Nov 20/09

We cheated today and took a bus back from where we came. Nothing like burning up all those days of hill climbing in a mere 9-hour bus ride back to Marrakech! We decided to head back up here and explore some flatter parts instead of retracing our steps back. There really wasn't a great way to loop around from there in such a short time. So, we started very early and hopped a bus all the way back. Ironically, the bus broke down once we got into town. That is where the fun really began. Dal was not feeling well from the bus ride and said he wanted to get a small ride in just to stretch out and clear his head. Always, be careful for what you ask for! When the bus broke down, they let us off on the sidewalk. Some switched to another bus that came along but most of us just found our way from there. Unfortunately, the bus driver didn't know the name of the street so we had absolutely no clue of where we were! Oh, did I mention that it was also rush hour? Well we went from the sheer boredom of a bus ride to the sheer adrenaline of Marrakech rush hour on bicycle! What a wild ride it was. We were pretty good though and at one point I was watching for signs, avoiding getting run over and fending off some crazy kid who was riding his bike beside us begging for our money. Like I was going to stop to toss him a dirham! Actually, Dal and I had great ideas of what to do with the kid, but they are not printable words. It did keep us amused for awhile though thinking about the guts this kid had to have.

Eventually, I found our way back to the Medina on the hopes of finding one night's cheap accommodation. Our usual hotel was booked but we wound up bargaining a good deal in the Hiyat Hotel. Actually, it is a family home converted to a very small hotel but it was really nice. We got our own bathroom and occasionally scalding hot water for only 250 dirhams. Run by a very nice family and pretty good value. Especially since many places were full.

Anyway, we figured that after all the excitement a good meal was in order. Especially since all we had managed to scrounge so far today was some bread and a few cheese triangles. We went back to the Earth Café for a marvelous meal of veggies and goat cheese in phyllo pastry. It was as good as the first time we had it. Hopefully with a good night's sleep and full bellies we will be ready to find our way out of town tomorrow morning. Needless to say, we will start well before rush hour!!!