Day 14: The Day We Became Zombies
Today we slept till 8:30! Well I did, Dad was awake at 8:00. It felt so good to be able to sleep in, even if the air conditioning in the room was no so hot. Well it was hot but not in the good way. At breakfast they had madeleines. And anyone who knows me well knows I try to bake madeleines, because I love them. Anyway, breakfast was hot in a good way. The meeting was a big one with the teams. It’s the big scavenge leg now. We’re going to four countries! Morocco, Gibraltar, Spain and end in Portugal. I know muy picante.
After the meeting and a few hours of planning with Ali and Micheal (another team we’re traveling with) and Margo, we finally had a decently solidish plan. For today, we decided to go get a hamman with Ali, Micheal, Eric and Kathryn. We took a tuk tuk there, but the tuk tuk drivers and us didn’t know where to go. So first we got dropped off at this super nice hamman place with adorable puppies and a nice owner from San Francisco. Unfortunately, that was the wrong place so we had to follow this woman who worked at the correct hamman place to the correct location. Let me just say, the pathway to the correct hamman place was through a secluded alley and dark tunnel with a high dude trying to sell something to us. It really gave off a “I’m leading you to a secluded place to murder all of you” kind of vibe. When we got there it was also dim and spooky looking. I’ve been doing research on human trafficking for IHSS and it reminded me of what I imagine a undercover human trafficking massage parlor would look like. Anyway, the hamman thing, well they gave us really showy disposable underwear which doubled as a bra. I was not comfortable wearing that especially with all the wedgies so I just decided to wear my swimsuit. The room was just the girls, laying on benches. It was hot and wet. They first doused us in warm water and soup and left us there for ten minutes. After which they then came to exfoliate our skin and coat us in mud stuff. They left us there for a few minutes and then came to rinse us off. And then it was done just like that. The whole time I
After the meeting and a few hours of planning with Ali and Micheal (another team we’re traveling with) and Margo, we finally had a decently solidish plan. For today, we decided to go get a hamman with Ali, Micheal, Eric and Kathryn. We took a tuk tuk there, but the tuk tuk drivers and us didn’t know where to go. So first we got dropped off at this super nice hamman place with adorable puppies and a nice owner from San Francisco. Unfortunately, that was the wrong place so we had to follow this woman who worked at the correct hamman place to the correct location. Let me just say, the pathway to the correct hamman place was through a secluded alley and dark tunnel with a high dude trying to sell something to us. It really gave off a “I’m leading you to a secluded place to murder all of you” kind of vibe. When we got there it was also dim and spooky looking. I’ve been doing research on human trafficking for IHSS and it reminded me of what I imagine a undercover human trafficking massage parlor would look like. Anyway, the hamman thing, well they gave us really showy disposable underwear which doubled as a bra. I was not comfortable wearing that especially with all the wedgies so I just decided to wear my swimsuit. The room was just the girls, laying on benches. It was hot and wet. They first doused us in warm water and soup and left us there for ten minutes. After which they then came to exfoliate our skin and coat us in mud stuff. They left us there for a few minutes and then came to rinse us off. And then it was done just like that. The whole time I
was wondering why not countries do these kind of sauna stuff and whether there is a cold version of
this. I would be down for that. It was an interesting experience and not too bad. We got free fancy special Moroccan oil after so that was a plus too.
