It is HOT, okay! day 3-Ourika Valley

On the third day of our trip, we adventured into Ourika Valley. We hired a 20-passenger van to drive us there (1.5 hours each way and stay and wait for us while we climbed the mountain). It was an all day deal which cost us about $15 per person to put some prices into perspective. The journey there was absolutely beautiful and our driver stopped along the way for us to take pictures, see how argan oil is made and eat lunch.

 Charlotte, me, Natalie, & Carolyn

 I LOVE camels!

 Moroccan women making argan oil

This is where we ate lunch. And yes, we did cross that bridge & no, I did not trust it. 

After we arrived to Ourika valley, a man instantly approached our van and asked to be our tour guide for 500 Dirham, so like $5. Carolyn had read blogs about seeing the '7 waterfalls' at the Ourika Valley and told us that we did not even need a tour guide as it was just a trail. So we then got the man to agree to 300 Dirham= $3 per person. Looking back, I cannot remember our guides name but he saved all of our lives and we paid him more than $3 each. 

 Starting the journey off! this is when we still thought it was a simple trail. 

 This is when the trek got interesting. We had to pay this man 20 Dirham to climb his ladder. Total Oregan Trail move. 

 View along the way. We still went up but you can see the small town we came from in distance.

Family Photo!

Tajine Tajine & More Tajine!

Well I have not written in a while due to finishing classes, my dissertation proposal, my parents coming to England, AND going to Marrakech, Morocco!!! Last Monday @ 3:40 am, my adventures began as Charlotte, Natalie and I trekked it to the airport. At the airport, we met our fellow Moroccan travelers including Carolyn, her 2 American friends, her boyfriend and his friend. And from this post you will see that it was truly a party of a group!

After arriving to Marrakech, we were escorted to our Riad in town. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house or more like palace with a garden in the middle. While it was Africa, I am pretty sure that I am experiencing more culture shock returning to my tiny flat where I have to cook myself meals and can't eat them on the roof.

 Our room. With the lovely Nat

 view from the roof looking down

our living room. We never sat here but it was pretty

At our riad, we had a cook, a maid, and a full-time anything-we-needed guy. He was so nice and always walking us to the cash machine or the supermarket and helping with calling taxis and speaking to locals. Arabic and French are the languages spoken so luckily we had some French studiers with us as I was no help with my spanish.

Traditional Moroccan food is meat and veggies cooked in a tajine or a clay slow-cooker. We are now experts in Moroccan food. And by that we ate it until we got sick. Literally. Remember, Morocco is still in Africa. 

 First- The 'salad'. Or just cold vegetables

 The Tajine!

The reveling of the tajine! always very exciting. Beef, Chicken, Goat...we experienced a variety

The markets or souks were also a highlight of our trip with natives and pushy sellers trying to ask ridiculously high prices and then working their way down to sometimes the equivalent of $1. 

 Shoes, shoes & More shoes. Marrakech was actually the place of the filming for Sex&theCity2 and I met the shoe seller who sold Carrie her pair. 

 Beautifully dyed scarfs hanging in the slums

 Carolyn & Michelle with their Coke

Carolyn LOVED the snakes. And after taking this photo, the man wanted 300 Dirham (Moroccan currency) but I worked him down to 20 after threatening to just erase all of them! 

More to come! this was just day 1&2...........