was all very relaxing and surreal. Women at the camp offered Henna, and dinner was fantastic. (Although there was sand everywhere, like even covering the fork – you couldn’t escape it!) Anyways, it included the best stew I have ever tasted. Even the carrots were mouth-watering – and I don’t even like carrots! 

Stuffed, I leisurely sat around the camp, admiring the culture and atmosphere of the African heritage, when all of a sudden my nose started running…with blood…because the air was so dry! I actually had to deal with two nosebleeds throughout the evening, which is weird because I usually don’t get them. But the desert does a wonder on your body!

Moving on from that graphic picture…the view of the stars in the desert was being in a planetarium. There were so many, lighting up the sky in all directions. Wanting to soak up the opportunity, we laid down and stared above in amazement. We pointed out different constellations to each other, and all witnessed shooting stars. I think it was the first time I saw one! It was also the first time I really realized what the Milky Way was. The light white strip in the sky was easy to detect, and quite remarkable, nothing like it is at home. And even though the sky was clearer… it was even more so a little ways outside of the camp. So, we eventually walked a little ways away from the lights of the tents to some random spot. It was so dark… good thing Kate brought a flashlight so we could see where we were walking. When we found a good spot, we sat down to observe our surroundings. I remember feeling like I was really someplace new, distant: removed from civilization. We were in a remote location. And adding the cherry to an already sweet evening, we watched surprisingly in the pitch-black desert as some of the nomads let up a glowing Semester at Sea sign on a sand dune in front of us. It was remarkable. It only lasted a few minutes, but the memory of it will last forever… and I got a sick picture of it!

After chilling around the fire, the five of us called it a night fairly early. However, we were not able to sleep because of the many ridiculous drunk SAS students. A group had brought a large amount of alcohol with them, and I am embarrassed by their behavior. Because of them, the nomads were left with a bad impression of Americans. I cannot even type the horrendous things they were saying – but they were picking fights with other students, and trying to knock down people’s tents. Someone jumped on ours, and they even succeeded in knocking down the one next to ours. Faculty eventually scolded them, and those students are getting in trouble with SAS. Full day meetings were held on their account the first day back at sea – and it is a possibility they may no longer receive academic credit from SAS. I think that is fair.

Subsequent to that eventful part of the night, I had one of the craziest dreams ever – even though I slept for maybe 3 hours! I remember thinking how real it felt – and how long it lasted. I think I might have had the same dream for the whole 3 hours. It was funny sharing it with everyone when I woke up – but in summary, it went like this: I got a horrible nosebleed on the ship, so I told Anthony to call the doctor. He did, and when I went to the medical office, there was a nurse sitting there. However – it was a different nurse… in fact everyone was different, because I traveled through time and was now on the 2050 voyage… no longer on the 2009 summer voyage! It was crazy… and the time kept switching back. I remember having many conversations with people – and nobody would believe me!
Okay – sorry for boring you with the details –  I just don’t want to forget about it. It was such a vivid and realistic dream… very cool!

After sleeping a short while – I awoke to the sun rising over the desert. It was nice that we would be heading back to the buses before the sweltering heat of the day really hit. Breakfast included more fresh mint tea and bread, along with fresh oranges and hard-boiled eggs. I don’t understand how the oranges in Morocco are SO good! I had two… and wish I could bring some home!

After refueling ourselves, Anthony and I paired up yet again to trek back to the buses by camel. Sadly, we were not able to ride Fred. Being on a new camel, we named her Carly… don’t ask me why. I thought she was a little more uncomfortable than Fred. Her hump made the 30-minute journey seem much longer, as I was in pain. I did not realize how sore I had gotten from the first ride until we had to do it again! Camel riding definitely affects your inner-thigh area…that’s for sure – but the experience was worth it! It was amazing.

… And this is the part where we had to endure the reversal 8-hour drive. No comment – except that we survived, and it is done with. YAY! (We did however stop midway for lunch at this outdoor restaurant that overlooked a huge fortress. Part of Gladiator the movie was filmed there. It was a nice area, and the food – bread with bruschetta type toppings, beef with almonds and dates, followed by dessert containing watermelon and melon slices – was delectable.)

Our last night IN ANY PORT was…was… hard to fathom. I don’t think that it has hit me that we will not have another Rome, Seville, Cairo…nothing. From here – it is the long stretch home. Don’t get me wrong I am psyched for home, for I miss my family and friends more than I can express. I long to see them; lay by the pool; sleep in my bed; play Scrabble; watch TV; drive my car; go to Barnes and Nobles. But I know once this is over, and I am back to all of those wonderful things, I will miss this: my floating home: swiping my card, walking up the gangway, strolling down the long corridor to my room, falling asleep to the soft rocking and sound of the engine, eating pasta and potato’s with all of the great people who make up A.B.A, smuggling fruit out of the dining halls...  I will miss pre-ports, the excitement of first exploring the streets of a new country, getting lost, trying new foods… I will just have all of the memories that have been created while on the MV Explorer with SAS.

