If you were wondering where I am, I am in Marrakesh

Hello to everyone,
If you were wondering where I am, I am in Marrakesh! That is in Morroco, of course, in the centre, in the Mountains. I have been up all night, riding second class with a bunch of loud Morrocans, stopping and starting, coming and going, and trying to sleep sitting up on the train. Yesterday we took the ferry from Spain, gorgeous, just like home, with the wind at the front of the ferry, and a pod of ORCAS!!! In my excitement, I connected with a four year old little boy who was INSANELY excited about going to Morroco and talked non-stop in French to me about everything, while his father, a computer science professor at the University of Toulouse, translated. That was a HOOT!

I just got off the train after a twelve hour ride from Tangers. We, Thomas, Oscar and I, spent a whirlwind tour of the port of Tangiers, which they spell Tanger, with a guide who took us everywhere in the Medina or old medieval, market part of town. The Berber vegetable, fruit and clothing market, where we saw mounds af olives, all kinds, from the olive groves of Morroco, peaches, tomatoes, mint for the "Morroccan Whiskey," ( that is what they call mint tea, because they do not drink alcohol) and clothes, incrediby fancy wedding jelabas, lots of gaudy gold jewellery, embroidered jalabas, caftans, etc. Then he took us to a rug shop, where they served us mint tea and tried to sell us rugs, and then to his friend's restaurant, where we ate couscous, and finally through the narrow winding dirty and smelly streets of the Medina, where the Muslim women giggled at my attire, back to the luggage place, where he got us a taxi, and made sure we got to the train on time! Women love to check each other out, and shop, no matter where you are.

Then a taxi to the train station where there were HUNDREDS of people cued (I use the term loosely) to get on the train. Only second class available. The night was horrendous, as the trip took twelve hours to go six hundred kilometres. That's fifty miles an hour on a TRAIN! Lot's of long stops for people to get on and off, followed by squeezing, pushing, poking, shouting, demanding, apologizing, all in French, for a place in a cabin that seats eight, with men standing outside and children sleeping on the floor! Really remarkable night, never to be forgotten, and never to be repeated! Next time I will find a way to reserve a couchette! We are staying at the Hotel Farouk in Marrakesh, where three of us; me and the two young boys from Sweden and I got a room together for about ten dollars each.

The keyboqrd is Wezird here; so thqt is zhy the a is a q so,eti,es. <i touch type. Thqt is whqt it looks like uncorrected.The keys qll hqve qrqbic symbols, qnd the a is where the q is supposed to be, the w is zhere the z is supposed to be, qnd my brqin is where the sun doesn,t shine>!!! So I go bqck qnd correct it so you can understand.

Before this last three days in Gibraltar and (YES, JESSAMYN ANDKATY, BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS!!!) So, I got myself saved, again, for good measure. They had a swimming pool!

And then I took the bus to La Linea, across the border from Gibraltar. Someone took pity on me struggling with my huge bag and back pack, dragging it across the border, broken, on the cobblestones. He stopped and took me to the only hostel in town. There I shared a room with five men. That evening, the Gibratrian took me around and showed me the entire country, (the size of Granville Island, with four Christian Churches, a synagogue, and a Mosque, (built by the King of Saudi Arabia.) four beaches, and a City inside the rock that could stand a seige of up to a year during the Second World War, built mostly by Canadians. The English were apparently too busy drinking and fighting to get as much done as the Canadians. And then made me a huge pot of Paella, while I watched the BBC news report on the war between Israel, Hezbollah, and the World! Then I listened as he lamented the demise of his marriage. The next day I hooked up with these two Swedish kids, one a professional break dancer, and the other a musician who is half Canadian. Both spoke excellent English. And together we CLIMBED THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR! It was like being on top of the world, and at the top, while you are looking down at the dots of people on the beach, and Africa across the Straight of Gibraltar, you are being watched by Barbary Apes who are aggressive, wily little bastards, that will steal anything they can get right out of your hands, like a litle girl's ice cream cone, or Thomas's water bottle, or grab the hat right off your head! Or BITE you!

Now I'm listening to Morroccan music in the cafe, a relief after "I'm Slim Shady" for the third time in a row!!

By the way, I stashed all my stuff at a place for backpackers in Algeciras, Spain, called the Lighthouse, so I am finally travelling light, with only a fanny pack with all my valuables, and a back pack that is a small day pack. It is HOT HERE!!! I will tour around Morroco for a while, and then go back to Spain, where I will take the bus to Granada. Then probably back to Barcelona where I will send more stuff home, and then go on to France. After that, when it cools down, I may attempt El Comino del Santiago. After all, I climbed Gibraltar!

Don't worry, I am all right. But thanks for caring about me!

--
May peace prevail.
Shelora