We Are Always Home...
I am sitting in a beautiful Moroccan Riad in Marrakech...
There was a problem with the internet in Imlil and all the surrounding villages, and so we made the decision first thing this morning that we needed to move home...
I managed to get my blog up last night by paying £40 for data roaming and connecting my phone up to my computer, but this didn't feel a particularly sustainable way forward...!
And Anadi needs the internet to work...
Jamal who owns imlil Lodge was completely understanding, we explained that we need Internet for our livelihood and he said in response to us telling him we needed to leave... 'That is no problem, that makes sense'; he was more concerned that we had been looked after well by his staff and we reassured him that they were wonderful...
And so a car arrived at 2pm and whisked us away...
A couple of days ago Anadi's friend Satyaloka, who is also Imedia Library's graphic designer, had mentioned that a friend of his owns a guest house/ a riad in Medina, the old town of Marrakech.... Should we be passing, we might pay him a visit...
We contacted him this morning and here we are...
It is a very beautiful traditional Riad, with the open roof and plants growing all around the central part of the building...
Jamal who greeted us here - another Jamal - is the son of Satyaloka's friend and he showed us all around; we stood on the top of the building looking out over the roof tops of a City alive with activity
Our taxi driver had brought us off the main road and along a bumpy dirt track, full of pedestrians, bikes, donkeys and mopeds...
It seems that it will be impossible for a little bus to get through, but somehow we were delivered to a small square with three palm trees... A man instantly appeared to carry our bags to the door of our new home...
We asked Jamal what we should tip him, and then he brought us into the cool ornate beauty of his home and served us mint tea with special biscuits....
I established where I could go running and we sat chatting with Jamal and another guest called Roberto...
We discovered we are all nomadic by nature... And we all gravitate together
Not having eaten since a light breakfast this morning after our morning clamber to a neighbouring village, we set off at 5pm in search of something to 'keep us going' until dinner...
We made our way down a narrow street packed with shops and stalls, bright coloured scarves and leather wear, selling jewellery, food, massages, restaurants...
Everywhere we walked, if we as much as glanced at the person, they invited us in... To eat, to buy their wares, to have a massage...
We smiled and declined until we found wonderful cafe with delicious spicy coffee, Morrocan spices....
And so we are home..
Again...
We are always home...
The planet our home....
Citizens of the world...
Later...
It is twenty to midnight, we are just back from a late night meal in the square...
It was quieter than earlier but still resembled a film set to me; a horse trotted by, clip clopping its way whilst being led by a a man on a bicycle; suddenly there was much commotion and a dog pulled it's owned along, the owner tugging and pulling on the snarling animal; beggars sitting by the walls, sleeping...
And mopeds, always mopeds, travelling fast... Always fast...
The night air dusty with the sounds and smells of Marrakech....