The WhatsApp Traveler

Where do I begin!? A last minute trip planned 10 days before departure. It was meant to be 3 college friends going on a holiday together after nearly 25 years. Alas! @⁨~Tasneem Vora⁩ couldn’t make it (it’s a long story…). Alpa and I miss you Tas. This is Alpa ⬇️

The start to this trip has been amusing – I witnessed 3 nearly averted fist fights – in the flight there was a squabble about reclining (or not) seat between two passengers across my aisle seat both wrestling for headroom and legroom. The air hostesses had to get involved to make sure the passenger across from me was able to recline his seat back on a 9 hr flight from Seattle to Paris. Then from Paris to Casablanca two men nearly came to blows while boarding because the German (possibly drunk) was bumping into and rushing the Moroccan guy in front of him… I peeked up waiting to see some fists fly but the air hostess intervened in a timely manner 🙄 Finally at immigration in Morocco the immigration officers were unhappy about how passengers were being distributed across different counters… so one of the officers got up and went over to the lady who was “mismanaging”. They were having a legit fight while all the passengers. Yet again the fight was broken up before things escalated. Oh well! So much for live entertainment on a long journey 😜

Anyway, out of curiosity to learn more about Morocco as I flew over I was reading Tahir Shah’s ‘The Caliph’s House’ based on his real life experience of moving to Casablanca in 2003 with his family. I learned a few things – (1) Moroccans believe in Jinns (genie); generally considered unfriendly to evil (2) very much like Indian culture, it is hard to get someone to fix things around the house, get paper work done through govt channels etc. If you can grease palms or have connections life can be lot easier (3) when you go to a store don’t start with price establish a conversation and the negotiate a price. It’s a safe bet to start at half of asking or even lower. (4) nothing gets done ‘on time’ (5) don’t get swayed by a sweet talking & helpful person, you have no idea what happens next. Well, I’ll test all these in the next 10 days. So, let’s see.

Welcome to Casablanca! Excited to meet Alpa as soon as I get through immigration. It was a breeze barring the sideshow of arguing immigration officials.

We did a drive by around Casablanca before heading to our hotel. Casablanca was a French protectorate before independence in 1956 so there are a let of Art Deci buildings like this one.

It is the largest city in Morocco and the financial/ business/industrial capital with a population of 8 million in a country of about 40M. This is the entry to the port / harbor. It used to be the largest until they built an even bigger port in Tangier.

Ah! And a visit to Casablanca is incomplete without visiting Rick’s cafe (if you have watched the movie Casablanca, released in 1942, you would surely know this reference) Fun fact: the movie was shot 💯% in Los Angeles!! Its portrayal of Casablanca during the time of World War 2 was completely different from the real city! This cafe is only 20 years old!! 🤪

A drive by the 3rd largest mosque (we’ll visit it tomorrow) in the world and the Corniche (walkway by the beach)

A room with a view of the mosque, the ocean and stocked with chocolates and macarons!

After freshening up we had dinner here. I’ve shared full pictures of the restaurant so you can take in its beauty. It was a synagogue that was turned into at the start of the 18th Century and is now a restaurant that offers authentic Moroccan food

That’s a bummer. We’re going by car across the country.

A humble five course meal made well. But Indians need their spice so we asked for harissa and it took the meal to another level

Alpa with her condiments – salt, pepper and harissa – happy 😊

Complete with live music and dance

Alright it’s late.. heading to bed more later. Tomorrow we visit Hassan 2 mosque in Casablanca then head to Rabat about 1.5 hours away and from there to Chefchaouen in the evening.

Forgot to mention… before heading to the hotel we stopped for coffee by waterfront. What’s unique (I haven’t see this in my travels thus far) is that they built these pools by the ocean so people can enjoy the water with a view and safely. There were many such facilities. It’s unclear yet if Casablanca has beaches you can just walk to. We did see beach front 5 ⭐️ hotels

The universality of graffiti always surprises as I travel the world… alright now off to bed for real. Good night 😴

Good morning!

Flavorful but not spicy, 🌶️ ; so perhaps bland for the Indian palate 9/4/24, 22:30 – Maddie added ~ Roshni

Well, I guess you have year to make it to Morocco!?

I’ll try to find out today

Better view of the seaside

From dinner last night.

Rick’s cafe opened in 2004

We headed out for a stroll after dinner last night… and even saw a musculation club!! 😎

Sights and sounds… this felt very much like Indian markets like Bhuleshwar or Goyal shopping center

View of the mosque we are headed to Ina couple hours.

