At a Noel party, in Morocco, surrounded by French people singing the Hava Nagila...

Last night was probably one of the most bizarre cross-cultural experiences I have ever had in my life. After a beautiful drive from Beni Mallal, we arrived into Marrakesh at dusk. After a very intense 90 minutes looking for an acceptable hotel, we finally settled on a slightly upmarket place right off the Djemma el Fna, a large square where acrobats, story tellers, remedy sellers, snake charmers and the like gather in the evenings to display their talents or wares in the hope of earning several dirham if an onlooker is duly impressed. As we were settling into the hotel, Haim called Zvoulon and Estelle to let them know that we were arrived and give them our location...it was at this point that we were told were were expected at a relatively fancy Noel party in 30 minutes.

Fast forward 40 minutes of relatively controlled chaos, and we were all in the taxi,showered, primped, and with mostly clean clothing, heading towards their hotel. We arrived and headed to the dining room, where, in typical fashion, they were no where to be found! We finally found them waiting for us with some friends in the hotel's rather obscure corner bar.

We all headed back to the restaurant, passing through a corridor beautifully decorated with candles and bronze lanterns, sheer fabrics and rose petals; the restaurant, however, was decorated in a decidedly gaudy Christmas fashion. In the front corner of the room were two sparkling lounge singers, and their keyboard playing male back up singer. One of the lounge singers had an impressive aging beauty, the other reminded me of Helena Bonham Carter's character in Fight Club...and, true to the movie, did seem rather stoned. As we walked in they were doing a cover of Sting's Shape of my Heart, as adolescent french boys were forced into waltzing with mothers and grandmothers in the dance floor to the left. Haim commented that the whole event felt rather wedding-like. As the dancing wound down and dinner was beginning the singers burst into Hava Nagila, joined by almost all of the diners....were we in a Jewish Wedding in New Jersey or a Noel celebration at a French chain hotel in Morocco...at this point I wasn't sure anymore!

The bizarre bent of the evening's entertainment continued as the singers took a break and were replaced by about 15 young men and women performing an hour long lip synced revue of (what I can only imagine to be) their interpretation of both western culture and what they imagine westerners would like...there were some classic french romance songs (the the requisite drunk french pretend-stumbling around the stage), some samba numbers with the men in fluorescent midriff bearing outfits, the requisite Michael Jackson numbers, and finally some "river dance." All in all a fascinating evening of entertainment, and with that we went back to our hotel and drifted into a well deserved slumber.

Lots of Adventures!

We've had a ton of adventures rambling around the Middle and High Atlas over the last 2 days. Yesterday Maya played in snow for the first time, rode a horse, saw wild (though pretty used to humans) Barbary Monkeys, and had a sled ride! What a busy day we had, but so much fun. None of it was really planned, and we simply happened across each activity on our way through the Atlas Mountains....definitely my favorite part of Morocco so far. We began yesterday with an early departure from Meknes, and wound through Ifrane and Azrou on the way to Midelt....with lost of stops in between. It was a pretty ideal day...

We arrived in Midelt at dusk, and were almost immediately (though in a very genteel and unobtrusive fashion) pounced upon by a local vendor. He helped us find a hotel, steered us to a great snack shop with perfect golden french fries and thick, slightly spicy harira, and finally steered us to his shop where we eagerly admired his Berber rugs and jewelry...we acquired a couple of rugs, and Maya chose a new necklace for herself!

We spent the night in deep and well deserved rest, and had another relatively early start today. We enjoyed some wonderful meandering today, and saw some amazing, remote villages with beautiful children, though the last hour in the car (as usual) was 1 hour too much, and we all arrived to Beni Malal a bit more stressed and tired than the ideal. After some dinner and showers, we're enjoying an early night. Tomorrow, I may take a break and hang in the hotel with Maya while Haim and his parents visit Alice's hometown of Oued Zen, about 100 km from where we are.

Seeing Morocco through new eyes

It is very different to see a place as a tourist vs a resident. Since Haim's parent's, who were both born and raised here, joined us in Casablanca about 5 days ago the trip has taken a wonderful new tone. Maybe Haim and I were just a bit sick of trying NOT to pay tourist...hard when you don't know the language that well....maybe we were just overwhelmed by our constant need for (major) guard and small crimes of opportunity (as is the case in any VERY poor country, where you are a "rich" foreigner)...maybe we were spending WAY too much time together and Haim needed some new people to hang with....

