Freakin' Africa!

Okay...I know I took a little while, but finally here are my pictures from Africa. I hope you enjoy them. It was really an awesome trip.
1. I went into the city, Granada...because I live at "the arse end of nowhere" for anyone who doesn't already know, to stay the night. We had to leave at 4 in the morning from Puerta Real. I stayed in a friend's dorm room who lives near there until it was time. And I was sick...a cold, no good. Didn't get much sleep and the 18 hour trip to the first city was torture. Each time I was just asleep they would stop for a break. I needed nyquil or something. First city was Fes. There we stayed two nights in a pretty nice hotel and had some great buffets for each meal.
2. We went to the Medina our second day in Fes and toured that. It was really cool. It was the old neighborhood..that's what Medina means. They had little shops and stuff we went to there. We visited the rug maker, the school, the turban maker, the tannery, the pharmacist. Lots of cool things. We had a great meal in a nice restaraunt where we later conveniened again that night for the SPECTACULO! Which was a lot of people dancing. One lady dragged me up which you can see in a video below. It was pretty fun. There was another lady who could have been a man...but she had a torch that she would rub all over herself and bit and suck on...talk about weird. Oh yeah...funny story, the second night in Fes my roomates and I were woken up by a visitor, pounding on the door. I opened it and this kid who studies in Málaga walked in thinking it was his room. Pretty sure he was a little wasted. He started undressing while insulting us for being in his room. He then walked into the bathroom, peed in the bidet and flushed the toilet. Then he told my friend to scoot over and climbed into the twin with him. We told him he was in the wrong room but he didn't believe it until he decided to check the door...he got really embarassed, dressed himself fast and got out.

3. The third day we took a 12 hour bus ride/4x4 ride out into the Sahara where we camped for two nights. It wasn't exactly camping I would say. It was pretty high class. Matresses and nice blankets. Buffet meals. The day after we got there we woke up early to see the sunrise and it was beautiful. Then we visited a typical village on camelback. Painful, but pretty fun. I thought this camel looked like the dog on Neverending Story. I got sunburned and it quickly went away after I took advil. Who knew that advil made sunburns go away?! We had some fun at nights where there was dancing and great music. We all just pretty much have fun together.
4. We then took another 12 hour ride to Meknes where we stayed in a sweet hotel with awesome showers. It was so great to get a good shower for once on the trip. But, I forgot the water was bad because I was so relaxed in the shower and I drank some. Never drink the water in Morocco. I got sick. Felt it the whole 16 ride back. Oh yeah...saw some monkeys and played with them. I almost got one to jump on me...but as he was getting ready to jump he started growling and showing his teeth. I thought that was a bad sign and I took off.



Some observations...I love people who don't have much. They find fun in really nothing but each other's company. It was really awesome just to be there and talk with them and have a great time. In some places they didn't have any technology and really no connections with the world around them. I let those people listen to my IPOD which they liked a lot. Especially the kids. And I played Lion King. I thought it was appropriate. One thing that one of the Moroccans said though that really stuck out to me...he said he didn't have much education beyond 4th grade or so...but that coming out and sitting in the dunes under the stars, talking to foreigners was his education. And it was true...they could converse in so many languages. They are smart people, and I think people forget that because they don't have all the advantages we all do. Anyway, that's my thoughts.