From Rabat we drove to Meknes, one of Morocco's imperial cities during the time of the blood thirsty king Moulay Ismail. He built a tremendous wall around the city, had huge granaries and had stables for over 12,000 horses. Even though he had great power, he was always afraid the Berbers would attack, so he certainly built fortifications to protect his interests. Everyone was afraid of Ismail, though, and even Louis XIV sent him gifts, one time 2 clocks, hoping he would stay in Morocco. As in many places, the tile work on the walls and gates is just amazing. We always go to the medina, or old city, when we can and this place was no different. Spices pilled high in stalls along with fruit, vegetables, meats, etc. Even though this is Ramadan, there will be a brisk buying time just before sundown when the fast is broken.
Volulibis was next. Several in our group was not happy that we went to the Archaeological Museum the other day, but I liked it. Guess it was because I did the dig in Israel 3 years ago. The items we saw in the museum came from Volulibis, which was a Roman city around 200 - 300 AD. But the site was occupied several hundred years before that. Even though the area has not been excavated much, it certainly reminded me of Epheses. There were enormous houses for the time (4000 sq. ft.), arches, mosaics in the floors, latrines, bath houses, sewer system, basilica, etc. The area that it covers is quite large and it would take many years to excavate it. The past excavations were stopped in the 70's due to lack of money. Too bad. There are plans to bring the museum to this area instead of having it in Rabat.
We travelled on to Fez, stopping occasionally to see little shops on the side of the road for the locals. On our bus travels we see sheep and goats grazing the brown land and have yet to figure out what they are eating. From our vantage point, all we can see is dirt, but there must be some type of grasses that they are eating.
Chris had seen in the guide book a place that has a show with folk and belly dancing. We were able to get Aziz to make arrangements for us to go. We had a little supper with the group and then took a taxi to the show. A man named Souci met us at the taxi and led us down the winding alleys to the restaurant/show. Going down the winding alleys between tall walls where houses were was similar to the way we reached the restaurant last night in Rabat. Chris video taped a lot of the dancing, and especially the musicians. The belly dancing left a lot to be desired. I saw much better in Winston-Salem with one of Chris' events. Drumming was great, though. There were other performances - drummers doing folk dancing, man balancing tea service on his head, etc. At the end several women were picked out of the audience, including Chris, to participate in a Berber wedding. Chris was a bridesmaid in costume. She was lifted high in the air on a hassack or something. Anyway, it was a lot of fun.
October 1 was a full day in Fez. Unfortunately, I have developed a cold, the first in over a year, and my stamina is a little low. Even if I don't feel too well, I am not going to miss anything. We started out seeing the 7 door gate of the Imperial Palace with a large paved colonade in front of it. Then it was off to learn how pottery is done here. This is the place for pottery. Because of the clay found in this area, the pottery is supposed to be the strongest and best. All dyes are from vegetables and do not fade or crack and the pottery can be used anywhere. I had been thinking of something for my front porch and considered a statue from the thuya wood. It seemed too expensive at the time, so I began to look at vases in this place. Of course, Chris was a big help. We had to spend a lot of time looking at various pieces, so the rest of the group went on without us while Aziz stayed with us. I settled on a 2 -3 foot vase with a top, with 4 handles and in a green pattern on off-white base color. We had to do some serious bargaining. At the end I bought the vase and got them to ship it as well as ship the table Chris bought. They even threw in a tigene covered pot for Chris at the end of the negotiations. It all will be shipped by air and I'll have to pick it up at the Atlanta airport. Remembering that I won't be home until Oct. 29, I will have to email the company when I get home to have it sent so it won't arrive before I do. This was quite an investment. Hope it looks good on my front porch.