The men only cafes of the Arab world.

Also they use very little salt in cooking. Most of it comes from the salty olives on the side

Yes, salt water from the ocean. It’s the Atlantic Ocean…very cold water. <This message was edited>

The only thing I miss about hotel life is real life is a ready and warm breakfast every morning 😃

It’s a beautiful day in Casablanca

Off to The Hassan II Mosque. It I the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 14th largest in the world.

When you enter they give you a bag to carry your shoes! Very efficient and no worries about someone stealing your shoes 👟 😂

The mosque is captivating, enormous and a marvel. 1/3 of it is built on the ocean. It has a has capacity to accommodate 25,000 devotees for prayers in the main hall and another 80,000 in the plaza squares around it!

This ground level is for men

The balconies are for women to pray at late gatherings

Below are ablution (cleaning) rooms for men and women

That’s the mihrab in the center at the back. It faces the east towards Mecca

These chandeliers are brought down by an electric pulley system for cleaning!

The doors are made of titanium and brass to withstand corrosion from ocean wind. The titanium came from Russia. Can you spot the loudspeakers? No! Look at the photo again, zoom in; do you see the green line? On each side is a speaker covered in the white box 🥸

Ally of the materials are sourced from within Morocco except for the titanium in the doors and chandeliers (from Italy)

That roof slides open!!!! Like a stadium 🤩

Had to take a video

This is the minaret from the inside. That door you see slides up to open!! 😮

Off to the ablution rooms

The columns are natural dehumidifiers. They’re made using a technique called Tadelakt, which adds egg yolks and black soap into mixed plaster. It’s painstaking and requires a lot of skil

Lovely details.

The minaret is 210 metres (690 ft) tall and was the tallest minaret in the world when completed in 1993. The door you see, in the minaret, it slides up to open. The other doors also are electronically opened because of their weight

The mosque is It is ornamented with pale blue marble and Zellige tilework

The lasting thought I have as we leave here is ‘you cannot capture beauty, you can only admire it.’ The photos don’t do justice to the actual experience of colors, designs, shapes and most importantly the ambience. On our way to Rabat now 🚘

We miss you Tas. We miss you 😢

Today’s travel. Rabat is the capital of Morocco. It’s quiet, green, spacious and moves at its own pace.

Our stop in Rabat was a fly-by visit for Alpa to meet the agency that organized this tour. She represents them in India to travel agents. So if you need help with Morocco, we have an insider.

This is Chellah a fortified Muslim burial ground and ancient archeological site. It started out as a Phoenicians trading emporium in the first millennium BC. It was later the site of Sala Colonia, an ancient Roman colony before it was abandoned. In the late 13th century the site began to be used as a dynastic burial ground. We didn’t go inside.

Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan is the minaret of an incomplete mosque. It was commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, the third caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, near the end of the 12th century. When al-Mansur died in 1199, construction on the mosque stopped. The minaret was left standing at a height of 44 meters. The rest of the mosque was also left incomplete, with only the beginnings of several walls and 348 columns being constructed.

The Mausoleum of Mohammed V is located across from the Hassan Tower in Rabat, Morocco. It contains the tombs of the Moroccan king Mohammed V and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.

Mausoleum from the inside

Off to lunch with team Pure Morocco

Lunch at Dar Naji. The big tray is a salad platter. To its left (veggies) is Tajine, the vermicelli thing is Seffa – a dish of couscous or vermicelli served with a sweet and savoury onion sauce topped with ground almonds, icing sugar and cinnamon. This dish is kind of the Moroccan emblem for festivities. To its right is rfissa is specifically a lentil dish that’s served on a bed of shredded trid pastry or day old breadcrumbs. Rfissa’s broth is the liquid in the small bowl. It is uniquely and fragrantly seasoned with Ras el Hanout, fenugreek seeds (helba in Arabic), saffron, and other spices.

Countryside on the way to Chefchaouen. There were plenty of sheep, donkeys and even a salt mine along the way

Entering Chefchaouen. More tomorrow. Good night 😴

Almond paste being made with argan oil and hone

Heading out for the day. 👋🏻

Yes!

We travelled from Chefchaouen to Fes. The Atlas Mountains are very fertile red soil. Along the way, we saw unending olive tree plantations many of which used to be grape vineyards. And, of course plenty of donkeys, sheep and beautiful horses.

