Morocco Trip Letter Part II
Morocco Trip Letter Part II
April 13 - 19 2006
Background
Places: Casablanca – Marrakesh – N’kob – Essaouira – Casablanca
Cast of Characters:
Michele – fellow teacher
Jenay – my dentist from Sunnyvale, CA
Susan – our guide
Hamid – our driver
“What three words would you use to describe our trip?” asked Michele during our last meal of our 6 days in Morocco. I didn’t answer her then but I will now. Color. Susan. Hamid. Kasbah. Tiffany. N’kob. Tagine. Hand of Fatima. Djemaa el-fna (the Square). Tannery. Essaouira blue. Argane. Hammam. King Hussan II Mosque. Travelmates. Cancellation. Photos. Yes, I went over my three word limit but I had to because it was a great adventure.
Start of Part II
Djemaa el-fna for death’s square in the heart of Marrakesh. Public executions took place here in days gone by. Today it is a gathering place that comes alive at night with a huge food court, endless glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice from juice wagons, henna artists, fortune tellers, snake charmers, drummers, herbalists, story tellers, and much more. The square was unusually thick with people our first night and we heard it was a public holiday overlapping with spring break for the foreigners. I was mesmerized watching the smoke from the food stalls drift up to a hazy night’s sky as the hum of thousands of people buzzed in my ear. It is a unique site to behold. We had soup at one stall, tried an egg sandwich (Yemeni style) at another, and OJ. There were also wagons of dried fruits and nuts, perfect to bring along on our road trip. We then ventured into the adjoining souq for some shopping. I could have gone crazy buying things for my house but since I don’t have one, I passed up lanterns, antique doors, carpets, inlaid furniture, and knick knacks; maybe next time.
If you go to a Tannery don’t forget to bring your mint sprig. The mint sprig is for the “nausea-inducing skins” as described in the LP. We didn’t have any and there were times I felt like I would get sick at anymore moment. The guide book goes on to say, “unlike Fez where you can view the goings on from a rooftop, there are no viewing galleries for the Marrakesh tanneries and any tour is a perilous journey between large vats of dyed water and odorous damp fleeces. Few tourists make it out to the tanneries for obvious reasons, but it is a very human place where men labor hard, stop to pray, watch Egyptian soaps on black & white TVs, and continue their own particular brand of sorcery, transforming skins to leather using the cinnamon colored tamarisk fruit or conjuring up the brilliant yellow of the babouche (leather slipper) from milled pomegranate bark.” After this tour and watching how labor intensive this process is, I have a new found appreciation for leather goods. The same goes for weaving carpets.
Essaouira Blue is for the color Jenay, Michele, and me will be paint our doors, have as our car color, and dye our hair when we are old and wearing purple. On our way into Essaouira, we started noticing a distinctive blue on cars, doors, and building trim. About 9 out of every 10 vehicles were this blue with a white top. In town this blue is more prominent with people wearing the blue, blue vans, blue boats, blue roofs, and the list goes on. Even Jenay had this blue on her jacket. Hence we named this blue Essaouira blue. Essaouira is a seaside town (on the Atlantic Ocean for those of you needing a map) and was once Morocco’s most important harbor. It still has walls and fortresses built by its sixteenth- century Portuguese occupiers and its eighteenth century Arab sultan. Essaouira’s main draws are its small medina and its big beach. Orson Well’s used Essaouira as the major location for his 1951 film version of Shakespear’s Othello. I enjoyed the stay here because it was a nice contrast to being in the mountains and we had a very comfortable riad to stay in – thanks Jenay! This is also an artist community and it was nice to see galleries.
Argan is for the tree unique to North Africa. The argan trees, ARGANIA SPINOS, are confined to an area of around 150 square miles. We passed this area on our way from Marrakesh to Essaouira. The guide book noted another unique feature about these thorny trees. If you are lucky enough you will see goats in the trees nibbling away. I have seen pictures showing over 5 goats in a tree. We felt pretty lucky to have seen 1 goat in a tree.
Some say the argan oil produced from the olive like fruit grown on the tree is a true gift from God for the rural populations that share its habitat. The oil possesses many health benefits. We learned about these benefits at the Cooperative Feminine Argane El Kheir located on road into Essaouira. One brochure reads, “argan oil is produced from lightly roasted almond shells before being milled. However, almond shells destined for cosmetic oil are not roasted, which prevents the heat from damaging the excellent characteristics of this oil. Roasting yields an oil that is more odorous than non roasted cosmetic oil. Argan oil is precious because 1 liter demands a harvest of 6 to 7 trees, approximately 30 kg of fruit, and about 20 hours of work.”
