A Thousand And One Stories in Africa, Maroko
"Salasah!".... He shouted while pointing three fingers from the iron fence that separated the two of us since earlier....
"Kam? Salasah mi'ah?" I greeted no less curtly trying to defend him....
"For God's sake....! Do you want to come or not?" he snapped again....
"La'!",....
His English was as bad as my Arabic. So what could I do, talking to this old man was like a pissing duel against the wind. Let alone negotiating, even communicating was a job in itself. Huuhhh..... While wiping the sweat that began to pour from my forehead, today the weather was very hot even on several pamphlets that everyone should not forget to always bring water and wear a mask.
"One hundred Dirhams is all I want. The price is fixed... More than that I will not move.....".
The old man babbled incoherently and snorted in annoyance, his two thin hands raised high and then turned right.
I won. Because it was supposed to be...
My first encounter with Africa was an impromptu visit to Morocco.
That was not the problem. The dilemma should only have been there after passing through the immigration gate.
The thirty-minute journey ended at the threshold of a mediocre guesthouse that they often called a 'riad'. Literally, riad means garden. This is the concept of a classic Moroccan house which is usually a three-story or four-story building with a small garden in the middle.
I reached into my pocket and handed over a wad of dirhams that had been prepared for the old man. The old man stepped on the gas, leaving me alone with a lump of exhaust dust at the threshold of the riad.
Welcome to Morocco!....
The first place I went to after booking a room was Jemaa el-Fnaa which was like a giant market. I took the bus for 20 minutes and arrived.....
I started to enter the field, there were many tents and also unique items that I had never seen before, but my goal was not to shop, I only bought a small wallet made of Moroccan cloth he said...
"Assalam'ualaikum"."....
"Walaikum'salam!"....
"Sir, can you find me a bus to Sahara for tomorrow?"
"How about you rent a private car?"
"I intend to take the bus to Sahara. Hafila."
"You can find a car, don't take the public bus. It's too risky."
"I have no problem with the bus."
The man frowned, while I just hoped anxiously that he would fulfill my request.
And yes, this time Mr. Saheer's English was very good and we chatted until finally....
"This is my friend Thayiin, he will take you tomorrow... I hope you enjoy your trip to our place"...
I breathed a sigh of relief and Mr. Thayiin took me to the guesthouse and then he will contact me tomorrow....
The next day.....
The clouds floated low in the Sahara sky as if they were about to collapse, "Enough! Stop here! Stop!"... Suddenly I saw a long line of camels like the story of traders going to Medina.
"Syukran sheikh,".... I thanked him by taking out 200 dirhams from my pocket.... I arrived at the camel rental place...
I chose the smallest camel because I was afraid of heights and my body was also small..., we were guided by Mustafa.
We walked through the dunes, getting further and further inland... The houses that looked like they were made of stone were gone and only a few houses made of clay were visible.,..
The day was getting darker and finally we stopped at a place, it looked like a shop but it was small and it looked like someone's house....
It turned out that there was a storm up ahead and we had to stay here until the sun and weather were friendly.... Huh? I only have until tomorrow before I go back to my country....
"Min Indonisiiyaann...?" a woman asked me...
"Naam Uty..." I answered while nodding....
The next day I woke up and looked out of the tent... There were some traders selling and it turned out we were in the Laghta market, one of the most famous open markets...
Everyone started to set up tents, the vast desert was transformed into a busy market passed by thousands of people... It was like a dream and there were their typical performances, I don't know the name but I remember when they started spinning and didn't stop, their dance was very calm....
I bought a cloth bag for my mother and some other knick-knacks... It was very cheap compared to the goods in the Jemaa el-Fnaa market...
Everything I need is here, including beautiful calligraphy and painting. I tried every chance I could get there... Until the time I had to leave....
*"I'm fine and I'll miss everything here, see you again.... *"... I said while climbing the stairs of the plane that was about to take off.....
Arriving in my country, and on a table with wooden ornaments, with my pink book and pen, I started writing my trip to Morocco, and "okay"... I closed the book, smiled sweetly and went to my bed, took the blanket... and slept comfortably.
.......END.......
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- https://steemit.com/hive-113505/@liasteem/sl7qu2
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Assignment 2. Writing Course. Lesson 5.
Cc,
@inspiracion , @wakeupkitty , @yancar
Hi, @liasteem,
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Thank you @ecoer .... 🙏