Marrakech Day 12

Our last full day in Marrakech.   When we got into our Riad  last night the man at the desk asked when we were coming for breakfast. We said about the same time around 8:30.  He told us there would be a time change tonight. We struggled to figure out if we lost an hour  or gained an hour, so he was gesturing and trying to get me to change my watch.  I finally gave up, went to our room and looked it up on the internet. They were going from daylight saving time to standard time so we gained an hour.  Our guide said he would pick us up at 10, so I called him to ensure that it was the new 10. After much discussion we agreed to use the standard time.
We woke up early and had quite a wait until breakfast. We are getting a little tired of the breakfasts here as they consist various types of bread and yogurt.  Bacon and eggs sounds heavenly.  Our local guide came for us at the Riad.  His name was Abdul as well so we called him Abdul II.  He walked us out to meet Abdul I.  From the car we walked to the Bahia Palace. One hundred and sixty nine rooms, took 7 years to build.  The sultan who had the palace built had 4 wives (all that was allowed any more and it was jail for him), and a harem of 24 concubines. The  floors and the walls up to about 6 feet are all covered in small handcut tiles of every room.  The ceiling of Every room is covered with hand carved cedar and stained with natural pigments. Poppy for red, indigo for blue, saffron for yellow, and charcoal for black.  The wall were hung with rugs in the winter for warmth.  Above the wall tiles and around the arches is carved plaster there are usually Koran sayings.  The rooms are spectacular.   We left the palace amazed at the amount and quality of the artisans.   We also saw the mosque, Koranic school and the segregated room with no adornment at all and only a loudspeaker for them to hear the Iman.

From the palace we took the car to visit the Saadian Tombs.  The tombs are in an area like a garden which had been closed off for many years. The tombs are covered in mosaic tiles and each has a different pattern.  The wives and children are buried here.  The descendants of the prophet are inside. When he French took over Morocco as a protectorate in 1912 when they reopened the narrow alley after an aerial survey in 1917.  The entrance was bricked in during the 17th century.  Again very fine carvings and mosaic tile work (know as Andalusian tradition). Our guide took us to where the important women were buried and told us to look around a bit and line up in the queue to see the important room and he left us. We stood in line for almost 40 minutes in the blistering sun before we got a 1 minute peak into the important men's tomb.  Impressive but not worth the wait.  Looked  around for our guide, couldn't find him so started out. He came running out of the shade where he had been waiting.

 Then he took us to the Place Jemaa el Fna  square.  We had been there yesterday and had looked around a bit. He asked what shopping we had to do. We said maybe some tee shirts.  He marched us across the square to a tee shirt shop, he said which sold quality tee shirts.  We were able to pick out a few, but the price was out of this world.  We said no way and started to leave. The sales man dropped the price by 30%, we said no we could buy them cheaper at another store.  His were much better quality and made in Morocco he said. Still no.  We said we would be satisfied with the cheaper ones.  Give us your price. I gave him what was the price another store which didn't have what we wanted, but came down to.  The sales man cut the price to about 40% of the opening price.  When I said let’s leave it, the guide stepped in with a compromise offer just a little higher than we offered.   We said okay, the guide and salesman argued (I think) andlike.  in the end we got the lower price..  The guide walked us out side and offered to walk us back to our hotel.  We said we could find our way back.  Our all day tour lasted less than 3 hours.  We think our guide was not interested in us because we said no carpets, no leather, and no jewelry.   They get commissions on the big stuff.
So we had the afternoon to ourselves .  We each had a panini for lunch, watched a handler chase a monkey which had gotten loose and then spent a couple of hours walking around Jemaa el Fna square and the various alleys running off the square.  We are now more confident in navigating around.  When we go down an alley we both look for reference points and point them out to each other.  We make no more than one turn down an off shoot of the alley and go as far as we feel comfortable or reach another branch and we turn back and walk to the square before taking another.  Jemaa el Fna is the main square in the medina. There are acrobats, snake chargers, story tellers, monkeys, birds, henna ladies by the score and dozens and dozens of people hawking their wares.  There are carts selling fruits and vegetables and even a plant nursery .

L We headed back to our room to get out of the heat and have a rest. On the way back dogging mopeds, scooters,  donkey carts and bicycles we stopped to talk to Canada. Canada is a shop owner who recognized the flag on our day packs and hollered out hey Canada every time we passed. With or without our packs, he recognizes us, and we pass by his shop several times a day. A very pleasant young man.  After our rest we headed out for dinner, back to the square. We selected a restaurant with an upstairs balcony so we could look over the sea of people.  The meal wasn't the best, but the view was great, and a large part of the square appeared to be packed. It was getting dark and we were leaving in the morning so decided to call it a night.

