Tonight, I had a series of strokes of good luck. It began with a chance introduction. The owner of the Riad, who I hadn't officially met, was entertaining her family over some food and drink. Her brother has not returned to Marrakech where he was born in almost 50 years. And now, he has arrived with his son, Nikos.
They invited me to join them in the courtyard for a cup of tea. I was hardly finished when they decided to go out for a drink. Haven't not ventured from the riad, I accepted their invitation, and off we went. The owner drove us far from the Medina. It was like something out of south beach, a chic restaurant out on the highway that was also very much like a club. One mojito turned into 5 or 7, I am not really sure. I listened to the french, and some was translated.
We discussed things like Obama and starting a recording business in Marakech. We sat at many tables, and had many drinks. It was my first real moroccan experience, away from the tourists and the souks.
Finally, around three we retired to the Riad where we opened another bottle of wine. I think at this point I was adopted into the family, invited to the major holidays, some birthdays, and inducted. We sat with our feet in the pool and swallowed in the wine, conversation and the wonderful ambiance.
At four, we broke rank. I turned to bed to write about my evening, while I listen to the continued chatter outside in french. I want nothing more at the moment than to command the french language. Perhaps, I can devote this year to learning languages. We shall see what opportunities present themselves.
I asked for a 9AM breakfast (I have no commitment until 5PM, when we are leaving for Rabat), though I can't imagine getting up in a a mere few hours. Perhaps if I will myself to awake, at the promise of good company to explore with, I will be able to rise from my pillow. If not, there is packing and other assorted things to take care of before I leave.
Marrakech has become better and better with the events of this evening. I was finally able to see a whole new side that had been previously hidden from my eyes and ears.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Burnt air + decent food
The air tasted burnt as I left my hotel, the sun raging down for many hours had left its mark. Its suprising I could tell, I feel like I have inhaled enough dust to kill a large horse. People will say that he or she will return to dust. Its less interesting when already feel like your body and lungs are dust dust and more dust.
Dinner at stall 114. Not bad, not great. The men are very pushy, when they grabbed my arm to try and force me to sit at their stall it was to much. I snapped back having had my personal space invaded. After that I just glared them down from a distance as they even started to approach me calling out to me "my friend... My friend".
Another saw me with my camera out and demanded money. He tried to grab my camera. I remember in milan they would get in your way with the birdseed to attract the birds when you took photos of the duomo, and then demanded money.
So far I have only witnessed kindness without money being asked for or involved one time, from the neighbor of my riad. It is unfortunate that has been my experience here. The children are the worst.
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Dinner at stall 114. Not bad, not great. The men are very pushy, when they grabbed my arm to try and force me to sit at their stall it was to much. I snapped back having had my personal space invaded. After that I just glared them down from a distance as they even started to approach me calling out to me "my friend... My friend".
Another saw me with my camera out and demanded money. He tried to grab my camera. I remember in milan they would get in your way with the birdseed to attract the birds when you took photos of the duomo, and then demanded money.
So far I have only witnessed kindness without money being asked for or involved one time, from the neighbor of my riad. It is unfortunate that has been my experience here. The children are the worst.
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I escaped the heat in my room which looks out into the courtyard
I also did some research into the best stalls for dinner. Go local was the advice - and my intention is that. Apparently stall 14 is the hot joint in town.
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Jardin Majorelle and Jardin Menara and more Souks
This morning I went to the entrance instead of the square, and took a taxi. As usual, I am sure I was ripped off. However, since I negotiated the price below what the staff told me to expect paying, I felt fine with it. My first stop this morning was the Jardin Majorelle. It is a small garden with a memorial to Yves Saint Laurent. I spent an hour exploring the different areas of the garden, taking photos. Then, I found a bench near the front, and enjoyed the fresh air. Two women sitting on the bench chatted with me for a few minutes.
