A Huge Difference

Yesterday, didn't I say I was waiting for the plumber (the second one). Well he never showed up then or today. Consequently every hour the bathroom floor is covered with an inch or two of water.  It is not really as bad as it sounds because bathrooms here have a drain in the floor and every bathroom has a long handled squeegy.  The whole bathroom is a shower room with a sink and toilet in it.  I do have to wear my Crocs in and out of the room, though.

What is it?  I know that in Morocco appointments are far more flexible than I am used to BUT.

Also, my friend Linda who was supposed to have a meeting here tomorrow morning just found out today that it is cancelled (after her calling to confirm).

Anyway, she is still coming down from her home in a small Berber village in the mountains and will spend the night at my place.  The plan is to go to Houssaine's at 4pm for tea (we"ll see).  On Thursday at 8:00 a.m. she and I are taking the bus to Marrakech and then catching the train to Casablanca for a two night stay to ring in the New Year.  I'll post tomorrow where we are going.

I just hope that it is not snowing in the High Atlas and that the pass is not closed.  A little prayer, please.

I am getting a little antsy with all these plans that don't happen!!!

See you tomorrow.

A Day of Rest

Yes, that is a luxury one has when the holiday is for nine weeks.

After all the walking last night I deserve it.

Tomorrow I have to stay home to wait for the plumber to come and will do laundry(sounds like I never left KW) and also go to the supermarket in town and to the bank.  NO. There is a difference because here I do my laundry by hand and hang it out to dry, hoping it will be dry by the time I need to wear it AGAIN.  This is such a difference from the summer of 2001 when I could wash my dress while I was taking a shower and put it on immediately and within five minutes it was completely dry.  There is great wisdom in visiting a place in different seasons, for sure.  One gets a completely different view.  I am looking for a second place to call home and this is the first place on my list.  I am experiencing what it would be like to live in a residential area and in a city where very few speak any English (except those who deal with tourists and the touts). 

The languages spoken are the Moroccan dialect of Arabic, French, and Berber.  When I take a taxi I just hand the driver a paper (written by Houssaine) which tells where I need to go.

It is sure nice to be connected to the internet.  My friend Fatima is in Morocco, in Tan Tan in the extreme south, with her husband  and we Skype daily.  I will be going there to visit within the next two weeks, when I don't know exactly, after all this is Morocco! 

I am so looking forward to New Year's Eve.  I can't believe it because I am not one for going out on that night, but this is a special Gala that I am so happy to be able to attend.  Gee, I hope I haven't jinxed that plan, too.  Remember a few days ago I was planning Christmas day at the Sahara dunes.  Well, as they say here Insha Allah (God willing and there are many spellings - which one is right?).

I have yet to go to the school!!! Houssaine is a high school English teacher during the day, but in the evenings he is at the Avon Academy, a private school that he and a retired British science prof started.  The kids have asked that I come and teach them.  I look forward to it, but Sheila said that there are so many stairs up to the floor with the classrooms that it is a hard time, so I am waiting another week or so until it won't completely wipe me out.  On the ground floor they have rooms to accommodate visiting teams who do service here.

Those teachers and students at home would be shocked to learn of the looooooong school week here.  I will get both Houssaine and the girls to talk of the schedules.  I know I would not be a happy camper teaching here.  If you are reading this, Sandy, don't forget to say prayers of thanks.  That goes for Larry and Gilberta, too.

Sorry for the long post.

Today

Just as I was getting ready to go out the two girls were at my door asking if I wanted to go to the Sunday night Souk and the park.   Of course I said yes.  Well, they almost killed me with all the walking.  I said we would take a taxi to the souk.  That was fine, but walking to the park ( an amusement park)  really tried me.  You all know that this past year I have had severe issues with feet swelling and being unable to even step an inch, so today was great.  Since I have been here I have not had a foot issue, but because of it  I find it extremely difficult to walk.  Each day I am getting better.

Again no photos of the souk because it is just to invasive and once again I am the only non Moroccan there and the same at the park.  Earlier in the evening I gave each girl 20dhs and told them that they had to decide where and how they would spend it.

