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

"Not all those who wander are lost." J.R.R.Tolkien