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| Marakech,
Morocco |
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Rating:
 (4.5) (26 Votes)
Marakech, Morocco
August 26th, 2002
Pros:
Best Fresh Orange juice for 40 cents
Cons:
Not speaking French or Arabic
I would like to begin by suggesting that the lonely planet people
add a new paragraph to their lonely planet guides for morocco.
‘Dear Traveller so you have decided to travel to Morocco
: well congratulations;we at lonely planet suggest the following
before taking off, spend the previous 5 years learning French or
Arabic, now I do not mean learn a few words or something, you will
need to be completely fluent in either language to even get out
of the airport. Now unless you are like a Mr Cormack – that
has no idea how to speak either language, than we suggest that you
do your degree in drama acting and in charades, as that is only
the way you are going to be partly understood – you will not
get where you want to be but you will entertain the locals. love
from lonely planet.’
Yes that is right I am now in Morocco and having the hardest time
trying to understand anything!!! Now before I bore you to death
with adventures so far – lets go back a little while. Note
– excuse me as I am using a French Keyboard so it could be
a bit over the place…
On the plane to good old London town and to catchup with Jez, 12
hour flight sitting in the midde aisle with a Sth African on my
right who wanted to tell me the History of Sth Africa since 1412……
Got to Heathrow and as normal got lost several times and had to
let off my emergency beacon for the rescue people to come and find
me. The plan was to meet Jez after I checked through customs and
have a few beers – but with 200 million people trying to get
through customs this could take a while…. so I thought I would
try and cheat the system – by heading across to the first
class check through point. Bingo bango with a few smiles to the
young lady acting as the door bitch – I am through customs
in 12 mins. Yes 12 mins and I was the last off the plan –
one for the Australian, rest of world zero.
Caught up with Jez and what else to do when you have 6 hours on
your hands – is head to the pub. Was great to catch up and
by the end feeling quite tipsy… After paying a small fortune
in beer back at the airport to get my flight to Morocco. Now once
I found the terminal and checked the gate number I proceeded through
customs. Now me being a dickhead, for some reason I packed my pocket
knife in my hand luggage in Sth Africa – got through Sth Africa
airport but London would not have a bar of it – as the knife
was given tome by a mate I did not want it destroyed… so I
tried to find Jez to no avail so in a panic and plane to catch in
11 mins, I went to the ‘Special Needs’ counter and asked
them to put it in lost property and I can get someone to collect
it – no problems said the guy…. Ah ha ‘ Australia
2, rest of world zero… so through customs and heading to Gate
56 – they could have said gate 27,698 because I had to be
a Marathon runner to get there… now as my mind is all over
the place I have taken out the bag that contained my music discs
and guess what dickhead has left them behind at the airport and
guess what dickhead now has a minidisk player but no music…..
hmmm
Landing in Morocco at 7.30 and catching a train to Rabat where I
thought I would go and get some culture. This is exactly where the
French would have come in very frickn handy. If I hear once more
‘I speak noah Englisk’ I am going to scream! So on the
train after implementing charade number 234 of me acting like a
train and tooting in the air. I get my ticket. Sitting on the train
and this guy comes and starts talking French to me – looking
I look blankly and say I speaka noah English…blankly he smiles
and leaves. So feeling shitty that I have no knife and more worst
no music I started to read my book – he comes back and in
broken English we chat ‘ turns out that he is the train driver
and guess who got an invite to the drivers cabin and got to toot
the tooter. Yes I now know hello, goodye and thank you in French
and I now know how to drive a French train….. watch out world
‘ Australia 3 rest of world zero…. I think I entertained
him with my crap French and Arabic, not sure if he appreciated being
spat on each time I tried my Arabic tongue.
3 hours I am at Rabat and I have selected a hotel in the lonely
planet – but no taxi wants to take me because I cannot speak
their language. So it is about 10pm and I am walking the streets
trying to find a room – money is no object at the moment.
As I round the corner, it is like finding gold there is a hotel-prison.
I say prison because for 20 AUD I get basin, and bed. But I really
could not care…..
Next day great day ‘perfect weather, I stroll aimlessly around
the old medina walls. The Moroccan people are so friendly and will
smile at you all the time ‘- I give an uncomfortable ‘Are
you going to rob me or sell me something smile back to them’
– Rabat is a beautiful city it is like time has not changed
it, tiny alley streets, people dressed in traditional clothes and
to confirm my thoughts I am the only ‘Foreigner in the whole
of Rabat’.
As I am walking around I run into a man who speaks great English
and before I know (and before agreeing I now have a guide), we buy
some spices and vegetables and he takes me back to his place for
some traditional lunch. Now believe me I am in the mindset of trusting
people but a 15 min cab ride away from my hotel I started to have
second thoughts. But experience is all that it is about and this
will be a great experience when I am murdered in Morocco. All in
all it is good, we sit and talk and drink tea and cook the meal
which is amazing! He then asks me to stay the night – but
that is my signal to bail. Leave a nice tip and a taxi back. More
charades at the train station and I have a ticket to Marrakech –
the city of El Fna (Food Market) and snake charmers!!!
Meet an English couple on the train who spoke English and French
and it was an absolute pleasure to hold a normal conversation with
them. Will most likely catch up with them when they get to Marrakech
and head east to some waterfalls… will have to hire a car….
5 hours on the train (no driving this time) and I am in a taxi with
two local Moroccan guys in Marrakech, one who has spent 6 years
in the USA – so now I am set English chit chat and local chit
chat to get good prices. Last night headed into the food market
and what a sight. If anyone gets the opportunity to come to Morocco
get yourself to the Place El Fna it is a constant carnival and the
best Fresh Orange juice for 40 cents ‘ it is everywhere….
Food was great. Wondered around listening to music and watching
acrobats until 2am and then went back to our cell ooh I mean hotel
room, which we were quite lucky to get – if I was on my own
I would have been in trouble I think!!!
All in all life is good ‘ exhausting work this travel thing
but much better than the real work…. Must take off now and
try and learn a couple more French words – like water and
food would be handy!!! |
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