Marrakech

This past weekend my class went to Marrakech while the rest of the ARANAS students went to the desert. It was a long (8 hours!), cramped, hilly van ride to the city. We stayed in a really nice hotel, which at first we couldn't find. By the time we got in on Friday night, it was about 9, so we ate dinner and I went to bed.
On Saturday morning, we had a whirlwind tour of the major historical sights. Then, in the afternoon we went to the soukh. We had to wait for a few people from our group to meet up with us, so we got fresh squeezed orange juice from these vendors outside the soukh. While we were standing there, a woman who does henna came up to us and grabbed the hand of one of the girls from my group and started drawing on it. Then she grabbed mine and did the same. She said it was a "present," but once it was done she asked if we had a present for her. We gave her a little money, but, as it turns out, the women who do henna outside the soukh (on the square called the jama al-fina) use ammonia to fix the henna for tourists who want it done quickly. So it started burning fairly shorty after she did it and we wiped it off. I still have the traces of it on my hand though.
Once we finally got into the soukh, we went to the magic market. I had a charm for happiness made for me there by a shaman from the sahara. It is believed that people from the sahara are the most magical. Then we wandered around the soukh a little and went back to the hotel. Getting a cab back was another ordeal. The cab drivers in Marrakech try to charge crazy prices or they don't turn on the meter. Once we were back, I relaxed in the courtyard by the pool and talked with some of the people from my class for a little while.
On Sunday, we visited the Agdal gardens which are part of the palace gardens and then we piled back in the van and had another long, uncomfortable drive back to the school.