Morocco Update

Hello everyone,

Second upate since our departure a few days ago.... Things are still going great. Here's a recap of the past few days...

Tangier to Asilah

After updating the blog, Nikole, Jen & I met our Australian girlfriends from the youth hostel and made our way to a hammam. What could have been a few minutes' walk if you know where you are going took us a long while. We navigated through very small alleys full of people and stores, armed with our Lonely Planet guide, and still we needed to ask locals several times to find our way. We finally did, and were not diasappointed by what we found. We were warmly welcomed into a tiny house called a hammam, and changed into our bathing suits. Had we know that they would be taken off of our bodies in less time it took us to put them on, we would have not bothered! Anyways, a hammam is a traditional Moroccan bathhouse, and it is how people wash as there is generally not hot water anywhere else. The owner lady took great care of the 6 foreigner ladies in her establishment by giving us a intense but wonderful scrub down from head to toe (I have never seen this much dead-skin roll off my body!).

In the afternoon, we wandered around the streets of Tangier and came to really love this city we were dreading... The train took us to Asilah, a much quieter town along the coast, where we found a wonderful, wonderful hotel to take us or the night. The next morning was interesting, when trying to find breakfast, a restaurant server refused to serve us (we were 3 women & 1 man) and walked out on us! The rest of the day was way better and we strolled down the beaches and visited the medina (the old art of town).

Jen & I left for Casablanca in the afternoon while Nikole & Greg, a Polish guy we met in Tangier, stayed there for an extra night. Once we arrived in Casablanca, we understood why we were told it was not a great city. Our hotel was ok, but in a very shabby part of town. Today, we visited the Hassan II Mosque, apparently the only must-see in Casablanca, walked by the rich stretch of the city (ate McDonald's!), and left for Marrakech.

Marrakech is everything is has been told to be. It is clean, beautiful, busy, laid-back & eclectic. We are here for 3 days approximately and will be able to check emails regularly. We have found a great hotel with an amazing terrace, overlooking the main square and it promises to be great!

I was a bit overwhelmed by Tangier (I think the novelty of the thing), but have really started to settle in and am much more able to appreciate.

Love you,

Annik