Random Ramblings
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LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT !! 5/27/05
I am back home in sweet-smelling N.Y.C.!! Here is a photo of the loot I brought home with me: 
I didn't have internet access for the last 8 days, since I was road trippin' with my two favorite allies fully loaded we got snacks and supplies it's time to leave this town, it's time to drive and go let's go get lost, anywhere in Morocco let's go get lost, let's go get lost (Red hot chili peppers) It's hard to sum up a country (or two week view of it) in a ramble, so I shan't even try. Is "shan't" a word? Anyhoo, Morocco is pure insanity. It seems to be fixed in time, everything looks historic, so much land looks untouched, so many people seems to be unaware that "toilets" are all the rage in the rest of the world. Let me not forget to say this: I am the first person that I know of who visited Morocco and avoided getting dysenteria. GO ME!!! I think the photos I took will tell the story better than I can, and I will post those soon on the photo page.
The little things 5/19/05
Nobody has any change. No matter what you want to buy, anywhere, no one has change. No matter how
small your bill is, no matter how small a demomination of money you offer, there is no change.
How can you GET change, I have no idea, so I am unclear on how anything gets paid for.
We just took a Grande taxi from Fes back to Ifrane-- Me and courts. The taxis is about the size (interior) of a dodge omni, and generally they slam 7 people in there (including the driver) then go for a one hour drive with no AC, no seat belts, and windows that won't open. I tried to tie the half-seat-belt around me, but just ended up covered in dirt. Courts and I paid to have the whole cab to ourselves (paid for 6 people's worth of cab-ride), so at least we could be a little comfy. But that relaxation was shot to shit when the cab driver decided to pass 2 cars and 2 trucks (all in a row) all at one time, on a 1-lane highway (1 lane in each direction)-- with oncoming traffic. Eventually we were on the "wrong" side of the road, with the trucks to our right, and oncoming vehicles heading for a head-on collision. And there are no shoulders on these highways. I was sure we were dead. I shut my eyes... and after some beeping, we somehow were past it all. This is apparently par for the course driving in morocco.
Here is a photo of me & Courts with Mom & Maria near the King's palace in Meknes
Baa-aa-aa. 5/18/05
I'm no hermit, I've been to Pennsylvania-- but I have NEVER seen this many sheep, roaming all over the roads
en mass.
Well we really are getting ripped off where ever we go. Even Adil. And when it happens he screams like a mo fo. Every time we park some random guy in the street ask for money to "watch" the car for us, or claims some parking fee. Anything there is to buy, is negotiable in price. ANYTHING in ANY store, you never ever pay full ticketed price. It's like China town, the size of a country.
Here is a photo of me running towards the Mosque on Courtney's University campus:
Ifrane & Fes 5/17/05
Ifrane is a beautiful small mountain town, but the local liquor store still ripped courts off when we
went to buy beer. :-) We ate at a local cafe and it was deeelicious. This town seems like the perfect getaway,
so quiet and beautiful... but I can see how it might be annoying to live here-- they have to drive long
distances to pick up some of the basics.
Here is the view from the room that I am staying in (at courts & adil's place):
Adil and I went to Fes last night while courts was at work. It was a long drive and there were no rest stops, so you can imagine what I had to do on the side of the highway. Anyway Fes is a beautiful old city, it looks nothing like a modern one-- there are no tall building made of glass or steel, everything is stone and breath-taking.
Landing in Morocco, The feast & family 5/16/05
The first thing a moroccan said to me after I landed was "you can smoke everywhere." Nice!
At first I thought thought there were a lot of people ignoring the law by ashing all over the airport.
Courts & Adil picked me up and we drove from Casablanca to Meknes, to hang out with Adil's family and eat my first authentic meal which Adil's Mom went to great effort to make without using moroccan water. :-) The food was spectacular, and I can't even describe it for lack of arabic skills. argh! Adil's family is officially the sweetest, most affectionate, welcoming, friendly, happy little family i have ever seen in my life. I have never seen ANY family in America behave like this-- every one was so at ease, always laughing, always hugging and kissing each other and me. There was no formality or "appropriateness" to be abided by. It was all about making me feel welcome and part of the family and as if it was my home too. It made all American families suddenly seem stiff and cold in comparison. No offense. :-) Here is a photo of me and Aunt Maria and Sister-in-law Sanae. At one point Aunt Maria was telling a story and she stood up and pulled down her pants to help re-create the scene she was describing (all in arabic so I have no idea what happened that called for her pants to drop). It was a riot, the room was filled with screams & laughs.
When we drove to Ifrane after that, where courts & adil live, we smoked about 3 packs of cigarettes each. Presumably to make up for the clean mountain air.
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shannon@sleckey.com