I must conFez...
Ahhhahaha I know, the title is cheesy. But I couldn't resist...
Isn't it weird how when you're with people, you start to pick up their mannerisms and habits. I feel like I'm picking up Haley's mannerisms, and when I was travelling with Sean, I found myself mimicking his southern accent. I wonder what that says about me? Like is my personality not strong enough? Or do I just absorb characteristics of the people close to me? Or is it just an unavoidable part of spending lots of time with new people?
I wonder if someone knows the answer to that. Or if there's only theories to explain the phenomenon. Like psychology meets philosophy meets quantum physics. Do you know? Message me if you do. I'd like to know.
So, Fez.
I'm in Fez now. A place I honestly didn't know existed until a few days ago. But it's really lovely.
Today we did a tour through the Medina and learnt a lot, and spent a lot. I couldn't help it. I saw this blanket that basically had my name on it. Not actually, but you know when you find something that instantly you feel inside yourself "that belongs to me"? Well that happened with this blanket. It was love at first sight. Yes, with a blanket.
It's made of baby sheep, and baby camel wool. And it's white and beige and soft and simple and beautiful. And it belongs on my bed.
Then I saw one that would be perfect for my brother… Then I was convinced into something for my Dad. Soooo I bought all the souvenirs in Morocco. Mom's gift was bought the other day. That's it though. I can't keep splurging on souvenirs. I'll go broke… unless…
Guess what! Today I got hired by a Travel website to blog for them!! Yayyyy me right? I think you're supposed to keep things like that to yourself… maybe? But I'm so excited and want to tell somebody without shouting it out to the world in a Facebook status. But I felt like it was a sign.
We were also brought to a leather tannery, a traditional Moroccan bakery, a silver (jewellery) shop, and an argan oil/spice shop where I bought a bunch of natural amazing skin cleansing things I probably don't need, but decided to treat myself anyway.
It's ok, I just won't eat for a while. The budget should balance out eventually. Like, a few weeks from now… aha.
No, honestly, I worry too much about money and I need to chill out. Obviously I can't go on spending sprees like I did today, but I also have to stress less about these things. Money comes and goes. And I know how to make it, especially when I really need to. So I gotta chill out.
I learnt a lot today though.
Like for instance, about dyes, and where the different colours come from:
Red: poppy flower
Orange: henna
Yellow: saffron
Green: mint
Light blue: turquoise
Dark blue: cobalt
Light purple: lavender
Pink: various flowers
Dark purple: artichoke heart
Black: mascara? I'm uncertain on what that one actually is. But they literally say "mascara" for black dye.
Cool, right?
I also learned that they use pigeon poop for it's ammonia content.
Gross.
What else did I learn?
That a "Dar" is a house and a "Riad" is a fancier house with a fountain and a garden.
I learned that "Salam" is a greeting that means "peace". And that "truukna" with a wrist flick means "leave, you're bothering me".
Pretty useful, right?
OH! Also, I learned that cactus fiber/silk doesn't burn. Like these gorgeous, ornate blankets, carpets, and table cloths where being run up and down with an open flame, and nothing happened. It was kind of surreal actually. Now that I think about it I should have got a photo of that.
Ya, learned a lot today. It was a solid day. And it started with the best breakfast I've ever had in a hostel.
Get this:
Bowl of diced strawberry, pear and banana with a scoop of plain yogurt. SO good.
Fresh baguette with laughing cow cheese, a slice of regular cheese, a quarter of an avocado, and a boiled egg.
A plate of 3 kinds of pastry. A cup of Moroccan mint tea. AND a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice.
And it was included with the price of the room, so it felt free!
I don't even eat that well back home.
Ok, what else?
We walked around mostly. Our tour was supposed to be 3 hours, it somehow morphed into 6.
What's interesting about Arabic countries is how often they pray, and how loudly they do it. Like literally, the entire city hums with the sound of men chanting through megaphones 5 times a day, 5-10 minutes each time. It actually kind of sounds like the streets are filled with race cars very temporarily.
This post is getting on the long end, so I'll end it here. But overall today was pretty great, and I wanted you to know about it.
Tomorrow we are off to the Blue City, known officially as Chefchaouen. We jump on an 8am bus. Yay us. So that means an early night.
I definitely have more to say about Morocco, but I'll save it for another time.
All my love,
G