Essouira and Marrakesh

May 18. Transport day. Said goodbye to the Koitoumi family and was taken to the airport (prearranged tourist van). Flight to Casablanca only had 14 people on board. 45 minute layover was barely enough time to grab some food – halfway through chocolate cake, and they called my name. Back out to tarmac to get on the same plane (w/same crew) and we continued on to Essouria. Met at airport by driver and was taken to the medina. Transferred luggage to a porter (with a push cart) and walked a few minutes to the hotel. Was given room 31 – that would be the room right in between 12 and 14. Let’s hear it for superstition. Met a couple – Ting (Chinese) and Marc (French) from France (she’s doing her PhD there). Chatted for a few minutes and agreed to meet this evening for dinner. Wanted to go the fresh seafood route (fish souq), but the wind today prevented fishermen from going out. Had a nice meal at Al-Baraka (a converted Jewish school).
May 19. Tried to do my morning stretches, but room wasn’t long enough. Shower head is broken, so can’t attach it to bracket on wall. Switched rooms. As I was doing so, saw Marc and Ting getting ready to head out. They promised to send email and we said goodbye. Wandered around the souks and found a cool little painter’s shop. Bought a small painting in stylised Arabic that says peace, music and art for the whole world. Next to the fish souq and one of the vendors was nice enough to show me how the whole process worked. Picked out a fish and some shrimp from one counter, paid for it then took it to another stall to have it cooked. Was cheap, but I was not very impressed. Wandered some more, got lost and stumbled across a woman’s coop at bought a jar of argon butter with honey. Back to the hotel for a bit and new room is much nicer – bigger and brighter (and the shower isn’t broken). Dinner was at Elizer (across the alley) and turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve had so far. Starter was smoked salmon eggrolls with roasted red pepper. Main was ravioli with gorgonzola and dessert was a chocolate tart with ice cream and strawberries. On way back to hotel, found a clothing shop with natural cotton/linen stuff. Chose a style of shirt I liked, but wanted it without the pockets. Left a deposit and guy told me to come back tomorrow afternoon to have it sized and altered as needed.

May 20. First stop of the day was the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah museum which has a nice collection relating to the history of life in this area (mostly relating to home life). From there, strolled around the port, ramparts and the skala. Lots of old canons with interesting engravings. Also stumbled upon a seafood auction though couldn’t enter the room, so had to watch through the window. Picked up shirt and found a cool shop that sold lanterns with unique designs, so got a couple as gifts. Dinner was at a beautiful dar. Had eggplant salad with argon oil (a local nut) followed by a good fish curry. Stopped for gelato recommended by L.P..

May 21. Shoved all my stuff in to suitcase and hope it doesn’t burst. Quick walk to bus terminal and caught Supra Tour bus to Marrakesh. Sat next to a rather large, fidgety woman holding her baby. As terminal is a block from the train station, stopped in to buy a ticket to Casablanca for the 24th. Petite taxi ride to the edge of the medina (as cars can’t drive in). Then few meter walk to the hotel. The main square here (Djemaa el-Fna) is massive (and pedestrian friendly) and is right in front of the souqs. Was good, all I bought were about a dozen dvds.

May 22. The Bahia palace is yet another example of the amazing craftsmanship – most noticeably in the wood and tile work (ceilings, doors and walls). Walked straight through the souqs to the Musee de Marrakech. The central courtyard here is a very pleasant place to sit and relax while listening to traditional music being played. Beautiful tile work and a massive handcarved wood chandelier and a nice fountain in the center. Strolled through the rest of the museum and then headed over to the medersa (Koranic school). Very similar to the others I have visited so far. Some of the student rooms here have small lofts, so are better than most of the others. Lunch at Ville Flora. Outside door was locked, so was let in by a black tied waiter. Another fabulous meal. Artichoke salad with a samosa starter and duck in a sweet vinagrette sauce. From here, walked to the Saadian tombs – very elaborate tombs. Close by is the Badi palace which is just ruins now. Interesting to see all the stork nests on top of the walls and turrets. Walked back to the hotel to rest for a bit and then headed out for pizza dinner.