The owner of the pottery factory, which actually was a co-op for helping people who have not been able to do well in the education system to learn a trade, drove us to the medina. Must have been happy to have my purchase. This medina is a place never to go alone. It is truly a labrynth of alleys. It is very easy to get lost. This is a step back in time. People carrying things on their heads, donkeys loaded with goods, live animals being sold along the way. Sometimes there was hardly space for 3 people across in the narrow streets. We even went into a tannery area with the smelly hides soaking in pots of lye to separate the skin. Then there would be donkeys piled high with the skins heading down the street. What a fascinating place!
When we finally got back to the hotel after having a carpet demonstration where nobody in our group bought a carpet, we found an internet cafe several blocks from the hotel. In the hotel the cost is about $12 per hour and here it is less than $.50. We have dinner with a family tonight. Should be interesting.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Rabat
The rest of the group arrived on September 28 and we were off to Rabat, meaning fortress or monastery. Activities have really picked up now. Aziz has gone into tour leader mode with the main group here. Our room in Hotel Le Dawliz is huge. One couple in our group even has a sitting room. As soon as we put our bags away we went to the medina to see what this city has to offer. It was not as crowded as the one in Essouira but bustling just the same. This is a large city but is not as busy as Casablanca. We walked along the new part of the city to see some of the Moorish architecture. One drawback is that the hotel is in Sale across the river from Rabat, so we have to go in the bus wherever we go. Internet is very expensive in the hotel and we cannot go to an internet cafe like we did in Essouira, but the clerk at the desk let us use his computer for free for awhile. (We found out the password for that computer and have been able to log into the lobby computers the next day for free!!)
Our day has been completely filled. First to the Royal Palace with the various guards in colorful uniforms. The new king is more modern and open than his predecessors. He has only one wife and was instrumental in making some changes in the new "family code" that was first proposed in 1993 to give more rights to women. Changes were finally made in October 2003 (he came into power in 1999). He met his wife chatting on the internet. She is a computer engineer. What a surprise to her when she met him and found out he was the king! There is a parliament here, and generally the king does not interfere, but actually his decision in religious and government matters is the final one no matter what the parliament does. So if the parliament is doing something that might not be the best for the country, he steps in.
Then we went to the ancient Roman city Sala Colonia, built in the 14th century. It is mostly in ruins due to an earthquake in 1755 in Lisbon, but the minaret is still standing. The place has been taken over by storks, with nests high up all over the place. There are some people there who must love cats. Aziz made a calling sound and dozens of cats came running from around the buildings.
Next was the beautiful Mausoleum of Mohammed V and across the way the Le Tour Hassan. The mausoleum has the grandfather and father of the present king. The inside has very intricate patterns of mosaics from the floor to the ceiling. The tower of Hassan is a huge minaret begun in 1195 and was supposed to be part of the largest mosque in the world. Things did not work out and there remains the minaret and many Roman pillars that were supposed to have supported the roof.
From the intricately carved tower we could see the Kasbah Des Oudaias. When we went there we could see beautiful narrow streets with the walls colored blue and white and very interesting doorways. Now these areas are quite expensive places to live.
The Archaeology Museum was quite interesting with artifacts from 350,000 years to the Stone Age. Many of the artifacts came from Roman settlements at Volubilis, Lixus and Chellah, including stone and bronze busts.
If all that weren't enough we had a discussion and lecture by a young woman who gave us some insight into women's rights in Morocco. Morocco became independent in 1956 and changes have been happening ever since. Morocco has always been an open society and never did things some of the other African countries have done like honor killing or female circumcision. The interpretation of the Koran has been more modern and liberal and tries to go with the times. Women still don't have quite the rights as men, but changes are being made and things are much better than even the recent past with the new king in charge. And with satellite dishes on every house and hundreds of channels, people see what the rest of the world is like. Public education through college is free and women make the same as men in the same job. Wearing the traditional outfit, the jellaba, and scarf is a matter of individual tastes and not required at all.
