The Blue Pearl and the Medina

The past few days, I've been traveling with the other Americans in my program. Including myself, there are 12 of us. We, along with 6 chaperones, plies into a hot bus and drove 5 hours to Chefchaouen. 

Pool views

More pool views

Chefchaouen is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is a town in the mountains in northern Morocco. The town is a very popular tourist destination because many of the buildings are blue. 

Alleyway in Chefchaouen

The first day, we checked into our hotel, got lunch, went for a swim, hung out, and had dinner. The hotel was beautiful and their food was amazing. 

Chicken Tangine

The Blue Pearl

The next day, we went for a hike. I remember being told that it was going to be an easy walk through the forest in the mountains. The beginning of the hike was like that, but the rest of it was crazy Indiana Jones type stuff. We climbed over rocky terrain, waded through the water, took impromptu swims, and risked the lives of our iPhones by crossing logs and twig bridges. 

It was not what I expected at all, and in the beginning, I was frustrated that I was so ill prepared. I quickly realized that my bad attitude was not going to make the hike easier. I tied up my pants so I wouldn't trip and channeled my inner mountain goat and did not fall. I almost lost my balance a couple times and saw my life flash before my eyes, but I'm good. 

We walked along a stream, and many times in the stream to cool off. The view was breathtaking and totally worth it. 

I climbed an extra rock for this picture. 

Homies were in front of the hut so I made them smile. 

God's bridge

The hike was exhausting. But it was a different part of Morocco. I'm glad I had the opportunity. Something that makes the hard parts of exchange easier is remembering how lucky you are to be there. Now that I'm clean and hydrated and sitting in AC, I can look back fondly on this mountain adventure. 

I'm really sweaty in this picture, but you can't tell because of the pose. 

After we rested, ate, and got our energy back, we walked to the medina (old town) in Chefchaouen. We explored the different shops in the souq. I had my first experience haggling. The first time, I made a rookie mistake and paid 50 dirhams more than I wanted to. That's literally 50¢, so it's not like it's a huge financial loss. 

The second time, however, I successfully haggled for a beautiful leather bag. The first shop I went to would not sell me the bag for under 200 dirhams so I walked. Literally down the street was another leather shop. I was with another girl who also wanted a leather bag. We haggled and paid 150 dirhams for it instead of 240. I declare success. 

Medina in Chefchaouen

The next morning, my friend and I got up early to take pictures and explore Chefchaouen. There was no one out and it was nice and peaceful. I also could pose for pictures without being embarrassed. 

Looks candid, but is actually posed. 

This purse is my child. 

That afternoon we went to Fes, another city in Morocco. That night, we just ate dinner in a mall and went back to the hotel and watched a movie. 

The next day, after breakfast, we got a tour of the medina (old city) of Fes. In the old days, Fes was a center for handicraft. It still kind of is. 

In the medina we saw old schools and the "first university." It was built by a woman. Back then, Italians traded a kilo of marble for a kilo of sugar. The Moroccans won because the marble is still there and the sugar is long gone. 

Oldest university in the world

Homie checking out a very old classroom. 

"Whoever you are, be well-behaved."

At the end of our tour, we went to a leather processing shop, a spice shop, and a cloth weaving shop. I bought spices for my family and I bought saffron for a really good price. We saw how a fourth generation cloth weaver made blankets and scarves by hand. We saw the process leather goes through to make bags, belts and shoes. 

Shopping for spices. 

Shelves of the apothecary. 

In the cloth weaving shop they tied scarves for us in varying Moroccan styles. 

This trip was amazing. We did so much in so little time. We all bonded and became so much closer. 

On top of that, I got to use my Arabic with strangers. The whole trip I bought things and ordered food in Arabic. I greeted people and asked questions in Arabic. More than once, people asked if I was Moroccan. When I said I was American, they told me I spoke Arabic really well. 

I had a wonderful time on this trip. I saw new parts of Morocco and it was refreshing. 

Thanks for reading. 

Learn something today. 

Byeeeee

Corie.