May 23. Although it’s the Jewish sabbath, I decided to walk over to the old mellah (Jewish quarter) to see if I could gain access to the synagogue and cemetery. Unfortunately, both were closed. Headed in the direction of ville neuvelle and tried to catch a cab. As it was time for the afternoon prayer, none of them would stop. During this stroll, walked through the royal palace (OK, along the outside). Finally got a cab and was dropped in the center of the new town. First stop was for lunch – had a meatball tajine with couscous. Wandered around Jardin Majorelle – an amazing garden filled with pastel colored pottery, house and tiles. Set up by Jacques Majorelle and Yves Saint Laurent. A fantastic place to casually wile away the afternoon taking photos. The rest of the afternoon was spent gallery hopping to see what the local artists are doing these days. Some interesting stuff, but nothing really jumped out at me. Grabbed a cab back, but as the driver didn’t know where to drop me off, the ride was free. Took an interesting evening stroll through Djemaa el-Fna. It’s much different at night. Tables are set up along the food stalls, making for an energetic atmosphere. This along side the snake charmers, fortune tellers and various touts/peddlers/buskers make for an interesting place. Back to hotel to find that there’s no water – seems the whole medina has been cut off.

May 24. Good thing I scheduled time at the hammam (public bath) as there is still no water. Went there after breakfast to get seriously scrubbed, covered in mud and then washed off. This was followed by a decent massage (much better than the one if Fes). Spent about an hour strolling through Djemaa el-Fna again for a few shots then back to hotel to get suitcase, pay and headed to the train station. Splurged for a first class ticket, so had a comfy seat (figured since I can’t do this flying, I might as well now). Moroccan couple got on a couple stops after me and gave me a slice of home made cake. Was very nice. Said “Chukran” (Arabic for thanks) and he responded by saying “not at all”. Nice language exchange. Arrived 15 minutes early, so I thought I had one more stop. Was told it was “Casa” so quickly grabbed my bags and barely made it off. Got a cab and driver said he would use the meter. When we arrived at the hotel, he tried to charge me about 3 times what the fare should have been. Told him no way and paid what I figured the meter would have shown. Got bag that I left from reception and went up to my room. After paying for room and ride to airport for tomorrow, I had about 50 DH for dinner tonight and for the airport tomorrow. Couldn’t have cut it much closer. Stuffed everything in my suitcase that I won’t need tomorrow and for the flight. Managed to get everything in. Checked email and mom said that box arrived, so don’t have to bother tracking it. Group of American students in the lobby and one of their leaders said for the next hour, if anyone wanted to make a call to the states, it would be free. I raised my hand, but all it got me was a chuckle.

May 25. Happy birthday to me! Last day of my one month sojourn around Morocco. Finished getting organised and managed to stuff even more into my suitcase. Quick breakfast and then met driver (same one that picked me up on arrival one month ago) for the ride to the airport. Bastards at check in counter wouldn’t give me the birthday upgrade I was hoping for (ha ha). Oh well, would have been nice, but guess I’ll have to suffer. Plane (all classes) was packed. Don’t think there were any seats open to get an upgrade. Intense security at the Paris airport (due to the U.S. being so paranoid). They confiscated the jar of argon butter (kinda like peanut butter sweetened with honey). At least I got an aisle seat, so hopefully I’ll be able to sleep. Caught a quick glimpse of the Cuban women’s volleyball team at the Paris airport. Long, but uneventful flight (3 hours to Paris and about 12 from there to L.A.. Stopped for pizza on the way to my mom’s.
End of this trip, hope you have all enjoyed reading about my adventure.