The night was completed with a wonderful 5 course Moroccan dinner at a very fine restaurant. Wait staff in traditional outfits and a man pouring mint tea from a tea cup five feet above the glasses topped it all off. The bathroom was as red as you could get a room. Nearby we stopped in a home that had recently been sold so the caretaker let us in to see it. Walls were covered in intricate tiles, there were huge wooden doors and the roof in the main room was open to the sky (the restaurant had an open roof, too). The two rooms on each side of the main room were covered in sofas for visiting and/or sleeping. The house apparently sold for about $190,000, which was unbelieveable. Would have been many millions anywhere else.
Our day has been completely filled. First to the Royal Palace with the various guards in colorful uniforms. The new king is more modern and open than his predecessors. He has only one wife and was instrumental in making some changes in the new "family code" that was first proposed in 1993 to give more rights to women. Changes were finally made in October 2003 (he came into power in 1999). He met his wife chatting on the internet. She is a computer engineer. What a surprise to her when she met him and found out he was the king! There is a parliament here, and generally the king does not interfere, but actually his decision in religious and government matters is the final one no matter what the parliament does. So if the parliament is doing something that might not be the best for the country, he steps in.
Then we went to the ancient Roman city Sala Colonia, built in the 14th century. It is mostly in ruins due to an earthquake in 1755 in Lisbon, but the minaret is still standing. The place has been taken over by storks, with nests high up all over the place. There are some people there who must love cats. Aziz made a calling sound and dozens of cats came running from around the buildings.
Next was the beautiful Mausoleum of Mohammed V and across the way the Le Tour Hassan. The mausoleum has the grandfather and father of the present king. The inside has very intricate patterns of mosaics from the floor to the ceiling. The tower of Hassan is a huge minaret begun in 1195 and was supposed to be part of the largest mosque in the world. Things did not work out and there remains the minaret and many Roman pillars that were supposed to have supported the roof.
From the intricately carved tower we could see the Kasbah Des Oudaias. When we went there we could see beautiful narrow streets with the walls colored blue and white and very interesting doorways. Now these areas are quite expensive places to live.
The Archaeology Museum was quite interesting with artifacts from 350,000 years to the Stone Age. Many of the artifacts came from Roman settlements at Volubilis, Lixus and Chellah, including stone and bronze busts.
If all that weren't enough we had a discussion and lecture by a young woman who gave us some insight into women's rights in Morocco. Morocco became independent in 1956 and changes have been happening ever since. Morocco has always been an open society and never did things some of the other African countries have done like honor killing or female circumcision. The interpretation of the Koran has been more modern and liberal and tries to go with the times. Women still don't have quite the rights as men, but changes are being made and things are much better than even the recent past with the new king in charge. And with satellite dishes on every house and hundreds of channels, people see what the rest of the world is like. Public education through college is free and women make the same as men in the same job. Wearing the traditional outfit, the jellaba, and scarf is a matter of individual tastes and not required at all.
The night was completed with a wonderful 5 course Moroccan dinner at a very fine restaurant. Wait staff in traditional outfits and a man pouring mint tea from a tea cup five feet above the glasses topped it all off. The bathroom was as red as you could get a room. Nearby we stopped in a home that had recently been sold so the caretaker let us in to see it. Walls were covered in intricate tiles, there were huge wooden doors and the roof in the main room was open to the sky (the restaurant had an open roof, too). The two rooms on each side of the main room were covered in sofas for visiting and/or sleeping. The house apparently sold for about $190,000, which was unbelieveable. Would have been many millions anywhere else.
Essouira
It was really good that the medina was so close to our hotel. We had a lot of free time so we could go shopping whenever we wished. Our room overlooked the beach. It's a good thing we are tall. The bathtub was about 2 1/2 feet off the floor, so it was tough getting in and out of it. On one of our shopping excursions, we were pulled into an area back of a shop where a blind jeweller spent 30 minutes showing us silver jewelry. After Chris picked out a necklace and 5 rings we found out the cost was about $600.00, so we quickly ended that adventure.
