special price, just for you

so here's a well-kept secret for you: moroccan food is amazing. the chicken was so tender, i barely touched it and it fell right off the bone. and can we talk for a minute about the couscous? it was so perfectly seasoned with saffron--i don't think i can eat normal couscous ever again.

we took a bus down to the south of spain where we took a ferry to morocco. now, ferries aren't exactly smooth-sailing, and i walk like a drunk person on them. by the second half us girls had given up moving and decided to exchange massages and give each other french braides instead. works for me! we arrived to see what essentially still looked like the coasts in europe (shocking since they are on the same sea) and i instantly fell in love. there are so many colors and smells to tempt your senses. the market in tangiers was pretty awesome, but expensive. i was glad i didnt really have money with me because stuff was way overpriced. now, i know this is because you are supposed to barter (a lot) but i got the exact same things for 25 euro less in cheuan the next day. we did buy some pita and humus though, and it was incredible. plus the saleswoman saw four of us sharing one pita and gave us another for free! the hotel that night wasn't bad, aside from "george", my friend's suprise cockroach, and the less than clean shower. but the sunset was amazing!

the next morning a group of us got up to watch the sunrise at 6 am (you can't go out in morocco, and its much easier to get up early) and it was incredible. our hotel was on the beach so we watched the sun come up and slowly light the water. it was gorgeous.

and about camels: i totally rode one. for like a minute, but it was so cool! its unnerving when they stand and sit, because you can't quite tell when its coming. and suddenly they kneel and you are almost thrust forward over your camel's long neck. then they bend their back knees before you can regain your balance just asking you to topple over! i mean part of my problem is my famous uncoordination. but it was bad. i may or may not have let out a little scream. after riding the camels we continued on visit the cave of hercules. it was amazing becuase the caves are very dark and the opening looks out to the ocean. it looks like a keyhole and you are spying on the horizon. for a while it hurts your eyes to look at it because you are surrounded by darkness and the light is reflected off the water and streaming in through the gap. but at the same time, you can't stop looking at it.
That day we also visited tetuan, where we wandered around the city with a tour guide. we also had body-guards that they didnt tell us about, but we all knew were there. i mean he didn't exactly "blend in". i loved how foreign it all was to me. the farmers (who we couldn't take pictures of without their permission--which i didn't get) wear these crazy white hats with tassels and maroon string. except when we were leaving this man kept trying to get onto our bus, which clearly wasn't public transportation, and the bus driver, as well as one of our program guides, had to tell him to go away. he was pretty determined to get on our bus.

speaking of busrides, the next morning we got up bright and early again, this time to head into the mountains for our last stop, cheuan. but somehow there were fewer seats this time around and 6 of us had to squish into the row of 5 seats in the very back. funny how that works out. cheuan was my favorite town. the markets were full of spices and dyes and brightly colored thread. our tour guide was this tiny old man with a raspy, yet loud, voice. the whitewashed walls with blue tiles and blue doors were just picturesque alongside the mountains. some guy offered 200 camels for me--i don't know if thats a lot, but hey its story. we also went to a weaver and saw these blankets they make with berber designs. they even had some actually made by berbers themselves. and because the berbers don't have a written language, they tell stories through design, so these blankets are all different and tell different stories! but, being a broke college kid, i clearly couldn't afford one. i did get a pillowcase at a nearby stall...

after lunch we all packed back into the bus to head back to the ferry. now remember the missing seats mystery? well it turns out these american women on our trip had decided they all wanted their own rows and had put their stuff in the seats next to them to make it look like they were occupied. after we started moving one of our girls went up to sit next to one so that everyone could in fact have her own seat, and the woman got all huffy! apparently a banana and bottle of water are more deserving of a seat than one of us. good to know.

so all around we had a fantastic weekend!

oh and if you see pictures of me looking like i'm sitting with a broken neck-thats me sleeping in public transportation. i'm suprisingly good at it, and will probably suffer from life-long neck problems because of it. but i'll be well rested!