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July 09, 2005
Vallée des Roses, Morocco
7/9/2005 12:43 AM
Vallée des Roses
Sorry for the lack of updates. Blame the following:
1) seeing a ton of doctors (physical therapist, dentist, ENT, pulmonary specialist, gastro specialist and my primary physician)
2) moving out of my apartment in New York
3) setting up my old laptop (after storing my desktop in Bethy’s attic)
4) the lack of Internet access in rural Morocco (not to mention running water, toilet paper, electricity…)
I’m currently near Oaurzazate - a town of 30,000 – a four hour drive from Marrakech. Oaurzazate is the provincial capital and serves as the staging ground for Peace Corps training for this region. Deep in the desert, it’s usually 5°C warmer than Marrakech. Today it reached 42°C. I’m in the nearby village of Ait Ouassif, a lush forest that juts out like an oasis in the desert.
Because of Islam, drinking is restricted in Morocco. Unlike stricter Muslim countries, there is Morocco-produced beer that is supposedly of good quality (probably wine as well).
However, it is in theory
1) only allowed in the major cities
2) only meant to placate foreign tourists
That said, Peace Corps volunteers and Moroccans alike transport alcohol to the outlying regions and word is that there are supposedly several bars in Ouarzazate, with a pool no less! Tomorrow’s expedition will try to prove this. This isn’t surprising since the region is often used for film shoots, most recently for Gladiator.
Tonight, we ate with a Moroccan family that served as the host family to another Peace Corps volunteer. They spoke no English (or French) and my Tajlahed and Arabic are still essentially nonexistent. Luckily the hotel operator is friends with the family and dropped by right before dinner. He’s an incredibly friendly guy who speaks some English.
Posted by rxu at July 9, 2005 04:03 PM