Distance: None
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Save it for Later - The English Beat
So I found the right place today I was supposed to get my Yellow Fever shot, but they didn't have any. It turns out I have to go back to Casa to get that. Argh. Again, I am kicking myself for not doing this back home.
I was getting bummed out about it when my new friend Aymen (who I met the day
before) called. He invited me out to grab some coffee. We ended up on a balcony overlooking Jemaa El Fna. I know, you pay a bit more for the view, but it was actually kind of nice to look down on everything going on.Plus I was having a good time talking to Aymen. We joked about a lot of stuff that happens when touring. Both the good and the bad. Things like the English National Cycle Network. Then the conversation wandered around a bit as we did, leaving the cafe to meander through the souk. We ended up talking about all sorts of things, science and technology, drug control policy. By the time we hit religion we were eating dinner at a cafe. I should probably tell you a little more about Aymen. He is a research professor up in Edinburgh (I think this is his semester break). He lives there with his wife and son, but they were off visiting her parents. His parents are from the border between Egypt and Sudan, but he was born in London and split his childhood between the two places. Growing up Muslim, you might think that his views on the role of religion would be different. But, as an enlightened 21st century guy, his point of view is quite similar to what I have come to believe. That faith is personal, and it wrong to chastise someone else for their perceived failings.
We did have one other amusing event of the evening. I had seen what was billed as Marrakech's first English pub, so Aymen and I decided to see what it was like. To get in you had to push past a white curtain. Inside was a hip looking place (not at all like an actual English pub). It also smelled like that fake smoke and perfume. Two waitresses came up and asked us if we wanted to sit. Aymen turns to me and says "Do you think this place is a bit dodgy?" I thought it would be overpriced, but not dangerous. Aymen explained his thinking, and suddenly it made more sense. Curtains. Fake smoke and perfume. Pushy waitresses. He was thinking we had mistakenly walked into a brothel. Fortunately, his fears were unfounded. (Sadly, the bill proved, my fears were not.) Oh, and they had no English beer. I am still not sure what they thought made it an English pub though...
After that Aymen had to go back to his hotel and get some sleep for his flight the next day. But he did let me know that if I was ever in Edinburgh that I could come and stay with him and his family. Really, I can't say enough about what an amazing guy he is. And to think, that I just met him because he was touring as well. Us cycle tourers got to stick together.
Oh yeah, then I got a call from Miguel, who is a Spanish PhD student who lives in my cousin's little town. He was hanging out at what I think is the only other bar in town with two Aussi guys and a girl from Colorado. So I headed over there. The four of us had a good time talking about stuff. I explained to them the trip I was on while drinking the most overpriced Coke on the planet. By the time we finished at the bar it was getting pretty late. So we decided to walk Brittany home. She was staying with friends in a sketchy neighborhood. We did get lost, and stopped once for food at McDonald's, but we got there in the end. Miguel and I wandered back to the main square together. He explained to me about his project of taking pictures of the Barbary Leopard. Cool stuff. All in all, a good evening.
-Dravis
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