An enjoyable evening was had by all at the souk and the park.  The girls rode the ferris wheel and the bumper cars and bought cotton candy, popcorn, and fresh donuts.

They wanted me to come back to the house, but I said that I was just too worn out.

Christmas Day in a city with no Christmas

It's a nice crisp, sunny, clear blue sky morning here.  

Let me tell you about yesterday.  As you know my desert dune trip was cancelled.  I was shaken, after all this was going to be a special Christmas Day for me.  I sat for an hour or two trying to figure out something  to make it special.  There is not one iota of Christmas here, which I find a little surprising since tourism is critical  and most come from Christian Europe.  Had I been up to speed, I would have at least brought a red Santa hat to wear.  I went to the square where my favourite cafe is and decided to buy my Christmas lunch and enjoy the passersby.  The above photo is what the square looked like!!!  The odd Moroccan came and went.  The only other people out were other travellers like me who had nowhere to go for Christmas.  Most stopped off for a tea and a pastry (great French pastries), but none of us spoke to each other!!!  So, after stopping at some shops and talking with the shopkeepers (no one else to talk to), I finally found a taxi to take me home.  Saturday is a regular work/school day here. A strange day for sure and a Christmas day I'll not soon forget.

Sure do hop my plans for December 29, 30, 31, and January 1 work out as Linda and I have planned a special outing.

Oh, no!!!

Merry Christmas not from the dunes!!!

I just got a message that we cannot go today because of a last minute emergency with the driver .  Now let's see what other adventure awaits this day?

The Sahara Dunes

While I am somewhat envious of you all having your traditional Christmas celebrations, we will be heading out to the dunes in a 4x4 early tomorrow morning.  A Christmas day that will stand out in my memories, for sure.

Your Merry Christmas emails are sooooo appreciated, thank you.

       H A P P Y   C H R I S T M A S   E V E   E V E R Y O N E

Christmas 78's - I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas - Yogi Yorgesson

T

The family

 Let me finally tell you the names of  my family in Ouarzazate.  What a delight they are.

Husband - Houssaine

Wife - Meryam

Eldest daughter - Married and living in Casablanca - Naima (sp?)

2nd daughter -Firdaiss

3rd daughter - Oumaima

4th daughter - Yasmin (I spelled her name incorrectly on the posts.)

Son -8 months old - Imrane 

Kasbah Tifoultout

This Kasbah is nearby the studios and was built in the 18th century, but unfortunately it is in ruins.  Storks migrate to Morocco  for the winter to have their young. You can see many huge nests on the Kasbahs.  Perhaps this is a mom minding the nest? He/she just sat there forever!  Samm, any ideas?

Sets

Sets:

 Cleopatra (Yasmine in foreground) and Kundun

Oscar Hotel

We waited for our tour to begin by stopping for a drink poolside.

Atlas Studios

Movies in Morocco: the Atlas Film Studios : vtravelled

Movies in Morocco: the Atlas Film Studios : vtravelled

Out and about

Yesterday, Houssaine, Yasmine, and I went to the Atlas Studios on the edge of town.  Yasmine and I took the guided tour around the sets.  It was nice because there were only eight of us.  The sets were interesting particularly the ones from Kundun, Cleopatra, and  Gladiator.  At one point the guide stopped and pointed to the left wall saying that it was Egypt, then the right wall - Rome, and straight ahead was Jerusalem.  It is a large studio, the second largest in the world.  While we were there some riders had the horses outside practicing for some movie.  I took some pictures, but they are not great, so the next post will be courtesy of vtravelled for more photos and information.  (pages 1,2 and 3).

Just click on the title - Movies in.....

Dodged the bullet!!!

For sure I got out of KW in time.  A friend of the family here, Sheila, left Ouarzazate on Saturday to go home to England for the holidays and she called today.  She is still in Casablanca - that's four days!  The flight took off as scheduled, but was unable to land at Heathrow, so they returned to Casa.  If they don't leave tomorrow, she will return to Oz.

We did some interesting tourist sightseeing today and will post later or tomorrow.

