MOROCCAN REPLAY

At the beginning of our trip, we took a walking tour with a local guide. He told us Morocco was a country of contradictions. And as we explored for a few weeks....I realized this was so true.  The king  is very interested in climate change and is taking huge steps to position Morocco in a good place with solar power, banning plastic, and not wasting water.  Women have had the right to vote forever, but have just recently been granted the right to divorce their husband..traditionally, in Islam, it was the man who decided. Now, in Morocco, the woman can

get alimony and child support and the right to keep her children with her until they are 18. Food is good in Morocco...healthy, plant based...but some meat. No one is overweight. There are no Costco’s or premade food places. People generally just cook what they grow or can buy daily at the markets. Dessert is usually fruit. Muslims don’t drink, but there was alcohol for the tourists. I found Morocco a VERY tolerant nation. If there were any other religions...I never saw any. People were kind and friendly, and hard working. Health care is free, as is school AND college...but the problem arises that highly educated people leave because they cannot find work with well paying jobs in Morocco. So the brain drain is a big problem. Guns are illegal, except for hunting...and then there is extensive background checks for the whole family. Crime is low, except petty crimes of pickpocket, etc.I felt completely safe everywhere.
My favorite part was the southern area, although it was very hot...it was peaceful and beautiful and had more black Moroccans than the North, which is heavily influenced by the French control. The Berbers of the Mts are proud and tribal, and even that is changing, as they usually don’t have a chief any longer and kids are becoming more educated and wanting to leave their villages and not farm or herd like their parents.
I would go back in a heartbeat..maybe do some hiking in the Atlas Mts. And more camel riding! Haha

LAST DAY

In Casablanca, we continued to see some sights before checking into our hotel. We went to see the only Mosque in Morocco which let’s non Muslims inside...HASSAN II mosque which is also the largest in Morocco and has the largest minaret in the world.Interestly, this “rule” about non Muslims not being allowed in Mosques was put down by the French, not the Moroccans.The French felt it would keep the peace not to mix up the religious groups, but King Hassan the 2nd, was
very full of himself and showing off all his work, so he declared HIS mosque would be viewed by anyone! They give tours 4 times a day in between the  call to prayers. It was the generic tour, and we already knew most of the information, but the mosque was spectacular and can hold 100,000 worshipers easily. One had to be modestly dressed with shoulders covered and no shorts.
 Finally, we got to our hotel, but not before ONE MORE excursion. Someone wanted to go to Rick’s Cafe...made famous in the movie Casablanca, with Ingrid Bergman, and Humphrey Bogart. It was 3 and didn’t open until 4:30....but away we went in search of this famous icon.it wasn’t much to look at from the outside. Kind of grungy, in fact. Mohamed got out and went in and tried to get us a look inside or even a drink at the bar, but the manager was not having any of it, and actually kicked Mohamed out! We were watching from the street, and it was kind of funny.
So back to our fancy hotel in the middle of town for a drink, a bite to eat, and a quick rest before getting up at 3:30 AM for the airport. And home!

CASABLANCA

I finally joined the world of the living this morning, and nibbled at a bit of breakfast. No appetite and leery of food right now.  We walked down the Médina the last time to catch our ride to Casablanca. It seemed so deserted and quiet and just a few stalls starting to open. We had a 5 hour ride but stopped along the way as the terrain changed back to a more coastal clime. The freeway was clear and we saw orchards of olives, and pomegranate. Two big crops of exports. Tourism is the is the #2 money maker after agriculture in Morocco. This trip had been filled with many unexpected and interesting experiences, and today we had another. We visited a social service as soon as we reached Casablanca. This is in a country with many benefits, but not too many social services. Morocco is progressing in so many things, but being a Muslim country brings with it old ways and taboos. One is their “moral law” on premarital sex. If a woman (not a man, of course) becomes pregnant before marriage......it is a huge stigma and she is usually ostracized by friends and family, has NO financial support, will even seek abortion in a country where that is taboo. A Moroccan and Muslim nurse saw this need years ago...a need to support women who have had children and need a support systems... she started a safety net called “Association of Feminine Solidarity to support unmarried woman and their children. As one may imagine she was met with strong opposition for years and years, but finally has made in ways to this problem in Morocco , and at this time they have over 500 applicants a year and fully support 24 women AND their child for 3 full years. This means a small apt.

nearby and day care for the child, and 3 years of school and trade training, with the solution being a woman can make a living and take care of her child and not be separated. We toured the facilities, which were right in the middle of town. We saw the children having lunch, and then we were served a delicious lunch by the students who are learning cooking. We also had SO MANY questions. We were joined by one of the staff to answer our questions, but she only spoke French. Mohammed to the rescue, with his excellent French and did the interpretation...but, still it is a long tedious process. We were all so impressed with this program...especially in a very conservative country...that is still very much dominated by men...........but hope...things ARE changing, and when the KING of Morocco gave his support to this program....it became acceptable.  