They were with a group traveling through Morocco, as part of the summer activities of a private school in New England. One worked with the oganization, the other was a french teacher at the school. I told them that I was going to be doing something similar in Madrid before traveling through Europe. The younger woman also was planning to travel, but in Paris only, so I made some recommendations from my trip with Samantha on what I enjoyed and didn't enjoy while there.
From there I headed to Menara which was awful in comparison. In Majorelle, everything was meticulously taken care of. In Menara, there was garbage strewn about. I did however find a nice place to take a photo, putting my camera on a timer and balancing it on a gate. I left quickly after walking through the garden and returned to the square.
Yesterday I didn't want to draw attention to myself with my camera out, but I realized, I was drawing a lot of attention anyway. So, I decided to take more pictures. A few of them are below from walking around the market.
Garden
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dreams, breakfast and impressive leg work
I dreamed last night that I was in my Riad, except that half of it was in Iraq, the other half in Morocco. There was a Hamman, which necessitated crossing between the two countries, and lots of people bathing. We were waiting to go in to the hot water, and someone warned us that we must turn our heads or we would permanently damage our necks from the shock. I went in and changed into my bathing suit. When I came back out of my room, my companions were laying out, inches above the water, discussing their fear of getting hurt.
Then I woke up.
Breakfast was the same as yesterday, only today I was given some rolls which were quite bland. The coffee was fine, and I ventured into the two jams - the first, more reddish in color, was tasty. The second was not as much.
After breakfast I sat for a while, enjoying some coffee and listening to the tree. I could hear for a while during breakfast the baby crying upstairs faintly, and the plants on the roof being watered. Then it all stopped, and it was just the birds and the tree. Each leaf that floated down was like thunder in the air, rustling the other leaves it came in contact with during it's journey.
My attention swayed to the two flies that were buzzing around. One had found some jam left on my plate and seemed delighted. The other was resting on my chair. I have watched flies before, as their tiny front legs rub together, but this time the fly was looking away from me. It took it's back legs, and started to wash itself in great detail. It would rub it's feet together, and then rub down it's wings, bending them to the point I thought they would break. Then it would bring it's legs back together, and the wing would snap back into place. It was an impressive feat (no pun intended).
I haven't set up my morning plans as of yet. I was told that many of the souqs took yesterday off, and so I feel compelled to see the Medina in it's full grandeur today, assuming the same of yesterday is not true. I also would like to visit the gardens, which are outside of the Medina. For now, I think I will relax a bit and enjoy the peacefulness here.
Then I woke up.
Breakfast was the same as yesterday, only today I was given some rolls which were quite bland. The coffee was fine, and I ventured into the two jams - the first, more reddish in color, was tasty. The second was not as much.
After breakfast I sat for a while, enjoying some coffee and listening to the tree. I could hear for a while during breakfast the baby crying upstairs faintly, and the plants on the roof being watered. Then it all stopped, and it was just the birds and the tree. Each leaf that floated down was like thunder in the air, rustling the other leaves it came in contact with during it's journey.
My attention swayed to the two flies that were buzzing around. One had found some jam left on my plate and seemed delighted. The other was resting on my chair. I have watched flies before, as their tiny front legs rub together, but this time the fly was looking away from me. It took it's back legs, and started to wash itself in great detail. It would rub it's feet together, and then rub down it's wings, bending them to the point I thought they would break. Then it would bring it's legs back together, and the wing would snap back into place. It was an impressive feat (no pun intended).
I haven't set up my morning plans as of yet. I was told that many of the souqs took yesterday off, and so I feel compelled to see the Medina in it's full grandeur today, assuming the same of yesterday is not true. I also would like to visit the gardens, which are outside of the Medina. For now, I think I will relax a bit and enjoy the peacefulness here.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Traditional Dinner and some non traditional thinking
please excuse any poetic writing that follows. Continue reading and you shall understand.
It's 10PM and I am sitting on the roof of Riad Davia. Only a few minutes ago I was dining under the leaves of a large tree. Time, for all intents and purposes, had stopped.