Harissa 😂 they make it with a dash of pickled lime, I believe, makes all the difference. And olives here are very fresh, I thought they were better than what I had in Athens.

Before leaving Chefchaouen, I’m going to share a several collages of scenes from around the little town. There is very little by way of description. What I will say is that the origin story of why it became the blue city isn’t clear but what is clear is that when the local govt realized that it attracts tourists they mandated that everyone paint their homes blue, at least the bottom half.

The doors of Chefchaouen tell a story. The round arches are for homes and the square ones are for homes. Try zooming in to these collages to see the details

It’s around 9 am and shops are nowhere close to opening. It’s laidback place. One where you get the sense that people are at peace with what they have, are in no hurry to get somewhere and like to live on their terms. They are quite simpler, gentler than the city folk.

Sights and sounds around

Getting breakfast was a challenge since at 9.15 hardy any restaurants were open. Nonetheless we nearly managed to get a restaurant to start service sooner than they expected 😂 most people have breakfast at their hotel but ours didn’t have anything that we could eat.

After breakfast we met Yousef, our guide, who showed us around.

This is us exploring…

There’s a healthy competition among locals to one up each other with more attractive decorations outside their homes so each street is unique. They also have photo stations where for 5 Dirhams you can get your photos taken. Example bottom right.

Knock knock knocking on people’s doors!

Never had to pose so many times for photos 🤪 by the way who won cat or me?

The original settlement from 1471 consisted of just a small fortress, now referred to as Chefchaouen’s Kasbah. It was erected to help defend the area from potential attacks by Portuguese invaders

‎"Chefchaouen" got its name from Arabic word “to look” and “Chaouen,” meaning “antlers” or “horns.” Between the two protective horns of the looming Rif Mountains. Chefchaouen thus means 'look at the horns', reflecting the two mountain peaks overlooking the area.

There was a group of BMW Explorers from Portugal. @⁨Srivathsan⁩ and @⁨Srividya⁩ this one’s for you 😌

Now we are off to Volubilis. Volubilis is a Berber-Roman city in Morocco situated near the city of Meknes. It spread over 42 hectares and is only partly-excavated. It may have been the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania, at least from the time of King Juba II. It has some of the most well preserved ruins and mosaics from nearly 1800 or more years ago.

More about this in the morning…

Although only about half of Volubilis has been excavated and the site experienced an earthquake, many prominent public buildings can be visited. They reconstructed a basilica and a triumphal arch. We also saw remains of the mansions of the city's elite. Its remarkable that many fine mosaics have been discovered in these ruins. They are still in the houses where they were laid.

During Roman times, Volubilis was a major producer of olive oil. They have reconstructed the olive press (left); top right are the mill stone, storage container; bottom right is the underground olive oil storage tank before oil was exported.

Dried flowers and herbs that were growing around. The air was fragrant despite dry conditions.

The best part of this visit was the weather. It was one of those days where you see sunshine and rain together, the smell of petrichor, as the rain water hydrates parched earth, the smell of the first rain. It made for a lovely backdrop to the visit

The reconstructed Triumphal Arch of Caracalla was striking as light filtered through it. The photo doesn’t do it justice. It was built in 217 by the city's governor, Marcus Aurelius Sebastenus, to honour the emperor Caracalla and his mother Julia. But by the time the arch was finished both Caracalla and Julia were murdered!

This is the exterior of the basilica used for governance and administration of justice. In its heyday in the early 3rd century, it was one of the finest Roman basilicas in Africa. Imagine this building with two floors. Its interior is dominated by two rows of columns framing the small spaces where the magistrates sat! I wonder how much they had to pay at that time to buy a space in the chamber to be able to practice law 🤔 It’s outer wall with columns, overlooked the forum where markets were held. When you visit such sites do you wonder or recon soon your mind what the sights, sounds, color, conversations and culture must’ve felt like? 💭

Mosaic of Bacchus (Greek લોકોનો મહાદેવ) encounters the sleeping Ariadne and falls in love with her.

This a mosaic from the House of Athlete. It is a humorous mosaic of an athlete or acrobat riding a donkey back to front while holding a cup in his outstretched hand for collecting money from those watching him perform.

Here are a couple more mosaics from different houses. What’s noteworthy? They staying intact for over 1800 years! They have retained color because they’re made of naturally occurring materials in those colors. And as the homes passed through generations, the mosaics remained largely unchanged.

