Fes

Hello! 

Today was the last day of fasting and boy did our morning have a hilarious start. We asked our hotel if they could serve us suhoor, the morning meal before fasting, and we were told to come downstairs at 3:15 am, which is totally different from every hotel we’ve been to this far. Usually, we just get a cold tray around 10 pm for the next morning. We assumed there were a lot of Muslims in the hotel so they were serving us downstairs in a buffet. We were SO wrong! 

Auntie Sureia and I were the only two people downstairs and they had TWO servers waiting on us. These poor guys had to wake up in the middle of the night, eat their own suhoor, and then wait around to serve us. It’s no wonder they called our room twice and then personally knocked on our door to call us down when we were 15 minutes late! Auntie Sureia and I couldn’t stop laughing at the excessiveness of the entire situation. 

But that’s not the best part. Auntie Sureia asked for an omelette, and as we later learned, these poor guys ran all around the hotel, calling reception, contacting the chef, and rummaging the kitchen for like 20 minutes before handing Auntie Sureia a plate of eggs (definitely not an omelette) whilst saying “We tried our best.” All of us looked at each other for a second before laughing so hard we could barely breathe. Oh, and if you guessed that I wore my pjs down to breakfast at 3:30 am, even in spite of believing the entire hotel would be there, you were totally right!

We went back to bed and then woke up at a more decent hour to walk around the markets. Tentatively being the last day before Eid, everyone was out and about doing their version of Christmas Eve shopping. The hustle and bustle had the streets practically humming despite the heat and lack of food and water. Actually, most of the country was arguing, around 70% of Moroccans thought that this was the last day of Ramadan while the other 30% thought that we still had another day. Which is funny because the rest of the world was sure Eid will be tomorrow. Nevertheless, sweets and gifts were being prepared and sold across town and the bees seemed to have clued in because they were swarming the area. At first I thought they were flies and swatted them away. But then I realized they were actually black bees! I’m so lucky I didn’t get stung! You can kinda see the black bees on the sweets in this picture, now imagine that times 20 and all around the sweet stalls.

Throughout the day we visited a tannery and so many different artisan shops! There were carpet weavers and bronze workers and painters. We even went to a shop for natural medicines and herbs. It was really interesting to watch these craftsman in their trade spaces.

However, eventually the day took a turn for the worse. Which is totally normal, as it happens when you travel. Remember in 2014 when I got banished to the servants staircase in Bangladesh which ended up being locked? Well, I went to the Mosque and University Karaouiyn to pray Asr, and the guy at the door wouldn’t let me in! He said I wasn’t Muslim and then proceeded to insist that I say the shahadah, the sentence Muslims say to convert to Islam, before letting me in. So that’s how I converted from Islam to Islam today. *eye roll*

Never one to be quiet, I joined my prayers late, prayed extra for the guy (which was an intentional power move), and then went downstairs to let him know that I had prayed for him despite the fact that he tried to prevent a fasting Muslim from performing her obligatory prayers in the mosque, and exclaimed that were the prophet to be alive today he would be very disappointed a believer would reject someone of his own faith. To top it off, I was adamant to prove the point that Muslims come in all shapes and sizes and he needed to think twice before rejecting someone who didn’t fit his version of Islam. Poor Auntie Sureia was translating it all as I furiously rattled off each supporting element. I must have struck a chord somewhere or garnered some form of public attention because the guy did apologize profusely in the end. Who knows if he’ll actually change his behavior or if learned any lesson, but you can bet this interaction will be lingering in the back of his mind next time he tries to make that same mistake. 

Below are some aerial photos of said mosque/university. 

I was definitely meant to learn some lesson today because we were running late and racing to a restaurant across town for iftar and when we arrived we were almost refused a meal because they didn’t believe we were fasting! During iftars here in Morocco, restaurants tend to close or delay service for an hour so the people that work there have time to break their fast. But if you’re fasting, then you can be served during this time. It literally took Moroccan strangers backing us up to convince them that we were actually fasting! Seriously I’ve never had to work so hard to convince people I’m actually Muslim! Usually, I get the vip security treatment without even saying that I am lol. The irony that I came to Morocco to specifically finish Ramadan in a Muslim country and yet can’t convince anyone I’m Muslim is not lost in me. I hope you all are having a good laugh with me back in the States! 