Essouira is a pretty and laid back port town and a wonderful relaxing place for Moroccans as well as us tourists. It was a hippie hangout in the 60's with Jimi Hendrix coming to town and there are still hippie type festivals here. There have also been a number of movies filmed here, notably Orson Welles "Orthello."
The port here was a vital link for trade between Timbuktu and Europe in the 18th century. Much earlier than that the Romans found the place very important for the purple dye made from a local mollusk, the murex, which is found only on a nearby island called the Purple Island or Mogador. The purple color was more important than gold at that time and only royalty could wear it.
As far as shopping goes, Chris bought a beautiful thuya wood coffee table inlaid with wood and mother of pearl. The shop keeper brought it to the hotel on his bicycle. Since there was no time to get it shipped, we have it in the bus until we can repack it and get it mailed from Marrakesh. I bought a thuya wood bowl which I hope will look good in the living room. Unfortunately the wood is endangered, but our guide assures us more trees are being planted, etc.
Another new thing for me was that you can put US dollars in the ATM and the machine will count it and give back Moroccan dirhams.
A neat adventure was a trip to the Ranch de Diabat for horseback riding. We donned chaps and a riding helmet and with a completely non English speaking guide set off across the sand dunes and scrub bushes to the Atlantic Ocean beach. My horse was Prince Noir. We went at full gallop several times and I did not even fall off! However, after one run I looked down and saw a cell phone on the beach. Chris had not zipped up her bag and the phone had fallen out. Lucky we found it.
We went to the weekly market at Ida Ougurt where everything imaginable was sold. We visited a women's cooperative where cosmetic and food products were made from the oil in the nuts of argan trees. Goats climb up into the trees and eat the nuts, but the nuts are so hard that they are not digested. Years ago the nuts were collected from the goat dung, but that is not the case anymore.
We had another 6 hour drive back to Casablanca, but we did stop at an olive processer on the side of the road. The olives are put in a big grinding wheel and a camel (blindfolded with a plastic bag) walks around and around to crush the olives. Then the paste is put in a press and oil is extracted.
After we got back to Casablanca, Chris and I took a taxi to the Cornich to walk along the beach. There were scores of men playing soccer on the beach. Apparently especially during Ramadan, the hour or so before the fast is broken, the men are out there with their last bit of energy. Then after dinner we went with Aziz to see the crowd at the Hassen II mosque for the evening prayers. There were several thousand people outside since the inside was filled. While the adults were praying, children were running around all over the sidewalks and playing.
Later we listened to some musicians in the hotel and Aziz joined them as well as did Chris trying to play the doumbek.
Essouira is a pretty and laid back port town and a wonderful relaxing place for Moroccans as well as us tourists. It was a hippie hangout in the 60's with Jimi Hendrix coming to town and there are still hippie type festivals here. There have also been a number of movies filmed here, notably Orson Welles "Orthello."
The port here was a vital link for trade between Timbuktu and Europe in the 18th century. Much earlier than that the Romans found the place very important for the purple dye made from a local mollusk, the murex, which is found only on a nearby island called the Purple Island or Mogador. The purple color was more important than gold at that time and only royalty could wear it.
As far as shopping goes, Chris bought a beautiful thuya wood coffee table inlaid with wood and mother of pearl. The shop keeper brought it to the hotel on his bicycle. Since there was no time to get it shipped, we have it in the bus until we can repack it and get it mailed from Marrakesh. I bought a thuya wood bowl which I hope will look good in the living room. Unfortunately the wood is endangered, but our guide assures us more trees are being planted, etc.
Another new thing for me was that you can put US dollars in the ATM and the machine will count it and give back Moroccan dirhams.
A neat adventure was a trip to the Ranch de Diabat for horseback riding. We donned chaps and a riding helmet and with a completely non English speaking guide set off across the sand dunes and scrub bushes to the Atlantic Ocean beach. My horse was Prince Noir. We went at full gallop several times and I did not even fall off! However, after one run I looked down and saw a cell phone on the beach. Chris had not zipped up her bag and the phone had fallen out. Lucky we found it.