‎In this mosaic Diana and her nymph are surprised by Actaeon while bathing

There were a few more notable ruins like baths, columns, fountains etc. I don’t have the best pics. You’ll need to visit. When I planned the trip I thought of skipping it but with a good guide it’s worth visiting.

Our guide was kind enough to help Alpa tie back her shoelaces after a long walk 🙂

On our way to Meknes I was finally able to capture this magical moment 😇

Meknes was a disappointment because they’re in the process of renovating this magnificent gate. A we were too late to visit any of these other sites

So we just drove by. I find these plain beige finishes quite alluring in their starkness, simplicity and clean lines.

We passed by the king’s palace in Meknes

We arrived at Palais Medina Spa Hotel (it’s a nice hotel) in Fes probably around 7-7.30 pm freshened up and made a beeline for dinner. By the did you know Medina means old city?

Despot asking a few times we couldn’t figure out the names of the soup and sweet deep fried & soaked in syrup snack’s name (top right, next to dates) The dinner was of course Tajine but this time with couscous (finally!) All the meal portions are so big we hard a time seeing all that food go waste. But it’s a cultural thing to serve large platters of food. And, oh the by way, please expect to dine at a leisurely pace. They don’t want you to rush. The weather was perfect, meal delicious; only issue was cat that kept circling and at one point felt bold enough to claw over Alpa’s chair for food 😳 it didn’t do that to me because I was trying to shoo it away

Well, that was yesterday. Today we spent the day visiting the king’s palace, walking past the Jewish Quarters (which apparently can reliably be found near the king’s palace in every city) in the morning. Followed by an early afternoon trip to a watch tower to the South and then a pottery class with local artists at a govt sponsored center. We spent the rest of the day exploring only a handful of the 10,000 alleys in the old Medina including lunch at a palace! And we had dinner with a local family!

Entry to Kings palace (visitors not allowed inside) 🤪

Yes, I did have fresh sugarcane juice here with ginger and lemon! The whole experience… bliss

Alright.. the rest are too many photos that need sifting. I’ll send them tomorrow as we head to Erg Chebbi (overnight in the Sahara desert). But before I go – pottery experience in a nutshell 👇

As you saw, with help i made the smaller piece (in my right hand)

Apparently, I have some natural talent..I got it right first time!!

Ceramic painting 🙂🙂 lots of room for improvement 😂

Apparently this was one of those things that was possible mostly because we are here on a FAM (familiarization) tour for Alpa. She’ll be representing the Moroccan travel agency in India. She can also help global clients organize immersive experiences in Morocco, South Africa, Kenya 😉

Resuming our day trip around Fes. Walking around the Jewish Quarter we realized that there are hardly any Jews in the city or in Morocco in general. People come here mostly to buy and organize wedding arrangements like gifts wrapping, bride/grooms palaquins (ડોળી) etc.

Another curious feature were these storks. Turns out they’re the national bird. They’re left undisturbed. Did you know storks are considered lucky even in Korea?

I’m enjoying the various mosaics

Pottery – apparently, grey clay from the mountains around Fes is considered to be lead free and stronger than red clay. It is soaked for a couple days, (from top left to right) (1) then rolled out to remove air bubbles, formed in to desired pottery or tiles then (2) baked in clay oven (3) color and glaze are added and then fired again in the oven (4) next the pottery items are chiseled (કોતરની) like the red pot or tiles are cut into shape with a hammer and then set into desired patterns of mosaic.

This is a view of Fes from the South looking north. After an early afternoon spent at the pottery factory / workshop, we were famished!! But it was going to be a 10-15 mins walk from the entrance of the Medina before we reached the palace for lunch. No cars are allowed in this Medina which has 10000 alleys! We explored the area circled in the map..and believe me with its many twists, turns and dead ends anyone can get lost.

Fez is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination and FIFA World Cup is coming to Morocco in 2030. As a result many non-Moroccans are now restoring traditional houses (riads and dars) as investment and second homes! This property was purchased by a former Ambassador from Italy. It is now a restaurant. It was on our way to lunch.

And finally we’ve arrived for lunch at Palais Mnebhi. Behold! As you step in you’re taken in by the beauty of the palace and the aroma of roses soaked in wate

Lunch service is at such a leisurely pace, you have to plan for at least 90 mins to 2 hours.