At least the Moroccan dishes were good, most of the little plates were beans and vegetables, which were hardly recognizable as veggies. I particularly loved the cauliflower orange colored dish down at the front right. I would have never been able to tell it was cauliflower without being told, it’s amazing how Morrocan’s hide their veggies! Also, their traditional harira soup, which has lentils, chickpeas, and fava beans, is actually turning out to be one of my favorite dishes here. Also, someone must have been listening to me complain, because after dinner we were served nut-free cookies with our tea!! Yup you heard that right, Susan was so kind as to let me shamelessly eat almost all of them. I’d been eyeing the street market cookies for days and couldn’t believe my luck! One was a sesame almond cookie and the other was coconut lemon and both were delicious. 

After dinner, we decided to trek back to the hotel, which was much more manageable with full bellies. The only issue? None of us actually remembered how to get back since we rushed over to make it there in time for iftar. It’s funny how a day going badly can turn around just because of the kindness of one stranger. We were totally lost and ended up at the entrance of a dead end when we crossed paths with Nourddine, a Fes local. He enlightened us to our mistake, and showed us how to read the street signs. Fun fact, if the street name is on a hexagon tile, then it’s a dead end. If it’s on a rectangle tile, then the street runs through. However, recognizing that we were probably going to need more help than that getting back, Nourddine asked where we were staying and began walking us back to our hotel since it wasn’t too far from his home. 

Nourddine spoke some English so we were all able to converse along the way, and when we finally reached our fork in the road he invited us to his home for tea, after he called “the government” of course, aka his wife. We busted up laughing and this woman must be a total saint because she literally welcomed us into her home at 11:00 pm at night before a major holiday. I’m sure she had so many things to prepare and cook, and yet she took time to set an entire table and chat with us! 

They had such a beautiful family with three little boys, who by the way were learning four languages! Moroccan Arabic, standard Arabic, French, and English. I was so impressed. It didn’t matter that we didn’t perfectly speak each other’s languages, since some things are universal, like the overly tired mom or the proud dad who made his eldest son recite Quran for us. Before we left we gave the kids money for Eid since it was a culturally accepted gesture that could serve as a non-offensive thanks for their hospitality. Ismail, who is  9 years old, went through the proper customs of refusing the money until his parents gave the okay. I watched as he raced off to his room to check to see how much we gave him, which again is the polite way. He then came running back into the room, eyes wide, thanking me profusely before giving me the biggest hug. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten 100 dirham (about $10). Funny thing is, I have the exact same memory as a kid on Eid when I received my first $10 instead of the usual $1 bill  and I thought I was the richest kid in the world! It’s amazing how the littlest things are the ones that link us internationally in shared experiences.

I was so touched by Nourddine and his families generosity and hospitality, I think I can speak for Susan and Auntie Sureia when I say that we left their home with full hearts, feeling as though something truly magical had happened. And if you don’t believe it, I think these photos speak for themselves in revealing our jubilant mood as we stopped for a mini photoshoot in the hotel lobby on the way back to our room. 

Wishing everyone at home a good night!! 

Lots of Love,

Carolyn 

Blues and Bollywood

Hi Everyone!! 

As promised here’s a few pictures of our bed and breakfast.  They had the cutest terrace that we had a mini photoshoot on and the photo on the steps is the entrance! 

While we didn’t get up early, we did wake up before the rest of the town which was super nice because this town is kind of one big tourist trap and there’s quite a bit of hustling that can get overwhelming at times. Since the majority of locals are Muslim and fasting, they slept in. This made the perfect opportunity for us to tiptoe around in the quiet morning and have a photoshoot around the city. 

It seems that no one can really decide on one story for why the city is blue. If you ask locals they’ll say that it’s because indigo repels mosquitos and keeps the buildings cool. However others say that during the Spanish Inquisition, Jews brought this tradition during their flee and settlement here in Morocco. Either way, the effect is very cool! No pun intended lol. 

We also came at the perfect date because the locals of Chefchaouen paint their houses and buildings a few times a year, one of them being right before the end of Ramadan! There were multiple times during our exploring when we had to dodge wet paint! In my head I couldn’t stop hearing the queen of hearts saying “painting the city blue!” instead of “painting the roses red!” which was way better than poor Susan and Auntie Sureia who couldn’t stop singing Blue by Eiffel 65.