Whatever the case, the past 5 days have been the most enjoyable time that we've spent here (only slightly rivaled by the crossing and our time in Tanger.) Marco and Alice both spent their youth in and around Casablanca, so as soon as they arrived we had an instant navigator....which was well needed, since it took us 90 minutes to reach an airport 25 minutes away when we went to pick them up! We joined them in visits to their homes, and Marco even ran into an old neighbor. Lastly we visited the graveyard where Alice's father is buried...a site she had never before visited, as he died about 6 months after she left Morocco for Israel.

After 3 enjoyable days in Casablanca, we've headed to Meknes, a decent sized university town about 60 km south west of Fes. Meknes seems very manageable to me; large enough to feel like a city, but small enough to feel somewhat knowable....and the best hotel we've been in in Morocco doesn't hurt either. While Maya has found no playgrounds to speak of lately, she has had some nice nature time, lots of cats, and an wonderful large public square in which to push her dolly and stroller...which does not make too many appearances due to the challenges of busy streets combined with a dawdling 2 year old.

Our first day in Meknes was spent wandering the beautiful streets of the Medina, and taking Maya on a long promised carriage ride. The evening hours were spent enjoying the square, which is used as a selling stage for mystery remedies and the like. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Volubilis, a large, fairly well preserved Roman city, over 2000 years old. Maya climbed ruins, played in mud and streams, and had a wonderfully messy time! Last night we ate a small shabatt dinner of some bought fish and a few salads prepared by Alice. Te hotel let us use an empty dining room, and we had a nice, early evening. Today, while Alice and Marco rest, Haim, Maya and I will probably continue to explore then town in a leisurely fashion, and try to pick a route for tomorrow's drive to Azrou.

Fes...not so Fabulous

Fes is a bit overwhelming to me....I have heard great things, but maybe I am just turning into a small town gal. The city has 400,000 people living in the Medina alone....over 5000 streets! Then there is the Ville Nouveau and the outskirts...the total population is around 800,000. There are some very impressive things to see here...beautiful old houses (in the Medina...turned into rug shops), a fabulous (or at least it seems so from the outside) royal palace on about 200 acres, and a supposedly wonderful Jewish Quarter which we hope to visit tomorrow. It is quite impressive to look over the Medina from above which seems to stretch on indefinitely, and the tanneries are breathtaking....literally...you need to put mint leaves up your nose to stand it.

None the less, the whole town feels like a bit of a hustle to me. The hotel recommended an awful guide yesterday, who against our express wishes, ended up taking Haim from shop to shop (Maya was having a post meltdown nurse in the car). Today a couch surfer sent us another guide, much more informative, but with too many shopping opportunities once again, and this time the visit culminated in the rug shop/ workplace of the couch surfer. The rug visit was actually rather informative and enjoyable, and the couch surfer warm and welcoming, but he was supposed to call us between 5 and 6 for dinner and to hang out, and we are still waiting for our call.... It leaves me wondering....was it really just about the opportunity for a sale, or am I becoming a cynic? In any case, we did get some delicious kefta and chicken kebab sandwiches while in the Medina...it is hard to make chicken grilled and juicy, but they managed....with thick fresh pitas, a real treat!

We are now having a rest in the room, enjoying some down time, and FRESH LAUNDRY...soon off to dinner, and maybe some fresh squeezed orange juice for desert. Tomorrow we will try to have a look around the Jewish Quarter and then head off to Casablanca to get situated....Haim's parents will be here on Monday!

Chefchouan

What a beautiful city. We arrived in the rain, but the following day was cold and sunny. Due to our rainy arrival, we chose an easily accessible hotel, though not the most comfortable by far....the "hot showers" were barely tepid and the room a bit grungy...though it did suit our needs and purpose at the time. If not for our discomfort, lack of showers, and dwindling supply of clean clothing we easily could have spent a couple more days; Chefchouan is definitely a city which we would like to return to. We left Chefchouan early afternoon, Haim frustrated that we had spent the entire morning in bed...he was reading Pillars of the Earth (an AMAZING book if you have never read it), I was fooling around with our new Flickr account, and more importantly Maya was sleeping. She's always been a late sleeper, but Haim has been discontent that we are not up and out earlier.

