a moroccan adventure.

to say the least. camel rides, surfing, and orange juice oh my.
my adventure started with a three am wake up call and off to the bus the bus station. the traveling day consisted of a one hour bus ride to pisa, a three hour flight to marrakesh, a short crazy taxi ride to the bus station followed by a three hour bus ride to agadir and about a twenty mintue van ride to tagazhout. BAM we were in africa. not quite knowing what to expect or how the weekend would be structured, i went into the weekend with an open mind and a mentality of being submerged into a culture very different from that of italy's. i was aware of the muslim religion that occupied the majority of the country and throughout the trip i did my best to respect its practices. a cultural difference i found fascinating was the five times a day calls to prayer. abruptly and loudly the singing voice would alert citizens to pray. during the call to prayer i observed individuals facing towards the east, toward mecca, while sitting on their knees in prayer. i mainly witnessed these prayer rituals while shopping in the market of agadir. there was a huge outdoor and indoor market selling everything from fresh fruit smoothies and food to jewelry and clothing. you can pretty much find and quintessential items you need there. being the tourist that i was i got a hena tatto or a tatwash as it was called in morocco. it extended from my index finger all the way up to my forearm. while in the town of agadir i was also fortunate enough to have been part of a very traditional hammam experience.

one of the reasons for my trip to morocco besides being able to check off, 'going to africa' from my bucket list was to learn to surf. and surf i did! going into the trip with zero surf experience whatsoever needless to say i was slightly intimidated. we rode from the surf riad where we were staying to the beach in a sweet old land rover discovery with our surf boards strapped on top. as our lessons began on the sand, little did we know we were being instructed by some of the best surfers in morocco. our instructor, zu has the title of the best surfer in morocco from the 2007 competition. zu and monir were very patient with us and excellent teachers. so great in fact that that jacqueline and i both stood up on our first day! granted this was after many many failed attempts, and considerable amount of salt water consumed, and a very sore body. but we did it nonetheless. through spurts of frustration and failure we did not give up considering we had only three days to conquer this art. we had to take full advantage of every good wave. we were even motivated enough to get up at six am to go sunrise surfing with our new friends from france, nicola and pierre. i have to say sunrise surfing was one of my favorite parts of the trip. it was just so peaceful. although hard to explain, i think i may understand a small piece of the true passion behind most surfer's dedication. the feeling of accomplishment after catching a wave was remarkable. i was high on life and fresh moroccan salt water.

after a hard day of surfing, we had a scheduled camel ride on the beach. this was a exciting experience, and what else would one do in morocco but ride camels? they are much higher up than they look and a lot harder to hold onto than it appears. after our camel riding experience one of our instructors monir took us up to the little town of tagazhout. we had our own private tour guide for the afternoon. he took us off the beaten path to see amazing views and quaint markets.

another one of my favorite pats about this adventure was all the different cultures i was exposed to. at the surf riad we stayed at our meals were all included. for breakfasts we sat in the courtyard before we headed off to surf for the day. i looked forward to the dinners each night we were there. everyone staying in the riad sat together in a room downstairs from the courtyard. there was no ordering involved, it was a wonderful surprise each night what we would be served and whether i would like it or not. come to realize, i loved everything that was served. we we privileged to have traditional moroccan food including, cos-cos, tabbouleh, tagime, lamb, and there was always dessert. the freshest fruit i have ever tasted occupied my mouth each night for dessert. we had sliced strawberries soaked in orange juice, orange slices sprinkled with cinnamon, and platters abundant with fresh fruit. i was also introduced to the well-known morrocan mint tea. it was served always after dessert. a sweet mixture of green tea and a honey taste although delicious, it was hard to drink more than a small glass. aside from the food, the company we were eating with nearly as entertaining and enjoyable as the food itself. we sat with our new french surfing partners. we exchanged laughter, stories, and cultural differences. nicola and pierre are both gym teachers from the south of france on holiday in morocco. out last night in tagazhout we sat at a large table with a couple from norway, nicola and pierre, and two young women and a man from spain. there was so many different traditions, practices, and languages represented at dinner than evening, luckily for us english was the common language used to communicate. looking around i observed that although we were all from different backgrounds and nationalities, we were all brought together over a the commonality of enjoying a lovely meal. it was beautiful in its essence and an experience i will never forget.

after three days in tagazhout we headed back to marrackech for two more days. we were dropped off by the taxi and pointed in the general of direction of where our next hostel was. we had the name and the address but we may as well have just closed our eyes and tried to find it. we walked slowly though the busy market streets with motorbikes zooming past us. as if we didnt stick out enough already, just being american, our confused and overwhelmed expressions along with our suitcases in tow did not help us any more. through  alley ways, narrow streets, and sharp corners we finally found it with the immense assistance of a young man who led us right to the door of our hostel. once inside it was like a totally different atmosphere than the outside world which we had just come from. it was like a palace- maybe jasmin's in another life. staircases led up to rooftop terraces, hidden rooms, lounging areas with day beds, and stained glass and metal doors. this was by far the nicest hostel i have stayed in among my traveling experiences. our beds were covered by drapery forming a little tent above our heads. venturing out into the city of marrackech accompanied by some other americans we met staying in the hostel the night life was fascinating. the large plaza was filled with people listening to story tellers, cobras tamed by the music of a flute, monkeys wearing little jackets, open food markets, and most importantly orange juice stands! i do not hesitate to say that it may have been the best orange juice that has ever met my lips. they squeezed it right before you and gave you a glass for you to enjoy in front of the stand. and the best part was that it only cost four durham, which is converted to about five euro cents. this trip held so many new adventures, new friends, and memories to last a life time. leaving morocco i was missing it a little bit once i got back to italy. life is lived so simply there. pure beauties are all around you and adventure is at your fingertips.