A woman at the cooperative gave us an overview of the process. The locals collect the fruit during harvest by hand. The fruit is dried and the outer layer is peeled off. The nut is then cracked by hand with a stone being carefully not to damage the argan almond inside. The seed is then dropped into a hand stone mill to grind it into a peanut butter consistency. The oil is skimmed from the top and is purified for cooking oil. As the brochure said, this is very labor intensive and a bottle of cooking oil can go for $15 - $20 and a small bar of soap for $6. After the talk we were served bread with a bowl of oil and a dish of the butter. The flavor is nutty and wonderful. I brought back a bottle to share with others and we call it liquid gold, it is heavenly.
This web site posts the benefits of the oil http://www.naturalyherbal.co.uk/about-argane.php
The oil of argane is rich in polynsaturates, fatty acids and vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxydant that captures the free radicals and neutralises destructive oxidation.at cosmetic level it is used to moisturise the skin and revatilise hair.
Argane is used as a cream for the face to fight the drying and ageing of the skin, it also helps to strengthen breaking nails. In the medical field its uses are multiple, namely for the treatment of acne, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, acne, etc
If you are interested in ordering some for yourself you can email argoucha2000@yahoo.fr. This is the email address on the bottle I have.
Hammam because if the opportunity is there, use it. You don’t know when there will be another one. This is the same rule of thumb for using a toilet. Jenay and I went to a local hammam in Essaouira to soak in some local atmosphere but we didn’t think it would be a painful experience. We were scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until our outer layer of skin was no more and we were as pink as a new born baby. We then had a rub down with argan oil. We walked out of there squeaky clean and soft. The hammam was very clean and well heated. The rub down room had heated marble floors.
King Hussan II Mosque is for the monumental mosque sitting on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. This place is a showcase of traditional Moroccan decorative arts and craftsmanship. There are sculptured columns and archways, mosaic tiled wall, the painted ceilings and domes, and the delicately chiseled plaster. All most all of the materials came from Morocco except for the Venetian chandlers, Morano glass, and a special kind of marble.
Facts and Figures:
· the minaret is 200m high, the size of four football fields
· it is the largest mosque outside Mecca
· the prayer hall covers 20,000 square meters
· the main hall can accommodate 25,000 worshippers
· the ablution hall has 41 lotus shaped fountains
· it took 6 years to build 24/7
· 10,000 craftsman and 2500 workers were employed
· it opened in 1993
· the estimate cost is $800,000,000 (that is US dollars)
· the king paid for 1/3 of it while the rest came from the people
· over 200 people are employed to maintain it
· I found no hand railings in this place and with many seniors taking this tour it is an invitation for accidents. As a matter of fact, a lady on our tour slipped and fell under one of the lotus fountains. We noticed an ambulance was leaving after out tour.
Travelmates is for Michele and Jenay. They made the trip extra fun with Michele rocking at the Kasbah, Jenay sharing her travel tales our favorite being the time her husband had to maneuver bringing back a 30 foot long raffia alligator from Papua New Guinea to the states via small boats and planes. We shared cramped and luxurious quarters, superb and bland meals, hammams, stories, and woes with our overstuffed luggage. We are convening in the Chicago area for a mini reunion this summer.
Cancellation is for what we didn’t want to hear at the airport when departing. Michele and I unknowingly made a mistake that was brought to our attention at check in. We neglected to confirm our seats three days before departure therefore our seat reservations were cancelled. Oops. Now what? The check in guy said the flight, like all the flights to Jeddah, is overbooked. I am thinking why would the flights be overbooked to Jeddah? Who goes to Jeddah? From the looks of the passengers, they are pilgrims going to Mecca. We waited an excruciating long hour praying we would not have to wait 2 days to get on the next available flight. Our prayers were answered and we had seats, al humdulilliah.
Photos for the lasting memories of the trip. Please go to www.clubphoto.com and use tumicki23@yahoo.com to access the albums. There are many favorites but the one with the bike and roses is a special one. I just happened to being entering the hotel as the guy was delivering the roses.
I hope you have enjoyed Morocco. There is more to see and I hope to return one day – enshallah.