Two other visitors and their newborn child ate across the room, with only murmurs of french drifting amongst the rustling leaves.
I had decided to dine in this evening, and asked for a traditional meal, couscous and tangine. I always tell friends that food is subjective, if you asked for chicken, and what you got was the best tasting chocolate cake in the world, you would still consider it less than satisfactory (yet hopefully delicious) because it does not fit your expectations. This was different, the meat sliced like a hot knife through butter, and the couscous melted in my mouth. I found the meal and the ambiance to be objectively exquisite, while peaceful.
"wine?" they asked. Of course, I told them. Red please. I expected a glass, but a whole bottle arrived at the table. Here I am, thousands of miles from home, in a completely new environment, and I have just had the experience of drinking an entire bottle of wine by myself. Hence the poetry.
But back to the present. I have come to the roof, where I sit with my glass and bottled water. I have removed myself from the oasis below, where sound and time stopped, and have returned to the world of Morocco. Young and old voices drift over the walls in arabic, and children and adults bicker in a tongue I do not understand.
Far off, and yet as if it were being whispered in my ear, comes the call for prayer. It is echoed in many directions, and morocco grows silent for a moment as the word travels.
In a moment, Morocco is alive again. Children's voices come over the walls, and mothers and fathers are heard continuing their conversations into the night. The city is once again alive.
There is a communal nature in Morocco that is beautiful, and wonderous. When I pause to inquire about directions, or another matter, it is never just a single individual who helps me - rather my quest carries across the community as each helps as much as they can.
[pause to drink water that I brought up - what I remember from high school chemistry is that one feels best when matching with equal volume of water before sleep]
So far, my only disappointment are the stars. I haven't seen the vibrant stars I was hoping to catch a glimpse of. When I was in Peru last summer, I saw stars like I had never seen before. Stars really do twinkle, just like the song. The southern cross was a magical sign in the sky. They seemed bigger than the dull stars of the northeast, whose bright light is often dimmed by the city lights. I had read somewhere that the stars over Morocco shone brightly, and I hope still to find them.
I remember reading some online material about traveling the Mediteranean, and how what captures the imagination of many travelers is the picnic under the olive tree, a bottle of wine, some fresh cheese and warm bread.
Tonight I dined under a tree. It was magical, the wine was tasty, no cheese, but the food was amazing. I am so excited about the rest of my trip - and yet, if I were to return now, I would go home smiling from my experiences.
I am ahead of myself.
This afternoon I returned to the market and to see the palaces, which never happened. I roamed around for a few hours and as I mentioned in the earlier post, tried on some traditional clothing. The Riad staff warned me to wait until tomorrow for buying anything since most of the shops were closed today. Let competition work in my favor must have been the thought. I also spent some time unlocking my phone, and getting a Moroccon phone number.
Upon my return, I wrote a bit and lay down for a few minutes to rest my eyes. I awoke hours later to find that I nearly slept through my dinner. I came out still dreary eyed and sat down for a feast, and thus, caught up with the beginning of the post.
I would like to use the bath, but am unsure of the etiquette. I will have to inqure of my host and find out if one may use it at this hour. Otherwise, I am to bed for an early start tomorrow.
Not so early, I asked for breakfast at 8. I was told 8:30 is the earlist. I could certainly get used to that.
It's 10PM and I am sitting on the roof of Riad Davia. Only a few minutes ago I was dining under the leaves of a large tree. Time, for all intents and purposes, had stopped.
Two other visitors and their newborn child ate across the room, with only murmurs of french drifting amongst the rustling leaves.
I had decided to dine in this evening, and asked for a traditional meal, couscous and tangine. I always tell friends that food is subjective, if you asked for chicken, and what you got was the best tasting chocolate cake in the world, you would still consider it less than satisfactory (yet hopefully delicious) because it does not fit your expectations. This was different, the meat sliced like a hot knife through butter, and the couscous melted in my mouth. I found the meal and the ambiance to be objectively exquisite, while peaceful.