Marrahech/lmlil Day 11

Well we told our guide yesterday that our itinerary had us going to the village of Imlil back 2 hours in the Atlas mountains. We were thinking of skipping it. Our guide insisted that today we were going to have a local guide take us around Marrakech.   So okay we dressed for a hot day of touring.  We get picked up near our Riad, and about 15 minutes in the car he says sorry he was wrong and we would be going to Imlil today and the tour will be tomorrow. It seemed like  we were going there to take a ride on mules.  Linda was ticked off as she had put on clean clothes and didn't want to ride the mules anyway.   Besides we had just come through the mountains and neither of us  were keen on driving all the way back. She sucked it up and on we went. We were about ½ there when he asked us if we had brought warm clothes as it is chilly up in them there hills. We said no we dressed for a tour of Marrakech. Turns out he didn't bring a jacket either. It was the usual trip, narrow winding road with a lot of traffic either going very slow or trying to go too fast. Actually the scenery was pretty good once we climbed into the valley.  Very green with a stream running beside the road.  When we got there, the guide couldn't park where the mules were, and we needed a bathroom break,  so he took us to a hotel.  At the hotel a young man, we think the owners son, sent for the mules.  Linda wasn't getting on one.  They assured her that her mule would be a little one. Well one came, fine, when the second one came you couldn't tell the difference in size between them.

 Linda is saying, "I can't get up there".  They pulled the first mule over to a staircase which made it easy for me to get on. When Linda saw the staircase she breathed a sigh of relief.  With very little help she managed to get up and onto the mule.  They asked how long did we want to ride, one hour, 2 hours. I think we both said 15 minutes.  Anyway once we had gone a little way we both got comfortable and extended our ride to about 30 minutes. One of handlers would lead each of the mules.  Worked well until one of the handlers tried to nip into a small convenience store.

Linda's  mule was suppose to stop, instead it just kept going . The handler had to run to catch up.   Good thing these animals only go at a walking pace, as neither of us have much experience riding (make that zero riding experience (L).  After our dismount we headed to the hotel for lunch.  On the menu was a Berber omelet.   We both thought we would try it.  It was very good.  They put tomatoes, onions,  and peppers in the bottom of the tagine and pour the egg mixture over top, put the lid on and cook.  I thought it was very tasty.  Abdul of course eats elsewhere and gets a complimentary meal. We have offered to buy him lunch, and he says why spend the money when he can get it for free.  As I said, the only thing is in most places he cannot get the free meal if he eats in the dining area. It is time to go back to Marrakech.  The drive back seemed much easier and quicker than the way there.
Back at Marrakech we have most of the afternoon free so we walked up to Jamaa el Fna square. 

We thought that if we had a look around and got a feel for what we wanted and maybe even some prices with out guide advising us we could do better. The first shop we stopped at put us right. Of course best prices, but he didn't have exactly what we wanted.  Just wait I will get it. Ten minutes later more come but still not right.  He is getting angry, we are frustrated so we walk.  Makes him even madder.  That finished us for a long time.  We just walked along and browsed, trying to appear not interested. We finally plucked up our courage and asked some prices and actually bought something.   It was getting hot so back we go through speedway alley to our Riad Slitine.   After a rest and a little blogging it was dinner time.  Back to last night’s restaurant and more motorbike  antics.  Good food, good price.  Still early enough for another stroll around the square.  Different at night, larger crowds, and more entertainers.   Time to call it a night.

Quarzazate to Marrakech Day 10

Well after our little blow up with our driver last night we were wondering how we were going to be received this morning.  We met Abdul and Linda said we discussed our expectations, that was yesterday, it is past let's get on with today. Well he had bottled water in the back seat for us, and croissants, potato chips, bananas, cookies, and soft drinks for us to snack on.  All was well.  Our first stop was not on the schedule.  It was the Taourirt kasbah,  a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.   It was on the caravan route, and provided food shelter for the caravans and of course collected payment for their services.  Our local guide Mohammed,  was very knowledgeable.   A large part of the site is under going repairs.  It was designed for defence.  When you enter a room everyone has to duck, because the doorway is so low (it also meant bowing to the sultan when you entered the room) and the stairs vary in height, some about 2 feet high also for defence.

