Morocco, Part II

Sorry again for the long lack of an update... or completion of the prior one.

I would say that the second part of our trip was somewhat less exciting, but that's mainly because practically nothing can top the experience in the desert.

We took a long bus ride to Marrakech, where we were to stay for the remainder of the trip. We got there and found our hotel to be awfully nice -- much more up to western standards than the ones we stayed in outside the city. There was more touring around the city, going to various historically-relevant places, and then hitting up the GIGANTIC market in the center of town. There are literally thousands of booths there, most of which sell touristy-type items (that is, things catered specifically to Europeans who come -- obviously not intended for consumption by other Moroccans). Here are some pictures from there:



I went to the market on a couple of occasions, and found a few nice gifts (that means you, family!) The thing about Moroccan commerce, though (like that of many countries in this region, I imagine) is that in any place besides like a restaurant or a grocery store, it's all based on haggling. There's nobody who doesn't play the haggling game, and they all play it well. Essentially the way it works is that every time you express interest in something, the person at the store will give you a price that is usually about 4 times as much as the thing was bought for. You then make a disappointed face and say, "oh, no it's too much" and then they say "ok you want - I make you good price" and you proceed to say "oh, no it's just it's too much, I can't" and they say "no, you tell me what price you pay." You then name a price that seems close to reasonable, or maybe a little bit under it, and the store owner then proceeds to make an exasperated face. "___?! You think this is a joke?! Is worth much more!" And you can probably imagine how it goes from there. Sometimes, this can be fun. Other times it can be irritating -- especially when you see something you like and you just want to buy it. Other times, they can get really pushy. Regardless, if you want to buy, you have to play the game.

Another thing about Moroccans that impressed me is their linguistic dexterity. That is to say, especially amongst those who are trying to sell things, most Moroccans speak bits of at least 5 languages -- Berber, Arabic, French, English and Spanish. They might not be fluent in English and Spanish, but they speak well enough to communicate with you. Berber, Arabic and French they speak perfectly. I think Moroccans are especially famous for this around the globe.

While in Marrakech, we took a day trip to the not-too-far-away costal town of Essaouira, where Jason, Eli and I spent half of the afternoon building this really cool sand castle/sculpture:



We then stood and defied nature as the tide quickly rose, besieging our monument to man's ability to create.



It was a slow and arduous ordeal -- our fortress withstood many an aquatic bombardment, but once the outer walls were breached it was downhill from there:



And soon enough, it was all over. Nature had played her course, and once again had emerged victorious over the exploits of man.



After that, it was one more day spent in Marrakech, going back to the market, taking it easy, eating at McDonald's because it was the only restaurant nearby that we knew we could trust not to give us an intestinal infection (which is ironic, because in the states McDonald's is probably the restaurant I trust LEAST not to make me sick). Then it was on a plane, and back to Spain.. It felt very strange to feel like I had gotten "home" when I came back here... everything seemed so normal and comfortable - not at all foreign or exotic by comparison with the week I spent in a third world African country.