April 13 - 19 2006
Background
Places: Casablanca – Marrakesh – N’kob – Essaouira – Casablanca
Cast of Characters:
Michele – fellow teacher
Jenay – my dentist from Sunnyvale, CA
Susan – our guide
Hamid – our driver
“What three words would you use to describe our trip?” asked Michele during our last meal of our 6 days in Morocco. I didn’t answer her then but I will now. Color. Susan. Hamid. Kasbah. Tiffany. N’kob. Tagine. Hand of Fatima. Djemaa el-fna (the Square). Tannery. Essaouira blue. Argane. Hammam. King Hussan II Mosque. Travelmates. Cancellation. Photos. Yes, I went over my three word limit but I had to because it was a great adventure.
Start of Part II
Djemaa el-fna for death’s square in the heart of Marrakesh. Public executions took place here in days gone by. Today it is a gathering place that comes alive at night with a huge food court, endless glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice from juice wagons, henna artists, fortune tellers, snake charmers, drummers, herbalists, story tellers, and much more. The square was unusually thick with people our first night and we heard it was a public holiday overlapping with spring break for the foreigners. I was mesmerized watching the smoke from the food stalls drift up to a hazy night’s sky as the hum of thousands of people buzzed in my ear. It is a unique site to behold. We had soup at one stall, tried an egg sandwich (Yemeni style) at another, and OJ. There were also wagons of dried fruits and nuts, perfect to bring along on our road trip. We then ventured into the adjoining souq for some shopping. I could have gone crazy buying things for my house but since I don’t have one, I passed up lanterns, antique doors, carpets, inlaid furniture, and knick knacks; maybe next time.
If you go to a Tannery don’t forget to bring your mint sprig. The mint sprig is for the “nausea-inducing skins” as described in the LP. We didn’t have any and there were times I felt like I would get sick at anymore moment. The guide book goes on to say, “unlike Fez where you can view the goings on from a rooftop, there are no viewing galleries for the Marrakesh tanneries and any tour is a perilous journey between large vats of dyed water and odorous damp fleeces. Few tourists make it out to the tanneries for obvious reasons, but it is a very human place where men labor hard, stop to pray, watch Egyptian soaps on black & white TVs, and continue their own particular brand of sorcery, transforming skins to leather using the cinnamon colored tamarisk fruit or conjuring up the brilliant yellow of the babouche (leather slipper) from milled pomegranate bark.” After this tour and watching how labor intensive this process is, I have a new found appreciation for leather goods. The same goes for weaving carpets.
Essaouira Blue is for the color Jenay, Michele, and me will be paint our doors, have as our car color, and dye our hair when we are old and wearing purple. On our way into Essaouira, we started noticing a distinctive blue on cars, doors, and building trim. About 9 out of every 10 vehicles were this blue with a white top. In town this blue is more prominent with people wearing the blue, blue vans, blue boats, blue roofs, and the list goes on. Even Jenay had this blue on her jacket. Hence we named this blue Essaouira blue. Essaouira is a seaside town (on the Atlantic Ocean for those of you needing a map) and was once Morocco’s most important harbor. It still has walls and fortresses built by its sixteenth- century Portuguese occupiers and its eighteenth century Arab sultan. Essaouira’s main draws are its small medina and its big beach. Orson Well’s used Essaouira as the major location for his 1951 film version of Shakespear’s Othello. I enjoyed the stay here because it was a nice contrast to being in the mountains and we had a very comfortable riad to stay in – thanks Jenay! This is also an artist community and it was nice to see galleries.
Argan is for the tree unique to North Africa. The argan trees, ARGANIA SPINOS, are confined to an area of around 150 square miles. We passed this area on our way from Marrakesh to Essaouira. The guide book noted another unique feature about these thorny trees. If you are lucky enough you will see goats in the trees nibbling away. I have seen pictures showing over 5 goats in a tree. We felt pretty lucky to have seen 1 goat in a tree.
Some say the argan oil produced from the olive like fruit grown on the tree is a true gift from God for the rural populations that share its habitat. The oil possesses many health benefits. We learned about these benefits at the Cooperative Feminine Argane El Kheir located on road into Essaouira. One brochure reads, “argan oil is produced from lightly roasted almond shells before being milled. However, almond shells destined for cosmetic oil are not roasted, which prevents the heat from damaging the excellent characteristics of this oil. Roasting yields an oil that is more odorous than non roasted cosmetic oil. Argan oil is precious because 1 liter demands a harvest of 6 to 7 trees, approximately 30 kg of fruit, and about 20 hours of work.”