Fes

May 14. Train to Fes. While at station, guy comes up to me and says he’s just returning to Fes after studying in the U.S, and then proceeds to do his pitch – whole situation straight out of L.P (exactly as they predict). Upon arrival, met the owner of the dar and we walked about 10 minutes to his house. Parents don’t speak any English, but the son (18) and daughter (15) know enough to communicate and they both enjoy the practice. Wandered up to the Palai Jamai Hotel to meet a friend of a friend (Danelle). As she wasn’t in yet, I sat in the lobby and wrote in my journal. While doing so, overheard two guys talking and it turns out one of them is a Nat Geo photographer leading a trip around Morocco. Got his email as well as the url of the website dedicated to this trip. A pretty fortuitous encounter. Met Danelle and chatted for a while. She then invited me to their house for Shabbat lunch, so agreed to meet her husband (Jacques) at his shop a bit before noon on Saturday. Wandered back down into the heart of the medina and had lunch at Cafe Clock – an amazing place. The owner converted an old house. There are tables on each level around the central courtyard with several rooms tucked away as places to read, watch movies, and/or just chill out (perfect atmosphere to do so). Very hippy/beat poet/rasta kinda place. Things organised here almost on a daily basis to make it a cultural meeting place. After lunch, watched “La Symohnie Morocaine” about some musicians living in a junk yard and their story about trying to perform a symphony that one of them wrote. Cafe gets it’s name from an invention on the wall outside. There is a series of wooden arms sticking straight out from the building, each representing an hour of the day. At the top of each hour, a metal ball would flow in some water and drop into one of the arms, creating a unique sound that could be heard throughout the medina. Each hour would have a different sound. Story goes that the constant sound of the water and the metal ball dropping eventually drove the inventor’s wife crazy and she damaged the clock. No one has been able to figure out how it works in order to repair it.
May 15. For the most part, an uneventful day mostly spent wandering (and getting lost in) the medina and doing a bit of shopping. Back at the dar, was invited up to the roof terrace for an unobstructed view of the whole medina. Khamza (son) showed me his “room”. Basically a converted storage space above the stairs. To enter, you unlock the padlock, open the wood plank “door”, then step on the paint bucket. Big enough to hold his bed, small stereo and tv. The perfect place for an 18 year old boy!
Mat 16. Petit taxi to Jacques’ shop in the new city. Chatted and browsed through his collection of souvenirs (with some good narration on his part). We (the two of us and two of his friends) then drove to the train station to pick up his daughter before heading to their house. Had a very nice time visiting with all of them, and enjoyed their wonderful hospitality. Back into the medina (Cafe Clock) to take advantage of the free wifi and finish reading “Caravan of Dreams” by Idries Shaw that Max (manager) was nice enough to lend me. This is the first time I have seen any of his books in a private collection – turns out Max knows the author (and his family).

May 17. Hired a guide for the day to show me all the sights. Highlights of the day: Medersa Bou Inania with it’s intricate tile and wood work; front of the royal palace – tile work representing the sun and orbiting planets; old mellah to see one of the synagogues and the Jewish cemetery (some of the tombs show an interesting mix of culture); lunch at Anwar’s (guide) house with his family – a HUGE platter of the local version of cous cous followed by an assortment of fruit; tanneries to see the whole process of making leather products. Everyone warns you about the smell, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. They change color each week (for dying) and this is red week; wanted a massage and let the guide talk me into going to a place he knew (instead of one in L.P.) – mistake – masseuse barely even knew what she was doing (I had to explain how to do some of the massage), think I was less relaxed afterwards; Cafe Clock (once again) for live music.

Meknes and nearby areas

May 10. A bit sad to leave Chefchoen, really enjoyed it here. Taxi (actually normal guy who agreed to drive me) to the bus station. Bus finally showed up an hour late. Once on bus, realized why it was late – clock is an hour slow. Later realized the clock went from 9:58 to 9:59 to 9:00. Guess that way no trip can take more than an hour. Arrived in Fes and next bus is in 3.5 hours. Shared taxi with couple Kiwis to train station. They bought their overnight tickets for Marrakesh and I bough mine for Meknes – leaves in an hour. Checked into hotel – a nice place, but after some of the riads, it just seems so drab. Good selling point is I was able to get on line (wifi), but I don’t think it was the hotels modem.
May 11. On doing more research, Volubilis and Moulay Idriss can be done in one day (and I set aside a day each). Today, will just explore around the hotel and go to the tourist info office. Did so, and must say, I’ve received more and better help from the random person on the street. The woman at the office would not even look at my map, kept pointing at her watch and after I asked my second question, she started ignoring me (she then grabbed her purse and walked out). I left also and on the street, she wouldn’t even tell me which direction to head. Anyway, found the place I was looking for – Moroccan equivalent of the Jewish Federation but it was already closed for the day.

May 12. Back to above office and got information about a local synagogue. Turns out it’s only about a block away. Was able to get inside for quick look. Is basically a converted office space. One room for the congregation to pray and one for meals (plus a couple small offices for staff and rabbi). Got a shared taxi to Moulay Idriss. Only a couple sights here. One is the mausoleum of the city’s namesake. Can only see it from the front as non Muslims can’t go in. From there, climbed 250 steep steps to get a nice panoramic view of the town and to see the only cylindrical minaret in Morocco. Decided to get even more exercise and walk to Volubilis which took about an hour. Weather was good and there was some beautiful scenery along the way – lots of wildflowers. Guide I got for Volubilis had a good sense of humor (although most of his explanations were by rote. Some highlights: the public toilet – slaves go in first to warm up the seats, then rich folk sit, shit, and talk politics (very appropriate – same thing out both ends); next to the toilet is the vomitorium, though I think the guide may have extrapolated; the mosaics here are very interesting and in great condition; at one point, the guide rushed off into one “room” and sat down on a large rectangular stone in the center. He then asked me if I would be interested in volunteering for something. I hesitatingly said OK, so he told me to straddle the stone facing him (he was sitting sideways). At that point he stood up to reveal a large bronze phallus embedded in the stone. If anyone’s interested, I can send the photo. Friend of guides acted as taxi driver for me and took me back to the hotel – otherwise, would have had to walk back to Moulay Idriss and hope to find a shared cab.

