Adventures, escapes and culture shock

Our day started off quite amusing. This morning, as we went to brush our teeth after breakfast, we were surprised to find a little cat sitting on our sink. We turned on the tap, and the cat, clearly thirsty, happily drank for a while. After letting it enjoy its little moment, we headed out to get cash from the ATM and buy water.
We stopped by a shop selling pretty mugs, and as we browsed, the shopkeeper started chatting with us. He ended up telling us the story of his life, wrapping it up with two life lessons: enjoy your youth and always think a lot about your parents. (Don’t worry, Mom, I already do!)
After this unexpected wisdom, we headed back to camp to check out, enjoying the Riad and its roof terrace one last time. At 11, a taxi driver came to pick us up. He drove us for 1.5 hours to Taroudant, a city nestled between the Atlas and Anti-Atlas mountains. The ride was quiet—almost too quiet—and for a while, we weren’t entirely sure where he was taking us. Thankfully, he eventually stopped in front of a house that turned out to be the Airbnb David, our guide, had organized for us.
Since we had the rest of the day free, we decided to check out the market. Before that, though, we each had a small snack—fruit for me, bread for Nadja, and a protein bar for me. It wasn’t nearly enough, but I’m still here writing this, so clearly I survived.
We wandered into the city without much of a plan. The streets were bustling and full of life, with hardly any tourists around. That’s when I realized my sleeveless top was a poor choice. While my long black pants were fine, my bare arms definitely weren’t. I’m pretty sure I was the only person in a 20-kilometer radius showing any arm skin. It wasn’t ideal, but there wasn’t much I could do except feel slightly out of place.
As we entered the sprawling market, an older man approached us and offered to show us around. Not for money, he said—just to be friendly. He ended up guiding us through what felt like half the market. We visited the Berber area, the Arabic area, and even met some of his friends. Naturally, he also took us to his shop.
That’s where I fell in love—not with a Moroccan guy (don’t worry, Mom), but with a scarf. It was perfect, especially since I really needed to cover my arms. The quality was amazing, and the price was so good that I’d never find anything like it in Switzerland. Obviously, I had to buy it.
Afterward, our guide took us to a restaurant where we could eat tajine, then left to have dinner with his family. Nadja and I kept wandering, and soon another man on a bike stopped us. He presented himself as Ibrahim and asked us where we were from. At some point Nadja mentioned she wanted to buy cinnamon, so he offered to show us where to find it.
On the way, we ended up being shown even more of the market. We passed through another Berber area, carpet shops, jewelry stalls—you name it. At one point, we entered a tiny stone hut where a young man, Ismail, was sitting and eating. They invited us to join, but we just stayed to chat. Ismail helps at Ibrahims shop from time to time, but actually comes from the Mountains, where his family works in agriculture. They told us about Arabic culture, dialects, and history before finally showing us the cinnamon (and, of course, their own shop).
This time, it was a shoe store. Nadja actually wanted shoes, so she tried some on, but after a long back-and-forth, she decided not to buy any. Even another cousin of them arrived with more shoes, trying to concinxe Nadja. Escaping the shop was one of the biggest accomplishments od the day.
We also asked Ibrahim for a good Tajine place and he lead us to the SAME place, where the old man had brought us. I guess this has to be some kind of cousin of all of them. They surely all know eachother. We went back to the b&b and got ready to go out for dinner in a restaurant that Nadja remembered from two years ago.
On our way, we passed the stone wall of Taroudant and caught the sunset, which was stunning. Unfortunately, the food at the restaurant was pretty bad. Looking back, we probably should’ve stuck with the cousin’s place. Now Nadja and I both have heavy bloating. Fingers crossed we’ll feel better tomorrow because David will be picking us up for a long drive to the desert. I’m excited and ready for what’s next!Read more