Christmas Songs - We Wish You a Merry Christmas Lyrics

The neighbour man

Kam and Joseph, I still haven't even seen the neighbour man!!!

My local supermarket

The supermaket at the end of my street is the third shop on the right.  You stand at the counter and tell the man what you want and he gets it.  He doesn't speak English and I don't speak Berber, Arabic, or French  but we get along fine.  It was here that Houssaine first took me to stock up, so they know I am "an honoured guest" and don't rip me off.  

Wine

For those of you (and you know who you are) who like a little juice of the grape, there is only one place in town to buy it (and other spirits) and that is at the Super Market (the walk- in one), right behind the brightly coloured bus, on Avenue Mohamed V by Centre Ville.

Typical Dress

It is most difficult to get shots of the people because I really feel as if I am invading their privacy and space, but these two guys were have a long animated discussion close by, so I discreetly got the camera out.

The city, as I see it

It seems to be made up of neighbourhood shops everywhere.  The centre, Centre Ville, is a huge square with restaurants, cafes, and the touristic shops all around it.  I ventured down there today to go to the bank and to sit and watch the world go by.  I spent time at the Habous Cafe with a Cafe au Lait and a cigarette - this is Morocco.  I can't buy a drink here at the cafe, but can smoke!!! Here are some shots from the cafe and square.  

The sun was hot and sitting at the cafe I think I got a bit of a sunburn, at least my bones are happy.

Cleaning

The floors in the salons and bedrooms in a Moroccan home are covered with brightly coloured carpets.  Most days you can see them hung out over the outer wall of the roof to get an airing in the sun and a shake.  This is across from my house.

Locked

The other day a funny thing happened.  I went to go out and my front gate was locked from the outside and I could not open it.  I thought that one of the family had done it when they left that night, but it was not them.

Again this a.m. when I wanted to go out to get bread, the same thing.  I guess that some kid/kids in the neighbourhood are having some fun with the "new lady".  I loosened the decorative thatch and stuck my hand through the grill and voila, open sesame.

My new Berber name is Ijja, Princess Ijja.  Now the Princess is not locked in her castle. 

Sunday souk

Well, it is now 5:20 p.m and I have just got home.  They picked my up at 10:30 this morning and off we went to the souk.  I am sorry to say that I could not take photos.  It just was not appropriate.  The souk we went to was the real thing.  I was the only non Moroccan there.  It covers a large area and there were hundreds and hundreds of people.  We spent our time in the fruit and vegetable area, about three hours.  Next week we will go to the live animal section (too much for me the first week).  It is located on the outskirts of town and there were amazing views of the snow-capped High Atlas.  Everything is so fresh and cheap.  The farmers come in with their produce.  For example, mandarin or clementine oranges (yes the ones we buy at home in the little wood box this time of year), tomatoes, olives, bananas, a pineapple, and  a few other things which will keep me well supplied for the week cost about $10.00.

I did get two photos  in the parking area and if you look closely, and enlarge, you will see the snow-capped Atlas in the distance. Sorry for the bad shots, but it really was a point and shoot. The sun was shining so brightly I couldn't see the monitor.

After we went to their house.  Meryam, Houssaine's wife put away the produce, Yasmine prepared, from scratch, the dough, and Oumaima grated tomatoes.  They were preparing a Berber pizza for lunch.  It was delicious, but what a lot of work for a pizza.  When I say from scratch - they buy the wheat, Meryam cleans it and then Houssaine takes it to be milled - that is the flour they use daily.  Meryam bakes bread EVERYDAY. 

It doesn't sound like we did much, but believe me it was quite an experience.  This was by far the largest and most authentic market I have ever been to.

Christmas is almost here and, of course, they do not celebrate it, but Houssaine said that we would go to the Sahara on the 25th and come back on the 26th so that I could spend Christmas in a special way. Ouarzazate is just on the edge, so we will only have a five or six hour drive to the dunes.  How thoughtful of him.  When I was there in 2001 it was August and about 110C, now it will be really really really cold at night.  One of these years I might get it right and go in the spring or fall.

The internet is very slow today, so I will publish this and hope it works.

