Saturday excursion to Marrakech with Mifdal and his wife, Khadija. Wemet up with Hamdi there and made it a fun, full day.

3/16/13

Impressions of the journey to Marrakesh: Leaving El Jadida we took a 2-lane, very rustic road through the countryside through villages and small towns.  It was clear that once you leave a city in Morocco you immediately meet a time warp sending you back about 100 years.  Not only are the areas between cities very rural or desolate, but they seemed very “3^rd world” to me.  Up until now my Moroccan adventure had been in cities, so this was extremely different and interesting.  For instance, I saw farm after farm with workers using donkeys, carts, other animals and hand tools.  I did not see any John Deere or Caterpillar equipment.  Also many children were working the fields as well.  In talking with Mifdal I learned that there are few places outside cities with electricity and running water.  Villages have a central well or common water source.  He also told me that because so many children work on family farms, they do not attend or ever finish school, which accounts for the high 40% illiteracy rate in Morocco.

As we approached Marrakesh life became more and more dense.  Also traffic became horrific and the air was brown from pollution.  It was also about 90 degrees.  After a lot of horn honking and incredible driving skills we parked to embark on the UNESCO one of a kind city of Marrakesh.  We saw the sights, did a lot of shopping and had a very long, but enjoyable day.  The best part was that I really had an opportunity to get to know Mifdal and Khadija and to learn a great deal more about Morocco.

Snakes, carpets, spices, bartering galore and aggressive vendors. I found incredible deals and left with most of my shopping list completed.