So, while we were famished we appreciated the palace…if you have hangry tendencies better plan for a 30 minute buffer 🤪

That is just the first course! We both were served our individual set of salads made from some combination of eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumber, carrots and potatoes.

Couscous tajine complete with harissa (yes, we asked for it 😉)

And a fruit platter for dessert. Stuffed!

Our guide, Mariam

It’s time to step out from the food coma and walk around. Here’s a view of the many streets with their unique twists and turns. For those from Bombay, this is Bhuleshwar at the next level, cleaner and without cars

This is Funduq al-Najjarin. It was built in the 18th century by Amin Adiyil to provide accommodation and storage for merchants and now houses the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts. This photography in thai building is limited to a few areas.

Funduqs or foundouks are traditional inns, or urban caravanserais. These commercial buildings housed the workshops of artisans or provided lodging for merchants and travelers.

Easily. The actual height is not publicly disclosed

So true!

‎This is a courtyard in the al-Qarawiyyin built in 857 as a mosque. Now it is certified by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as oldest existing and continually operating degree-awarding educational institution in the world!

This is the courtyard of the Al-Attarine Madrasa meaning school of the perfumers. It is near the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque. Its name comes from the Souk al-Attarine, the spice and perfume market around it.

This is the entrance to the main prayer hall with the mihrab to the right inside. Sidebar – I haven’t figured out if they taught perfume making here or only religious studies. Most likely just the latter.

Students prayed and lived here on the second, third and fourth floors. This is a window to one of the many rooms upstairs. These photos don’t do justice to the fine work in wood, plaster and ceramic

Left inside the prayer hall. Right top window inside the living area stairwell. Bottom: looking down in the stairwell

The upper floors of the madrasa, where the student sleeping quarters are located. There are about 30 rooms. Each of them barely 6×6 feet. But each of them had a mail box!

Top right: the room itself; window and view from it. Left arched corridor

Next we stopped at a weaving / embroidery center. Left: the leftmost green thread is made from agave (રામબાણ)! Then there are threads from goat, sheep and camel!

Finally, we made our way to the tanneries (ચામદાનુ કારખાનુ). Yes that is real animal skin and the tanneries stink.

Made it through the stinky streets. We are in the Chouara Tannery area and are going to the top floor of a shop to see the actual tannery. Chouara is considered the largest tannery in the city and one of the oldest.

White squares: The hides of cows, sheep, goats, and camels are first soaked in a series of the white liquids – made from various mixtures of cow urine, pigeon feces, quicklime, salt, and water – in order to clean and soften the tough skins.This process takes two to three days and prepares the hides to readily absorb the dyes.

Brown squares: The clean and soft skins are soaked in the dyeing solutions, which use natural colorants such as poppy for red, indigo for blue, and henna for orange.After the dyeing, they are dried under the sun and once dry are sold to craftsmen.

A loooong day! Time for some rest before dinner with locals.

This is a home in the newer part of town. So the buildings and rooms are quite like our modern buildings. The decor is still traditional.

Bollywood lives in their hearts. We’ve been told by various locals they like everyone from Dilip Kumar and Asha Parekh to Shah Rukh, Karol, Katrina and others. Student of the Year 2 is playing on the screen!! Over the years, I’ve realized that Bollywood and Hindi K-series drama carry soft power that rivals Hollywood. At least across Asia, Middle East and Africa.

First course – mixed veggie soup, paratha type bread – plain and spicy. The soup was bland 😐.

Main course: potato and green pepper curry, lentils (masoor), rice, side of tatchouka, Olives and yes, we’d already talked about Harissa brought at lunch with our guide so it was served without calling for it 😂.

Our guide, Mariam, on the left and our hostess, Nassima. The final course was fruit platter. We talked about westernization of cultural norms, travel, life philosophy, marriages, kids, lifestyle etc. By 8.30 or so we headed back because the next day our destination was going to be 10 hours drive away!!

Our planned route for today. Yes, it says about 8 hours but with breaks and such it’s about 10 hours. Looking forward to spending a night in the desert watching sand dunes, sunset, experiencing camel rides and enjoying majestic views of Atlas Mountains along the way. We started on time,as planned, at 8.00 am

The area between Fes and Ifrane actually Midelt is know for apples. Naturally, first stop photo of green apple trees

Followed by red apples 😄

And then we got real about buying fruit. We stopped at a pomegranate stall. These sell for 15 dirhams about $1.50 per kg!!