We took the time to amble around and really get lost in the town, which is by far one of my favorite parts of traveling. Well, so long as you don’t get too lost and end up in some deserted place of course. I think the locals were very confused when we walked past their houses well outside the main tourist attractions. Hilariously, we ran into one of the workers from our hotel bringing eggs home after his shift, he looked so shocked to see us! 

After a few hours, and lots of steps, we bid the blue city goodbye and made our way to Fes. This time we went through a different set of mountains. The farmers were primarily raising livestock or growing olives, oranges, and some unknown herbs. About two hours into our drive, the gps told us to go one way but the road signage told us to go another. Susan literally drove in a circle twice before we decided to listen to the gps because the road looked quicker. 

Big mistake. We drove through the most rural towns with the worst roads (when there were paved roads) ever!! I mean, as a passenger it was exciting. But poor Auntie Sureia and Susan had to drive a stick shift through these crazy hills and blind curves, all while dodging potholes, cars, and even animals!! These sheep literally did not care we were behind them and honking. It was so funny, one of them even looked back and bleated at us. Such attitude for such a small animal! 

The poor shepherd boy, who honestly couldn’t have been more than 7 years old, was struggling to keep his animals in control until a tractor came plowing through the opposite side and even hit one of the sheep! Poor sheep seemed startled but walked it off? We decided to wait for the animals to move completely before continuing along our merry way. By far driving with the animals was my favorite part of this particular road trip! 

I’m happy to report we made it to Fes with a zero animal mortality rate. And we even stopped to give Moroccans directions to the city we came from! How’s ironic is that! 

In Fes the hotel we are staying is literally a mansion once owned by a rich family. All the work was done by hand in traditional Fes styles. There’s so much to look at everywhere that the entire place can almost be overwhelming at times, especially with so many different patterns and materials. Also I have to say, my room is a total princess room fully equipped with a Romeo and Juliet windows that open to look down in the salon below and I absolutely love it!!!

Susan, Auntie Sureia, and I spent quite a bit of time just wandering and enjoying the rooms below before we realized we needed to find a dinner place asap so we could finally be on time for iftar. Auntie Sureia’s friend from Fes joined us and lead us through the streets until we found a cute cafe which was serving iftar. However, the buffet was below, and all the guests were seated on the third floor on the terrace. We were seated above like everyone else  but by the time we walked back down to get food, Auntie Sureia had had it with the narrow, winding staircase and suggested we eat right by the buffet tables with the restaurant employees. That ended up being the best decision of the night! 

Oh my goodness we had so much fun. It was a group of younger folks who happened to be playing Bollywood music after they had eaten iftar and were still on break. I couldn’t believe it! So I asked the guy if he liked Bollywood. Before I knew it multiple other employees had joined the conversation asking me about my favorite actors, movies, and songs. Who knew the international language here would actually be Devdas, Shah Rukh Khan, and tujh mein rab dikhta hai? Apparently Moroccans are crazy for Bollywood. Before long we were trading songs, singing along, and I may or may not have started a dance party downstairs….which probably isn’t surprising to anyone here. One of the girls Mariam even taught me Moroccan dancing! 

It was getting late, so we left our new friends to wander home through the markets. Generally when I travel I have a good sense of direction, but here these market roads are so confusing I have no clue where I am after a few turns! There’s no definitive markers and honestly all the streets start looking the same. We just guessed the general direction and enjoyed the markets before finally giving up and using google maps to get us back. Thank goodness for modern technology and gps!! Here’s a few photos of ransoms things we found along the way. Don’t those desserts and date look delicious? Something about these markets and the presentation make you want to try everything, even when you’re already stuffed full. 

We’ll be staying in Fes the next two days so I can’t wait to explore more and share with you all!! 

Love and miss you lots,

Carolyn

Jummah and Marriage?

 Hi guys! 