MIA IN MARRAKESH

We have a lot of free time in MARRAKESH to explore on our own and do what we want. After breakfast to had a private guide to take us around the confusing labyrinths that make up the Médina. It was hot..because MARRAKESH is about 20 degrees hotter than normal....so every day has been in the 100s while we are here. We stopped for tea and sodas in a small cafe and then continued our exploring. One can buy absolutely anything in this area. The merchants put a small bit of pressure on us, but are good natured and don’t push too hard.we ended up in a rug factory to see hand made Arab and Berber rugs, which were quite beautiful...and a few people bought them.  Finally Steve and I  role off with another couple to go find lunch and had some nice Panini sandwiches and a 0lace that was recommended by Mohammed. It was so how that we finally just went back to our room which had A/C and vegged.   In the early evening as it was starting to cool down to the 90’s ....we took a horse carriage ride into the modern part of town. Night and day. Wide streets lined with trees, modern architecture, gardens, traffic lights and quite beautiful. The horse that pull the carriages are well taken care and are regularly checked by veterinarians to make sure they are healthy and being treated well. They have a green band on this ankles so the riders will know this. We caught a breeze, and enjoyed this..but all the way...my stomach was rumbling and I was not feeling well. As soon as the ride was over we made a fast beat to get back to our Riad....and good thing... because I came down with an awful case of food poisoning....and all hell broke loose. It’s been 24 hrs and I still feel like crap (no pun intended) and have been MIA all day for the rest of the activities. Tonight was our going away dinner And I  always look forward to that.....but no way. Hopefully I will be better tomorrow because we head to Casablanca and the ending of a great trip.

MARRAKESH OVERLOAD

We arrived in MARRAKESH about 1 pm and went into culture shock. After the quiet and peace of the southern area and desert....we were dropped into a wild, crowded, and completely different atmosphere. We had to navigate a VERY crowded Médina with the usual tiny alleys and mass humanity.  But add the fact that there are ever present motor scooters, bikes, and motorcycles shooting thru these alleys....was nerve wracking. We learned quickly to hug the side of the stalls and walls, walk single file.....and those scooters and cycles have the right away....which seems pretty odd. And it was over 102 degrees! After winding around the alley maze...we arrived at our very ancient(and restored) Riad. The alley was cool, the Riad had A/C, and a beautiful lunch was ready. Heaven.  Then we were shown to our teeny tiny room. While very lovely in all respects, it was so small. By myself, it would have been a barely doable.....but add a 6’2”, non organized, person.....and we are challenged.still......the staff is so friendly and the area is great for all the walking and sightseeing...but so small. The bed is wall to wall. Double..haha. The bath room is incredible...only to wonder how they actually made it work.....
Around 6 we took a walking tour to figure out how to navigate and find our way around and BACK. We still

got lost later that night...but that’s another story.
Steve and I ended up on a roof top soda pop bar to watch the sunset, and were invaded by 1, 2, and 3, and then 12 Chinese tourists complete with large lenses, tripods, and much jabber. One even used Steve’s shoulder to balance his camera...it was completely crazy, and rude too... but oh so funny.  I finally turned around and took some pics of them...and their invasion.
As I say..after the quiet of the desert...Marrakesh a mass of humanity...loud, smelly, sweaty, and so so touristy! But full of locals too, especially on a Sat evening!

ON THE ROAD TO MARRAKESH

Left the desert totally this am, and hit the high road to MARRAKESH. We traveled over some high, steep and windy roads over the high Atlas Mountains. We were at the highest point in our trip today at about 7,200 ft. Not high compared to our mountains but very rough terrain. The government is trying to fix this road as it is well traveled and dangerous because it is so narrow and steep. We saw a lot of road work and machinery along the way....and had to go slow in some places. The Whole way was dotted with small Berber villages and small farms...orchard fruits and sheep.  It took us over 5 hours to reach MARRAKESH and Culture shock!  Masses of people and hawkers and sellers of everything. We wandered a bit to find our Riad and have lunch. Our Riad is down about 3 twisty turny alleys that are packed with people on scooters and everything else...but once we turned the 3rd corner, it was like we were in a peaceful oasis. The Riad is very small and old,  but delightful. Steve and I are kind of taking up every bit of space in our room, and we have to actually duck to get into bathroom! But we have a mini bar for our wine and all the amenities...just on a tiny scale. The lunch was delicious.

In an hour we are meeting Mohamed for a walking tour of the big square and Medina’s...and hoping to find a nice place for dinner.I will say that Morocco is inexpensive by American standards...and not too much tipping.

MINGLE WITH THE LOCALS

A lot of tourists just get to tourist spots, take a few pics....post and leave.... but we are with a group of people who want to see, talk, and get to KNOW the real Morocco. So today we did that...all day. We went to a quiet village about. 1/2 hr away and were greeted by a typical Moroccan family who make a living on the land....uneducated, but full of knowledge and kindness, and welcomed us with open arms.  First we met the various family members and saw their humble home.   Then we took a long walk into the fields where they make adobe bricks, farm, tend their animals, and haul manure. We each grabbed a small stools d went to sit under an olive tree, where we were served.....ta-da..... mint tea, fresh bread and olive oil. This was called the “2nd. Breakfast, and is quite common for farmers. We had so many questions, and all were answered and then they wanted to know “what we did”. The concept of retirement,,USA style...is odd to them and NOT working, and even traveling is even stranger. Most Moroccans do not travel at all . A man came by on a donkey hauling manure from the animal pens, which are next to the house. After a while we went to see the guy making bricks. He sells them for 10 cents each and makes about 150in a day. That’s it. 15$
We went back into the house and were ushered into the room that is only used for guests. Then some of the neighbors who help this family came into the room with all the makings of traditional couscous and they showed us how it was done.   All this time we and they are comparing notes and learning about each other’s Lives. Finally... we sat at tables and Learned how to eat “Moroccan style.”  Only with ones right hand. Never with the left hand even if one is left handed. We were also asked to “stay in our lane” when serving ourselves and do not reach or go into the your neighbors food space. More questions and answers then the little kids came into to meet us and sing a couple songs they had been practicing! Cute!