Some scenes from Rules of Engagement were shot inside the building. As with most buildings the decorating is beautiful with the mosaic tiling and carved plaster or cedar.  On the way in we saw some art work which looked appealing.  We liked it, it wasn't too expensive, and it could fit into our luggage so we bought some.  On the way out of Quazarate we had the option of touring one of the movie studios,  but we declined.  Our next stop was Kasbah Ali Ben Haddou, another UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE .  Probability the most celebrated, filmed and photographed Kasbah in Morocco.  Our driver dropped us off at an alley and directed us to follow the alley to the end and cross the bridge to the Kasbah.  So we followed the alley to the end, no bridge?  We started back and Linda stopped and asked a couple about the bridge.  No bridge, only sand bags plopped into the water to step on to cross the shallow water.   Back we go down to the water. Yes there iare stepping stones and sand bags and plenty of boys to help you across for money.  We waved the boys away and slowly made across the 20 feet of water. The river in spring is probability 50 meter across.  The Kasbah is built on the steep side of a high mountain and once we entered the Kasbah we were met by a young man who became our guide.  First we were shown how they made the bricks during construction.  That was followed up by a steep set of narrow stairs up to the first level. From there we look at various rooms used in the past.  Talking to him we learned he has 2 children and is one of only 9 families still living in the Kasbah. He has always lived there and is thirty years old.  We continued climbing, going through the twisted alleys and steep uneven stairs. At one point we came across an artist drawing desert pictures.  We watched him finish one and he explained their technique.  They use a mixture of black tea and sugar for the brown colour and saffron for the yellow and indigo for blue.  The picture when finished is then heated using a butane torch which brings out the saffron and darkens the tea sugar mixture.  We were so impressed we bought the picture. He then offered to put our names on the picture in Berber. Linda was easy, but we had to spell Roy.

the view

Our painter

Berber living room

We were near the top by then and decided that we had done enough climbing.  At the top is the granary, the first structure to be built and seemed too much climbing to see another empty building.   So we started back down using a different and easier route.  We past by the Synagogue which is under a year long restoration using the same building techniques as the original plan.   The bricks are hand made using clay stones and straw.  Apparently there were a great many Jews living there at one time.  As we descended he took us into an apartment of one of the families. He showed where the goats are kept, and there were 4 kids penned in, the oven to bake bread, the kitchen ( he offered to make us mint tea) and the living room (where of course there are carpets for sale ). The owner of the apartment came in, turned out it was his sister's place. After that he pointed us in the direction of the river and left, probably to find more tourists to guide. Many movies were shot at this location including Kingdom of Heaven and Gladiator (Our guide was an extra in Gladiator) when he was ten and some of the game of thrones. The gladiator ring is quite visible where the set was built.  Well crossing back over the river became an adventure. There were a lot of tourists crossing were we had crossed so I picked another spot which was wider and the stepping spots not as good.  We started across, and Linda had a little difficulty and she was surrounded by boys grabbing onto her hand and arm. She was saying let go but they just kept on. Well we made it across, and I gave them some coins and off we went to find our guide and have lunch.   As usual Abdul knew someone who had a restaurant and it was clean and the food was okay.
After lunch we headed to the village of Telouet to see the palace of the Lord of the Atlas, once the residence of the Visor of Marrakech. Abdul was not keen on going.  He complained that the road was really bad, and there isn't much to see.   It was on our itinerary so off we went. About an hour drive later on not too bad a road we arrive. Abdul didn't know where the palace was. After asking a restaurant owner directions we found the place.  Huge building which looked badly in need of repair. We took some pictures and opted out of a visit. On we go. Part of the road was paved (very small part), part was loose gravel and part looked like a disused logging road back home. A lot of the time we at 20 kmph.   When we finally got back onto the main road through the Atlas mountains the road was paved but in very poor condition. Again on many parts of the road we were down to 20-30. Some parts there was pavement only one car wide, usually in the centre.  It was who comes first got the most of the pavement.   Once down to the foot of the mountains the road was in great shape for the run into Marrakech.
We arrived into Marrakech around dinner time for us.  Our Riad was located in the Medina a couple of minutes walk from Jamaa el Fna square.  We were warned, walking through the Medina is like walking on a busy street at rush hour.  Were they ever right. A wide alley might be at most  12 feet across filled with pedestrians and motorbikes hand carts and mule carts going both ways often at high speed weaving in and out among the people.   Talk about a time for having eyes in the back of your head.  We asked at the Riad, which means home with a garden or patio as opposed to a Dar or home, for somewhere to eat. The young man on the desk gave us 2 options,  one close with light meals and one quite a bit further with bigger meals. After the journey the closer restaurant  sounded just fine.  Out with the map and off we go. It was only about a minute walk, but it took much longer.watch out, Motorbikes behind you.  The restaurant was a T junction which provided great entertainment.  Bikes coming and going both ways in both alleys.   No pile ups but many close calls as they tried to get around and by each other and the pedestrians. A short walk to the square and home for a good night sleep.