May 13. Quick taxi ride to the town’s main square – Place el-Hadim to see Bab el-Mansour (the grandest of all Moroccan gates) and the town’s medina. Near the gate, I found a small gallery space with an exhibit of some interesting paintings. I think the best way to describe them is “Dali meets Yellow Submarine” surreal with a touch of animation and humor. Across to the other end of the square takes one to the Dar Jamai Museum, considered one of the country’s best. An amazing collection of handicrafts (relating to royal Moroccan life). The next couple of hours was spent wandering (and getting  lost) in the medina. Found one interesting shop with a lot of old Jewish artifacts. One piece I liked, but thought it was too expensive. Lunch was at one of the riads. Had a chicken and apricot (dried/sweetened). Apparently, a house specialty. Was quite nice. On to the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. He is/was famous enough that non Muslims are allowed in. Oh, the oppulance!!. Petit taxi to train station so I could buy ticket for tomorrow to Fes, then quick walk back to hotel. And that wraps up Meknes (and surrounding area).

And still more Morocco

May 6. Walked back to the wifi pub I used last night, and sitting outside, was able to use the internet (even though they weren’t open yet). I like that macs remember passwords. Easy bus ride to the border, where there seemed to be a mass exodus. Seems Ceuta is a better place for Moroccans to shop as it’s duty free. I had to go through a quick medical check as I am American. They’re checking for swine flu. As soon as I told them I had been living in Dubai, they let me through. From Moroccan side of border, I got a shared taxi to Tetouen and the driver dropped me at the edge of the medina. This part of the medina was the fruit/veg section and it was a madhouse of activity. People shopping, people trying to walk through, mopeds squeezing by, carts trying to maneuver through it all….. As I had no idea which way to go, I found someone who spoke a bit of English who was nice enough to offer his help, I took him to a phone booth, gave him a bunch of change and he called the hotel for me. Someone from the hotel told him where to have me wait. People here are fantastic (and it’s normal to give them a few dirhams for their help). This medina is a maze, there is no way I’d have been able to find my way.

May 7. At 10:00, met pre-arranged guide for a day’s excursion around the medina. And quite a day it was – 8 hours of walking. As expected, we made several stops in craft shops in hopes the guide could score a commission. Bought one carpet for a reasonable price, but I have no idea how I’m gonna get it home (may ship it). A visit to the artisinal school was a treasure. They have one exhibition room showing the best of the teachers work – amazing wood work, ceramics, and etchings. Even the ceiling was amazing. We did a very quick stroll through the tannery – not that it wasn’t interesting, it just stank. Stopped in an herbal shop that was fascinating to see bottles lined up on each wall. Was asked if I had any back trouble and as soon as I said yes, I was told to take off my shirt and lay down for a quick massage promoting his cure all oil. Was worth the few dollars I gave him. Clerk here pointed out that the tile work on the floor was Jewish stars. Mentioned that the original owners of the property were Jewish and also owned an attached hammam. The guide was very informative and I liked that he kept calling me professor.

May 8. As I knew I would get lost as soon as I stepped out the door, I asked a woman (same one that met me on arrival) to walk me to where I could catch a cab. Quick ride to the bus station and on to Chefchoen. The medina here is much more navigable so was able to find the riad with no trouble. People here are fantastic. Asked if they could do laundry and when they said yes, I asked how much it would be. “Free”. When asked if they had internet, they let me use the one and only computer (in their office). They even made a couple calls for me to check on hotel reservations in other places. That evening, told the guy at the desk where I was thinking about having dinner and he told me dinner and breakfast are included in the room rate. Guess that’s a no brainer! Strolled through the upper part of the medina and found it very tranquil. Similar to the one in Assilah, but a bit bigger. Same whitewashed homes with soft pastel colors. Another side fact is that I have seen more native English speakers in this town today then I have since moving to Dubai over a year ago.

