Sunday was another early morning with breakfast at the hotel. Before I knew it we had packed up all our stuff and loaded up the bus. We then headed to the Medina of Tetouan. We were given a tour by a man named Abdul who insisted we call him by his celebrity look-a-like Michael Douglas (yes, they looked nothing alike). He was absolutely hilarious though and a very interesting tour guide! He told us a lot about Islamic culture and practices which went hand in hand with what I’ve been learning in my Spain and Islam class. He himself had 3 wives and told us he was looking for a 4th one who he’d hope would be American. The sites we saw walking through the Medina were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There were stray cats everywhere, live chickens being sold on the streets and some of the most repulsive smells. The food was all sold along the road with flies swarming around the fruit and breads. I don’t understand how people can live there. I was so glad to have Michael Douglas leading us around (along with our group’s own security guard).
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| Michael Douglas talking to us |
We were surprised yet again on our tour when we were given a snake charming show. The snake charmer was fearless and even kissed his king cobra. I got a picture with a less terrifying snake.
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| Cobra |
We were also given a quick tour of a Moroccan rug store. The rugs themselves were stunning, although I’m fairly positive they wouldn’t have fit in my carryon to take back to the US.
My favorite part of the day was the Moroccan pharmacy which consisted of all sorts of herbs for natural remedies as well as Moroccan spices. The owner explained some of their most popular products which included things like body lotions, massage oils, lip balms, hangover cures and Moroccan teas. It was quite the experience and I ended up buying some goodies to bring home (he had a 3 for the price of 2 deal that was just too good to pass up).
After eating couscous and drinking tea at another really cool Moroccan restaurant, we all headed back to our buses. Our group first went to tour the Caves of Hercules in Tangiers. The caves were very pretty and the view was absolutely spectacular. While there we met this really cool guy from Switzerland who had come to Morocco in his motor home. He was retired and living up life traveling as much as he could. He told us some trips he had taken to Russia and all around Europe. Next year he’s planning on going from Argentina to Los Angeles on a year long tour. Studying abroad has really made me love traveling, and I hope that even as I get older I’m still able to see all different parts of the world. Five months just isn’t long enough!
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| View from inside the Caves of Hercules |
Next in our Moroccan adventure came the camel rides that Colleen and I have been looking forward to for over 2 months now. The man who owned the camels literally threw girls onto them while shouting “yehaw” and “oh my god”. When it was finally our turn, I hoped on mine and luckily didn’t have any problems. You could tell the camels were sick of having to get up and down to let people ride them. It broke my heart a little bit. There were also 2 baby camels that were absolutely adorable. The ride itself was only a few minutes, but on a camel that is more than enough time. Needless to say they aren’t the most comfortable things to ride. Luckily we went pretty early because the last group to go had 2 girls on one camel and I guess their weight wasn’t evenly distributed because they fell off. It happened in slow motion and I had time to turn around so I didn’t have to watch. I felt so bad for them! The camels were very high in the air and they essentially fell on rocks. Thankfully neither of them were injured.
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| Getting ready for the camel to stand up |
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| "Moroccan Christmas Card picture" |
After saying goodbye to our camels, it was back to catch the ferry and bus back to Sevilla. Oh and I should mention we got passport stamps for the first time since we’ve been here! I was so mad not to get them in Italy, but apparently anywhere you travel in the EU you don’t get a stamp. It’s nice to now be back in Sevilla where tap water is free and safe to drink. No more brushing my teeth with bottled water! Up next: traveling to Barcelona to meet my parents on Thursday! I’m so excited I can barely stand it!
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