We left Chefchouan choosing an off the beaten track, but paved, secondary road to travel by. We crossed the Rif, partially following the course of a river...crossing the mountains that way was a worthy but very time consuming endeavour. We were even stopped by multiple people inviting us to their houses for a meal....I guess they don't get many visitors out that way. By the time we reached Fes is was nightfall...

We found a comfortable hotel with heating AND boiling showers just off the main street in the new part of town, and then rambled around for some street food for dinner. Greatly enjoying a spicy steamed chicken with noodles and rice, and some delicious kefta sandwiches.

Yesterday was a rather miserable day, Maya REALLY cranky all day with Haim's new "wake up early" plan (which began and ended yesterday) and the misery was compounded by an AWFUL guide recommended by the hotel! The afternoon was spent with Maya napping and she work up in much better spirits, ready for an evening wander and a light snack before bed.

Today Haim has implemented the "wake up early on his own" plan and took himself for a cup of tea and some morning errands...it is about 11, we are all happy and ready to explore another day!

Tetouan to Chefchouan

Imagine waking up in a strange city to dead calm. I'm not referring to a small town either...the city I'm referring to has a population almost reaching half a million. We woke up yesterday in Tetouan, which for the prior days had been filled with people and merchants everywhere we went, but not a soul was visible out of our window. 10am, no cars or trucks passing by on their way to the Medina...more than a bit strange for a Tuesday mid-morning.
Haim decided to investigate....and try to get a cup of tea. Leaving me back in the room with still-sleeping Maya, off he went. He came back about an hour later reporting 1 open tea shop, streets with rivers of blood, and occasional men walking around with large knives, also covered in blood. At this point we were pretty sure of 2 things...the sheep festival that we had been hearing about in the souks had begun....though not much of a party for the sheep...and that it would probably be a very hungry day for us, with most everything closed and no one appearing to invite us home to share sheep!


In any case, we had decided to leave that day for Chefchouan...and hoped that on the road or in another town we might find something open. Packed and ready, we loaded up the car, set Maya up with Mulan (the Disney movie) in the back...which I think she has watched 6 or 7 times in the last couple of days, and we left in search of Chefchouan and hopefully some food too!

Driving the streets before we left, we did begin to see groups of teenage boys in the residential areas burning sheep heads over open flames....not sure the exact significance, but at very least an easy way to de-flesh and preserve the skull i imagine. We also drove by the Jewish Cemetery on our way out of town, which we would have liked to have visited, but was padlocked, and we were not in the mood (or felt it appropriate) to be scaling fences...

In any case, on our way our of town we did find a gas station convenience store where we were able to purchase some "emergency" provisions...a couple of cans of tuna, chips, chocolate, water, some yogurt, and some cheese, and some very dry bread....but at least we wouldn't go hungry, and I wouldn't turn into a raging lunatic, which I tend to do without regular food.

We had decided on a driving route down the coast, and then cutting back up an unpaved road to arrive at Chefchouan. The coastal road was amazingly beautiful, along pristine inlets and beach towns, and then up into the mountains, with sheer drop offs overlooking the Mediterranean. The terrain, was rather lush and forested, much more so than I had expected. The day was cool and rainy, and admiring the red dirt and rocks crumbling onto the highway from the mountains above, Haim and I decided that an unpaved road, without another 4x4 to accompany us, may not be the most prudent of choices. Instead, we cut in on a small paved road that followed a river through the mountains, and arriving to Chefchouan from the east. It was a great decision...what a beautiful drive, and the hair pin turns high in the mountains, accompanied by rain, gave Haim all of the "excitement" that he may have been looking for! We arrived to town around 4, and chose a hotel based on parking proximity rather than charm, as it was still raining and Maya was asleep.

Thankfully, a couple of places were open in the evening, because we were starving. With a choice between a couple of empty tourist restaurants or the local pizza parlor/ teenage hangout, we opted for the latter. The pizza was passable and almost filling, and we enjoyed a delicious fruit salad covered in a mildly sweet, thin green custard, and topped with crushed walnuts and whipped cream...clearly the house specialty, as almost each kid was enjoying one.