So sweet and juicy. I ate the whole thing! 😇

Next stop coffee at Ifrane, Moroccan version of the Swiss Alps. Yes, it is a ski resort in the winter and is patronized by Europeans.

The area around Ifrane is famed for its cedar forests nad monkeys. But first look at these beautiful horses we saw at a small village Ben Smim.

Thi monkey was trying to steal our garbage bag, thinking it was good when I spotted it. When I sat in the car and started taking a photo of the miscreant, it realized what I was doing. Look at the attitude!! It kept turning away and then checking back to see if I stopped taking photos!! 😎

Alpa actually fed the monkeys peanuts. I’ll send the photos and remaining updates from today during the day tomorrow.

As we continued our drive through the mid Atlas Mountains, all I wanted to do was to capture its beauty, serenity and vastness; I wanted to jealously hold on to it. So the next photos are but few of the too many I took. There’s no explanation, it’s an experience. Zoom in, notice the color of the rocks and soil. Notice the patterns of mountains and hills. Notice how the clouds and the mountains hug each other. Enjoy!

The animals – sheep, goat, shepherd dogs, horses, mules – were peacefully grazing; they seemed happ

We bought some in Midelt

Do you see the nomadic homes? They blend in with the landscap

And then we stopped for lunch 😐 it’s either tajine or pasta 🙄 and salad is like _kachumber_ tomatoes and cucumbers with salt and vinegar. The soup was bland. Barely any seasoning. Vegetarians carry some ready to eat meals as back up

Monkeys are fed and happy 😊

Shepherd dogs ready to protect their herd

Until a couple days ago this region was experiencing torrential (ધોધમાર) rains. It caused flooding and some lives were lost too 🙁 Rivers were overflowing and blocking roads.

Apparently this is the first time a few years that this river is flowin

Oasis and onward to Erfoud where we get to buy Medjool dates!

Traffic jam!

Flooding!! We waited for nearly two hours and then turned back! No more desert safari 😭

Because a travel agent organized the trip we were able to comfortably rely on them to find us a nice hotel for the night before heading to Ouarzazate.

Very disappointing. A night in the desert was what I was looking forward to the most ☹️

Today we drove from Errachidia to Todra Gorge to Ouarzazate

Beautiful start to the da

There are water pools everywhere! And the road to the merzouga is still closed

😳

A view of the Todra Gorge valle

Berber rugs

Mule

Todra Gorge

And now we’re in Ouarzazate!

Today we head from Ouarzazate to Air Benhaddou (they have a Hollywood studio here!) to Marrakesh passing through the high Atlas Mountains.

A few more photos from yesterday – Berber shawls at Todra Gorg

They have such old cars plying the roads, 20-30-40 year old cars. One could buy a vintage car from here for a good deal

Non motorized transport for their wares

Dates! The darker brown ones are ready to eat 🙂

Pomegranates ready for after life

This is their definition of a sandwich!

At Kalaat M’Gouna – the rose capital. They harvest and transform roses in rose water, cream, candid you name it. This happens between April and June

Mopeds!! 90s was the last time I saw mopeds

We stopped at a coffee shop and for the first time got coffee with a barista style heart! By the way, definitions are very different here – Caffe latte: In US, is coffee with some foam. In Morocco, is drip coffee with milk Cappuccino: In US, is coffee with lots of foam. In Morocco, is espresso coffee with foam and chocolate like Mocha in the US

Turns out I got a heart for my coffee and Alpa didn’t get any! So there was a protest.

End resul

That’s the texture of traditional walls – red soil mixed with hay

We had nice dinner and didn’t have to ask for harissa! Salad, veggies with rice & spicy sauce, blurred photo below is of baked eggplant with cheese. Later we asked for some tea and got a complete service with cookies!!

Hotel by the night. The guy in the photo, Hamsa, told us to finish our veggies 😂 Here he’s showing photos of his family. They even helped organize a surprise birthday cake at midnight for Alpa 😉

Highlight of the day was this Cleopatra movie trailer we made at the studio. Gladiator l and II, The Mummy, Prison Break, Cleopatra, Dishoom, Tiger Zinda Hai were shot here.

We spent an evening with Alpa’s trade friends at one of the finest hotels in Marrakech, La Mamounia.

Modern day tourist enactment 😝 no costumes

Picking up where we left off. This movie was made in Ouarza Wood.