After the hamman, we went on a food tour thing with Eric and Katheryn. We took a fancy horse carriage to the main market, which is like the times square of Marrakech. The first thing we ate was sheeps brains and head. So they had everything laid out, the head (with teeth still in the mouth) brains, that were surprisingly small, and other body parts on plates right in front of me. Lucky me. I could not look at the brains longer than a second. They looked exactly how cartoon brains looked and worse. It tasted okay and squishy. Dad was totally in love with the fact that we got to eat brains. Yay
now we're zombies. After the brains, we walked around a little and ate a few more Moroccan dishes. Then we went to this herb/spice shop. Sydney, this next info I remembered just for you. Argan oil is a traditional Moroccan oil that if you mic with honey and put it on your skin for 10-15 minutes, it will make your skin super smooth. Another oil is prickly pear seed oil that will help with acne and
wrinkles and stuff like that. Also they use amber as a natural perfume and it smells really good. I am know a beauty guru. Once we left the fancy perfume, herb place, we walked around the market and Katheryn and I got a henna. This was a legitimate, Moroccan, local henna experience. The henna artist was a old, and I mean super old, woman who sat in the middle of the market with little stools
around her. She finished our hennas within three minutes and they weren't super detailed unfortunately, but it was a cool local experience. After that we only ate a few more things before heading back to the hotel to get ready for a super exciting day tomorrow. I'm going ballooning!!! Another thing crossed off the bucket list!
Henna
Moroccan Times Square
Horse Carriage
Sheeps Brain
Henna
Can't wait to hear how you make it to Porto, Portugal by Friday, traversing four countries, with hotels and transportation planned out on your own. You get to use all your new-found international travel knowledge. Read on Bill's "Global Scavenger Hunt" championship blog that you get to rent a car and use airbnb/uber/phone this time. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteEmory, you are so lucky for a high school sophomore to travel to all the spots that are our dream lands. Glad to know you are well now and able to enjoy the rest of the trip. Can't wait to welcome you home! Take care!
ReplyDeletewe got to sleep in because we got into hotel from athens at 3:30am athens time (1:30a marrakesh). apparently idris elba is getting married this weekend in marrakesh so ALL the high end hotels were locked up. savoy le grand, good hotel, not great. best part were the concierges. we became besties, i taught them the "big hero 6" fist bump blow up.
ReplyDeletemorrocco is an odd euro/african mix. everyone is arabic, but is a native french speaker. and that means more english speaking.
the day was oddly split. we got the scavenge book and mission debrief from 11a-12p. its the longest leg in the history of the global scavenger hunt, most scavenges. par 6. only par 6 ever.
the next 3.5 hours was trying to figure out experience and logistics, to get to porto portugal by 11:30a on friday.
the approach and challenges are different this time than even two years ago. there were some interesting limitations - car rental yes, but only once and for travel within one country. yes on overnight trains, which was not okay two yrs ago.
i love this type of puzzle. you can think "oh i want to do this or that," but you have to be able to get the transport schedule-able. you have hotels, ferries, trains, buses, language differences, and then SCAVENGES to do in four countries speaking four different languages. and two of the countries (gibralter and spain) are culturally antagonistic. I LOVE IT.
we locked in the long tent pole travel items, then hit this hamman thing. kind of super awkward. there's a ben stiller meet the fockers type of vibe when you do group suana in foreign countries. i do feel very soft, though.
the night market - i could go do that every night for several nights and just walk and nosh and people watch. but having TASKS to do makes it even cooler. to be clear for anyone thinking of doing this trip, the brains was not a mandatory scavenge. the scavenge was "eat a meal involving sheeps head." the brains... i mean, it was there, when are you going to ever do this again?
shout out to our spirit animal partners kathryn and eric verwillow, who are like growth experience cheerleaders. we all need a kathryn and eric around in our lives to give us energy to be better. THEY ATE BRAINS WITH US. i mean, are we like vampire zombie brothers now? i haven't eaten brains with anita.
Emory: Thanks for the level of detail! Alan: You are indeed soft.
ReplyDeleteEmory, you and Alan and Sydney are the Kathryn and Eric for the rest of us!!!
ReplyDeleteExactly, Lance!
DeleteEmory - this next leg sounds so exciting and crazy! I can't wait to hear more about how you guys get from one place to the next and what all you do. I once participated in a German bath house experience in Hamburg, but...let's just say no disposable underwear was given out. Thanks for the beauty tips, beauty guru :)
ReplyDelete