As we wandered the city afterward, we were quite taken by it's apparent beauty, and are much looking forward to a more thorough ramble today...so far it's crisp and sunny, so it should be a perfect day!

The Camera Caper...

We had the privilege today of buying back our video camera back from the man who stole it! Definitely not our shining moment as "world travelers," but a good stopping point for the complacency and security into which we had been slipping. A theft always brings up a mixture of emotions...embarrassment, anger (both at the thief and yourself), violation... Haim and I always try to remind ourselves when something like this happens it is better this than harm to life, limb, health, ect....basically rather the small stuff than the big stuff. None the less, it was a bummer....On the other hand, we did get our camera with all of the videos of the continental crossing intact!

We are not terribly taken with Tetouan, which the guidebook described as "strikingly beautiful" with "houses full of extravagant detail." I do think, however, that our opinion is somewhat colored by both the dreary weather and the "camera caper." It has been drizzling on and off since our arrival yesterday afternoon. Also, there is a holiday of some sort, which we can't quite figure out, but definitely involves a lot of Berbers coming from the mountains and also involves the sale (and I imagine subsequent consumption) of amazing numbers of live sheep and goats. Unfortunately, this seems to be a household type of holiday and we have not had the random luck of quickly ingratiating ourselves with anyone who wants to invite us home to eat with them...not many couch surfers in the area either. In any case, the streets are full and there is a lot of excitement and enjoyable people watching.

We've taken a very comfortable, old hotel (probably at one time a bit upscale) just outside of the Medina. Plenty of hot water mornings and evenings, and a great corner balcony overlooking the streets below. All in all a very good place to spend a couple of days. We've found a nearby kebab stall where we've enjoyed dinner 2 nights in a row, and there is a tea shop just below that brings up up coffee and mint tea, which combined with the delicious cookies we've bought in the market makes for wonderful snacks...the cookies are crisp, perfectly crumbly, and almost savory...which is a perfect balance to the tea which has about a pound of sugar per glass.

We are ready to move on...tomorrow we plan to make our way to Chefchouan, known as the blue city....as most of it's buildings are painted white and blue. We will try to go off the main highway and find a smaller unpaved road that we've seen on satellite...we'll be armed with a full tank of gas, plenty of water, a compass, and a good sense of humor! Wish us luck.

Hercules' Caves

Took a lovely drive leaving Tanger, out to Hercules' Caves and Cap Sparta, then back east and south to Tetouan. Maya, as always, was befriending both
cats and people.

Maya

Maya has gotten into my makeup....
do I need to say anymore?

We've arrived in Tanger

I think flying has become so commonplace, that we don't really feel the transition or movement from one continent to another...you get into a metal tube, and 8+ haggard and exhausted hours and you are on new ground. It seems very different, however, traveling by ship....maybe it's just the "romance" of it that has me feeling this way, or maybe it's that you actually see one strip of land disappear, and the other arise out of the ocean on the horizon.

The crossing was very exciting for all of us. I had first been to Morocco exactly 9 years and 1 day prior, with a thirst to return ever since. Haim's parent's were both born here, so this was in a way a homecoming for him...and due to the challenge of obtaining a visa for him, not to mention buying a car in Spain, he doubted that we would actually be able to make the journey. Maya was simply tickled that our car was going to ride on a big boat!

We got to the port about 80 minutes early, just to make sure that we could clear customs without any hitches or surprises...which we did. It basically took more time to wait...line for customs, loading, unloading, and more lines for customs...than the actual transit, which was about 35 minutes!

The day was wet and windy, so no blue horizons for us, but it was quite beautiful nonetheless. Immediately upon leaving our car and entering the passenger lounge of the boat, we got in line for passport control, which is wisely done while in transit. Thus, our passport was stamped before we even pulled away from the dock. As we set underway, Haim, Maya and I went to the blustery deck to say our farewell to Spain. I soon grew cold and returned inside for a snack, but Haim and Maya stayed outside enjoying the wind and view for quite a while. It is really lovely to see their relationship grow and deepen with each passing day. She seeks him out for many special activities like play grounds, movies, and pretty much anything "fun." No doubt she loves me, but these days I am pretty much a source of milk, kisses for boo-boos, night-time cuddles and potty-breaks.

