In Fez, we took a cooking class. First, we headed out to get the ingredients. We got vegetables from a produce vendor, spices from a spice vendor, chicken from a butcher, and sweets from a sweets shop. Then, we went back to the kitchen with our guide/chef/teacher. We got to work preparing the vegetables. After that, I helped make the dessert while my parents worked on the main course. Once we finished, we put the final things on the stove and in the oven, and we waited – and waited. Then, finally, the lunch was ready.
For our first course we had Harissa soup: one of my favorite Moroccan dishes. It was creamy yet watery, spicy yet just right, peppery and salty yet not overwhelming. I had seconds and then thirds. It was so good! Next was our main course: chicken tagine. It was lemony, salty, and minty and so good! After that ,was our dessert: lemon and orange pudding. It melted in your mouth, adding a smile to your face.
One night, we drove up the hill to look at the view. The sun had set and it was dark, but the valley sparkled with millions of lights, like a field of fireflies. It was beautiful!
Essaouira is one of the places where it is popular to go on a camel ride. (Ok, in Morocco, they are actually dromedaries and not camels because they have only one hump.) Our camel ride was on the beach. Our guide picked us up and we headed there. Camels were lined up all across the beach, we walked over to four camels sitting tied together. The first camel, our guide’s camel, was named Sultan. Sultan is the name for a king in Morroco. Sultan the camel was large, tannish colored and had very short hair. Next came Timbuktu, my mom’s camel. Timbuktu was light brown, curly and fuzzy. Then, it was my camel, Aladdin. Aladdin was dark brown, small and fluffy. He also had a white patch on his head, with brown freckles. Next was Nelson Mandela, my dad’s camel. He was dark brown on his body, which faded into tan on his legs. His face was grey. We got on our camels, and I was feeling pretty confident until they stood up. They have to stand up in two steps. First, they swing forward so that they are on their knees. Second, they swing back to fully stand up. This is what this looks like on the back of a camel: A sudden jolt and you feel like you are going to fly off the camel and face plant. Then, the camel rocks back and you hold on for dear life.
If you think no other land animal on the planet looks bigger than an elephant, then you are wrong. From high up on the camel it looks like you just climbed the Eiffel Tower. We rode across the beach for awhile and then started inland. Here, the wind was calm and the sand was settled. We stopped for tea in the forest, then we got back on. We came back to the beach as the sun was setting. The sun cast long shadows of camels as we walked on. The camel ride was great!
Along the drive to Essaouria and back, we saw many goats in trees along the road. They awkwardly stood on branches as they munched on the leaves. It was hilarious!
Every building in Marrakech, along with those in most other Moroccan cities, has a hang-out area on the roof. On our riad’s roof there was a hot tub, chairs, sofa and a bar. At sunset, the sun would shine orange and pink light over all the tops of the building; it was so nice.
The main square: chaos, loud, foreign yet touristy, and tons of sad animals. There are monkeys forced to dance at the end ropes, and then they are shut into dark cages. There are snake charmers who scare me to death with their black cobras and their eerie flute music. And, there are the donkeys, heaving under the weight of something twice as heavy as them.
Something that’s really annoying about Marrakech is the people who try to direct you to the square. I would be fine if they were doing this for free, but don’t be fooled. They make it seem that way, but their intention is always to get money. Practically every two blocks there is some guy waving and hollering to you, ” Sir, square’s that way!” Next few blocks another guy, ” Sir, sir! You’re going the wrong way!” “We know!,” we would say or think. “We’re not going to the square!”
The street scene in Marrakech is pretty crazy. A typical street looks like this: a smoke-filled alley with tiny bits of light shining through rafters above; butchers; vegetable, fruit and sweets stands; many motorcycles; and, finally, donkeys. As the sound of fast hooves approach, you will hear one word that basically means, “Get out of the way, or else!”
Mint tea in Morocco is very traditional and very popular. I can see why Moroccans love it. It’s minty, fresh, with just the right amount of sugar! The way they serve it is also very unique: they use an intricate metal tea pot and fancy glasses. First, they put the glasses down, then they hold the tea pot way high up and pour. Their goal is to get bubbles in the tea; they think, “The more bubbles the better.” The stream of tea comes out of the pot, minty and clear. This tradition is a refreshing and sweet one!
Henna Hand Art
NEXT STOP: ESSAOUIRA, MOROCO
Update: 20/April/20
Due to the Corona virus, at the end of our trip in Morocco (March 14) we took one of the last planes out of Morocco to Gibraltar and then walked across the border to Spain. We stayed in Spain for a week and a half and did the lockdown in our apartment. Then, we got on a plane to Dallas and then, from there, flew to our beach house on the Oregon Coast. To the present day, we are staying safe in our beach house.
There’s a palace in Istanbul that we went to that was magnificent! All of the rooms made you stop and stare in awe. The last room was the most grand out of all of them. It had a dome ceiling. It was so intricately carved and colorfully painted. It was gorgeous. The outside was amazing, too: gray and blue marble. The palace was also uniquely set right by the ocean.
One night at dinner time, we found a kebab restaurant. The kebabs were sooo good. They had a perfect mix of saltiness, spice, and herbs. We also had another delicious food: halva. It was puffy, chewy, syrupy, and oh so good.
There’s a bridge in Istanbul that connects two parts of Europe. On the bottom of the bridge there are dozens of restaurants. And, on the top, there are tons of people sitting on little folding chairs holding fishing rods. When you’re looking at the bridge from afar, all the fishing rods look like a big silk curtain down the bridge.
The mosques in Istanbul were incredible, especially the Blue Mosque. Tiny, shiny tiles of all the shades of blue blanketed the walls.
Me, in comparison to this giant pillar
Turkish Delight: a dessert I cannot have due to my allergies
