Part V- "So THIS is Morocco!"

'So much to buy- so little time...' Such was our motto for our stay in Marrakesh. While there is lots of history, and beautiful things to see, clearly the main attraction is the opportunity to purchase beautiful and exotic items at low, low prices (assuming you have some bargaining skills, of course). I actually kept wishing my mother was there with me, because while I feel my skills have greatly improved over the years, Mom has this way of getting people to fight over giving her their wares at less than cost. Amazing.

We generally took turns in buying, but accumulated lamps, chess sets, paintings, fabric, bed coverings and all sorts of clothing. In between, we took breaks to eat and see some of the sights. Marrakesh is an huge market which draws shoppers from around the world, but the history and architecture is just as impressive. We toured many of the historical buildings and areas, but one of our favorites were the gardens of Yves Saint Laurent. Open to the public, they are perfectly designed, immaculately kept and bursting with color.

We decided one day that a trip to Morocco would not be complete without a visit to the desert. After all, that's what comes to mind when you think of the country- sand and camels. Deema had brought several guidebooks which suggested Ouarzazate and old articles I had from Condé Nast Traveler recommended the village of Ait Bennhaddou. Our lovely hosts at the Riad arranged a driver for us and we were off on our big adventure. The drive down was beautiful as we passed by and through part of the large Atlas mountain chain. The road was long and winding, which, had I not been in the front seat with my window opened, I would've been sick. Several times we came across beautiful vistas that we couldn't help ourselves but get out and take some pictures (plus one of us, who shall remain nameless was indeed car-sick). We arrived at Ait Bennhaddou by walking through another small village. The village has been used in a number of movies due to its unique and fascinating character, but people still live there. The village is made entirely of mud and straw with the bricks smoothed over so that they look like red sand castles stacked on a hill. We walked around the village and walked up to the top of the hill- it was very cool and a truly unique and transporting experience. It was unfortunately obvious that we weren't the first tourists there. Around many corners lurked artisans ready to push their wares, and two adorable young schoolgirls I asked to take pictures of demanded money upon taking them. Cuteness does get you what you want sometimes...

After, we continued to Ouarzazate, which was actually a bit dissappointing. It turned out to be really just a launching area for excursions into the desert, but not a real desert town itself. We had lunch and headed back. On the way, we stopped at the large movie studio that has been built by Hollywood and contains its own little hotel and restaurant for the stars. When we were there, they were filming several movies including "Alexander the Great" and "Sahara" (with Penelope Cruz) -sadly they didn't pick me up as an extra, and I didn't see the stars themselves. At that point we were tired and wanted to get back to Marrakesh before dark.

We had some fantastic meals, and did splurge several times for the whole experience- coming back to our rooms about to burst. One thing we had to agree on- if you go hungry, its your own fault. One of my favorite things was the orange juice guys. There's a row in the grand square of guys who just squeeze and sell juice. Its basically all the same quality and the same price. So, when you walk by, they do their best to get you to drink their juice. At only a quarter a glass (you have to drink it in front of them so you can return the glass), its fun and delicious! The last night, Deema and I decided that it was ok to eat something other than Moroccan cuisine, so we went to a very upscale Italian restaurant where the well-heeled expats were hanging out. We took a table by the pool (complete with floating candles) and I had a delicious steak that I haven't been able to get in a while... They also had fresh buffalo mozzerella- quite a mystery how they achieved that one...

Finally, it was time to part. Our bags were overflowing and our stomachs had expanded (I gained about ten pounds in the just over two week experience). We said our goodbyes to the wonderful owner and staff of the Riad- they had taken such good care of us- and took off. We had gotten plane tickets from Cassablanca, so we loaded ourselves on the train and took the scenic three hour ride. Morocco is truly a beautiful country, and I was sad to leave. I did do a good job of filling up my camera, so I'll have the memories for years to come.

We arrived in Madrid in the late evening and by pure luck was able to check in my bags for the next morning's flight back to Equatorial Guinea. This also helped Deema, who was not so lucky. We went back to the hotel where we had started, since it was near the stores I wanted to hit in the morning. We took one last late-night walk around the city (the palace and cathedral at night are gorgeous!), and went to sleep.

We woke up and started checking items off the list of things I had to get to bring back -gifts for friends and food and clothes for myself. We started out the day at Dunkin Donuts with a Boston Creme. I almost cried it was so good. We got the computer stuff I needed for the bank and my camera and a pair of Dockers (who says American corporate imperialism is bad?). At that point, we had to leave for the airport so Deema could make her flight, which was four hours before mine. We got there and Deema, who is Platinum on the airline she was flying, was pulled for security. Then she was taken into a room where they questioned her and made her unpack every item out of every bag and explain them for over a half-hour. Meanwhile, I was forced to stay outside, not knowing what was going on. It was a bit traumatic for her, and not the best way to end a vacation.

After Deema went through security, I went to complete my buying mission. I asked around and discovered that a Carrefour was only two subway stops away, so I headed there. It was quite an overwhelming experience, even after getting used to "western culture" for a while. It was essentially a huge Super Wal-Mart with three floors the size of city blocks full of things to buy- Food, electronics, clothes, housewares -everything. It was a phenomenal exercise in self-restraint not to just load up my cart- since I knew everything I bought had to be carried on-board the plane. Only essential items- so I constrained myself to only a couple pairs of pants, a pair of shoes, some chorizo, olive oil and a load of sauce mixes. It wasn't easy, but it was kinda fun.

The flight back to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea was mostly uneventful until we arrived. I had a problem which I wasn't sure how to deal with. My flight arrived around midnight and the flight to Douala was at 9am the next morning. Since I had been lucky on the way over and didn't stay overnight, I still didn't know the town and wasn't too keen on exploring it looking for a vacant hotel room at midnight. So, I talked to pretty much everyone of any power at the airport and asked them if I could just pass the night in the airport lobby- being a new airport and air-conditioned, I figured it couldn't be too bad. After much discussion, security took my passport and let me stay. I guess they figured it would act as insurance. As it turned out, there were two couples who had the same idea, so we all spent the night on the chairs of the airport waiting lounge.

At last, I arrived back home- no more problem and no more stories...