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Morocco
30 November, 2006, Marrakech, Morocco
We made it to Marrakech last night, and our first stop was at a sort of Moroccan Wal-Mart, called Marjine. There, we stocked up on some provisions: wine, cheese, bread and some toiletries. This was the first time we'd bought wine since arriving in Morocco. Back in Essaouira, we ran into our new friend Angelo, which was quite a pleasant surprise. Well, once again, we ran into him, this time in Marrakech's main square, called Jamaa El Fna. It's incredible how fate or luck or whatever brought us together so often during this trip! After leaving Chaoen with Rafael and Evelyn, we thought we'd probably never see him again, as he planned to go to the desert and we were going to Rabat and then Essaouira. Instead, he walked into the same restaurant as us, the first night we were in Essaouira. Again, yesterday, we left him on his way to Tangier, while we came to Marrakech, still, there he was just as we arrived! Hopefully, we'll cross paths again. Based on past experience, it's actually quite likely!
Marrakech, as a first impression, is nothing like we expected. It certainly has the feel of a very modern city, although the desert oasis feel we expected may be more prominent in the souqs, which we have yet to visit. Last night, we sat on the terrace, sipping on wine and snacking, while the street vendors below shouted about how great their merchandise was, in this case socks. The dialog between two particular vendors was so energetic, that Andy nearly ran down to buy some of those socks! Marrakech seems to promise great things, and now we're going out there to experience it!
-- Andy and Liza,