Movies and TV series have been shot here. You can see the sets currently available on the left. Gladiator, Prison Break,The Mummy, Jesus of Nazareth, Cleopatra, _Tiger Zinda Hai, Dishoom_ were shot here

From a palace to a lane in the Medina in secs

Prop vehicles

From Atlas studios we left for Ait Ben Haddou. This is where iconic scenes from Game of Thrones were shot. The video ends with a view of the village from a distance. We’re headed there.

But before we go, see how he paints with sunshine!

Entering Ait Ben Haddou

Scenes from around the kasbah Below – boys in the village are enterprising enough to sell their drawings (which look like those made by young school kids)!! On the right is the Berber script.

Yet another painting technique

A view from a home towards the top

From Ait Be Haddou as we made our way to Marrakech we stopped at the highest point in the Atlas Mountains Col du Tichka. The descend from there is completed using this road with 333 or so turns. Have you been noticing how the color of Atlas Mountains changed as we crossed the country? Now you’ll see black of the basalt rock as well

We ended the day in Marrakech after catching up with Alpa’s friend and finally having an Indian meal! It was satisfying 😀

Sept 11 – we started our exploration of Marrakech with a cooking lesson at La Maison Arabe. It’s beautiful Riad; if remember correctly the first Riad hotel in Morocco. This are some views from within the road

We started with tea. The British introduced it to Morocco. It is said that back in the day when sugar was expensive, it was used to send a marriage proposal. If the box of sugar wasn’t returned the next day then the proposal was considered accepted!

Attached to it is a cooking school that’s beautifully designed and well equipped. In my travels, this is the first cooking class equipped with TV monitors to watch the chef and follow along. That brown pot is the Tajine in which you can make a tajine. I love the cooking prep bowls; they add color to the cooking process 😀

Having fun and being entertained while we cook. Hasna (right) and Fatiha (left) oversaw the lesson. Fatiha is funny and a good singe

Presentation is very important. At every step of the way we were told & shown how to arrange everything properly. While making the tagine I tossed some veggies in and Fatiha came by to make I arranged it properly 😅 Top: khobz (loca bread, made with lots of yeast but no eggs); top right Taktouka made with charred banana pepper and tomatoes; mid left: zhalouk made with tomatoes and eggplants, kind of like baingan bharta; bottom left Jawahara (dessert) made with phyllo and maize flour & milk and of course! The tagine.

Ready to eat!

After a full belly, we started our exploration of Marrakech at The Koutoubia Mosque. It is one of the largest and most famous mosques in the city. Water fountains are a recurring feature. You find them outside a building and you find them inside roads. The mosaics here are simple but elegant.

Next we walk over to one of the best-known is Bab Agnaou to explore the souks. This gate was built in the late 12th century as the main public entrance to the new Kasbah.

Produce, fruit juice, spices…you name it and you’ll likely find it in the souk. Now that I think about it I didn’t any electronics stores anywhere! Perhaps they’re in a different part of these cities

I’m struck by the beautiful arrangements and colors

Walking through the lanes. In most souls there is a dedicated section for each category of things for sale – produce, leather goods, spices, brassware etc.

We stopped to taste agave fruit along the way. It’s sweet but has very crunchy seeds which are to be consumed with the pulp

And now we walk into the Bahia Palace. It was built in the mid to late 19th-century palace in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was the residence of grand vizier in the 1860s. Bottom left: The name Bahia Palace written in Arabic, Berber, French and Spanish. Morocco was occupied by the French in the south and west and by the Spanish in the north and east. No English occupation; no signs boards in English. Although this is changing.

Made of plaster, wood and ceramic these buildings are stunning.

Looking around the small courtyard

The harem for the vizier’s 4 wive

We make our way towards the main courtyard

More fountains and windows

Main courtyard

Next Yves Saint Laurent street, where there’s a museum for his works. This spot is a pilgrimage for every French fashion lover.

Down the lane is Jardin Marjorelle or Majorelle Garden. In 1924, the French artist Jacques Majorelle constructed his largest artwork, the Majorelle Garden and painted the garden walls, fountains, features and villa this very intense shade of blue, for which he trademarked the name Majorelle Blue. _(Yet another example of cultural appropriation)_ Majorelle Blue is a clear, intense, fresh shade of deep blue. Marjorelle had noticed the colour in Moroccan tiles, in Berber burnouses, and around the windows of buildings such as kasbahs and native adobe homes.

