retard 30 mn

So this past weekend WE WENT TO THE SAHARA!! It was probably the longest weekend of my life. I'll go on and break up these entries into smaller sections.

11/5/09
MEKNES

Thursday night we all met at the train station where our plan was to take a train to Meknes then a bus overnight to Rassani where our guide for camel trekking would meet us and take us to the desert.

But of course, it didn't work out that way. While still in Rabat we found out that our connecting bus was already full...a minor glitch in our plans...So we did what we do best - improvise! We decided to head to Meknes, stay there the night, see some awesome Roman ruins Friday then take the night bus to Rassani Friday night (traveling at night is a very effective way to cut down on hotel costs). This would mean we would have to start our desert trip a day late, not allowing us to return to Rabat until Monday night. Many calls were placed to many bosses and we were wished well on our way by them all! So the train to Meknes comes...."Retard 30 mn" and it is so packed that despite running back and forth down the platform we can't even find spots on the train. We find out that there is another train in about an hour, so like good Americans we go to McDonalds in the mean time(Ok, so only half of us are American and they added this weird sauce to everything...but still). Our second train was only "Retard 25 mn" but it was still packed and we had to stand for most of the trip.

Our hotel in Meknes was very nice - toilet, toilet paper, soap, and shower with curtain included! For only 125 Dh, about $16...in case you haven't noticed or I haven't made it clear by now, showers and toilets are not always guaranteed, let alone toilet paper and soap...SOAP! We basically crashed as soon as we got there, woke up and enjoyed the standard Moroccan breakfast of bread, confiture, butter, and coffee/tea. I never thought I would say this...but if I never see bread again in my life I'll be fine.

We then set out to see about getting ourselved out to Volubilis, the ancient Roman ruins just outside Meknes. The enormous site has tons of really beautiful mosaics and gorgeous arches which once framed entryways into the powerful walls of the city. There is enough remaining to give an impression of how the complete structure may have looked when it was new. In some places navigating the ruins seemed difficult and labrynthine, but in other spots the pathways opened into huge "streets" which led from one large arch to another. Like most, I love imagining all the lives that came and went there, all the people who may or may have not imagined what might've come of their homes after their deaths. Most importantly, I met a Donkey and pet his ears.

After roaming around for a little over an hour we returned to our taxi and went to Moulay Idriss for lunch. Moulay Idriss is a small town on the side of a mountain. Life operates at such a different pace in the villages here and, while I am treated as an outsider, I can see how the people function together. Citizens here often give to the poor, help the elderly and the blind reach their destinations, and generally aid their neighbors in any endeavors necessary. It's a shame they don't view us the same way...nutritious food for thought. Oh, and I met another Donkey, only this time he was on the job rather than grazing.

We then crammed back in our taxis and headed back to Meknes where we had quite a while to wait for our bus. Several of us ducked into a bar, of which there were surprisingly many. This particular bar offered the most colorful population of bar folk I have yet seen in Morocco, mainly because there actually were many many prostitutes inside...and for a while we really weren't sure if they were female or male. There were several ladies really working it (we even spotted a red feather boa), and they seemed to be doing well for themselves. Something of note: bar food in Morocco includes olives, this nasty potato dish, and popcorn. I laugh every time.

After a very long wait and many snacks later we finally, FINALLY got on a bus (which was retard about 30 mn). And there we stayed...and attempted desperately and without success to sleep...for about 8 hours as the temperature dropped lower and lower...