I  REALLY appreciate all your comments, thank you.

Life is quiet here today.  I have only gone to the local  corner shops for a few things.  By the way when I said the supermarket was just down the street, I in no way intended for you to take the word supermarket to mean anything like Zehrs or Sobeys.  No, no, no.  The two supermarkets here are tiny, even smaller than the smallest  Mac's Milk or 7 Eleven. I'll get  photos.  Tomorrow morning I am going to the local Sunday souk (market).  Hope to get some pictures.  I want to buy dates, bananas, and other fresh goodies.

  It's 20C,  but I am cold down to my bones.  Just can't seem to warm up after the cold nights and mornings.  I know this will get no sympathy from those of you in minus temperatures.

Remember,  you may click once or twice to enlarge any photo.

Looking to a main thoroughfare

Directly across from me is a little shop where I buy freshly baked bread for about $.10 along with other variety store type items.

At the end of the street directly across the main road is my "supermaket".

Houssaine's family lives up to the left of the main road over one block.

Everything is very convenient.

  

The street

I'll try to explain.  All of the houses I have seen are what we would call townhouse style, including mine. 

Mine goes from the white post on the right of the picture to just past the far left green gate.  Beside the white post is a lovely terrace with a roof of grape vines.  The centre gate is to the front door and the left gates are to the driveway.  So the front is quite spacious and would be delightful in the warmer seasons.

My House from the street

Pondering

These are some of my initial thoughts on Ouarzazate. I was wondering, when I got here, if I might be disappointed in that my memories might be coloured with the magic of my first visit in 2001. No, I love this city. The architecture is so unique. The name Ouarzazate means without noise and it sure is true. The people do not drive and honk their horns as in other places. I don't think I have even heard a horn. The people even seem to speak quietly, seriously. The city is spotlessly clean and has won the award for cleanest city in Morocco for three years. There are NO plastic bags littering the area and no aroma of burning garbage. All houses are painted the same colour. It is not boring, but instead lends a sense of continuity to the whole city. There is a calm aura here. Even Sunday night in the main square there were quite a few people, but a sense of calm and peace prevailed. It is true that there is not much to entertain oneself with here. If you need a lot of activity, this is not the place for you. As an aside, Bill Clinton has a home here. Wonder what he does to entertain himself??? There isn't even a cinema which is kind of odd since this is the second Hollywood. The Atlas Studios are located here and many big box office films have been made here. I think this may be an ideal spot for a writer. There is very little distracting stimuli I know that exploring my personal self comes easily here. There is just something special in Ozte, at least for me. I have only been here five days and my feelings and opinions are bound to develop/change over the next weeks and will post.

A Little History of the Kasbah

Equally, you can visit the Taourirt Kasbah, located in the city centre and also listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Monument. This majestic Kasbah used to be, in the 19th century, the residence of the powerful Pasha of Marrakech and, before that, the ancient palace of the "Lords of the Atlas". It was built with earth and straw, which makes it certainly fragile, but several rooms, richly decorated mostly with carved cedar wood ceilings, can be visited.

You may click on any photo to enlarge.

Kasbah Taourirt

The Cafe

This morning about  9:30 I went out for breakfast and had a wonderful view of the kasbah.  I met a nice Parisian who has a business at the desert and so many people stopped for a chat that I never made it into the kasbah, perhaps tomorrow!!!

The newest member of the Baali family

I'm Home

It is almost 5pm Tuesday and I am settled in my new home.  We brought my bags over earlier and then went shopping for basics.  I can now prepare coffee (from KW) and prepare breakfast.  But, for right now I am enjoying a cigarette and a drink in my own salon (living room).  

My house has two or three floors.  I don't know  because I have not yet ventured upstairs.  I will tomorrow because I want to see what the roof is like.  In many parts of the world houses have a flat roof where one spends time much like our decks or patios.  In the summer when it is hot it is a great place to spend evenings.  I am only going to be using the main floor because it is all that I need.  I am using the kitchen, bathroom (western toilet),  a bedroom, and a salon room.  There is another room on this floor which I have locked and am not using.  With the bed and the salon cushions, I could easily sleep five.