Desert to Quazarate Day 9

Sunrise in the desert, FANTASTIC. Linda asked what time the sun got up and was told 6:25.  We got up at 06:00, expecting the camp to be empty with people out in the dunes waiting. To our surprise there were  only  3 people out there, and us. Just before the sun got up another one came out.  At 6:25 the sun began peeking over the Algerian hills. Spectacular but quick and not as cold as we were told it would be.  After the sun was fully up there was time to take a short walk in the dunes. We didn't stray too far out, just enough to feel like we were alone in the desert.  Shortly we saw 2 camels coming towards us with riders who got up extra early to ride further out for sunrise and be really alone.  We got back just in time for breakfast. Breakfast was a little come down from last night’s dinner, but still okay.  After breakfast one of the camp workers came to tell us our chariot awaits ( 45 minutes early).  Scramble to change clothes and repack.  This time it was straight to Riad to meet Abdul, who of course was planning on 10 not 9:15.  Abdul mentioned on the way in that there was a fossil place we could visit on the way back, no pressure to buy so we said sure.  Stopped, got a tour of the place, the dig is 25 km away.  Good tour, showed us the different types of fossil life which they find and explained that they dig out slabs and are then are cut with water.  Different species are found at different depths, from 3 to 6 meters deep.  He then pointed to the shop and left us. We walked through the high price showroom, filled with beautiful stuff, there were even a couple of toilets made out of the slabs with fossils imprinted throughout. We opted for the smaller stuff where everything had prices on them, no haggling, and no one bother with us unless we asked.  Of course there was a 20% discount on everything.  Spent some money there and left. By now it was around noon. Driver asked if it was too early for lunch, nand we said no.  Stopped at his favorite pizza and Moroccan restaurant. It was okay, good food and reasonable prices.   We left at 1:30.  We were off to see the Dades Gorge.  We drove and drove, and he told us he would first take us up to Todra Gorge.  A little side trip, 45 minutes up, and 45 minutes back.  Very impressive with narrow walls and high cliffs.

Todra Gorgej

Next was the Dades Gorge,  again up to one end and back.  Stopped for a bathroom break at the top of the gorge, larger and more impressive than the Todra .

By the time we got back to the main road, it was 6 o'clock.  Linda told Abdul, we need to find a restaurant.  He queried that dinner wasn't included in our Riad package.  We said no, so he told us he knew of a great restaurant.  Okay on we go.  A little way down the highway, he gets real excited. There was a Mousem festival in a small town, and part of the festival there are me dressed in traditional costumes, mounted on horseback, with muskets.  About 1/2dozen of the riders line up, start forward slowly, the horses prancing. About ½ way down the field ( about 150 meters long) they change into a full gallop.  When they almost run out of room they raise their muskets into the air and fire them off. As soon as the muskets fire the horses jam on the brakes.  The next set of riders then line up.  There was probably 30 riders.  Abdul said we were very lucky as he has only seen it done once before.  Apparently the ritual is to honor the saints (some Muslims do).  Where we stood at the fence to watch the riders there was a grandfather with about a 2 year old girl in his arms. She was so cute, but she couldn't take her eyes of us, and those eyes got so big when we talked to her.  We don't think she had seen people like us before  and of course grandpa was so pleased we made a fuss over his granddaughter.  Well off we went, still starving.   Well the restaurant was in Quazarzate.   We arrived just after 9, with nothing to eat since lunch and only 1 potty break.  Our driver had 2 very tired and very cranky people on his hands. We ate, and stewed over dinner and told him never again. He took us to our Riad Le Petit, which was very nice, but we didn't care.  Just off to bed.

Fes to the desert and the camp

We left Fes at about 9:20.  Abdul slept in.  Today is a very long drive 7+hours.   We drove through the Middle Atlas mountains and through the Ziz Gorge. The scenery is very dramatic in the mountains and the gorge. Some twisty roads, lots of mountains and villages in impossible places. We saw monkeys in the mountains.  Of course sheep, goats and mules are everywhere.