"wine?" they asked. Of course, I told them. Red please. I expected a glass, but a whole bottle arrived at the table. Here I am, thousands of miles from home, in a completely new environment, and I have just had the experience of drinking an entire bottle of wine by myself. Hence the poetry.
But back to the present. I have come to the roof, where I sit with my glass and bottled water. I have removed myself from the oasis below, where sound and time stopped, and have returned to the world of Morocco. Young and old voices drift over the walls in arabic, and children and adults bicker in a tongue I do not understand.
Far off, and yet as if it were being whispered in my ear, comes the call for prayer. It is echoed in many directions, and morocco grows silent for a moment as the word travels.
In a moment, Morocco is alive again. Children's voices come over the walls, and mothers and fathers are heard continuing their conversations into the night. The city is once again alive.
There is a communal nature in Morocco that is beautiful, and wonderous. When I pause to inquire about directions, or another matter, it is never just a single individual who helps me - rather my quest carries across the community as each helps as much as they can.
[pause to drink water that I brought up - what I remember from high school chemistry is that one feels best when matching with equal volume of water before sleep]
So far, my only disappointment are the stars. I haven't seen the vibrant stars I was hoping to catch a glimpse of. When I was in Peru last summer, I saw stars like I had never seen before. Stars really do twinkle, just like the song. The southern cross was a magical sign in the sky. They seemed bigger than the dull stars of the northeast, whose bright light is often dimmed by the city lights. I had read somewhere that the stars over Morocco shone brightly, and I hope still to find them.
I remember reading some online material about traveling the Mediteranean, and how what captures the imagination of many travelers is the picnic under the olive tree, a bottle of wine, some fresh cheese and warm bread.
Tonight I dined under a tree. It was magical, the wine was tasty, no cheese, but the food was amazing. I am so excited about the rest of my trip - and yet, if I were to return now, I would go home smiling from my experiences.
I am ahead of myself.
This afternoon I returned to the market and to see the palaces, which never happened. I roamed around for a few hours and as I mentioned in the earlier post, tried on some traditional clothing. The Riad staff warned me to wait until tomorrow for buying anything since most of the shops were closed today. Let competition work in my favor must have been the thought. I also spent some time unlocking my phone, and getting a Moroccon phone number.
Upon my return, I wrote a bit and lay down for a few minutes to rest my eyes. I awoke hours later to find that I nearly slept through my dinner. I came out still dreary eyed and sat down for a feast, and thus, caught up with the beginning of the post.
I would like to use the bath, but am unsure of the etiquette. I will have to inqure of my host and find out if one may use it at this hour. Otherwise, I am to bed for an early start tomorrow.
Not so early, I asked for breakfast at 8. I was told 8:30 is the earlist. I could certainly get used to that.
After the heat
After it cooled down around 4, I went for another walk back to the square. In the evening, it apparently becomes one giant restaurant - or rather, many hundreds of restaurants. I am missing out on it this evening, since I already told the Riad I would like to experience a traditional meal here. My return trip ws great, since I navigated without having to pay off the children to take me back - the first time a pack of children lead you somewhere it's fine, but after that it can get obnoxious.
There is a strange custom of throwing water down around the stalls. I would like to find out what it does, at first I thought it was to set a boundary or territory, but then I wondered if it has to do with the heat - cost effective climate control perhaps?
Most of the souks and shopkeepers so far speak Arabic, and french. Very few I have encountered speak english, none German. So, when I want help, I go for English and some spanish, which they seem to follow a bit with the french / english. If I don't want them to bother me, I stick with German and they give up pretty fast. So far, so good - though I imagine I will run into the one fluently german souk eventually.