May 9. 3:30 wake up – morning call to prayer. Though it was supposed to be at 5! Back to sleep. After breakfast, met a couple from Seattle and ended up wandering and shopping with them for a few hours (first stop was to post office where we both sent a box back to the states). They wanted to do a bit of blanket shopping. At the first shop, they picked 4 that they liked. They only one I was considering is one they bought. As I’m a strong believer in fate, I let it go. Sure enough, at the next shop I found one I liked even better and it was larger/cheaper than what they got. Just before lunch, we said our goodbyes and I gave them my email. Turns out we may be in Marrakesh around the same time, shall see. As I was eating lunch, Naomi walked in – they asked their taxi driver to wait so they could eat. Great view from the restaurant terrace of the main town square, complete with musicians inciting people to dance. Back to hotel quick to drop off my blanket and once again said goodbye. Hiked to the ruins of an old mosque on the hillside offering nice views of the whole town. Will shortly head out for dinner, so that about wraps up today (and Chefchoen), as tomorrow I catch an early bus to Fes and then another to Meknes. For those of you planning a visit to this fantastic town, I higly recommend that you stay at Dar Meziana – the rooms and common areas are beautifully decorated with some amazing tile/wood work and the staff bend over backward to help you in any way possible. They went far beyond the attention I received at any other hotel/riad here so far. Let me know if you want details.

Assilah (Morocco) and Ceuta (Spain)

Hello again,

May 1. One more thing wonderful about this town. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a populated area and experienced such utter silence at night. Had a fantastic night’s sleep. On the flip side, the bathroom gave me quite the drama. Drain hadn’t been cleaned, so bathroom and part of bedroom flooded. Also had to have toilet fixed three times as it kept running. Guess there’s always bad with the good – in this case, the good highly outweighed the bad (is being asked if I want to buy hash several times good or bad?). More wandering through the medina offered wonderful glimpses of a myriad of buildings whitewashed and painted in pastel colors – very Mediterranean (obviously). This town is known for it’s artistic side, so had the chance to visit some interesting galleries. One in particular had some nice stuff with Arabic caligraphy.

May 2. 5:00 wake up call, though I don’t think I’ll go to the mosque to pray. Back to sleep. Pretty windy today, making it a bit uncomfortable for wandering (and not doing much for my allergies). Beautiful sunset from the bastion (old city walls) then did a bit of shopping for gifts.

May 3. The bathroom drama continues – this time only had about 2 minutes of hot water. Packed up and easy 10 minute walk to the bus station. Left pretty much right after I boarded. Uneventful 1 hour ride to Tangier where I bought another ticket to Fnideq (small town accross the border from the Spanish city of Ceuta. Waited about 45 minutes – until the bus filled up before we left. Bus actually dropped me at the border, which was nice. Otherwise, I would have had to take a taxi. Got passport stamped leaving Morocco, but not entering Spain. Also think this is the first time I’ve actually walked accross a border. Upon arrival in Ceuta, the first two hotels I checked had rooms for tonight, but full after that. 3rd one said same thing, but I guess the sign of resignation on my face did the trick – he agreed to give me a double for the 3 nights at a discount. Let’s hear it for the good side of human nature. And a nice room it is too. Most of the rooms are in the center of the building and therefore don’t have windows. My room is in front of the building and even has a small balcomy I can sit on!! Maybe I should use my look of pity more often. Only stop of the day wasSantuario de Nuestra Senora de Africa – a nice church at the edge of one of the town squares.

May 4. Looking out my window (I say as I laugh at the people in the other rooms) to see a lot more activity today. Yesterday was Sunday, so most businesses were shut.  Quick stop at supermarket for breakfast stuff then back to the hotel to eat on my balcony (see parenthesis on line above). Wandered to the old city walls/fortifications. Kind of ironic that the canons are now aimed at apartment building accross the street, tenants better keep in line. On to the Museo de la Legion which heralds all that is interesting about the Spanish Legion. Even had to show my passport upon entry (run by the military). Once again, tried to go to one of the restaurants recommended without luck – that’s the 4th one. In Assilah, it was the bathroom and here it’s the restaurants. Ended up in a Mexican place that didn’t really know how to do fajitas. So far, only other semi decent meal was at a Chinese place next to the hotel. I know this is normal, but it seemed strange to hear Chinese people speak fluent Spanish.

