Location: Marrakech, Morocco
What an amazing day! It all began at 6:15 a.m. with early wakeups. After consuming a light breakfast on board, everyone stumbled down to the edge of the marina, where two vans were waiting to transport us to Marrakesh. It was about a three-and-a-half-hour drive, and a lot of us slept.
The vans dropped us off right next to the main square. We met our guide, Ali, who was awesome. He led us through the old Medina and showed us what the city was all about. The best part of the tour was the herb shop. I think all of us ended up buying something. Immediately after the herbal experience, we went to lunch at a rooftop restaurant. After lunch, we wandered freely through the Medina for a while. There was so much to see. Every shop had something interesting. We looked at chess sets, robes, and so much more. Lukas got a watch, Audrey got some new sandals, Luke got a shirt and some pants, and I spent 60 US cents on three round loaves of bread.
Our time in Marrakesh came to an end at 4:15 when we once again got into our vans. Instead of heading back to Vela, though, we were escorted into the desert to a luxurious yurt camping kind of situation. There was music, and dancing, and fire, and food. Brendan and I had a great time playing around with some of the authentic Moroccan instruments. After a day full of excitement, all of us entered our yurts and slept on dry land for the first time in six weeks. It was fantastic.