Suprisingly given the amount of stuff being sold, I haven't found anything I really yearned to have. Everyone told me the best bargaining method is the ability to walk away. Negotiations have been easy so far, I don't even look back. I bargain for the fresh orange juice, but it becomes a matter of cents after we get in a ball park area between the initial offer and their counter offer. I did try on a tunic, but the ones sold here are so touristy. I just want to find a cotton shirt or two that won't be so hot to wear, brooks brothers polo's while comfortable aren't heat friendly or at least as hear friendly as I would like. Linen I imagine would be much cooler. When I meet up with friends, I am going to ask if they can help me find something. When I inquired in a shop, they tried to sell me expensive embroidered shirts with matching points. It's a little to much, I occasionally see American Tourists walking around in full regalia, which tends to be very entertaining from a distance. I guess the problem is that I know what I want, but expressing it with the language barrier is not working so well.
So far my favorite part is the smell of the spices, and the vibrant and rich colors of them presented in the stalls. The smell is intoxicating and I couldn't help but step into the room to take a few deep breaths before continuing my walk.
To give an idea of the complexity of the maze in the Medina, I decided to walk straight, so that returning was simple. I still quickly became lost when coming back. I try not to take out the map unless it is completely necessary, instead relying on visual cues. Of course, things change through the day and this dynamic city enjoys confusing me. All to fast, the clues move, or disappear. Usually just far enough to send me down the wrong street.
I started playing golf a little while ago and remarked to friends and family often how it was convenient that I didn't hit the ball that far. My error didn't propagate as much over the shorter distance.
Unfortunately, this is not true in Morocco. Any errors in navigation, large or small, seems to put me across the entire medina from where I want to be.
There is a strange custom of throwing water down around the stalls. I would like to find out what it does, at first I thought it was to set a boundary or territory, but then I wondered if it has to do with the heat - cost effective climate control perhaps?
Most of the souks and shopkeepers so far speak Arabic, and french. Very few I have encountered speak english, none German. So, when I want help, I go for English and some spanish, which they seem to follow a bit with the french / english. If I don't want them to bother me, I stick with German and they give up pretty fast. So far, so good - though I imagine I will run into the one fluently german souk eventually.
Suprisingly given the amount of stuff being sold, I haven't found anything I really yearned to have. Everyone told me the best bargaining method is the ability to walk away. Negotiations have been easy so far, I don't even look back. I bargain for the fresh orange juice, but it becomes a matter of cents after we get in a ball park area between the initial offer and their counter offer. I did try on a tunic, but the ones sold here are so touristy. I just want to find a cotton shirt or two that won't be so hot to wear, brooks brothers polo's while comfortable aren't heat friendly or at least as hear friendly as I would like. Linen I imagine would be much cooler. When I meet up with friends, I am going to ask if they can help me find something. When I inquired in a shop, they tried to sell me expensive embroidered shirts with matching points. It's a little to much, I occasionally see American Tourists walking around in full regalia, which tends to be very entertaining from a distance. I guess the problem is that I know what I want, but expressing it with the language barrier is not working so well.
So far my favorite part is the smell of the spices, and the vibrant and rich colors of them presented in the stalls. The smell is intoxicating and I couldn't help but step into the room to take a few deep breaths before continuing my walk.
To give an idea of the complexity of the maze in the Medina, I decided to walk straight, so that returning was simple. I still quickly became lost when coming back. I try not to take out the map unless it is completely necessary, instead relying on visual cues. Of course, things change through the day and this dynamic city enjoys confusing me. All to fast, the clues move, or disappear. Usually just far enough to send me down the wrong street.
I started playing golf a little while ago and remarked to friends and family often how it was convenient that I didn't hit the ball that far. My error didn't propagate as much over the shorter distance.
Unfortunately, this is not true in Morocco. Any errors in navigation, large or small, seems to put me across the entire medina from where I want to be.
Swarthmore Engineering Apparel makes a stop in Morocco
Swarthmore Engineering T-Shirt seen adorned on Moroccan roof top.