 There were adobe houses (rocks covered with Adobe mud perched on craggy out crops in the he mountains, complete with snow were always in the distance.  There were people selling water at unlikely spots on the mountain roads.  How did they get there and where do they go. We came out at the desert which was endless miles of rocky flat land.  The mountains, complete with snow were always in the distance.  This is a country of contrasts, in its people, it's laws and it's scenery.  We drove past villages that were miles from anywhere and seemingly no vegetation or means of support.  What a challenging and difficult life.  No electricity, heaven knows where they get water in a flat roofed mud hut.
This drive took a very long time.  We were hungry but Abdul assured us we could eat at Efound. We wanted to be at the camp for sunset as that was part of the experience.   It was 40 minutes from Efround to the camp and time was fast running out for the sunset.  Abdul conceded and drove us to the camp.  He was hungry and tired too but neither of us was terribly sympathetic as we felt we should have started out at 8:00.  Anyway...  We arrived at a Riad in the desert where after mint tea and olives we said goodbye to Abdul and got in a 4 by 4 for our trip to the camp.
As we opted not to ride a camel our driver took us 4 by 4ing in the dunes. Fun! It took about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes to get to the camp.  We were greeted and taken to our tent.  Oh my what a tent.  I tried to take pictures but they didn't turn out well.  The lining on the walls was gold (sparkly ) and a deep brown.  The floor was covered in layers of rugs.  We even had a seating area across from the king sized bed.  The bathroom had a patterned ceramic sink, the toilet was just a regular toilet and the shower gave lots of hot water and the drain worked  (in spite of the nice places we have been staying at the drain has been an issue).
We dumped our bags and went to watch the sunset from the dunes. As we waited a young Berber came and asked if we would like to meet his camels.  "Sure" so off we went to where they were resting behind a dune and under some trees. Would we like our pictures taken with the camels, Bob Marley and Jimmy Hendrix (actually their names are Angel  and ?  Something that starts with "a"). Sure we would. Next thing you know we are on the camels and going into the desert for a ride.  Now we can say that we rode camels in the Sahara desert.  The ride lasted about 1/2 hour and it was good it ended when it did or I would never have left that camel's back.  My hips were tightened right up.   Now for the good part.  Once we were  on the camel it had to rise up from a sitting position. It gets up with it's front legs first, tipping you backward before the back legs come up and you are level. Success, we are up and moving.  It isn't long before I'm grinning from ear to ear.  Ibrahim the camel man takes our pictures. My camel is in the lead and she is hungry so she keeps stopping to eat the small clumps of desert grass.  Angel and I are relegated to the rear and Roy takes the lead.  Now Angel discovers Roy and it appears that she has taken a liking to him when she pulls up close to him and nuzzle his leg.  We do well on our ride and then we experience the camel sitting down.  As you can imagine it is the reverse of standing.  Down we go, front legs first, felt like going over the handle bars.  Front legs, whoa!  Now that was interesting. It was really the most anxious moment but we did it.  Then we climbed a dune to watch the sunset. The sun was just at the horizon. After some pictures we are ready to go back to camp. I said that I could just sit on my bum and slide down.  Ibraham seized on this and invited me to go desert boarding.  He  stripped the camel of her bright yellow blanket and had it to the top of the dune in a flash. I sat on it and he gave a tug and down the dune I slid, laughing all the way.  We bid the camels a good night and left to have our dinner and to take more sunset pictures as by this time the sky had turned a glorious red.  The camels would have their dinner too.
A camp fire was burning inside a ring of chairs now and Moroccan tea and cookies were being served off to one side. We chose to sit on cushions under a hexagon shaped frame with the sky as it's roof.  Stars began to pop into view. There were no clouds.  How lucky for us.  Then it was time for dinner.  The sun had set and it was 9:00.  We are learning to eat late but it will not be a habit we continue at home.
Dinner was served in a tent.  Our table is near the door which actually makes it easier to see. First we are served bread and olives.  Pretty standard for any Moroccan meal where it be breakfast,  lunch or dinner. Next came soup. It was lovely but we don't know what was in it. Pureed of course.  Then we were served a bubbling  tagine with tomatoes, zucchini and onions. Delicious!  We scarf it down thinking it unusual to have a vegetarian meal but we are happy.  The tagine is removed and we await our desser but no!  The next course is a big piece of chicken.  I got a leg and thigh and Roy a breast accompanied by vegetables.  We couldn't finish it. Okay now for dessert. Nope. Next came two small hamburger patties ((camel?  We were told it tastes like beef, Roy thinks it was lamb) a big hunk of cauliflower in some kind of coating and green beans.  We didn't even try.  At last the dessert was served.  A plate of melon slices and oranges. A young couple from Hamburg was seated next to us and they made a god job of eating their meal.
We were entertained by a Berber band around the fire after dinner.  A few minutes entertainment that lasted until 1:00 in the morning.  We left after about 15 minutes and stood behind our tent to look at the stars.  The camp has only low lighting  so there was nothing to mar the view and what a view.   The sky was almost white with stars and the dark spaces were small.
I didn't finish with the Berber boys band (sorry I couldn't resist the alliteration ).  There were two drums, one big and the other small and four men playing concave shaped metal instruments that fit in their hands. I called them clackers.  They sang as well.  The music reminded  us a bit of the ethnic music we heard in Kenya. After they warmed their drum skins over the camp fire they commenced to play.  Before long the guests were holding hands and dancing round the fire.  After a bit of that we snuck off to look at the sky.
I was told sunrise would be 6:35 so we were up and looking east at 6:15.  Three other people were out.  Eventually one other man would join us.  This was presented as a big deal so we were surprised.  Guess all the dancing wore them out.  They explained that we couldn't ride camels out into the desert for sunrise because to the East of us and behind our tent was the Algerian border. We were behind the tent but didn't get to the border.
The most exciting thing about breakfast was discovering what was under the lids of the casserole dishes. It was fun to sit outside and eat while facing sand dunes. Camel riders or walkers appeared every now and then.
As soon as we ate it was back in the four wheel drive and back to the hotel to meet Abdul for a very long day of driving through very dramatic scenery.

