Fez and on to Chefchaouen

Darren and I caught the night bus up from Essaouria up to Fez the night of the day we said goodbye to everyone. I slept supprisingly well, but it was probably more due to sheer exhaurstion from the festival than comfort. Poor Darren swapped seats with e so i wasnt bashed into by locals every 5 minutes, so i dont think he had quite such an easy ride.

Fez is a huge walled city, quite imposing from the outside and a complex tangle of alleyways through the gates. It was so hot we felt like we were being blasted with a blow dryer as we walked along with dust flying in the wind and sticking on to our sweaty faces. The Medina was interesting, if a little claustrophobic, so after spending the morning getting lost there, we decided to get loose ourselves in the new town instead. We were a little delirious by this point, and i couldnt help but laugh and the man who invited us to eat in his resterant and then ran off to get a sandwhich for us. Turns out they dont serve food, im not sure where the confusion arose. The walk home was a little sketchy as we'd left it until dark and didnt entirely know where we were going, but i wrapped Darren's scarf around my head to avoid attracting extra attention and we didnt really have any trouble at all.

The next day we headed back to the station in search of a bus to Chefchaouen. Unfortunately they were all booked (or something like that, we couldnt quite understand the problem), so we caught another bus to Ouazzane. It was pretty difficult to understand what was going on when i was looking for signs saying "Wazan", but it all became clear in the end. We waited here for an hour or two, drinking inordinate amounts of water and orange juice and chatting to a ozzie circus performer called Mitch. Finally our bus arrived and we bumbled in for another couple of hours of sweaty discomfort. Chefchaouen was definitely worth the journey though. The blue tinged buildings nestled into an impressive mountain scenery are a great escape from the hassle and bustle of the bigger cities.

Darren and I trecked up into the mountains yesterday and stumbled across a Cannibis farm. The farmer was lovely actually and brought us water before introducing us to his tiny daughter! There were goats stumbling around and we found a great tree to hide away from the sun under.

Today Darren has left me to travel up into Spain, but I seem never to be alone as I'm allready making new friends here on the roof. About 20 of us are sleeping up there for 40 diram a night (around 3 pounds 30p) to save money on accommodation. I think i'll stay for a few days.

xxx

Photos

OK well, im having some serious trouble rotating these, and i'm too lazy to re-upload, so you're going to have to deal with tilting your heads! Here's some photos for you anyway...

Starting with Marrakech

On our way to Ourika Vally

Back into Marrakech

Gnaou Festival in Essaouria 

On to Fez

Chefchaouen

Gnaoua Festival Essaouira

The past few days, ive been experiencing the finest of Africas music in the seaside town of Essaouira. Quite a big group of us who had met in Marrakech regrouped for the festival, so ive been partying with them every night. Safety in numbers has been quite useful as the festival attracts oppertunist pick pockets and some guy attempted to rip my bag off me on the first night. Other than that ive been having a fantastic time. Some of our friends are a bit older and have been treating us to the perks of a stable income. I dont really like to accept too many drinks, but they said they they would rather have us all with them and pay for everyone. Im not complaining anyway. The Gnaoua music has been incredibly fun to dance to, with the whole croud getting involved, dancing and singing along. I wished i could have understood what they were saying, but it sounded very soulful.

The group split up this morning and Darren and I continue to Fez alone. Ill try and keep you a little more updated.

xxx

Marrakech

 Hey everyone,


Sorry Ive been so silent for so long, im just having such a great time i dont have time to type. My days have been spent with a combination of crazy encounters, relaxing days and nights on the roof. My friend has been offered 100 camels for me, Ive climbed a mountain in flip flops and eaten all sorts of weird and wonderful food.


Today I am leaving Marrakech to go to a music festival on the beach, but i dont know how it could get any better than this.


Ill try and give you a better update when i have a chance.


xxx

First Impressions

Firstly, i appologise for crazy punctuation and spelling. This keyboard is INSANE!

Well, I think Im in love with Marrakech! I found my way her on public transport (the number 19 bus) and then by following the instructions my hostel gave me along with a little map. I was petty proud of myself actually. When I finally found number 40 of this unpronouncable street, i was greeted at the door by a friendly guy who shoowed me in and gave me some Moroccan tea. Within half an hour of chilling out on the cushions in the center of the riad* I was smoking the shisha pipe (done wory Mum, it just had lemon and orange in it!) and chatting to a couple of the other guests. Most bizzarely, there is a guy from my school staying here (Edgar Kennard for anyone who went to Hardyes), who i didnt recognise until he asked me if i was by any chance from Dorset in England. 

In the evening, I went out with an Irish guy and a Canadian girl in the search of food, something which is not a hard task in Marrakech. Back in the Djemaa el Fna**, I ordered some sot of chicken tagine which arrived in its red pottery pot. The meat was incredibly tender and tasty and i overcame my lack of appatite without too much trouble.

After dinner we wandered around the square avoiding snake charmers and monkeys on leads and generally taking in the atmophere before heading into the souks. Thier winding alleyways and archways, fringed with all manner of colouful shops and stalls, are a nightmare for anyone with a dodgy sence of direction, but thankfully our Irish friend had done a little exploring before and we were not lost forever. Im amazed at how decorative everything is here, its impossible to walk anywhere without wanting to get the camera out.

Ive not had too much trouble with the men o being hasseled yet and English seems to work for essential transactions, so life is looking up.

I cant sleep again, but thats nothing new!

Thanks for reading.

Katie xxx

* Wikapedia says- A riad (Arabic: رياض‎) is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. The word riad comes from the Arabian term for garden, "ryad".[1] The ancient Roman city of Volubilis provides a reference for the beginnings of riad architecture during the rule of the Idrisid Dynasty.[2] An important design concern was Islamic notions of privacy for women inside residential gardens.

**The main square and center of Marrakech. 

Hey everyone!

So yeah, Ive arrived safely without too much incident. Greeted by camels, monkeys on leads and quite a few snake charmers! Youll be happy to know ive made some friends allready and am going to explore more tomorrow.

Better news soon!

xxx

Packing... the age old question of what to take.

How does one prepare for conservative site-seeing in Morocco in the same bag as Spanish sunbathing? Full length skirts will be crumpled in my bag with little denim shorts. I'm going for as light as possible anyway and hope to ditch stuff along the way as I will undoubtedly buy my own bodyweight in colourful souvenirs and presents.

I am remarkably organised this time and have even purchased my self some travel insurance. My route on the other hand is very much up in the air, but hopefully that will leave me open to spontaneity.

In four days time...

xxx