Souqs in Marrakech
I woke up this morning an hour after I planned, not surprising since I didn't sleep since Wednesday morning. Then I found out the clocks weren't matching with my wrist watch any more. I think there was some kind of time change, my phone pushed itself forward an hour, unfortunately the language barrier has made it complicated to figure it out.
After a small breakfast at my Riad, I set off for the main square, Djemaa El Fna.
The Medina is not for the faint of heart or easily frustrated. I tried to use shadows to maintain my direction, but often upon inquiring about the direction towards the square, I found I was walking in the complete opposite direction.
The souk market was filled with stuff for sale. Of course my sample size is small, but there seems to be a few trends I have noticed.
First, is that everyone has a satellite dish.
Second, there are toothless grinning men at everyone corner
Third, no one speaks english, but the children can greet you in at least 5 or 6 different languages and ask for a present in as many as well. Money seems to be the only acceptable present. I am trying to navigate without help. First, I prefer to learn my way. Second, the kids are in a rush and I want to enjoy my walk while seeing new things. I am not in a rush to get anywhere. I am waiting for the hottest part of the day to pass before going back out again, then I will go to the Palaces and back to the markets. The square in the evening is supposed to be amazing. I have arranged for dinner here at the Riad tonight as well, which will also be fun.
I spoke with Susannah using Skype and they are already in Essouyira. I am not sure I will make it out there. I think I might stay in the area, explore today and tomorrow and then take a train with them to Rabat, then Fez. Using skype to call her turned out to be much more expensive than I anticipated. I will have to get additional credit to my account.
After a small breakfast at my Riad, I set off for the main square, Djemaa El Fna.
The Medina is not for the faint of heart or easily frustrated. I tried to use shadows to maintain my direction, but often upon inquiring about the direction towards the square, I found I was walking in the complete opposite direction.
The souk market was filled with stuff for sale. Of course my sample size is small, but there seems to be a few trends I have noticed.
First, is that everyone has a satellite dish.
Second, there are toothless grinning men at everyone corner
Third, no one speaks english, but the children can greet you in at least 5 or 6 different languages and ask for a present in as many as well. Money seems to be the only acceptable present. I am trying to navigate without help. First, I prefer to learn my way. Second, the kids are in a rush and I want to enjoy my walk while seeing new things. I am not in a rush to get anywhere. I am waiting for the hottest part of the day to pass before going back out again, then I will go to the Palaces and back to the markets. The square in the evening is supposed to be amazing. I have arranged for dinner here at the Riad tonight as well, which will also be fun.
I spoke with Susannah using Skype and they are already in Essouyira. I am not sure I will make it out there. I think I might stay in the area, explore today and tomorrow and then take a train with them to Rabat, then Fez. Using skype to call her turned out to be much more expensive than I anticipated. I will have to get additional credit to my account.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
traveling update
I will go in order.
I arrived in NY a few minutes late, and went to meet up with Brandon. It has been more than a year since we have seen each other, and the conversation was wonderful. I am hoping to see a lot more of Brandon when I return from this trip. After lunch, I heading across town to run some pre departure errands. Then, down to the Katz apartment to drop off my stuff from DC. I headed back up to midtown where I met up with Justin for coffee and Ross for an early dinner.
I wasn't particularly impressed with the food for dinner, it was supposed to be dutch indonesian fusion. I didn't really follow the fusion part. It seemed like bitterballen on rice was their idea.
I hopped in a cab downtown to meet with Nabil. I had a safe driver, maybe the most considerate driver I have ever had in a cab... to everyone else. Finally I arrived, in time to chat with him, and run for a train. I ended up catching a train an hour later than I anticipated, and arrived at the airport only minutes before they closed out the flight, and got on my plane.
Awful seat - not only was it a bad location, my headphone jack was broken and to top it off, they forgot to load a Kosher meal for me.
Arrive in Netherlands and Air Maroc is nowhere to be found. Where they are supposed to be is a sign that says be back at 11:30. It was 12:00. I really wanted to change my seat, and make sure there was something edible to eat.