Chefchauen to Fes and Fes tour

Day 5 and 6
Chefchauen to Fes and tour of Fes
First stop was Volubilis.  No, I  lie.  We drove 40 minutes  past Volubilis to Meknes for lunch and 40 minutes back for the tour and then 40 minutes back again.
 Voubilis was a very memorable place. " It was built on the site of Neolithic ruins and an important Berber village thought to have been the capital of Mauretania.  From AD 45 it was subject to Roman rule.  Olive oil and copper were its main assets ". That's pretty much straight from the book.  Most of the important relics are in a museum in Rabat that we didn't visit.  It is still very impressive.  Our guide was a young man who had grown up inthe nearby village.  His father is an archaeologist who has been working on the dig (now a UNESCO site. Our guide had the place as a playground. He has helped on the dig and is now doing tours.  We really enjoyed his commentary.  His English , French and German were picked up on the site.
After Volubilis we headed to Meknes.  It began to rain.  By the time we got to Meknes it was pouring o we were content to stay in the car for our tour.  Meknes was the capital of the sultan Moulay Ishmail. He  ruled from 1672 to 1727 and was a dreadful man who did unspeakable things to his slaves, wives, all 500 of them, his children (he stangled the girls at birth and cut off limbs of the boys if they displeased him).  I won't even say what he did to his 25,00 slaves!

On to Fes where we stayed at Riad Gheta.  My least favorite so far.  It was built in the 14th century and much of it is original. While the decor was beautiful it just could have been cleaner. They did serve a nice breakfast.  Even an egg.  Most, except for the Movenpick have been bread, olives and yogurt.   All have had the best orange juice on earth.  Man it's good.  Freshly squeezed it takes about 3 to four oranges per glass.  Abdul  got us orange juice in Chefchauen and that day we had about 9 oranges.  Had to cut back on that but hated to. The porter/server/ guy who seemed to fly to do everything was awesome.  The first night we got in very late and we were beyond hungry and tired he served us our dinner.  He had to run up and down a flight of stairs for each course. First bread and olives, next salad, then the tagine and then fruit. Oh and tea.  At some point he indicated that there was only him  by pointing to himself, holding up one finger, then swishing the fingers of one hand rapidly across the palm of the other hand and making a swishing sound.  He was always smiling and good natured.  We loved him. When we left he indicated to Roy not to let the lady manager (who we thought was lazy) not to let her see him get a tip, so she was greedy as well.
Next morning we are up to tour Fes
Our tour of Fes, spelled with an s please was another memorable tour.  Our guide, Eunice was a young man who had been to Seattle.   He was very knowledgeable about the city and its history.  We wished he could be our guide for the whole trip.  He told us about his mother shops in the market (souk). Mainly she goes for the gossip which she relates to the family at lunch time. They call it BBC Fez.  I tasted a raspberry from a stall and made Roy taste it too.  He was madly trying to warn me not to eat unwashed fruit.  Oops!  Later we put a coin through the slot and made a wish at the door of a place that does charitable work. I wished that we wouldn't get sick from the raspberry.   We didn't so I got my wish.
The Medina is a UNESCO site.  We visited the site of the university, the oldest in the world,  the kairauine library and Mosque, the medersa (lodging for students), Place Seffarine, where there is a cluster of craftsmen making different crafts (pottery, copper as silversmiths, leather work.) We also visited a place where people dye various items.  The street beneath our feet was awash with a variety of colours. We also visited a herbalist and the process was the same as a rug store.  We spent $80.00 on 2 little items we may never use.