Today was definitely a strange one. We started the morning touring our hotel because it was sort of an art museum and a hotel in one. Each floor had probably around 20-30 paintings, some mix media, some Dali-esq pieces, others more traditional African art. We think the owner must have been a collector of sorts, very modern and eclectic. I mean he had a ‘98 Oldsmobile parked outside for show! It was a pretty cute car, I wanted to try and “trade” our rental car for this ride but Auntie Sureia said no, such a spoilsport haha.

After, we packed our bags and hit the road to see the last bits of Rabat before staring our 4 hour drive to Chefchaouen, the blue city.

We went to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a former Moroccan king, the and the Hassan Tower, the minaret of an unfinished mosque.

This was the Mausoleum. It’s kind of weird when you think about it because it’s just a fancy pants grave site. But the building were too pretty not to take pictures there! Interestingly enough, the architect was Vietnamese man and the green roof was actually important from Pakistan.

Here is the tower across the way!

Oh and I was the happiest gal ever because the space is guarded by horses at the entrance! Which I really, really wanted to pet but refrained since they were “working.” Not an easy job being the flag bearing horse for a dead king.

While we were exploring the area and just about to leave, Marwan, a tourism policeman, came over and talked to Auntie Sureia saying he wanted to show us a palace after jummah prayer (the Friday prayer in mosque with a sermon). Honestly I thought it was a scam, and Auntie Sureia explained as much, but we seriously offended him! Oops. I guess I’m just a skeptical person and it’s very strange having random people wanting to take you around their hometown. I guess you can chalk it up to Moroccan nationalism and hospitality? I’m curious as to why all these strangers have so much free time lol. Either way, Auntie Sureia thought it was a great idea, and decided we should join him at the very least for prayer. So that’s how we ended up in the Old Market again and our blue city agenda completely thrown to the wind. If anything you can’t say we weren’t opportunist travelers! 

The nice thing about Islam is the prayers are the same across the world so even though I don’t speak any Moroccan or Egyptian Arabic, I know enough Quranic Arabic to follow along. Even Susan knew what to do since she had been to mosques in Thailand! It was nice to find some familiarity in town. Also, we realized that the reason half the Old Market was closed last night was because it was fresh food vendors! It was pretty cool to walk through during the day and the space had an entirely different vibe from the night vendors. 

It was here in the Old Market that Marwan decided to propose to me. But since I speak no Arabic and he doesn’t speak any English, Auntie Sureia got to translate it all. She and Susan were having a merry laugh while I was flabbergasted. Mind you, Susan and I were in our own little world and conversation, just following along. But there’s nothing like a marriage proposal to boost your ego haha. Marwan let Auntie Sureia know he has a good job, he already bought a house, and that I could live comfortably in Morocco since he had enough money to take care of me. He also invited us to iftar to meet his family. I swear I’m not making this up! Our language barrier was apparently not an issue because he assured me he’d speak English better than me in three months!! Alas, I had to break poor Marwan’s heart when I turned him down instead left for the city of Chefchaouen. I told you my day was strange! 

The drive did not disappoint at all! We drove through the most beautiful green hills and countryside, you would never believe Morocco had a huge desert! There were small towns and many farms with crops, sunflowers, and a few sheep or cows. Also, it was not unusual to have a horse and buggy with goods riding alongside our cars! Unfortunately the pictures didn’t do any of it justice but I’ll show you one anyways. 

The four hours flew by and before we knew it we were in Chefchaouen. Unfortunately, the sun was going down and iftar time was near, so we hurried to our hotel and then out the door to find a place before Ramadan siesta started. I did manage to snap a few photos along the way just for you! 

I can’t wait to explore more tomorrow! We are staying in the cutest bed and breakfast right in the heart of town. Tomorrow is definitely going to be one big photoshoot and I don’t even mind looking like a tourist because this whole city is so cute! Anyways, stay tuned for the next update tomorrow! 

Love you all,

Aisha

Welcome to Morocco!

Hi Everybody! 

Never did I ever think it would take me three years to write my next blog post but that’s the world and the COVID era for you. My frequent flyer skills are totally rusty but that didn’t stop me from trying to pack a carryon 4 hours before my flight for a 15 day trip. We won’t talk about how I missed some of the basics of international travel like an adapter and my spare foreign change. 🙈 All rookie moves that won’t be repeated in July. 