Information sent me on a wild goose chase around the airport, but eventually, I arrived to get on the plane. No available seats.
It worked out well, I met a violinist who plays electric violin - which is very cool. She has actually played in the hamptons at the talkhouse with nancy atlas, one of our local renowned musicians.
She was invited over to play for a benefit and invited my friends and I to come. I just have to find a way to call or email her. Could be interesting, though perhaps not that moroccan.
When I arrived in Casablanca, I got my luggage, found a taxi, and headed to the station. It was like being back in Peru. More on that later.
Then I spent 3 hours in a car with a group of young people who spoke arabic almost exclusively.
Finally, I arrived, and found another taxi. He of course wanted to take me to a better riad, his uncle runs it. I said take me to this one. He pulled in, and then had a kid lead me from there. suddenly I was surrounded by kids, and they all wanted money.
We arrived at an empty riad. not good. Amex screwed up and put the reservation in for the day after. luckily, a neighbor let me stay in their house for a while until they could find the "innkeeper." And thus ends my saga. I have lots more to share, but my battery is dying and I need to charge my phone.
I welcome comments, thoughts, and ideas... so please respond.
I arrived in NY a few minutes late, and went to meet up with Brandon. It has been more than a year since we have seen each other, and the conversation was wonderful. I am hoping to see a lot more of Brandon when I return from this trip. After lunch, I heading across town to run some pre departure errands. Then, down to the Katz apartment to drop off my stuff from DC. I headed back up to midtown where I met up with Justin for coffee and Ross for an early dinner.
I wasn't particularly impressed with the food for dinner, it was supposed to be dutch indonesian fusion. I didn't really follow the fusion part. It seemed like bitterballen on rice was their idea.
I hopped in a cab downtown to meet with Nabil. I had a safe driver, maybe the most considerate driver I have ever had in a cab... to everyone else. Finally I arrived, in time to chat with him, and run for a train. I ended up catching a train an hour later than I anticipated, and arrived at the airport only minutes before they closed out the flight, and got on my plane.
Awful seat - not only was it a bad location, my headphone jack was broken and to top it off, they forgot to load a Kosher meal for me.
Arrive in Netherlands and Air Maroc is nowhere to be found. Where they are supposed to be is a sign that says be back at 11:30. It was 12:00. I really wanted to change my seat, and make sure there was something edible to eat.
Information sent me on a wild goose chase around the airport, but eventually, I arrived to get on the plane. No available seats.
It worked out well, I met a violinist who plays electric violin - which is very cool. She has actually played in the hamptons at the talkhouse with nancy atlas, one of our local renowned musicians.
She was invited over to play for a benefit and invited my friends and I to come. I just have to find a way to call or email her. Could be interesting, though perhaps not that moroccan.
When I arrived in Casablanca, I got my luggage, found a taxi, and headed to the station. It was like being back in Peru. More on that later.
Then I spent 3 hours in a car with a group of young people who spoke arabic almost exclusively.
Finally, I arrived, and found another taxi. He of course wanted to take me to a better riad, his uncle runs it. I said take me to this one. He pulled in, and then had a kid lead me from there. suddenly I was surrounded by kids, and they all wanted money.
We arrived at an empty riad. not good. Amex screwed up and put the reservation in for the day after. luckily, a neighbor let me stay in their house for a while until they could find the "innkeeper." And thus ends my saga. I have lots more to share, but my battery is dying and I need to charge my phone.
I welcome comments, thoughts, and ideas... so please respond.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Left DC on amtrak this morning headed for nyc. Lunch and dinner with friends and then to the airport around 7pm.
I set up my booking for the Riad Davia in Marrakech, as of this morning. Also planned the trip from morocco to spain, so all that remains are the details - and the fun lies in the details!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Researching my trip
There are a few things that remain before my departure across the ocean. For instance, I still need my first night of lodging set up for when I reach Morocco, and my plans in general for the trip. I am considering skipping out from Casablanca and heading immediately to Marrakech and then possibly to the music festival.