Us at the door to the ladies prayer room at the Mosque.

The tanners were last on our tour in the Medina.   It didn't smell all that bad but they gave us mint leaves to cover the smell.  The colours are all made from natural sources such as cobalt,  yellow from sunflowers, they don't use saffron as it has become too expensive, and poppies for red.  Unfortunately we were fatigued by this time so when it came time to shop even though I had planned to get a purse I couldn't stand the hassling and haggling, I just wanted out!
We had a very large lunch while Eunice said his prayers (or ate lunch).  We were served 9 or 10 different salads in small bowls.  The carrots and green beans were my favorites.  We are carving fresh vegetables.  Salad was followed by a chicken with almonds tagine for me and chicken with onions for Roy.  Then there was a fruit plate and cookies. Full up.  It cost about $45.00 for both of us.
Next we went by car to see the kings palace, the fortress and a pottery factory where we did break down and buy something.  Our tour with Eunice was over.  He loves to read and suggested that I should read "Beyond the Veil" which I will do when we get home.
A nice day and we weren't in the car all day!

Tangier to Chefchauen

Tangier to Chefchaouen
I was awake at 5:30 and that was an improvement on the last 2 morning when I was wide awake at 4:00.  Now I know how Jesse felt when she came from Toronto and was up playing at 3:00 am. My darling husband slept until 7:00 but his shoulder kept him awake during the night so guess we are even for sleep.  The excellent Movenpick breakfast made up for the definitely  not excellent breakfasts at the Kenasi Bama in Casablanca.  We walked around the pool and looked ocross the Atlantic to Spain.  Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy on the Spain side so only an outline was visible. Dinner at the hotel restaurant.   We explored the casino which was like every other casino but didn't think it a good idea to part with our money there.
We were ready and waiting for Adbul at 10:00.  Not sure we like starting that late but we will see how it goes.
He explained what the buildings were as we passed and said a lot of the apartment buildings were owned by hash sellers. The king seems to have many residences in Tangier. 4, I believe, all with multiple guards on all the gates.  He is much loved and his picture is everywhere yet I'm not sure why.
Our visit to the Hercules Caves was amazing.  What a place. The caves are a series of rooms, some larger than others but the place is huge.  You can see where they used tools to enlarge the rooms.    It must have been a  great  advantage to smugglers and pirates as  a place to hide their treasures.

