Doing the unthinkable

Ok, perhaps what I'm about to do isn't exactly unthinkable. It's more along the lines of new and unexpected. I'm going to go to Marrakech, alone. I say unthinkable because I'm a girl who's never so much as gone to the cinema alone, let alone on holiday, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Now in reality I have travelled alone - numerous work trips, a trip to Cadiz to learn Spanish, I even came to Spain alone on a train with half my belongings and no job or home to come to. But this feels different, as I've actually made a choice to travel for leisure alone. My reasons for doing so are manyfold; I have wanted to go to Morrocco for as long as I can remember, it's on my list of '100 things to do in this lifetime' (which I really ought to post here sometime), I've even recently found Morrocco guide books I bought about 10 years ago with the idea of going - isn't that embarrassing? Why did I never go?! Well, I guess sometimes life took over and I forgot about this little plan of mine, it was never the 'right time', other people didn't want to go, etc etc. Of course there never is a right time, and it seemed silly waiting to be romantically involved in order to go, so I thought 'just do it'. The natural thing to do would have been to go with friends, but I'm in such an unusually 'me' mood that I didn't want to wait for a time when it was convenient for friends and then have to co-decide what hotel, to spa or not to spa etc. I guess I just felt like being a bit selfish!

My workload only permits me to go for 3 days, which I think will be a suitably brief introduction to solo travel (not that I plan to make it a lifestyle!) I think the hardest thing will be eating alone - one of the main reasons I'm going is the food, and it would have been lovely to share that with someone. Other people have warned me about hassle from men, but I'm hoping with my Arabic (plus I have black hair and will forgo wearing micro mini skirts) I can avoid that. My terrible sense of direction in the Medina is also a concern ;-) Despite these minor worries, there are many things I'm looking forward to - staying in a traditional riad in the medina, eating pastilla (a kind of sweetened chicken/pigeon pie with ground almonds), visiting the Majorelle Gardens, not so much ticking sights off on a list, but instead taking time (and I'll have very little of it) to walk around, stopping off to drink mint tea accompanied by a good book and a notepad and pen every now and then. Also, after the stress of earlier this year, I'm in a kind of reflective mood, and I'm looking forward to doing a bit of thinking in such interesting and unknown surroundings.