Meet my travel buddies for the trip! On the right we have Auntie Sureia, an old family friend who runs marathons in her spare time and makes me look bad on all our hikes. In the middle we have her friend Susan, a fearless solo traveler and research support for a university in Minnesota aka super smart and knows about everything. I’d say we make quite the trio, and we don’t look too bad considering we had been traveling for 13 hours nonstop to get to Casablanca, only to hop in a car for another 1.5 hours to finally arrive at our destination, Rabat. 

Boy was that car ride eventful! So remember when I said I was rusty traveling? I’d also like to add the Air France was too scared to actually feed me food because of my allergies (which I reported but no one got the memo). So I broke my fast on the plane with French prisoner food - baguette, cheese, and water. And then proceeded to be fed that exact same meal for the rest of that day. Soooo arguably my brain wasn’t working right, which is why I completely forgot to change some money at the airport. 

We thought it would be fine, since we were going directly to the hotel, but we reached a toll road, and none of us actually had the proper money to pay! The dumbest part? There’s no way to get off the toll and it was only 1 dirham (for reference $1 is 10 dirham). What’s worse is we blocked 7 lanes of traffic because we got in the wrong line, had to cross over to the cash register only to be told that they don’t take credit cards. Susan had a 2 euro coin in her bag, which is 21 dirham, and we had to BEG the lady to let us through with the euros. Thankfully she did after 20 minutes of cajoling and a very very long angry line of Moroccans behind us. Oops. 

We kept hoping that it would be our only toll. However, our luck ran out a mere 30 miles later when we got to the second one! Auntie Sureia being the fearless person she is literally pulled over next to a cop and called him to our car. She basically explains our whole situation to this guy in Arabic, and he has a good chuckle before telling us he’s the boss and he’d take care of us. We then got a POLICE ESCORT to the toll station and he waived a magic plastic card that we now refer to as “the get out of jail free” card which allowed us to pass the toll station without paying. I’m still laughing at the entire situation. I can’t believe my first police escort was to get me onto a road that cost about 10 cents!!!

After that whole ordeal, we took a much needed breather in the hotel which is right on the river! There on the left you see the tallest building in Africa, it’s 250 meters tall and a total knockoff of the Dubai Burj Al Arab.

Actually the hotel itself was quite charming with the patio and live oud artist. 

Before long we were ready to explore the old markets! However, we quickly learned the hard way that Morocco has its own siesta for Ramadan, which is when all the shops close down after iftar so that the owners can go home or to the mosque for taraweeh prayer. Thank goodness we happened upon a Syrian Christian restaurant and had dinner at 10:30 pm followed by some late night juice and ice cream! Here is the face of three exhausted travelers who only remembered to take pictures of their food after it was all finished! I’ll do better tomorrow, I promise. P.s. if you’re wondering, the ice cream was amazing, but it was unlike anything I’ve had before. I’d say the texture was in between American ice cream and gelato and the taste had a certain uniqueness to it, like when you have yogurt from an Middle Eastern restaurant or store.

Around 11 pm the streets went from dead to this lively crowd in a matter of ten minutes! Not to be deterred we took our second lap around the markets where we tried dates, smelled teas and spices, and even got henna done! I wish I could have tried all the amazing sweets they had along the streets. 

Also, there is a definitely language barrier as people only speak Moroccan Arabic or French. I speak no more than a few words of either, so a lot of the time I pick a Arabic word I know and then respond with holding up my fingers or choosing a French word or if all else fails desperately trying an English word or two. It’s quite a challenge and I’m sure all these poor locals are confused by me and my inability to pick a language but thankfully everyone we’ve met has been nothing but super patient and even some have gone as far as literally walking us to our destinations! The good news is I’m not the only one struggling to speak. Even Auntie Sureia, who speaks Egyptian Arabic, got confused and ended up eating perfume crystals instead of gum crystals! Yup, you heard me right, their gum comes in a form that looks like sugar rocks but doesn’t taste half as good. All the vendors had a good laugh at her mistake, but to be fair they did kinds look the same. I’m thinking this is going to be the first of many mistakes to come, thankfully we’re an easygoing crew and not afraid to laugh at ourselves!

Anyways, I just finished suhoor here and should get a few hours of sleep before we begin our drive to the blue city. I can’t wait to update you all tomorrow!!

Love you lots,

Carolyn