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.

what to bring and some packing philosophy

Why is it that when we pack for a weekend, we generally pack more than when we pack for a week, or two of travel? What is the compelling nature of that large bag for a short period? I think it's a fear of being unprepared, after all, it's just a weekend, and we should be able to bring everything we would need for the time. How many different things can you do in a weekend anyway?
Travel for longer periods is different, we learn to make do with what we have, and if necessary, to purchase those items that we didn't bring. I distinctly recall hiking the Long Trail with my cousin and friend in Vermont, and we would run into AT thru hikers. We would have all this unnecessary gear and tons more food than they did. They had it down to the bare essentials, which for one of them, happened to include a Banjo he had been carrying since Georgia! We were out for five days with large packs, and they were on the trail for months with smaller, lighter packs.

The bag I am bringing, the Arc Teryx Bora 80, is clearly overkill. The problem is that I don't have a medium sized bag. Lots of daypacks, and lots of expedition sized packs in the basement, but nothing in between. I have decided to use this pack, cinched all the way down, so it will be small, but expandable. My packing list is pretty limited, after all, I am going for two months and two days, so flexibility is key, like the AT thru hikers. I am carrying everything I bring everywhere I go, and want to get the most out of each item I am bringing with me, so flexibility is key. Anything left behind during the trip cannot be retrieved. I also have to decide which electronics to bring with me, another large and imposing question to be answered in the next 72 hours.

Current packing list:

1 pair athletic sneakers
1 pair shoes
1 pair flip flops
6 Socks / underwear
1 pair pajamas
3 t-shirts
2 collared shirts
1 long sleeve shirt
1 button down shirt
1 belt
1 pair shorts
1 pair athletic shorts
1 pair dress pants
1 pair light weight pants
1 bathing suit
1 rain jacket
1 baseball cap
1 pair sunglasses

toothbrush and toothpaste
Nail clippers
Razor and shaving cream
soap / shampoo
roll of TP
Travel towel

power adapter(s)
cell phone and charger
digital camera
ipod touch

Passport and other documents
travel books