The hammam in Chaychaouen is just around the corner from the main square in front of the old kasbah. It is open to men in the morning and evening and in the afternoon in the afternoon. The hammam is like a communal sauna except wet but not quite a steam room since the water comes from a tap in the wall where it has been heated in an underground furnace burning the wood from olive trees. You get an empty bucket and bowl to pour the water over you and basically everyone sits around in their underwear and is cleansed. I have decided to spend tomorrow in a rural village, a program organized through a nonprofit under a grant from a university in Barcelona. I am enjoying taking it one day at a time, leaving things open to see what develops as the day unfolds but still having a general idea of where I want to go. I was thinking of maybe just staying here in the north and checking out local sights and history, but I have decided to take the train to Marrakesh for my last long visit in the country.