Upon arrival to the port, we disembarked drove our car to through the exit line, the only remaining task was to have the car clear customs. This was fairly easy, with the help of several nominal tips for some people who helped us prepare paperwork. The only hitch was that since I had never entered Morocco with my current passport (and the car title is in my name) i had to leave Haim and Maya in line with the car while I walked into the National Police office in the port to have my passport registered...somehow different than the stamp which i had already obtained. Nonetheless, a minor affair and we were done. A quick money change (traveler's checks were attempted, but we were informed that they could only be changed in the city proper) just outside the port and we were off to find a hotel.

We had chosen a hotel from the guide book based (we're using Rough Guides) on the fact that it was easy to find, just outside the port, and reported to have secure parking. However, driving past the hotel we decided that it really was TOO close to the port, and since it was still early in the day we decided to try our luck with some other (parking unknown) places first. We decided upon Pension Hollande, as it seemed like an easy to find location, and was in the right price range....the cheapest of the moderately priced hotels. While trying to locate it, we did get pretty lost, mostly because the streets that do have signs (and not all do) have them in on tiny ceramic or metal plates attached to buildings.

We asked a couple of taxi drivers in a fr-span-glish mix for the french consulate, which the hotel is next to, and they all tried to set us in the right direction, but to no avail. Next we stopped several different people on the street, whom, not understanding us, offered friendly and apologetic shrugs and smiles. Finally we asked two women (maybe mother and daughter) who were walking down the street. The elder, who was probably Haim's age, asked if there was room in the car, and they got in and navigated us right there! We never would have made it without them...well, maybe we would have, but they definitely saved us several very frustrated hours!

We located our hotel, and old house on the side of consulate, and pulled into a large, gated yard....perfect parking. I got out to have a look at the room, and was shown a large, light filled, simple and COLD room, with (necessary) ample blankets and it's own bathroom. We took the room, and settled in for a short nap before venturing out to exchange some traveler's checks, and attempt to secure a mobile phone number and a mobile internet connection. Previous inquiries with the Morocco Couch Surfing Group had informed me that Wana was the best mobile internet connection, but that Maroc Telecom offered the best mobile phone service.

We easily located a Wana office, several blocks from our hotel, and within 30 minutes we were purchasing the internet service...a USB modem and 200 DH (about $24) monthly unlimited service. In Spain we tried for 4 weeks to obtain a similar service and finally gave up! Go figure. In any case, we were purchasing the equipment, and were informed that only cash was accepted. Since we had only changed 50 E before, and had used about half of that for the hotel, we needed to change money again. Haim went out to change a travelers check while I finished up some paperwork. 4 unsuccessful banks later, we realized that we would need to return to the hotel for either euros or an ATM card, and that cashing travelers checks might be a project....

Shortly we had returned with cash from an ATM and our purchase was completed. We had a small sandwich in a corner store...juicy roasted chicken, salads, and french fries in crusty bread, and were ready to continue on our way looking for a phone. We didn't get far however, before it started to rain and we realized that some mint tea was much preferable to walking in the rain. We stopped across from a bank, BMCE, which I ran in to while we waited for our tea to arrive. Success! We changed our traveler's checks and had delicious tea!

Next we easily obtained a phone number and returned to the hotel where Maya napped and we regrouped for dinner. One thing that we noticed while walking the streets is that EVERYONE was so friendly. Anyone who noticed our confusion if we were looking for directions attempted to help, and most people we passed and a kiss or smile for Maya.

Dinner was simply a passable affair, we mistakenly stumbled into a tourist restaurant with mediocre, overpriced food, but at least some nice music which Maya was completely transfixed by. She charmed the musician with her dancing and her name, which translates as water..a very strong name here.
After a good nights sleep huddled together under our many blankets (the ambient temperature in the room was QUITE chilly) we awoke at our usual lazy hour of 9am (with Maya sleeping until 11), and set out around noon for "breakfast" which we had in a nearby cafe...3 mildly sweet, fluffy pastries, tea and coffee for about $2.50 total. We then wandered around a souk outside of the Medina which had a mixture of food, household goods, clothing, and even the odd animal. The smells, sighs and sounds were as intoxicating and alluring as expected. We made our way to the media to a chicken stall that we had spied after our dinner the prior night...and wished we had eaten at, and had a simple and delicious lunch before a bit more wandering and retiring for an afternoon nap. Thus, we have spent and exciting and lovely first day in Morocco and a now we are off to dinner!

