Morocco

Morocco- I was told “It is where the sun sets two times bigger than in Spain.” Also described as “Morocco's reigning monarch, King Hassan II, likens his country to a desert palm: rooted in Africa, watered by Islam and rustled by the winds of Europe.” Such a poetic description for a place which can appear mystical, magical and forbidding all at once; the adventure begins!
     First stop, camel rides; we were all given the chance to ride a lovely smelling camel for just a small price of one euro. I couldn’t do it, not because the camels weren’t aromatically fresh but because I thought it was in some way abusive. I mean three bus loads of people, maybe 40 people per bus, all stopping to ride the camel. There were only three camels and believe me those camels were wishing we’d all just go away. You could see within their body gestures that they were tired of all the up and down, round and round, these camel rides were putting them through. Instead I found joy in snapping a few pictures of a near by mother and baby camel.
      My mission was to buy some fabric while in Morocco but unfortunately the city that we visited (Tetuan) didn’t have it available. From what was explained to us, the fabric is bought elsewhere and only brought to Tetuan to make the clothing.
     We did have the opportunity to visit a place where rugs were sold. We were given a nice little show of all the different rugs produced by the Berber farmers. Flame-red, burgundy, vivid yellow, deep greens, brown, and black made in a variety of styles. Definitely makes you aware of Berber craftsmanship. We also had it explained to us the process of making rugs and how one rug make take more than a year to complete. I did manage to splurge a little and buy a handcrafted table cloth or what I would consider a tapestry…..too expensive for a table cloth if you ask me. But to get the price you want...you must haggle.
     During our adventure we had the opportunity to have one in our group to be dressed up like the Berber farmers. Their dress was very colorful, modest, and made from several layers of clothing. We were asked not to take any photos of the Berber women as they were not pleased with it. From what I understand it was because they feel they may end up on some post card somewhere or that even some believe it may take part of their soul.
   We were guided around narrow city passages to another shop or pharmacy so to speak and given a demonstration of different herbs and their functions. This shop was filled with large jars surrounding the entire room filled with all kinds of plants and herbs that do almost everything our modern medicines do.  

   As the adventure in Morocco continued, which led us to dinner at a traditional Moroccan restaurant, we were served couscous, shish kabob, and mint tea. I can only describe the green tea as being laced with lots of sugar and fresh spearmint. The result brew is a minty syrupy-sweet taste which isn't for everyone.
All through out our visit in Morocco, we were exposed to Spanish, Jewish and Arab influences combined with the native Berbers to create the cultural stew which is best described as the spice of Morocco.