Quick catch up – Marrakesh
Saturday, March 3rd, 2007Sorry I am so behind on the blog at the moment, somehow I seem to have better things to do with my time than sit inside and Internet cafe!
So, quick catch up…. we left Barcelona in the middle of February as Qualified TEFL teachers. We spent a week in Barcelona doing all the expensive touristy stuff; saw the famous Guell Park lizard just in time as apparently a homeless man smashed it up soon after we saw it!!
Then went to Morocco… I would now like to refer to Tucky´s version of events…
“We then hopped on a plane to Morocco to Marrakech, which contrary to the belief of our newly acquired American friends is not scary at all and the people are very friendly to Westerners…. especially when they want you to buy stuff from their shops!! Spent a week there going up the Atlas Mountains, visiting the Souks, eating tangines and learning Arabic (well three words anyway!)
The best offer I got for Kathi was an exchange for a shop full of ceramic goods which I was keen to take up, however, he brought her back a few minutes I had to give the full refund policy… gutted!!
I then had the pleasure of going to a Hammam, much like a Turkish bath type thing, or so I thought… I was violated by a man with a scouring pad, paid to be violated by the man with the scouring pad!!
… As I sat in what I assumed to be some kind of sauna wondering when it was going to get hot the maintenance man from the Riad (hotel type place) appeared, stripped off his boiler suit into some tiny little Speedos and told me to lie on the floor, he then tugged at my shorts and laughed, after an uncomfortable French/Arabic/English/sign language exchange the shorts were off and I was butt naked lying on the tiled (although nicely warmed!) floor of the hammam. The “maintenance man” then very kindly washed me thoroughly (and by thoroughly I mean there are places he washed which I didn’t know I had, let alone washed!) using all manner of soaps, scouring pads and water. In case you ever find yourself in the same situation incidentally apparently the universal sign for roll over is two slaps to either butt cheek! Anyway after being thoroughly cleaned I re-man-ified myself by having a gentle massage (from a woman!) with some beautiful soft scented and relaxing oils.
I now know how a woman feels when, the morning after I opened the door to our room to find him working on the floor outside, and I found myself wondering whether he would even remember my name, or if I was just another one of his many men!”
I also had a Hammam with a small Moroccan lady, which was equally as intimate, although I think less traumatic for a girl!
Anyway, back to regular stuff…. top tip for Marrakech – go to the artisan shops outside the Souks before going in to haggle with them Arabs! That way you know what the prices should roughly be before…. although I still managed to spend 250 Durhems on something I had seen in the shop for 70 Durhems!! Girl Power!!
Anyway leaving Marrakech now via a plane to Casablanca returned to Barcelona for one last night out with our fellow “professional” teachers (the place now is now filled with Scousers in preparation for the footie game) several cerveza and tequila later and we find ourselves back on Easy Jet with Tucky the same state as when he arrived in Barcelona – a stinky, babbly, grumpy drunk!
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