Arabian Nights

My trek through Morocco marked the second time I've set foot in Africa. But the similarities between Morocco and Tanzania end at the continental level. Actually, I don't really consider this as my second time in Africa, but more my first time in the middle east. Culturally and architecturally, at least. It was an incredible trip, of course. Instead of rehashing the entire trip, I thought I'd just go through some of the highlights from the adventure.

Hands down, my highlight of the trip was our night on the edge of the Sahara desert. We only had one night and a morning there, but it was worth a two day bus ride. After yet another tasty Moroccan dinner (more on that later) we wandered out from lodging and into the dunes. It was dark already, so we hadn't really seen the dunes yet. We walked around a bit before the entire group settled down on top of a dune to enjoy the stars above us. We were (of course) in the middle of nowhere, so the starlit sky was stunningly bright. We even had a few shooting stars streak across the midnight sky. And, as if to put the finishing touches on an extraordinary night performance, the moon slowly rose over the Saharan horizon. Lying on a Saharan sand dune while basking in the pale moonlight has to be one of the most remarkable things I've ever experienced.

We didn't have much time to sleep, though. We were up and out of bed by 4:30am the following morning to catch the sunrise, as well. This time we trekked a little further into the desert, courtesy of our unusual friends. This is the first time I've met a camel face to face before and they are surprisingly large (unless you're Duncan, who managed to snag some sort of miniature camel/donkey hybrid). Once airborne, the ride was very easy (aside from the knobby saddle that made sitting comfortably more or less impossible). And the sunrise, while not as overwhelming as the moonrise, was another once-in-a-lifetime experience. And, since it wasn't pitch black out, I managed to get a few pictures, as well (this one is my personal favorite). The camel ride back under the early morning sun also created some cool camel shadows.

So in a span of just a few hours I saw both the moon and sun rise in the Sahara desert. That alone would have been worth our five days in a bus, fortunately there is other stuff to see in Morocco. Our other major stop was in Fes, one of the largest (and oldest) cities in Morocco. Previously, La Boquiria in Barcelona marked the apex in crazy local markets. It has absolutely nothing on the medina in Fes, though. Unlike Barcelona's solid square of stands, the market in Fes is just a single pediestrian road, meandering and winding some 2 miles through the heart of downtown. Our walk through the market included highlights like: watching a man slit a live chicken's throat, seeing another man tear the jaw off of a skinned camel head, and more meat hanging out than I could count. Salesmen tempted us with the finest Moroccan made shoes ("the Moroccan Nike's!" they told us). Sights, smells, and sounds assaulted every sense. But you couldn't let your head swivel too much, lest you be flattened by the occasional load bearing donkey, who's overloaded figure demanded a wide berth. I took a bunch of pictures as we hiked through the labyrinthine streets, trying to capture scene. But they were all garbage and I ended up deleting them all. So you'll have to use your imagination.

We also made a stop in Chefchauen, a small town who's claim to fame is it's uniformly blue buildings. Our guide said that the blue walls help keep mosquitoes away, but I suspect that the walls also make the city unique, driving a steady stream of tourists to this otherwise pedestrian destination. Regardless, the blue walls were distinctive and the town was a great stop. It was also our last stop before the border crossing at Tanger, meaning it was a chance for everyone to blow their remaining Moroccan currency. For me this meant a few overpriced postcards, M&Ms and a Kit Kat bar, and a huge bottle of water that I didn't really need. I tried spending a lot on my lunch too, but it's hard to do much monetary damage when your entire meal comes out to 39 Dirham (about 4 Euros).

Throughout our entire trip, though, one thing remained consistently (and surprisingly) good: the food. I am a starch addict, so things got off to a good start when I learned that bread is served at every meal. Lots and lots of bread. Granted, it's not the best bread I've ever had, but still. Any meal that involves an all-you-can-eat bread buffet is doing something very right. Aside from the bread, Moroccan meals include a lot of my favorite things: some combination of chicken (something that is sorely missing in Spain), couscous, and beef was present at pretty much every meal. Sadly, I was in full "avoid African water, fruit or vegetable" mode for the entire trip, so I didn't dare try any of the salad options. But it was still a welcome break from Spanish cuisine.