(Post #16) Mo'rockin my way around!

(Monday, April 25th) Good morning from a nice and sunny day in Seville. I spent the morning

running errands, getting a PCR test for Morocco, and then in the afternoon I brought my host family’s two dogs to the park because my friends wanted to meet them. At the park, we hung out and let Bimba, the 8-month-old French Bulldog puppy, socialize with lots of new friends. She is one of the craziest puppies so to see her so finally worn out that she fell asleep next to a speaker playing loud music, that was a win.

(Tuesday, April 26th) Tuesday was a day of exams and presentations, but they went well! I was really tired because I am fighting off a little bit of a cold, so I slept early. I did make sure to buy one of my professors a piece of cake though since it was her birthday!

(Wednesday, April 27th) And the Moroccan adventures begin nice and early! I had to get up at 2:45 to catch an uber and head to the airport for our Moroccan flight, and let me tell ya- I was a littleee tired. The flight was only an hour but since Morocco is south but weirdly two hours behind, we arrived at 5:30am. After arriving, Asia and I went to her friend’s house in Rabat where we would be staying, and we took a nap. When waking up, we walked around town a little bit and I really wanted a kebab, but most of the meat shops were closed since it is Ramadan (in a predominately muslim country) and most restaurants were not open. We did get some sweets though and I was able to try those which was yummy.

Asia and I then rested some more before going out to look around the city with her friend Nisserine. We walked by the ocean and went shopping. Morocco is funny because it is the land of fake name brand things so you can see many (still real leather) purses and such from “Michael Kors” and “Prada” for a very discounted price, especially since we can also bargain.

We then headed to a very delicious restaurant to get some Moroccan/Syrian food of dates (to break the Ramadan fast), hummus and falafel, and then Shawarma which is similar to a kebab. For dessert, we got baklava and traditional sweets and they were sooo good.

Some of the culture shock from being in a Muslim country included hearing the call to prayer be blasted through the speakers 5 times a day, and then although our food came before sunset- we waited to eat until evening prayer because we wanted Nisserine to be able to eat with us. I cannot imagine fasting all day but they do it!

(Thursday, April 28th) On this morning in Rabat, we did a little shopping and I really enjoyed it. Beauty products and oils are natural and cheaper here, so I got freshly pressed argan oil, collagen oil, vitamin E, a traditional hammam hand scrub to use like a loofa, and then some liptstick. I also got some rings and bracelets for gifts. Everything was around 25 or 30 euros which is really good.

We next walked around the Hassan Tower before going to the Marina and eating lunch on the water. It was yummy, but then Asia and I had to get our stuff and head to the train station for Marrakech. The train cars there were 8 people per one box and then you are staring at the people across from you which is interesting. The views were great though and the train workers also gave everyone dates and water to break the fast at sunset. We then arrived in Marrakech around 8 and it was very dark outside since they are 2 hours behind Spain. Our taxi driver was very animated and even flipped off another taxi which was amusing. We got to our hotel, had welcome tea on their rooftop terrace (I LOVE their tea) and then we headed to bed because we had a busy day the next day.

(Friday, April 29th) Good morning from the crazy, bustling Marrakech. Asia and I did a 3-hour tour around the city, and we met some friends on the tour from Singapore and the United Sattes. We all decided to get lunch and head to the Bahia Palace. As we were trying to get to the Palace, three random local guys said like “ohhh it’s closed due to Ramadan prayers, you should go to the Jewish Quarter and shop instead.” We believed the first dude but then realized they all were standing outside random doors that look like the Palace entrance to confuse clueless tourists to go shopping at their markets instead.

After the palace, Asia and I headed to a hotel to get picked up for our evening excursion. My email said 4:30, but I am glad we went early because the driver was there at 4. I did not have service so I did not see the text about getting there at 4 from the organizer until 4:05, so the van did drive away, but luckily it came back. We drove an hour to the Agafay desert, and then we rode camels around. We got some traditional dresswear and then went on a 30 minute ride with the cute camels before heading back. We then made our way to a desert resort where we spent the night watching the sunset and eating a traditional dinner of Tajine and stew. The men running the tour played lots of instruments and sang for our which was a really cool experience. We then had a bonfire before heading back to Marrakech and arriving around midnight. We were all exhuasted so it was not a late night after that.

(Saturday, April 30th) On our last morning, Asia and I enjoyed one more breakfast on the rooftop before going to catch our flight back to Seville. We had the hour-long flight and then made our way back into the city around 4pm. I got a headache from being congested on the flight with the pressure change, and although it had me down for a little bit- I could not miss the start of Seville’s famous feria!

Oh by the way, today began the start of the famous fair in Seville. The fair is at the end of the street I live on, so when looking out my balcony, I can see so many people heading in the direction of the fair. At around 11:30, I headed to go watch the fair light up at midnight- especially the big door/gate (La Portada) light up and although I did not get extremely close because of all the people- it was spectacular. I found my Spanish sister Alicia and then some other friends and we made our way into a Caseta. The fair is built up of 1,000 casetas/tents that are huge. You normally need to know someone to get inside, and luckily Alicia was able to get us in. We hung out there before walking to the amusement park/games and ending the night in one of the streets. It was a great night- I just can’t believe this all happens for a week straight! So so fun and crazy.