Here are a few more pictures that didn't fit on the journal pages. I'm also including a few tidbits, such as a few words and phrases I learned while in Morocco.

The phrase Inshallah means God willing - Si Dieu le veux. I spoke to our driver, Said, who mentioned he was hoping to move to Canada in the new year Inshallah, toujours Inshallah... His brother works for Lucent Technologies in Nepean, Ontario. Said has applied for permission to live in Canada, and anxiously awaits the answer some time in January 2001. If this permission is not granted, he's going to apply for a temporary work visa so that he may spend a year in Canada. His entire family, save one sister who is still in the Vallee des roses, is in Ottawa!

In the desert, I was asked to try the tirkarkajines which are a metallic percussion instrument played with the hands. Ali, one of the dromedary guides, showed me how to play them in the traditional rhythm, and, being musically inclined, I picked it up right away. Another dromedary guide said "Tsn!". Ali explained to me that tsn means "she knows", and isn means "he knows". He then said I was a natural gazelle Berber and put my scarf on my head in the Berber fashion (I had been wearing it in the Touareg fashion since the merchant put it on me at the rug shop).

In Morocco, they use the terms gazelle and gazeau. The women in my group were often referred to as gazelles throughout the souks of Marrakech. Gazeau is less common. Used in a certain context, such as "This man is your gazeau", means "your man" as in your boyfriend or husband.






In Arabic, "thank you" is pronounced chokran. "No thanks" is la chokran. This became quite helpful in Marrakech when we were being hassled by locals. Our guide instructed us to say la chokran to show that we'd been in Morocco for quite some time now, and that we did not want to be bothered with the usual tourist hassles. Merchants and children really go all out to get your attention and to get you to spend your money in their shops! They're very pushy, but they do respect your decisions. I was often told "C'est comme tu veux" and "Tu dois choisir celui que tu veux". Another nice comfort is that, once you've agreed on a price, the merchant honours that agreement and stops trying to raise your price. He will also give you the correct change without trying to trick you. Or so were my experiences!

Here's a silly-looking picture of me looking like such a tourist! This was taken on our first day on the way to the Todra Gorge. I hadn't yet begun to blend in or feel comfortable with my surroundings... Surprisingly enough, I wasn't too jetlagged on our first day out of Ouarzazate. I only slept maybe three hours on the two flights on Saturday night, but had a good long sleep on the Sunday night. That must have done it!



A few people in our group did find need for something like a Gravol tablet. Andy had supplies of preventative medicine for anyone who felt queazy and they came in quite handy. Happily I had no need for this type of thing while I was in Morocco. But it was nice to know I had my own supply if I needed it. Another useful item I brought was a sling for my water bottle. Mountain Equipment did a great job in equipping me for this trip!!



Other good things to bring with you if you're going to Morocco are water purification tablets. They'll be useful if you've just arrived in the country and haven't yet had the chance to suss out the place, so haven't bought any bottled water yet. When you need to brush your teeth or quench your thirst, you'll be thankful you have these. I also brought some Tang with me in case the water purification tablets gave the water a bizarre taste, but I ended up not using either of these things as Andy was quick to bring me my first bottle of water on the first Sunday! Also be sure to bring a camera and alot of film. Yes, there are alot of photos on my web page, and that's most of them, but I could have taken so many more... And I was only there for one week!!

We often stopped for some freshly squeezed orange juice which was not at all expensive. I believe you could pay 2 or 3 dirhams for a glass (3.5 dirhams is equivalent to 50 cents in Canada). It's very tasty too! An orange juicer in Morocco could sell for as much as 450 dirhams (about $60 Canadian!).






Bring alot of warm clothes. As Peter pointed out to us, Morocco is a cold country with a very warm sun!! Having many layers is quite comfortable. I found it easy to pack everything I needed in my day pack by rolling everything like you'd roll up a poster, rather than folding everything. You get less creases (especially if you shop at Mountain Equipment Coop...) and it takes up less space. Be sure to bring some snacks to last you a few days because you never know when you'll want a taste of home!