The garden had cacti from around the world

Check this one out

These Tok Toks are like rickshaws given to be people with disabilities to ferry people around and support themselves

We continued our explorations through the markets. Found some nice pottery (no photos), spices, olives etc. Finally a break for fresh pomegranate juice ☺️

Walking through the Jemaa Al’Fnaa. The main square in the city complete with snake charmers, magicians, vendors, monkey tricks, fruit juices, food

And after a long day we had dinner at yet another Indian restaurant 😉 This one has a lovely view of the square.

We capped the night with a horse carriage ride back to the hotel. Too tired to take photos; need pack to bags since it’s the last full day in Morocco tomorrow (Sept 12)

On our final day, Sept 12, we briefly visited Agafay. A day trip to the desert for camel rides, quad biking, 4×4 sand dunes rides or even an overnight stay. It is close to Marrakech so ideal for those interested in a quick desert experience

Ostriches! donkeys, goats, cows, horse and sheep!

An afternoon coffee and cheese sandwich at Cafe Extrablatt. Apparently it is a hip place close to a night club and it’s impossible to find seating in the evening. That’s Noureddine, goes by Nadi. A very good driver with patience under pressure, good people skills and knowledge of the country roads. He didn’t use a GPS during the roughly 2500 kms trip!!!

Time to say goodbye to Alpa … all good things must come to an end

Final stop, hammam, back at Le Maison Arabe before heading back to the hotel for an early night since my flight leaves at 7.00 am and I need to leave the hotel at 4.30 am

At the airport, time to say good bye to Morocco.. so long until next time

As I head back home, I’m thinking back to what I’d read in the Caliph’s Palace and what I learned is (1) yes, people do believe in Jinn. They are neither innately evil nor innately good. Islam places jinn and humans on the same plane in relation to God, both being subject to God's judgement and an afterlife. In fact, Nadi, our driver said that a male jinn possesses his sister from time to time but is nice to her. (2) apparently, when the people requested the king to end corruption in everyday life he asked “how much will you pay me to stop it?” 😳😝 (3) yes, negotiating is an art. Start by figuring out what you want and have a chat until you reach a price you are willing to pay (4) turns out we were late a few times. We also confirmed that in Moroccan time is stretchable… for example – people say “we’ll meet after the first prayer” and there is some sort of implied understanding that it could be 30 mins or an hour after (5) did not experience perhaps because everything was organized for us. A woman in the market in Casablanca did warn us not to follow the vendor to another location for better prices or goods (_we were not following him anyway_) <This message was edited>

This is provided as a means of employment for disabled people so they can support themselves financially.

Overall, Morocco’s development or westernization is probably where India was 30 years ago. Their road infrastructure is impressive, the cities are very clean and people don’t litter. Public transportation exists but it seems invisible. I didn’t need to go looking for it but then I didn’t see conspicuously marked buses or rickshaws. Yellow taxis and tourist cars were everywhere. No sign of Uber or similar services. Train stations are so well don’t they look like malls or monuments so you’re likely not going to spot them unless you’re looking for them. With FIFA 2030 around the corner there’s hope among people that the country will be developed. You can see new construction everywhere. Westerners are buying up riads and updating them, investing in Airbnb flats and the like to cater to an up and coming destination.

And we truly missed you 😕

If you’re looking for realty investments is a good place to look at. It’s still not too late. Stay away from Marrakech (touristy, lots of foreign investment, many celebrities have properties), Tangier, and Casablanca are likely in a similar boat. Needs a little research to figure out tourist routes and FIFA game locations.

I wish they understood vegetarian food better – making basic sandwiches and salads. It’s a bit challenging to travel cross country on a diet of tagines.

Coffee was disappointing. It’s a culture where mint tea is central.

All that said and done, Morocco is definitely worth a visit if you want to experience a country that is still rooted in tradition and not overrun by tourists (except in April, May, June). You’d easily need 2-3 weeks to see the diversity of this landscape and culture.

After a wonderful 10 days, I’ll leave you with a quote from the Caliph’s House this “The greatest moment of a long journey is the one when you arrive home.” ☺️ it’s what I look forward to most after a few days away from home. Thank you for joining me on this journey 🙂

Leaving you with colorful Morocco

In the past they used this technique to write secret letters

This reminds me of the book The Alchemist where the protagonist travels the world to find out home is the best place to be.

Merzouga is where we were heading when we were stopped by flash floods. We stayed in Errachidia. This article shows an aerial view of the flooding and how rare it is. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/14/weather/sahara-desert-floods-climate/index.html