CHAPTER TWO

Morocco.

So we have reached.
And we are still alive. But I feel so ashamed. Never I went on a trip so unprepared.
I have been moving from country to country for almost four weeks now therefore carrying the same suitcase. However I am in an Arabic country at the moment and I come with a fucking suitcase, have no idea where I am going to or what I will be doing. I didn't even Google up where Morocco is on the map, nor checked the weather. Since we are mainly going North and I expected Africa to be hot (!) I got shorts and bikinis with me. Ha Ha!
On the other hand it was more fun this way since I had no expectations at all.

As it always happens, after few days I just laughed at myself and carried on. I ended up trekking a mountain in snickers and a jhola bag. In the end it was not so bad since I destroyed most of my clothes anyway. But that is not important. Clothes are just things. You buy them, you use them, you throw them away. I can't believe we became so materialistic.
But you should have seen me; a funny look really.

Morocco is a very diverse country with a typical Arabic mentality, a hint of an African charm and typical Muslim business. People are more than hospitable, and indeed you can find so many educated individuals that you almost feel like back in the Europe. Streets are quite clean- comparing to my previous trip in India- you can even find public bins and I never had a problem finding any products in the shops. 

This was just an entrée!

At the beginning of our trip me and my cousin Danka traveled with two Moroccan boys. The first impression- and since it is the most important one- was more than good. At first I felt very safe and appreciated the level of Amine's English. His rasta hat was covering the thick dreadlocks, and his olive skin made me question whether he is really a Moroccan. He speaks French, is very open minded and welcoming although he has never traveled outside of the country. He is a religious man yet I didn't feel any clash between our believes. The other boy , Oussama, was a bit of a puzzle too me at first. He was very quiet; with his Spanish looks, shy eyes, and always trying to help us by carrying our bags, I didn't know what to think. He seemed not to mind when was left out of the conversation, yet tried to explain something about a place we were just visiting.

Boys took us to their families and just now we understood what a Moroccan hospitality means. Moroccans always eat something sweet before their late dinner. It is usually a melwi (very similar to a pancake), with marmalade, butter and honey. Of course, the sweet mint tea cannot be missing at the table. Since me and Danka had no idea about the 'entrée' and mistook it for an actual dinner, we stuffed ourselves and then had two dinners each time we ate with a family.
The dinner is usually served after 9pm, and if the family has got visitors they put a big plate in the middle of the table and everyone eats from it. At first I was surprised when they started eating with spoons but soon they used their fingers only. Nice, now I really felt like being at a typical Arabic dinner :)

Typical tagine pot

The food is amazing of course; you can pick from a variety of couscous or a typical tagine. Tagine is basically a steamed vegetable with onions, usually served with meat- mostly chicken- in the middle. Of course everyone prepares the meal differently, and every region have a different tagine. It is a very simple meal, however when I tried it in the families of my friends I couldn't believe how good could such a simple dish taste. I also tried tagine with couscous, or with raisins which gave it an intriguing sweet taste.

TO BE CONTINUED...