Day 4 in Morocco

Today has been a long and not entirely pleasant day. After discovering that I had travelers diarrhea, which incidentally comes right after travelers checks in a guide book index, I found myself getting assaulted by unnecessary tour guides again, and I ended up taking two detours. I'm pretty certain at this point that any Moroccan in the medina who starts talking to me is trying to make some money. I visited the major synagogue in the mellah as well as the Jewish cemetery. My "guide" suggested a 20 Dh tip for the (Muslim) caretaker of the synagogue, but a 5 Dh tip for the (Jewish) caretaker of the cemetery. Not sure if I should read too much into that.

I also visited the Jardins Majorelle, a rather large garden created by a French painter. It was a lovely break from the craziness of the medina. After getting lost on the way back though and doing far too much walking I discovered that my BoA debit card was getting rejected at every ATM here. I tried six ATMs and finally figured they had cut me off because of suspicious activity because I hadn't told them in advance that I'm going to Morocco. Fortunately I could call them with Skype which was especially nice given the 20 minute hold time.

The highlight of the evening was a hammam bath and massage. It was very good although I do think the masseuse came pretty close to tearing a ligament. Rested at the hotel for a while and considered spending tomorrow night in the mountains, but figured it wouldn't be worth the trouble. Besides I can get away from the craziness of the medina in my hotel courtyard. Even though it's just yards away from the main drag, it's quite peaceful. Had dinner at Argana overlooking the square. Ordered a pigeon pastille. Finally, took a walk through the Djemma, but at 10 pm there's not as much activity there. Of course, that's a good thing in some ways, but I was hoping to see the full range of entertainment.

So I'm off for a day trip to the mountains tomorrow; I will have to start the day by shaking off the Hindi-speaking hustler who has been shadowing me all day.