Through Andalucia

After several days of delays in leaving Cambrils, we finally got on the road. (The picture to the left is Maya having a roadside potty break in a lemon grove) We did a day of marathon driving from Cambrils to Granada, and spent the night in a lovely little roadside hotel before waking early the next morning to visit the Alhambra. Recommended visit time is 3 hours, but we spent 6 and could easily have spent more if Maya had not gotten tired and grumpy. The first 2 hours of our visit, through the palace, Maya was asleep in the stroller, and it was before the crush of visitors and tour groups arrived, so we were able to spend some moments in solitude in the beautiful rooms. The rest of the day was spent strolling outlying buildings and gardens, and by 3 o'clock we were all tired, and had a delicious impromptu picnic in the car park before heading on. It's amazing what you can improvise when hungry, but still feeling creative. I made a baguette with tuna and roasted red pepper and a corn salad with tuna, fresh tomatoes, lemon and spices. It sounds simple, but was truly delicious, especially accompanied by the last of the road-side clementines that we brought from Tarragona region.


We then found our way to a lovely hotel at the side of the Alhambra overlooking Granada. It was a bit of a splurge for us, compared to the hotels we usually select, but well worth it....great view and terrace, lovely sheets and showers, and we needed the comfort and rest. I left the room to speak with the staff and returned to find Haim and Maya cuddling on the balcony wrapped in blankets and enjoying the view. Granada was cold!

The following day it snowed briefly. Maya and I slept until 11am, and then we made sandwiches (emmental cheese, dijon mustard, fresh veggies, and roasted peppers) and checked out, wandered the town a bit, and headed in the later afternoon to Cordoba.

The drive to Cordoba was breathtaking. We were on a minor highway, that does not see too much traffic. The rolling mountains (or maybe large hills) were covered with olive groves and a sprinkle of snow. I had never imagined the combination of olives and snow...but the scenery was truly amazing.

In Cordoba we took a funky ramshackle place in the old Jewish Quarter. We spent the evening on a long wander, bodega for a light snack. It was the only place open, and we were lucky to have found something so delicious...a tapa of stewed beef in thick tomato sauce particularly standing out in my mind. Maya spent her time charming the patrons, making friends and playmates out of the adults at the accompanying tables....and of course making sure to pull as maany napkins from the nakpkin dispenser as she could without us noticing. In the napkin endeavour she was aided by a particularly charmed and devilish occupant of the table next to ours.

The following day was spent with Maya inexplicably in a really bad mood....hey, we all have our days. We wandered a bit, visited the Mezquita, and tried alternately to comfort, placate, and not strangle her....before heading on the Sevilla. Thankfully she napped in the car!

In Sevilla we couch surfed with a WONDERFUL family. Anna is a really neat transplanted Italian, and her 2 darling boys Linus (2) and Leon (5) were exactly what Maya needed. Maya was in playmate and toy heaven, imminently falling in step with the kids, they played wonderfully the entire time we spent with them.

Our visit in Sevilla was very lazy in terms of seeing and doing...we slept-in a lot, prepared for Morocco, and hung out at the house while Maya played with the kids and cats. We took 2 very nice (and chilly) afternoon strolls, and ate LOTS of the delicious bread that Anna makes. Sevilla is definitely a city that we'd like to return to, maybe even to rent a flat for a couple of months in the future. Our last day was spent waiting for a fed-ex with a replacement drivers license for Haim (he had lost his in Barcelona), which we finally intercepted at the shipping facility near the airport, and then we were off to Tarifa.

We drove to Tarifa last night, arriving in time to take the 9PM ferry, but decided to take a hotel here and wait for the morning so that we could see the crossing. It's almost 9am, and we're taking the 11am ferry, so in less than 3 hours we'll be in Tangier!