Words I put into sentences......

 

I found this article in the August issue of Essential Magazine. At first I was attracted to the story simply because I was in Spain on vacation and one of the cover stories was about camel trekking in Morocco. So of course I flip to the article and read it only to discover that the craziness of transportation and randomness that is being in Morocco is not unique to Peace Corps Volunteers.  Please let me share some of my favorite sections of this article with you:

 

1.       “To describe the adventures that befell the photographer Kevin and myself on the frist part of our journey would take an extra couple of articles. The shortened brief overview included just avoiding a car crashing outside Algercias, cancelled ferries in both Tarfia and Algercias, torrential rain, catching the last ferry to Cueta (it may have been 70 kilometers from Tangier and still in Spain but at least it was North Africa), crossing the border into Morocco in scenes from a Terry Gilliam movie (and I’m sure there was some dung flinging involved), a truly terrifying 90 minute cab ride from Cueta to Tangier courtesy of the Maghreb’s answer to Fernando Alonso, rocking up at the Gare du Tanger to be told that the sleeping compartment with no door or heating, while the teenager in the next compartment played Lady Gaga and French rap on her mobile in an endless loop. It would be somewhat of an understatement to say that we were relived to arrive in Marrakech, although even that wasn’t without its problems. Events were unfolding in Cairo and Tunisia, and we had been warned to look out for riots and general unrest in the city. Although, it you have ever driven through Marrakech, you’ll soon realize that general unrest is the normal order of things”.

 

2.      Description of their guided tour through the Marrakech medina: “Be warned- it’s an assault on the sense with noise, colour, bustle and an underlying faint smell of dung and urine”.

 

3.      While in the Djemaa el Fna square in Marrakech, Ibrahim their tour guide says “You know the best thing about this 17-year old hooker that is bringing down Berlusconi? She’s from Morocco!”.

 

4.      Once on their journey to the dunes, Kevin the photographer wanted to wake up in time to catch the desert sunrise. Bobo, their tour guide says “Don’t worry, we are Berber. We live by the sunrise”. Just before sunrise the following morning, Kev and I were the only people up and about, setting the cameras for the shoot when we heard a cough. A half asleep Bobo came out of his tent, rubbing his eyes and lighting up the first cigarette of the day. He looked up and saw us and, obviously surprised, ducked back inside his tent. Later, over coffee and mint tea, Kev said to him “I thought that you said that you were Berber and that you live with the sunrise”. “The sunrise? Said Bobo parking up another cigarette “Pah! We have seen it many times!”. 

 

5.      Bobo asks his guests if they want to meet his girlfriend. She is “a young Belgian bohemian backpacker”.  “She’d come to enjoy the desert experience. Judging by her slightly disheveled state, I concluded that Bobo was providing one.”

 

 

Desert Stomer!

-Giles Brown

August 2011 Essential Magazine

 

If you think I made this stuff up……think again. After reading this story I felt relieved to know that it wasn’t just Peace Corps Volunteers noticing these things about Morocco. Others are noticing too and it just makes me laugh. And I just say to myself “Oh Morocco”. 

*Photos courtesy of bencollinsphotography.com*