Holy eff! Alright- So I don't even know where to begin. I found some people last night and made plans for Marrakech today- we met for breakfast at 7:30 and apparently they wanted to catch the 8:50 train...which seemed ludicrous to me, we needed much more time. We found out that just about every SASer was going to Marrakech today- there was 5 of us to start- and then it turned to ten...and ended up as 3. Hahaha Anyways. Taxis wait at the end of the ship and charge OUTRAGEOUS fees to get us out of our port- and our free shuttle doesn't start until 9...so we walked the 25 minute walk. It was 8:35ish when we got to the exit of the port, and we knew there was NO WAY we could walk to the train station- so we ended up paying 3 USD each to ride in the cab (which seems like a little amount- but remember 1 USD is = to 7.81 dirham) So we got jipped. We all know I love thrill rides and roller coasters...but pardon my French (what little I speak) when I say "Holy Fuck" I don't know how many times we thought we were going to die...honestly, like...we were crammed in the Petit taxis (go look them up), and we looked like we were in clown cars! Some roads have lanes- not like it matters, literally you are window to window with people. They drive with not even inches to spare, and don't follow any lane at all. We made it to the station at 8:45... with 5 minutes to spare 10 of us had to get tickets. There were no 1st class left- so we had no choice but to get 2nd class (which teachers told us NOT to do). I don't even know how- but we all somehow...somewhat togetherish got on the train towards Marrakech (this was after a series of running up and down endless steps[I had NO CLUE where I was going- I just followed the Americans running])

So... we hop on, and we all made it (even though we were unsure if we all made it)- we found a cabin with enough seat for 3 of us- so Rosario, Ally, and I sat- And Caris and Micah were a cabin or 2 away. 2nd class honestly was NOT bad.

SAS gave us a HUGE speech- basically instilling fear in us about Morocco and how shady it can be- but honestly, if you follow your instincts and go with an open mind- it's great. Anyways- They painted a picture that we would be standing- packed like sardines for 4 hours. We had pleather orange seats, and no AC- but you could still feel a breeze. (It was absolutely fine- and 40 dirham cheaper). In our cabin was a couple that stayed on for like 10minutes and got off the next stop; our stylish friend from Essouria (Around the High Atlas Mountains) named Amihd; and my favorite- Mr. Juicy (It was like "hoo-sey" but he said just call me juicy). Mind you, NONE of us spoke French...or Arabic for that matter- but through hand communication- we all had a great enjoyable, and quick ride to Marrakech. And I had picked up a few Arabic words- so I could roughly translate/speak "Hello, Thank you, You're Welcome, and a few other small words"- nothing to form a sentence- but it's a start. We threw our French-Spanish-English speaking skills together and formed a language I like to call Fraspanglish. Mr. Juicy was cool- and from Gabon- in Central Africa(only it's on the coast). It was a cool ride in, and what beautiful landscape there was once we were out of Casablanca. After about 3 hours (not 4 like they said) we reached Marrakech; and holy heck was it gorgeous! The train station was practically brand new- and we got off and found the rest of our group. Now...my original group was going to stay overnight in a hotel- Our 10 people had dwindled to 8 (because someone was meeting someone...) and 6 wanted to stay overnight (I had no preference)- They were attempting to get a hotel for 3, but sleep all 6 of us- which I stated was stupid because: A. They would notice 6 Americans walking into the same room, B: We can't pull that shit in America- so why would they let it fly here? This is what hostels and hostals are for...

Anyways we asked a pleasant bellhop where the Souks were (markets), and we started walking...this was a very long and annoying process with 8 people. (Word of advice travel in groups of 3-5- it makes life SO much easier). Finally and Thankfully G (a friend) knew a little French and asked directions, after walking for 15/20 minutes, we had to turn back around for the markets... then in the middle of an island on a busy street we found 2 Spanish women with a map (and we had 2 fluent Spanish speakers with us), they told us the Souks/Medina were an hour walk...so we went and got a Taxi (which we probably over-paid for, but 8 of us got in (It was a van-taxi). We got there and split off into 3 and 5... 3 being me, Ally, and Micah and the other 5 were the hotel-stayers. We wished each other luck and went on our ways.

