frommyfriendLori

from my brother's travelogue.

hope you don't mind, rhino.
i like to just keep notes here. things I don't want to forget. and though I won't remember the below, I'd like to remember you doing it, and the possibilities that are always out there:
•••••••

OMG = better get me out of this town
I am NOT a shopper, not of that ILK
but this; this is truly the place to let go and let go I did
again!
kind of overwhelmed me
now I HAVE a major secret and YOU are going to have to wait four days to find out.....
mysterious enough for you??

I got two more major chunks of curtain fabric for a total of four squares; each lovely, mostly red or gold and TOTALLY Marrakeshi...and I got some clothes for myself, very minimal but MY color
and I have a spectacular door knocker of brass and a lovely handbag to carry it all in that will be my grocery bag for life, made of cactus no doubt

AND I ran into the sweetest man; a high school teacher of Arabic, who upon finding out I was an American, literally demanded that I come to his house for tea for two hours and then INSISTED on getting me the finest herbs and spices for Berber tea, so he did -- it is pretty spectacular stuff, curry and cumin and pepper and paprika and god knows what else - I hope I can get through customs!

then he dragged me to his friends to buy CDs of Berber tribal music - lovely!

then the curtain really went up - the teacher had warned me not to go into the mountains -- too late in the season but as I wandered around the medina later, some guy spotted me in my hiking boots and set about getting me a full day hike tomorrow in the middle altitudes - a 20 km romp that will take me through mountain villages and all sorts of things - perfect and safe - and just nuts that I would run into someone like that in the middle of NOWHERE

the weather broke sunny today and I saw the High Atlas for the first time, 3000 feet taller than the Sierra around Tahoe = BIG
too much snow to do the summit but it will be a good solid exposure the weather is also good tomorrow

then they will bring me back in time for one more sunset romp in the Jamaa Del Fna;
where I will peruse the snail soup and the goats heads and the monkey brains and ....
probably just order some bread!!

whew

and there is more, MUCH more but I cant and wont say cause I want you to wonder just what the heck did I get myslef into in my final days in theis INTOLERABLY CRAZY TOWN!!!!

this place is everything that you thought it might be and two dumptruck fulls more.......
good luck to us all, alas I must go to bed now with no idea what the vote is but
cest la vie
it will all work out!