Morocco
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2008
1
7
8
Trip End
Aug 2009
on thursday at 6:45am katie and i caught a bus to malaga to start my 6 weeks long adventure(although katie will be with me only for the first 2 countries). Once in malagawe walked through the town with our big backpacks down to the port to catch an 8 hour ferry to Melilla, A spanish province in Africa, right next to Morocco. I started wondering around the ship and came across a lounge area playing the Avalanche, Devils game and I couldn't believe it!! out of all the places in the world to randomly catch our home team playing their rival. I was really happy, and oh yeah, the AVs won!! anways once we got to Melilla, a co-worker of Katie's family friend came to meet us at the port and take us to the guest house where we are staying. We really didn't know what to expect. we were suppose to stay in the home of the friend of a friend of Katie's who is a man who does christain missionary work, and started a non profit hospital that runs through out Morocco, but he was out of town, and so he had his friend pick up us and take us to the church's guest house. we were blown away when we got here. it is a large, 4 bedroom apartment in the city of Melilla. and easy walk to wherever we want to go, with large bathrooms, kitchen, a t.v with a dvd player and a very good dvd collection, an impressive collections of all the classics that i have never seen. including the lord of the rings trilogy, as well as this macbook laptop i am using right now with internet and oh yeah, skype!! I can't even believe how blessed we are to be staying here.,we have the place all to ours!! we watched a movie and went to bed thursday night, i didn't even attempt to leave the house as I was pretty sick. I woke up friday morning feeling even worse than thursday night and it was extremely difficult to wake up let alone walk around. so we chilled around the house for a bit, and when i worked up the strong after a few cups of tea, we took off to see melilla. It is a very cool town right on the ocean, and the old part of town in gorgeous. as for the rest, i think it isn't that interesting as far as looks go. what gives it it's appeal is the fact that the community of people living here is so diverse. they say it broken up into 4 major religions, and they all co-exist peacefully. the people here speak berber, as well as spanish, since it is a spanish province. but in morocco they also speak french, and a little arabic. i doubt you could find anyone here who couldnt speak a little of more than a few languages. the lights in Melilla for christmas are beautiful and really made it feel christmasy(hanging along side the palm trees). The chesnuts roasting on an open fire helped to give the chrsitmas feel as well(and are delicious by the way!) today Steve, the family friend of katie's arrived and came over to give us the low-down on going into morocco. He was SOOO helpful. he took us to exchange our money and drew us a little map, told us hwo to cross the border and where to go. He drove us to the border (it proabably only would have been like a 15minute walk) and we crossed on foot. I would have to say this was definitely the most memorable part of the experience. walking in with the cars and the people and the smells, and the trash. it was definitely a unique experience. when we took a taxi into duram, because the border town was trashy. it wasa about a 15 minute taxi ride, with 4 people in the back seat and 2 in the front + the driver. and it cost .50 cents per person( about). once we got there we found a cafe that was out on stilts over the water and looked out over the ocean and the mountains, and a hill with something written in it in arabic(you know like SSHS SENIORS 2006, except for I have no idea what it said, since you know, i guess it takes more than just a day trip to morocco to learn bereber or( arabic, i'm not sure what language)). since it appears that i have already written an essay, i'll make it quick. we walked around, we ate moroccan food, we bought olives and figs from a 12 year boy who convineed us to buy some by handing us olives in his nasty, dirty hands. but we got 2 types of olives and some figs all for 1 euro(a steal, i think), and we did a little shopping(like 5euro worth), but i can't say what i got because it will ruin the surprise. I'll just say, i found rachel, the most perfect gift possible!! I had fun crossing back into spain. the border gaurds were friendly and we made some good jokes with them. we were told to walk up to them and hold up 2 fingers meaning we want to cards to fill out. so we did that and the guy said in a joking tone, 2? de que? que quiries?(of what, what do you want) i replied in a sad desperate(but joking) tone, quieremos pasar....A ESPANA!! (we want to pass through...TO SPAIN!!). i don't know why i told this story, it was way funny when we were there and all the border gaurds were laughing. the next one looked at the front page of my passport and asked if it was christofer columbus, i told him, i don't know, i think so. then he asked katie, i guess i wasn't convincing in my reply. she said no, george washington, and then we all had a good laugh at me(but to be honest, neither of us knew.) oh by the way, the border was mud puddle that we had to step over, and we defintely could have crossed without any one noticing. in fact we had to go back a second time to get the spanish to stamp our passports, because they didnt the first time, and apparently they wont let you on the boat back to spain without a stamp, so we headed back and asked for it. anyways, then we came back, sat down and watched the second lord of the rings(saw the first one last night) and ate our figs and olives for dinner that we had boughten earlier from the 12 year old. The church we are staying with gives their sermon in berber so we aren't going. instead they told us about a group of african refugees, about 100 from all over africa we meet with a puerto rican minister in english. so tomorrow, 100 african refugees, 1 puerto rican, and blanquisimo Katie and I, are going to have church together. sorry for the essay, I just had a lot to say I guess. Until next time(in Greece), have a merry christmas!!
Comments
Christmas
Oh my, I am dying to see what present you got me. I just mailed out your Christmas card today, so you should get it when you are back in Cadiz.