Okay – sorry to get off track. Back to our last night… we enjoyed a late dinner (at a little past midnight), at a small outside café not far from our hotel. It was too late to make pizzas, so I settled for Spaghetti Bolognaise (my first non-Moroccan meal since we debarked the ship in Casablanca). It was delicious… in addition to the dessert! I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed banana splits until I stole some of Lindsay and Anthony’s. YUM – definitely making those when I get home. Still wired and not yet ready for bed (even though I was going on little sleep) – I chose to stay out with Rachael, Ant, Lindsay, Eric and Lauren. We headed to a near by bar to sit outside and further enjoy each other’s company on our last night out. I tried some Moroccan wine. It was good.

I awoke the last morning (the last one in a port!) by the sound of the maid attempting to enter the room. Having still an hour until all of SAS had to meet in the lobby, I casually got up and started getting my things together. As I was making sure I had everything… I realized my camera was nowhere in sight! I could have sworn it had been in my backpack, but after going through it 3 times… there was definitely no camera. I started to frantically search the room, tearing the comforter and sheets off of the bed. I thought my camera was stolen! I didn’t even care that much about the camera… but I kept thinking of all of the pictures I had taken… those were irreplaceable! I didn’t know what to do… and I began to cry. I thought it was worth a try to speak to the front desk, so I attempted that. As I was sobbing, the manager was actually very helpful and he began trying to get a printout of all the times my room door was opened – that way, if I had been out of the room and it was opened – I would know someone swiped it. After sitting in the lobby waiting for the staff to do that, I remained sobbing. Then… Anthony came bolting in the room… with my camera! He found it in Kate’s room… and it still remains a mystery how it got there. I am so happy it was found!

With everything in tact… passport, money (thank you money belt!), camera (thank you Ant!) and backpack, I boarded Omar’s minibus one last time, and back to Casablanca we went. About a 4 and ½ hour drive, we returned home to the MV Explorer about 90 minutes before on-ship time. After waiting in the long line to get our bags checked, I walked up the gangway and swiped my card one last time. Unless…an alumni cruise awaits in the near future!

Some info:

The currency of Morocco is the Durham – with the exchange rate being about 7.95 Durham to every dollar. Not to bad. They have two official languages – French and Arabic. I was quite excited to finally be able to try and use some of my limited language skills. However, I let myself down, and found that I didn’t try as much as I should have. I did attempt to converse with an unfriendly taxi driver, however. All in all, I found myself speaking much more English. I fear I have lost much of what I once knew. Maybe I’ll visit Paris soon, and have a chance to work on it?!

Some thoughts:

Although I feel like we spent the majority of our time in Morocco on a bus, the scenery was breathtaking and we were able to see more of the country. I picture the land closely resembling parts of Arizona, and know Aunt Michelle would love it. The architecture of the buildings and mud houses of the Berbers in the Atlas Mountains are like nothing I’ve seen before. I do however wish I could have enjoyed Morocco to the max, instead of being stressed from the drive. I am so glad that that drive is over, and I never have to do it again. It was worse than any of the previous drives we encountered in the other countries, as our driver sped around windy turns while following a road that hugged the side of steep cliffs. Many people took motion-sickness medicine, as the constant switchbacks were hard on the stomach. I was even feeling it.

Moroccan food was delicious. I tried many more dishes than I have in any of the previous ports… and ate I don’t even know how much bread! Even though I am a fan of American food, I was satisfied with the SAS trip in how every meal they provided was traditional. And it was cool how the meals were served – each table took from the large plates the waiters brought over in ceramic cooking dishes with gorgeous tops. It was always a surprise when they removed the cover!

Morocco is quite different from Egypt: The architecture, amount of people, atmosphere, history… they are almost night and day. I expected Morocco to appear worse than Egypt in terms of their standard of living and economic status, but that was not the case from what I could see. They had organized traffic, less people, less trash, newer buildings… very unlike Egypt.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” – Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) from Casablanca – A now favorite quote of mine, I think it stands true for many of the great people I have met on this unbelievable voyage. I cannot believe that Morocco was our last port…

I will see everyone home soon… I love and miss everyone, and cannot wait for our reunion!
XOXO
Erika