May 5. First stop of the day wasPlaza de los Reyes to see 2 things. Iglesia de San Francisco (closed for restoration) and Csa de los Dragones – a three story architecturally interesting building festooned with several dragons along the roof line. Not something you see very often. The funny (?) thing is, I had to ask 2 people where this building was – like it’s not obvious enough! From here, on to Basilica Tardorromana – the remains of a basilica discoverd accidently during road work. Comes complete with skelatons in graves. Lunch was some wonderful tapas, some of which I ordered just because the name sounded interesting (my Spanish only goes so far). Did OK, liked it all. The easy part was ordering cervaza. And that brings us to now, where I’m sitting in front of a wifi pub just to enlighten all of you with my travels. Guess you’ll have to be patient until I can next get on line.

Morocco (and Spain) continued

Hope you all have time to spare, as this post covers about a week of travel. Enjoy.

April 26th. I left you all after my first day in Casablanca. I did hear from Neyl, who turned out to be a great help (and an all around nice guy). Taxi driver pointed out tourist spots (in broken English); souq, cinema, mosque, Atlantic, New York. First stop of the day was Hassan II Mosque, which was pretty amazing (despite the early morning cold wind blowing off the Atlantic). The detail in woodwork, carvings, marble…. is amazing. The hamman has an ethereal aspect that I found interesting. For some reason, it was my favorite part of the mosque. After several missed meeting plans, finally met up with Neyl (with help of a concientious pedestrian – who spoke to Neyl for me to clarify meeting spot).  He (Neyl, not the pedestrian) drove me around. Stopped for a great seafood lunch at Porte du Peche. During lunch, we had an informative discussion about the Israel – Palestine situation. It’s good to hear the other side of the situation, as most of my sources tend to be pro-Israel. There’s a lot of underlying history that I need to study. Next to the medina to replace my suitcase (torn). Started to look through pirated cd’s and Neyl said he didn’t feel comfortable helping me with that -  didn’t consider it would be awkward for him as a Muslim – again, my apologies Neyl. Quickly abandoned that endevour. Got a bit lost driving back to the hotel, but Neyl was incredibly patient – much more than I think I would have been.

April 27th. First stop for the day was the Jewish museum – labeled the only museum in Casablanca! Gave an interesting overview of the history, customs, clothing, artefacts, etc. of the Jews here. Unfortunately, only about 3 of the myriad of signs were in English. Photos of some of the synagogues in Morocco – some of which look quite beautiful, will have to try and visit some.

April 28th. Uneventful bus ride to Rabat. People here continue to impress me with the warmth and generosity. Had to check suitcase on bus, but didn’t have chance for a 20 (price was 5) so the next customer paid for me!! Tell me that would happen in the U.S.! Only stop of the day was the medina – an intersting place to stroll, with interesting laneways and architecture.

April 29th. Took the train in to Sale. Wandered the medina here, which I found to be much more intersting. Inadvertantly picked up a guide who spent a few hours showing me around. First, to see the Medersa (old Koran school). Inlay work here is amazing, as is the wood work – intricate detail. Lunch (overpriced) at one of the riads. Then to mosque (had to wait for prayer time to end. There are 7 doors leading into the mosque – a different one is open depending on the day of the week. Guide quickly pointed out the cemetary where all the graves face Mecca. Overall, an intersting several hours. Train back to Rabat – for some reason, it was three stops to Sale, but only one back to Rabat!? Nice dinner that night. Man at next table had obviously been there for a while – he was contentedly humming the same tune regardless of the music playing (and even when there was no music). Can you picture the empty wine bottle in front of him?

April 30th. Train to Asilah was about an hour late. Struck up a conversation with guy next to me (was staying at same hotel). He spoke pretty good English. He’s from a town in southern France where he works as a nurse. Is on holiday with his wife (who teaches English) and his two kids – on break from school. Interesting detail noticed from train. Passed one of the slums. All (and I mean all) the dwellings, regardless of condition – many barely had walls and/or roofs – had setelite dishes. How’s that for priorities? On arrival at hotel, first room I was shown on the ground floor and very dark. Asked for one upstairs and got one – was very happy to have done so. Nice, bright room with lots of character. Quick stroll through the medina – a very attractive town. Whitewashed walls painted in pastel colors. Instantly charming.

Goodbye Dubai, hello Morroco

On flight to Cassablanca, sat next to a woman who was on her way to Spain to begin a 1200 km trek. I told the flight attendant that she (trekker) would complete it in 2 days, but I don’t think he believed me. Got picked up at airport by hotel driver, though we had to wait for someone who ended up not showing. Facebook friend met me at the hotel and drove me around (thanks Meriem – and Jordan for hooking us up). Stopped at old souq for quick wander then to Villa des Artes but it was closed for a concert. Meriem then drove me back to hotel and promised to introduce me to another facebook friend – Neyl.