  They were inhabited in prehistoric times and in the recent past for jet setters and celebrity parties complete with hashish.  Lots of photo opportunities in the caves.  As we left the stiff wind off the ocean blew Roy's cap off and over the railing toward the ocean.  It landed below the railing, we'll out of reach but being my Roy he had to see if he could get it.  He went down a flight of stairs, climbed over a wall that was just above waist high and then scrambled and climbed up about 20 feet for the darn hat while from above I was cringing in fear that he would fall.  None of my pleading worked  - he probably couldn't hear me for the wind but I'm pretty sure he knew what I was thinking.  I really don't want to test our medical insurance and I was so afraid he'd break something (or worse).  He made it up the cliff and retrieved the cap (like you can't buy another) and then had to find a path down...  He made it, much to my relief, and he looked pretty smug. Well done for someone who is having a __ birthday tomorrow but he'd better not do it again.
Next we visited Cape Spartel, the place where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet. The water looks the same on either side! A nice young couple from France took our pictures and we took theirs.  A nice exchange.
Then it was on to the Kasbah in Tangier.  It is quite different from Rabat.  It is built on a hill and though it has homes just as the Kasbah in Rabat it is very different.  It is more open and didn't seem as big but we did have two tours in Rabat and perhaps saw more.  We toured the museum which held artifacts of civilizations back to the Phoenicia
 The roof top gardens are very nice but the gardens in Rabat are better kept.  We walked down from the Kasbah to the Medina.  Adbul lived in this area as a boy. He showed us his schools and said the Medina was a place he frequently went.  We walked at quite a pace past the stalls until we came to a place he suggested for lunch.  It was a cafe that only Moroccan's eat  but the kabobs were good and it was nice to experience the Moroccan way of life.  After lunch he took us to a bazaar. Aha the coin drops, perhaps his uncle runs the bazaar.  We are sure there is a commission here for him.
He put us in the hands of a very pleasant man who insisted we need to see the view from the roof. Up we went, one flight of stairs, guess what is on this level -carpets, up another level,  carpets, another floor,  oh yes, more carpets. After at least 5 floors of carpets we reach the top and a door to the roof top.  Be still my pounding heart, there is yet another flight of stairs with a bend in them,  as they have all had.  At last, behold, The View, we can see the Atlantic  in one direction and laundry on every roof top in the vicinity.  We do our best to be impressed and when he is satisfied that we are impressed enough we can go back down to the inevitable carpet salesmen and a cup of mint tea.  We have had rug salespeople try to convince us we need at least one rug in China, Turkey, and Peru and we still don't own one.  Straight out we tell them that it's not going to happen.  They were very beautiful and as we could tell well made and we liked them better than we have anywhere else . Did we want one, yes. The huge area was soon covered with rugs of every description and from every area and ethnic group in Morocco.  The promised "no hard sell" became some slight pressure until it was downright very hard sell.  "Memories fade my friend but the carpet will be there."  "We are your family we want only the best for you".  By now we are blocked in by rugs, how do  we get out of here?  Eventually we just climb over them and leave a disgusted salesman behind to pick up and put away 15 to 20 rugs of all sizes.  There are other things we can buy on the first floor we are told.  By the way, we had 3 people play different roles in the rug sales. The man that took us to the roof, the display man who hauls them out and the closer.   We have had enough and can't even think when  we get downstairs.  A disppointed Abdul awaits us.  No commission today.  He also gets an earful from us.  He treats us to nougat from a street vendor to make up. Nougat is good but no more rugs please.
We go by taxi to visit the tombs of Phoenicians. They are very worth seeing. Hewn into rocks high above and overlooking the Atlantic are about twenty coffins. 1.8 meters by about  1/2 a meter wide a 1/2 to 1 meter deep.  They are empty and uncovered, also unprotected.   People were sitting with their feet in them enjoying the view.  Oh yes, Abdul treated us to humus  from a street vendor.  There two types.  Chick pea and black eyed peas.  The peas are just steamed peas. They are not mashed.  The vendor put them in a cup and poured some of the liquid from steaming over them and shook paprika and cumin over them. He put a stainless steel spoon in each cup and  we stood there and tried to make a good show of eating them. To our horror he took the cups and spoons back,   rinsed them in a murky pail of water a put them out ready for the next customer. We didn't get sick so think we were lucky.
Now we are off to Chefchaouen.  It is 120 kilometers but a two hour drive over twisty roads and beautiful scenery.  We are in the Rif mountains.  Chefchaouen is high on a mountain. It was founded in 1417 by a Moorish exile from Spain. Then it became a fortress to repel invaders from Portugal. It was a refuge for Jews and Moriscos escaping from the Spanish inquisition otherwise was closed and insular.  Off limits to Christians until 1920 when the Spanish conquered it. They discovered Jews speaking 10 century Castilian,  extinct in Spain for over 400 years. Leather craftsmen were working in the same way their ancestors worked in the 12th century.  The Jews painted the town blue because they felt it made them closer to the sky and the colour repels bugs.  It has remained that blue ever since.
We arrived at Dar Chefcjaouen around 7:00 pm.  What a place.  We bagged the Royal suite!  The best room  in the hotel we were told.  I believe it was. We had a living room with a working fireplace, a huge bed with a TV to watch while in bed, a front garden with beautiful orange roses and a pink climbing rose, geraniums,  etc.  The outside  rooms were all like private cottages and there was a hotel building with rooms.

You only had to climb about 50 steep stairs to get past the pool to our room.  We explored our room and headed out for a walk.  We didn't have to go far to get to a bridge but we did have to fight our way through hordes of people to get there.  There were vendors before the bridge but many more after crossing the bridge.   The river is rushy and comes from the very top of the mountain..  after the bridge we could hardly  move.  I saw some towels that I thought were nice and some napkins as well.  We wandered along and bought a silver tray from an artisan. He gave us a good price because it was Sunday night, he said..   We walked on some more and some ladies saw me and demonstrated that the napkins go under your h'ijab and the towel is an apron.  We all had a good laugh and enjoyed communicating.  After our stroll we had a beautiful dinner and DISIXLZ. Oops sorry I fell asleep. The days tend to be long and we are always fatigued by the time we get to our room so it's pretty well straight to bed.  We had a delicious dinner at the hotel and enjoyed being served by the delightful young man that checked us in and saw us to our room.  Very good looking and friendly.
Chechauen  is a place to see!

 

 Dh