Sunday was mostly a travel day to Azilal, since the mountains are down south towards Marrakesh (which, for comparison, is a 7-hour journey via train). We left Meknes in two small private buses around 8 AM, and I slept off and on until we arrived at Beni Mellal for lunch at a Moroccan buffet - a welcome change from the normal tagine and bread. A couple of hours afterwards we made our next stop at a nearby lake, which some of the students rode across in a pontoon boat. We also enjoyed some fresh watermelon that we picked up outside of Beni Mellal. We finally arrived at our destination around 6:30 PM, and as we settled in discovered that the town (which was mostly filled with touristy restaurants and shops) had a couple of sfinge (basically fried dough that resembles a donut and sometimes topped with sugar) vendors. We snacked and meandered to see the local waterfall before a couscous dinner - complete with music and dancing - and an early bedtime.
Monday after breakfast Cat and I went to pick up our first sfinge of the day and did some shopping before embarking on a hike with about half of the group to see the nearby “Mexican village” - named so because apparently the buildings resemble the buildings of a town in Mexico (no specifics were given). The hike was supposed to be 3 hours round-trip, but it took about 5! It was incredibly beautiful though and we got some good views of the surrounding mountains, and seeing the town itself was neat. The most daunting part was a river crossing (with no clear path) in order to get to an easier route during our return to Azilal. Thankfully, besides a hurt ankle on a different part of the path, we all made it back okay! The afternoon was (cold) showers and drinking fresh orange juice/eating more sfinge while taking in a beautiful view in town, and after a tagine dinner a group of us spent the night talking up on the roof.
We had free time in the morning on Tuesday before our afternoon departure, so Steph and I ate our last sfinge and went with Noha to see the monkeys near a waterfall overlook. We then journeyed to Ait Bouguemaz, a small village nestled between the mountains, via steep rocky roads. Our hotel was actually a casbah (similar to a castle) that is literally off the beaten path - we had to trek about 10 minutes down dirt roads and up small hills to get there! It was worth the trouble (and lack of cell phone service) though, due to the amazing views of the surrounding countryside. We got a short game of Monopoly in before heading up to our rooms for some rest. Dinner was lamb tagine with dried plums, and once again afterwards we went to the roof to stargaze.
On Wednesday we were presented with a couple of options: go on a 6-hour hike up one of the mountains, or meander around the nearby village for a couple of hours. I chose the latter in order to have some free time and relax a bit, since we had been pretty busy up until that point. Our small group walked, visited a local private school that has German funders and where the kids learn multiple languages (including sign language!), and stopped by a couple of women’s cooperatives (one for walnuts, which are produced in this area, and another for carpets). Lunch was an awesome veggie and egg tagine, and I did some yoga on the roof in the sun before we all regrouped to watch Beetlejuice. The hiking group returned soon after, and the rest of the evening was spent relaxing and enjoying a delicious chicken dinner.
Thursday we headed out to our last stop, Ouarzazate, which is south of Marrakesh in the desert. The day was mostly spent in the buses, with a break for a lunch of rabbit tagine (I tried it but couldn’t get the picture of a bunny out of my head!), and the roads were steep and rocky so it was slow going. Our hotel in the city though was incredibly nice, located next to a local movie studio where movies such as Gladiator (the one with Russell Crowe that won a bunch of Oscars), Ben Hur, and a bunch of religious/historical made-for-TV documentaries were produced. Some of the teachers jumped in the pool soon after arrival, others relaxed at the bar and waited for dinner (another buffet). A DJ was present by the pool for the remainder of the night, so a bunch of students and some staff had a dance party before bed.
Friday began with a tour of the movie studio, where we saw everything from a Buddhist temple to Rome and Ancient Egypt and a generic Arab city. Afterwards we travelled to nearby Ait Ben Haddou, which had a large casbah and was surprisingly touristy for being a small town. We ate lunch there before returning to the hotel for a pool break - it was a very hot day! Later we visited Ouarzazate’s casbah downtown before being given time to explore and eat dinner. Anna found an excellent nearby Greek restaurant, where we enjoyed goat cheese, real salads (!!), and good pasta/moussaka. There was even time to go explore the traditional crafts exhibition - which was very crowded but offered everything you could think of, including sfinge! I fell asleep that night talking to friends.
Saturday was the longest (and last) travel day - including a lunch break and a few bathroom stops, we spent 15 hours in transit! Thankfully we all made it back safe and sound, and had Sunday to rest up before classes started again.
With this week having come and gone, there are now only four weeks left - two weeks of class and two weeks of exams. I can’t believe how fast time is flying! I am looking forward to being home for the summer for the first time in three years but also sad to be leaving friends behind (for now) - just have to make the most of my remaining time and do well on all of my end-of-year exams!