Blogs from Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Morocco, Africa - page 70

Hello I'm in Marakesh! Its the 2nd day of Eid, a three day celebration at the end of Ramadaan. The strets are alive here, everyone is doing their last minute shopping and the men and women are dressed in their best. Its kind of like Christmas except without Santa Claus and christmas trees and snowmen and carols and pork products. Not only that, I can actually eat lunch now that the fasting is over (thank god). Marakesh is absolutely beautiful. The buildings are all red, the gardens are all green, and one can see the snow-capped Atlas mountains in the background. We don't have school for most of this week because of Eid, which ends tomorrow, and Independence Day which is Thursday. I came down Saturday from Casablanca (yuck) where I had a decadent French dinner ... read more

Got to Marrakech on a very hot Sunday. Went straight to the Hotel, showered in a huge marble tub and went out to the souk. Walk through all the alleys and narrow streets breathing those wonderful scents, colors and sounds. Got some hash from a local vendor, smoked it in a miniature narguile and kept walking in a wonderful daze... couldn't believe my eyes. Bought some strange, colorful pastries that tasted like a slice of heaven (maybe because of the hash?) and kept walking forever... I felt observed, maybe because of my tattoos, maybe because it was Ramadan and I was eating like a pig? Who knows...... read more

Bread rolls and croissants with preserves and café-au-lait and orange juice pursued us throughout the rest of Morocco. Rolling through the countryside was a delight to me. Jean and I usually sat together on the bus, and she didn’t want the window seat. For long periods of time, I looked out the window at the not-quite-desert landscape. I could see “forever” across a barely undulating landscape of a dull cinnamon colour, touched by scrub bushes. Sometimes indifferent goats wandered across my view. Occasionally, in the distance, I saw a large Bedouin tent encampment. Their long, dark tents blended into the landscape, as if they were a natural feature. As we drove through villages and towns, I was intrigued by the variety of women’s dress. Some wore traditional dress and some wore Western styles, even amongst professionals ... read more