Opening Anne's Eyes

After a short flight from Kuwait City to Dubai, and then an 8 hour flight across Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, Egypt, and the rest of North Africa, we landed in Casablanca at about 12:30 local time.  After taking care of a couple of things, swapping my SIM Card for a Moroccan number, changing our dollars to dirhams, and grabbing our luggage (which thankfully made it across the Dubai flightline in the nick of time just like us), we purchased our train tickets and boarded the train North to Rabat.  We were able to sit comfortable for the first half of the trip, but after switching trains in Ein AsSba' we were forced to pack into a crowded standing room only train, which with two large bags, plus assorted luggage, proved to be difficult.  I think Anne got her cheek squeezed at least twice, and I saw one woman grab her and give her a kiss.  It's amazing how much attention a little blond girl gets, just by showing up.  After the final leg of the train ride, we were met at the train station by the two resident FAOs in Morocco, Pete and Bill, and they helped us get loaded into the LandCruiser and to the hotel. While we are travelling in Morocco, the car made available to us is an old dusty green Toyota Land Cruiser with a beat up bumper, scratches down one side, and a coat of dust at least 6 months old, and though it may be bigger than most of the vehicles over here, it at least blends in a little bit.

AmidEast (my school in Rabat)

We only spent one night in Rabat, but were able to get to the Agdal Neighborhood where I spent a month learning Arabic back in March, it was great to be able to show Mary where I was, and to stop in a cafe and get some breakfast before getting out of town.
Once we got out of Rabat, on our way to Chefchaouen,  we discovered the joys of navigating without all of the technology we normally enjoy.  I had downloaded the directions prior to our departure, and knew all of the towns and road names along the way, which would have been great, if the roads had any sort of signs identifying what road you are currently on, or what road the highway exit leads to.  But as it is, the road signs generally indicate only the town which is the furthest point along that particular route, for example, most of the Northern leading roads out of Rabat, indicate that they are heading to Tangier, which though true, isn't particularly helpful if you are trying to get to a town somewhere in the middle.  So after missing our original exit to head North East, we finally saw a small, clearly Minor road leading off the highway, with a town listed that looked to be at the intersection of the road we were supposed to be on, and like Yogi Berra said, if you come to a fork in the road, take it, and it proved to be a great choice.  The road led us off the beaten path, were the most common mode of transportation was the donkey pulled cart, followed narrowly by the tractor, both of which were usually carrying an entire family.  A common site in many parts of the world admittedly, but for Anne, it was absolutely eye opening.  A brief list of things Anne saw for the first time on the 15 or so kilometers.

Double Decker Cattle Transport

1.  A donkey pulling a cart.
2.  A truck piled high with goods, with a little boy sitting precariously atop it.
3.  A small pick up truck with two cows in the back.
4.  Hay stacked in the shape of a barn, without a bard (A new one for me as well)
5.  A double decker cow truck.

Once on the road heading the right direction we stopped at a roadside pottery stand and picked up a nice platter for Mary and a ceramic treasure box for Anne, and as we were climbing back into the car, the shop owner ran out and presented Anne with a miniature tagine, it was so nice.

Mosque with Octagon Minaret

 drove up through the town of Ouzane, where we decided to stop and get some lunch.  While there we learned a lesson in Moroccan hospitality, that is, if someone randomly comes up to you and seems overly helpful, it is generally for a reason.  In this case, a gentlemen, who we initially thought worked at the restaurant, in fact he showed us to our table, and took our order, talked with us throughout the meal, and told us about his wife, who makes blankets.  He also pointed across the square to the Minaret which was uniquely octagonal,
I told him that we might drove over and take a look, and being the generous gentlemen that he was, he offered to show us the way, at this point I sensed what was going on, but thought it still might be an adventure worth taking.  So after lunch, he walked us through the medina where we got a closer look at the Mosque, then we were taken into one of the largest fanciest houses in the city, and then it was on to his home, where his wife served us tea, and his friend just happened to come over with some rugs to go along with the blankets his wife made.  So, after sipping tea and chatting a bit, we got a display of rugs, and after a short session of haggling we were a few hundred dirhams lighter but had a new blanket and a new rug to call our very own.  So, lesson learned, there's no such thing as a free tour!

So, we continued our drive up to Chefchaoun.  The drive up there was absolutely stunning, it reminded both Mary and I of the drive through Carmel Valley in California, we wondered if it would be a good place for a winery.

 As we approached the city, the mountains grew higher, and the road more and more winding.  More than a few times I came around a blind curve to either a bus or a transport taking up the better part of my lane.  We finally reached the town of Chefchaoun which is located in the Rif Mountains of Northern Morocco

Anne and Mary on our balcony

The Old City Wall

Chefchaouen by night, from our balcony.

Anne, Treasure Hunting

   Chefchaouen is known for several things, the first of which is that it is considered the hub of Morocco's hashish industry, the second is that many of its buildings are painted a soft shade of blue, and the third is that it is the jumping off point for many trails which explore the surrounding mountainside.  We checked into our Riad and headed out to the local market to find some dinner, and to do a little treasure hunting for Anne.  We stopped for dinner on the way home, but Anne was so exhausted that she fell asleep before the food came out, so I carried her home, up the maze of streets, and back to the room.

The next morning we awoke and got our things together, and took our breakfast on the terrace, Anne decided that she wanted to be a photographer for the day, so we let her take charge of the camera while we ate, you can see some of her handiwork here in these photos,.  After we ate we trecked out to the car, and found it no worse for wear, so we headed over to Ra’s el ma, which translated means head of water, it is a local waterfall, which has been diverted for countless uses over the hundreds of years of Chefchaoun’s existence.  The local markets divert the water from upstream and run it through their beverage tanks to keep them cool, and the town has constructed a public washboard pavilion along the banks of the stream which uses water diverted from upstream to provide fresh clean water for the local woman to use as they haul their laundry up the hill on wash day.  The area is also the trail head for the circuit of hiking trails which circumnavigate the area.  The government has constructed sleeping shelters throughout the area, each about a day’s walk from the previous one, maybe someday in a future life, I will have the chance to return and do a long trek through the Moroccan mountains.  We hiked about a mile up the hill to a lone-mosque which overlooks the city, quite a beautiful view, and the trail passed a small village were we could see the community bread oven as well as the community well.  Anne was surprised to look down into it and see the water, and even more surprised,  when I hauled up a pail, by how cold it was.  After descending the trail, we bought a couple of beverages, cooled by the mountain stream, and departed for the ancient roman city of Volublis.  

 Anne's Photographs

Trecking to the Car

Wash Area

Overlooking the City

Anne Getting Water from the Well

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