We went to the weekly market at Ida Ougurt where everything imaginable was sold. We visited a women's cooperative where cosmetic and food products were made from the oil in the nuts of argan trees. Goats climb up into the trees and eat the nuts, but the nuts are so hard that they are not digested. Years ago the nuts were collected from the goat dung, but that is not the case anymore.
We had another 6 hour drive back to Casablanca, but we did stop at an olive processer on the side of the road. The olives are put in a big grinding wheel and a camel (blindfolded with a plastic bag) walks around and around to crush the olives. Then the paste is put in a press and oil is extracted.
After we got back to Casablanca, Chris and I took a taxi to the Cornich to walk along the beach. There were scores of men playing soccer on the beach. Apparently especially during Ramadan, the hour or so before the fast is broken, the men are out there with their last bit of energy. Then after dinner we went with Aziz to see the crowd at the Hassen II mosque for the evening prayers. There were several thousand people outside since the inside was filled. While the adults were praying, children were running around all over the sidewalks and playing.
Later we listened to some musicians in the hotel and Aziz joined them as well as did Chris trying to play the doumbek.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Casablanca
I have been to South, East, and West Africa, so it was time to head North - Morocco. Arrived September 23 after meeting up with Chris at Charles de Gaulle airport. She had a short connection, but she made it, and our luggage even did, too, at the Casablanca airport. Since we were on a later flight than the rest of the "pre-trip" group, we took a taxi to our hotel. We met our guide Aziz, who thought we had missed our flight since we were "late." Later he found out that the guide before him had all the information about our flight and failed to inform him. Hope that is not a sign of confusion to come.
In our room on the bedside table was a sticker that told us where East is so that we would know which direction Mecca is in order to pray. I was obliged to lie on the bed and do my prayers.
Anyway, less than an hour later, we met our fellow travelers, and were off to see some of the city. Of course we had to see a church, apparently a cathedral, which had beautiful stained glass windows. We stopped at a café by the ocean for cookies and a drink that the others had received earlier (guess we weren't supposed to miss anything). We also rode by Rick's Café (a la Casablanca). Our dinner was in an elaborately decorated restaurant in the hotel.
We started the next day at the huge Hassan II Mosque. The day before we had seen it from the beach front at an area called the Corniche. This mosque is the third largest and one of the few open to the public. It is said to be so big that St. Peter's Basilica could fit inside it. It can hold 25,000 people. On the outside there is room for another 80,000. There is amazing woodcarving and tile work inside and the roof even retracts. 6,000 artisans worked on it and it was finished in 1993, costing over half a billion dollars and paid for mostly by the Muslim faithful. Quite a feat for something built in this day and age.
Morocco believes pretty much in separation of religion and politics, and there are police at services to keep it that way. If an imam starts talking politics during a service, he will be fired. The people here seem very tolerant of others. Actually, Morocco is not really an Arab country, but a Berber country, going back to when they were thought of as barbarians. The latest influence (until early 1900's) was the French, so there is very little English known, just French and Moroccan Arabic.
The rest of the day was in the bus riding to Essaouira. We were along the Atlantic coast much of the way. There are squares of farmed land, high cliffs along the beach, little communities, and even vast red hills on the other side of the road from the beach. Also, plenty of vast land covered with rocks. Guess that is why we can say we are in "more rocko". There are a lot of land with nice rock walls around themAfter we were settled in the hotel, we walked through the medina or old city within the walls of Essaouira. Everywhere is a market for something for tourists or locals. There is especially a lot of activity around 5:30 when people, mostly men, are out buying food. Everybody fasts (food & water) from sun up to sun down. A siren sounds (as if there is a tornado coming) at 6:35 to break the Ramadan fast. The shops close and everybody goes home to eat. Around 7:30 the shops reopen and the city comes alive again.