Marrakech's markets are ENORMOUS! The 1st main strip was VERY tourist-like and had almost no authentic Moroccan items...it was crap, but we went deeper in- to the unpaved parts under canopies, and found the goods. The markets are fairly easy to navigate, and many people speak English (or enough to understand you-and for you to understand them). I worked my haggling magic and did the classic "walk-away" trick, and ended up with a Cashmere scarf, a neat bracelet, and a hand (long story- I'll elaborate later). Ally got the teapot for the mint tea that is SOOOOOO GOOD here- and a pretty glass to go with it (they look like shot glasses). Anyways- we started to get hungry. After having many people follow us for 5-10, and even 15 minutes (after not buying their products even though they insisted "Good price, good price") we were ready to find the main strip and get out. Just then- another "shop" owner said something to us- then I turned and said "No Shukran (No Thank you), and he said "WAIT!"... we all thought- Oh god, what does this guy want? We walked over, and started talking- expecting the same BS from people selling their goods- and to our surprise he asked where we were from, and when we said America- he said "Ahhhh I just came back from NY). So he's seemed legit- and we got to talking (He probably spoke English better than us) and he was such a fun guy! He had a rubix cube and Micah solved it within minutes! :]  So we were just talking about all sorts of things and we introduced ourselves- His name is Yousseff (Joseph), and we mentioned good food. He said he could show us where a good place was, and no "sketch indicators" went off, so the 3 of us followed. He took us in to this gorgeous old mansion that had been turned into a restaurant- and he knew all the staff and the owner. It was awesome! He gave us a private tour and said- "If you want to look at a menu, and like it, stay, if not, I can show you other places to eat". After our private tour and talking to who I believe was the manager, we looked at the menu and decided to stay. Everyone was super friendly, and as it turns out- a bunch of SAS students had found this place (which doubles as a hotel) and had spent a night there. The people were so incredibly friendly, and although I only ate the bread- it was so good! Yousseff kept coming in and out (since he has to tend to his shop), but the manager (who was dressed casually/modernly...which a lot of people in Marrakech do) carried on wonderful conversation with us. It was such a great experience. He shared his views on the Koran, and Jbidara and the masks that cover women's faces. And he said he honestly doesn't trust it- because he doesn't know who is behind it, and if they will rob him or not (PS Dad- he also sells Moroccan rugs and wants to do business with you). He was such a down to earth and very modern man, and was so pleasant! After a while we decided that although we were going to catch the 9pm train back to Casablanca- that we could leave early because we felt like we had a real Moroccan experience- I mean how many people get NON-sketchy private tours of mansions?!?!? (Other than Johnny in Rabat). We asked Yousseff if it was a far walk to get back to the train station- or if we should take a cab. He told us to follow him, but keep a distance (because he'd be shunned if he was helping us? Or something)(He gave us a lot of good tips- like what we should be charged for taxis, etc...). We gave him 5 Euros as a tip (which are worth a heck of a lot in Morocco- and he declined it a few times until we insisted he took it for being so pleasant)(Key note- Most Moroccans will have you follow them and make you tip them at the end- but Yousseff was modest and felt bad about accepting the money-honestly) So we followed him discreetly through the markets, and he'd stop every once in a while to make sure we could still see him. We passed many a snake charmer, and people with monkeys doing tricks...And some guys with funny hats (which I'm not sure what they serve purpose as). When we got to the main street he signaled for us to approach us and "ask for directions like we never met him). He gave us beautiful directions, and it was only about a 30 minute walk- so we gave him many thanks, and know that Allah is watching him now. We got to the train station at about...5:45 or so, and the next train to Casablanca (which would be a good movie title...) was at 7. But after the rush this morning we were more than happy to be early. This time we opted for 1st class tickets- just for the experience. The train got in early so we boarded. The chairs were comfy, and there was air conditioning- so it was nice to relax after a hectic day. Micah, Ally and I kept reminiscing about how we had such a great experience- and we'd all definitely come back to Morocco. You just have to go open-minded, and do a little walking to find the fun in every country. And there are good people- they will find you, and you will find them, they exist, and they're not all out to get you. As is, Moroccans are not very aggressive (unless they're driving- PS they use their horns CONSTANTLY- It's like background music to Morocco). And although I originally wanted to ride a camel- I feel like that is too tourist-like... especially when I had this great of an experience today. No words or pictures can describe the experiences we had today, it was insane, but worth it, for sure! Our cabin on the way back had a woman (who we thought we pissed off in the beginning by talking), and a nice man with the cutest little boy in the world. Side note- 3 Americans- 3 Moroccans...all in the same cabin- we had no food with us (except the Moroccan lunches in our stomachs), and they had KFC and McDonald's.. hahaha, just  a funny observation. Anyways- 7 is when the sun goes down, which means fasting is over for the day- and they could eat. And they offered us some of their food! (Literally people buy delicious things in the market- and just share it with everyone!...complete strangers- I love it!) I had a little, I don't even know what... It was a small triangular bread thing- with honey on it- it was so good! And then the woman offered me a cup of 7up! So in turn (I had brought snacks with me) I gave them Gummies, and a Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal to-go bar (And for those of you who know me...those are like my 2 favorite things, currently at least). It was great. And even though there is a language barrier- we all somehow communicated through the trip. Everyone has been so nice today- and made Morocco out to what I really think is a great country- despite the negative experiences others have had. (SAS really made us fearful of Morocco- to the point where 1/2 the ship won't leave because they're too afraid something will happen). And it's a great place! PS- Marrakech= super clean, and not smelly. Hahaha. Anyways- so we're all a little tired, and it's pitch black outside, and then "___________________"- the trains lights black out while going through a tunnel...and we come to a dead stop- I shit you not, it was straight up out of a movie-like. I remained calm, as did Micah. I figured if the locals weren't worried- neither should we be. We were stopped in the middle of a desert land, in pitch black, the intercom was not working, and we just sat. After what seemed to be 389758 hours (but was really 10 minutes) we started back up again, lights came on- this time going slow. So I figured they probably blew a fuse- or hit something on the top of the train while going through the tunnel- and were taking it slow, just to be on the side of caution. Then within minutes we start FLYING, like... Maglev status, and the clanks and clinks that trains usually make got louder, our turns much sharper, so of course we're thinking...okay this is a little fast- but the lights are on- and I don't think it is that easy to hijack trains anymore... So I stayed calm. We're still traveling at the speed of lightning (which is usually great- I'm all for speed...but not on a train that follows tracks and sways- and could easily be re-routed off-track). Then "________________" the lights go out again.