A woman at the cooperative gave us an overview of the process. The locals collect the fruit during harvest by hand. The fruit is dried and the outer layer is peeled off. The nut is then cracked by hand with a stone being carefully not to damage the argan almond inside. The seed is then dropped into a hand stone mill to grind it into a peanut butter consistency. The oil is skimmed from the top and is purified for cooking oil. As the brochure said, this is very labor intensive and a bottle of cooking oil can go for $15 - $20 and a small bar of soap for $6. After the talk we were served bread with a bowl of oil and a dish of the butter. The flavor is nutty and wonderful. I brought back a bottle to share with others and we call it liquid gold, it is heavenly.
This web site posts the benefits of the oil http://www.naturalyherbal.co.uk/about-argane.php
The oil of argane is rich in polynsaturates, fatty acids and vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxydant that captures the free radicals and neutralises destructive oxidation.at cosmetic level it is used to moisturise the skin and revatilise hair.
Argane is used as a cream for the face to fight the drying and ageing of the skin, it also helps to strengthen breaking nails. In the medical field its uses are multiple, namely for the treatment of acne, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, acne, etc
If you are interested in ordering some for yourself you can email argoucha2000@yahoo.fr. This is the email address on the bottle I have.
Hammam because if the opportunity is there, use it. You don’t know when there will be another one. This is the same rule of thumb for using a toilet. Jenay and I went to a local hammam in Essaouira to soak in some local atmosphere but we didn’t think it would be a painful experience. We were scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until our outer layer of skin was no more and we were as pink as a new born baby. We then had a rub down with argan oil. We walked out of there squeaky clean and soft. The hammam was very clean and well heated. The rub down room had heated marble floors.
King Hussan II Mosque is for the monumental mosque sitting on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. This place is a showcase of traditional Moroccan decorative arts and craftsmanship. There are sculptured columns and archways, mosaic tiled wall, the painted ceilings and domes, and the delicately chiseled plaster. All most all of the materials came from Morocco except for the Venetian chandlers, Morano glass, and a special kind of marble.
Facts and Figures:
· the minaret is 200m high, the size of four football fields
· it is the largest mosque outside Mecca
· the prayer hall covers 20,000 square meters
· the main hall can accommodate 25,000 worshippers
· the ablution hall has 41 lotus shaped fountains
· it took 6 years to build 24/7
· 10,000 craftsman and 2500 workers were employed
· it opened in 1993
· the estimate cost is $800,000,000 (that is US dollars)
· the king paid for 1/3 of it while the rest came from the people
· over 200 people are employed to maintain it
· I found no hand railings in this place and with many seniors taking this tour it is an invitation for accidents. As a matter of fact, a lady on our tour slipped and fell under one of the lotus fountains. We noticed an ambulance was leaving after out tour.
Travelmates is for Michele and Jenay. They made the trip extra fun with Michele rocking at the Kasbah, Jenay sharing her travel tales our favorite being the time her husband had to maneuver bringing back a 30 foot long raffia alligator from Papua New Guinea to the states via small boats and planes. We shared cramped and luxurious quarters, superb and bland meals, hammams, stories, and woes with our overstuffed luggage. We are convening in the Chicago area for a mini reunion this summer.
Cancellation is for what we didn’t want to hear at the airport when departing. Michele and I unknowingly made a mistake that was brought to our attention at check in. We neglected to confirm our seats three days before departure therefore our seat reservations were cancelled. Oops. Now what? The check in guy said the flight, like all the flights to Jeddah, is overbooked. I am thinking why would the flights be overbooked to Jeddah? Who goes to Jeddah? From the looks of the passengers, they are pilgrims going to Mecca. We waited an excruciating long hour praying we would not have to wait 2 days to get on the next available flight. Our prayers were answered and we had seats, al humdulilliah.
Photos for the lasting memories of the trip. Please go to www.clubphoto.com and use tumicki23@yahoo.com to access the albums. There are many favorites but the one with the bike and roses is a special one. I just happened to being entering the hotel as the guy was delivering the roses.
I hope you have enjoyed Morocco. There is more to see and I hope to return one day – enshallah.
posted by Becky of Arabia at 8:19 PM
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