Tuesday we had an Arabic lesson. Chris is doing quite well in her lessons, but there is a difference in classic Arabic and Moroccan Arabic - like a dialect difference. Here most everyone speaks Arabic or French and not much English, so bargaining can be difficult and entertaining.
The fishing pier at the city port was a real working port with overwhelming sights and smells. Widows of fishermen come early to be given fish to sell in order to be able to survive without a man. It is amazing to see all the activity going on as well as the cats waiting for their share.
In our room on the bedside table was a sticker that told us where East is so that we would know which direction Mecca is in order to pray. I was obliged to lie on the bed and do my prayers.
Anyway, less than an hour later, we met our fellow travelers, and were off to see some of the city. Of course we had to see a church, apparently a cathedral, which had beautiful stained glass windows. We stopped at a café by the ocean for cookies and a drink that the others had received earlier (guess we weren't supposed to miss anything). We also rode by Rick's Café (a la Casablanca). Our dinner was in an elaborately decorated restaurant in the hotel.
We started the next day at the huge Hassan II Mosque. The day before we had seen it from the beach front at an area called the Corniche. This mosque is the third largest and one of the few open to the public. It is said to be so big that St. Peter's Basilica could fit inside it. It can hold 25,000 people. On the outside there is room for another 80,000. There is amazing woodcarving and tile work inside and the roof even retracts. 6,000 artisans worked on it and it was finished in 1993, costing over half a billion dollars and paid for mostly by the Muslim faithful. Quite a feat for something built in this day and age.
Morocco believes pretty much in separation of religion and politics, and there are police at services to keep it that way. If an imam starts talking politics during a service, he will be fired. The people here seem very tolerant of others. Actually, Morocco is not really an Arab country, but a Berber country, going back to when they were thought of as barbarians. The latest influence (until early 1900's) was the French, so there is very little English known, just French and Moroccan Arabic.
The rest of the day was in the bus riding to Essaouira. We were along the Atlantic coast much of the way. There are squares of farmed land, high cliffs along the beach, little communities, and even vast red hills on the other side of the road from the beach. Also, plenty of vast land covered with rocks. Guess that is why we can say we are in "more rocko". There are a lot of land with nice rock walls around themAfter we were settled in the hotel, we walked through the medina or old city within the walls of Essaouira. Everywhere is a market for something for tourists or locals. There is especially a lot of activity around 5:30 when people, mostly men, are out buying food. Everybody fasts (food & water) from sun up to sun down. A siren sounds (as if there is a tornado coming) at 6:35 to break the Ramadan fast. The shops close and everybody goes home to eat. Around 7:30 the shops reopen and the city comes alive again.
Tuesday we had an Arabic lesson. Chris is doing quite well in her lessons, but there is a difference in classic Arabic and Moroccan Arabic - like a dialect difference. Here most everyone speaks Arabic or French and not much English, so bargaining can be difficult and entertaining.
The fishing pier at the city port was a real working port with overwhelming sights and smells. Widows of fishermen come early to be given fish to sell in order to be able to survive without a man. It is amazing to see all the activity going on as well as the cats waiting for their share.
Friday, September 7, 2007
My daughter is wonderful!
I was so impressed with the Travel Blog that my daughter, Chris, set up for our upcoming trip (and her extended travels), that I immediately called her up and she spent almost an hour setting me up with my own blog, affectionally titled (by Chris), "Travel Tales of a Wandering Baby Boomer." We discussed the fact that I am actually too old to be an official baby boomer, but the name was catchy and so it sticks. She also managed to edit the sunglasses off my neck for the profile picture, so I think I might have to pay her back with a trinket from one of the souks in Marakkesh. What an adventure we are in store for!
ps. Not only did she set up the site, she actually wrote this blog. Hee hee hee...you're welcome, Mom! Looking forward to our trip!
ps. Not only did she set up the site, she actually wrote this blog. Hee hee hee...you're welcome, Mom! Looking forward to our trip!
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