My thought was...they were going too fast and blew a fuse. The lights came back on within a minute or 2 (this time the train didn't stop- it was like twilight zone- speeding in darkness). Anyways- we continuously kept going fast...like super fast- to the point where the nice man holding his cute little boy said "SHIT!". ... Not even kidding folks- true story- Glad I am alive to share it. We hear, on the speaker- through the Arabic and French "Casablanca"- and we almost got off- but realized it was not our stop- and that we were the next one. So we rode for about..8 minutes? To Casa-Voyagers (which is apparently the Casablanca we wanted). Wished the man and cute boy the best of luck (they were headed to Rabat- probably another hour or 2) and got off. I contemplated kissing the ground... but didn't.

So off the 3 of us went- to get a taxi back to the ship- looking to spend no more than 30 dirhams. After about 8 cabbies attacking us with questions, and asking for 50 dirham, or Euros (Because everyone thought we were straight up from Europe)- we decided that we'd just walk back- in hopes that a taxi would pick us up part of the way and get us back without us walking through the port/ main city- for cheap...aka native price. Finally a guy at the station caved in- and we set out on another dare-devil act of bumper-humping, and no-lane following- but somehow made it back to the rat-infested port (which I found out tonight as rats scurried near my feet), and got to the Ship.

All in all today's experiences were undeniably unbelievable. I had such a great time- every day here gets better and better.

I will end this soft and sweet if you have managed to read this far...

Here are some pointers:

Don't travel in too large of groups- it draws attention in a negative way.

Don't draw attention to yourself (i.e. clothes, jewelry, etc..)

Ask before you take photos of people or their children (it is against some of their religions to be in photos).

Respect their culture as you would like yours to be.

Don't be afraid to trust someone- there is more than evil in this world.

That being said- trust your instinct and gut feeling- if something is off- walk away.

Ask questions- and learn.

And above all- just have fun. Be safe, but don't be afraid to try new and different things.

Moroc (Morocco) has been such a great experience, and although I originally was going to go to Rabat and Fes tomorrow- I think I will stay in Casablanca- and enjoy the great memories of Marrakech.

Goodnight to you all!