I arrived in DC after a long day of travel and now have the day to spend by myself - my attempts to arrange a white house tour were unsuccessful. I decided to do some research at the Library of Congress for my trip. Luckily, they were able to replace my readers card since I left my old one in New York.
I emailed AMEX concierge a request to look into riads in Morocco. So far, no response has come back to me, which is disappointing.
I think I will request some books and then go get lunch (it takes a good hour for stuff to come up from the archives) at Tortilla Coast. It's a very nostalgic place for me, having a home in all my DC adventures as far back as I can remember.
I arrived in DC after a long day of travel and now have the day to spend by myself - my attempts to arrange a white house tour were unsuccessful. I decided to do some research at the Library of Congress for my trip. Luckily, they were able to replace my readers card since I left my old one in New York.
I emailed AMEX concierge a request to look into riads in Morocco. So far, no response has come back to me, which is disappointing.
I think I will request some books and then go get lunch (it takes a good hour for stuff to come up from the archives) at Tortilla Coast. It's a very nostalgic place for me, having a home in all my DC adventures as far back as I can remember.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Pre Departure Trip, Shul and Local Benefit volunteer experience
I may not be leaving the country quite yet, but my trip begins in the morning, this Sunday, as I make my way south to D.C. for a visit, before coming back to fly out. I layed everything out on the bed to make sure I haven't missed anything important, or am including anything that will be a nuisance to carry along during my trip.
This morning, I went to Shul. I sat in an empty row and a family joined me. After a while, my father showed up for services and our row is contently praying. There is a Bat Mitzvah going on. The Rabbi talked about how our synogogue is different because it is not a performance, it is an act. Meanwhile, tons of kids are streaming in from a bus. It's chaos. Then, in the middle of the service, the woman next to me turns to her daughter, my father and I and says, "you two know that you used to play together when you were about 2 years old." My playmate looked so familiar, but I couldn't place her. I am wondering if the familiarity is from those early play dates, or maybe she was one of the kids I couldn't ID in my younger photos / videos, which I was recently transferring to DVD. We chatted a bit during the reception and that was all. Iwould like to try and figure out the connection, or at least the familiarity. Perhaps I remember her from Hebrew School from when I was younger. Anyway, it was the comment that threw me off. Afterwards we stopped at the beach. Nick and Yanika saw us drive by, and came to join us. After we went out for some food in Sag Harbor, and saw some amazing yachts.
I went to volunteer this evening at a local benefit for the preservation of nature on the east end. Not the most exciting ending to my summer in the Hamptons, but the live music was entertaining, as was Alec Baldwin doing the live auction. He made references to controlled substances in almost every item, actually it got a little strange after a while and one does wonder. After the event ended, I had the chance to chat with the volunteer coordinator about what I liked, and what I thought could be changed or tweaked to reinvent the volunteer experience and make it more fulfilling and satisfying.
I also ran into a high school classmate who spent four months in Madrid, and promised to fill me in on the details of all the cool places to go. I am excited to get a jump into the local areas and skip the touristy ones as I find my own niche in the city. To top it off I received an awesome email from RL who sent some suggestions for Turkey - so lots of incoming advice! Thanks everyone.
The goody bags from the benefit were awful, I was surprised, given that it is an environmental group, how much trash and paper they included. I remember going to the James Beard Foundation and one year they gave a few bottles of wine in each bag. Another year, there was this strange looking knife that everyone got. Turns out it is a tomato slicer and server. It's a great party tool - "guess what this is for" and the like. This year, I liked the T-Shirt from the benefit (there is german writing on the tag about changing the world through buying T-shirts), although I don't think anyone in that room was an XXL, the size given to everyone.
My excitement with regard to my pending travels is only growing - not sure how I am going to get to sleep tonight! Or even anytime through wednesday...
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