The owner, who is the French teacher at Houssaine's school, has just painted the walls and bought most things new for me.  I will show you around with photos another day.  I feel quite secure and comfortable here.  

Tomorrow I will venture out.  I don't have a car, but taxis are a set 4 dh rate anywhere in the city (about  $ .50).  I am getting a real taste of what it is like to actually live here without living with a family or in a hotel.  If I want to interact, I must go out.

Thanks to the Baali family here and  to Kam and Nihat at home (who are taking care of my house) for making this trip possible for me.

More later

On Sunday, Houssaine, two of the girls, and I went to meet Linda.  Linda is a net friend of mine.  She is from Michigan, but is on her second year of being a Peace Corp volunteer here in Morocco.  She lives in a village in the mountains about two hours north of Ouarzazate,  just off that mountain road to Marrakech.  Linda wlll be back here on the 28th as she has a meeting in Ouarzazate on the 29th and she will spend the night at my place.  It's sure to be a fun time.

Connected

It is Monday afternoon and I have finally got the MacBook connected (usually).  Thank you Kam for remembering your password.  Now the first three problems have been solved, or was it four!!!  Flights cancelled or rescheduled due to snow storms in Europe,

ATM card didn't work, universal adapter was not universal, no internet.  

Well, here are a few photos  of my "family".

Hello;finally

Yes I am finally writing but this is a French keyboard and so difficult to get used to For exa,ple I can not find the period; comma; a is really the q key etc but I will try



First arrived on time on Friday night at ten thirty pm Met a lot of great people on the way

The adqpter I bought did not have a plug for here despite being a universal type but Houssaine fit another one onto mine and all is ok now

Then my ATM card would not work but got that sorted at another bank today

The last and very serious issue for me is that I cannot use the MacBook with the internet inwi modem because I do not know the password Kam used for the Mac This means that the photos that I have taken and put on the Mac will not ,ake it here until I find a way to dismantle his password or he remembers it

Houssaine his wife three daughters qnd baby son are wonderful

My house should be ready tomorrow

I will write details when I can get on an English keyboard preferably the Mac This is realy difficult and has taken me about two hours to connect and write this little this poorly

Just wanted to let you all know I am safe and in good hands:

I cannot open e,mail today but mqybe tomorrow hope hope hope

Later

A Preview

Ouarzazate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 30°55′N 6°55′W
Country	Morocco
Region	Souss-Massa-Draâ
Elevation	3,776 ft (1,151 m)
Population (2004)
- Total	56,616

Ouarzazate (Berber: ⵡⴰⵔ ⵣⴰⵣⴰⵝ Warzazat, Arabic: ورزازات‎, lit. "noiselessly") (called The door of the desert), is a city and capital of Ouarzazate Province in the Souss-Massa-Draâ of southern-central Morocco. As of 2004 it had a population of 56,616. Ouarzazate is located at an elevation of 1,160 metres (3,810 ft) in the middle of a bare plateau, south of the High Atlas Mountains. To the south of the town is the desert. The town is chiefly inhabited by Berbers, who constructed many of the prominent kasbahs and building for which the area is known for. Ouarzazate is one of the important holiday destinations in Morocco as a nodal point for excursion across the Draa Valley and desert in the area. The fortified village (ksar) of Ait Benhaddou has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The town and surrounding area is also a noted film-making location, with Morocco's biggest studios inviting many international film companies to shoot their films. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Star Wars (1977), The Living Daylights (1987),The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Martin Scorsese'sKundun (1997) Legionnaire (1998) shot in the Ouarazate area.

The Tizi N Tichka Pass

A few prayers would be appreciated as this is the only way to get from Ouarzazate to Marrakech.  I will be on this "road" several times during the course of this trip. This is the Tizi-N-Tichka Pass and the highest pass in the Atlas, about half way between Marrakech and Ouarzazate.

In the summer of 2001 I took the bus for about 5 or 6 hours from Marrakech to Ouarzazate. This pass goes right through the High Atlas Mountains and is the scariest drive I have ever been on.  Many people, mostly locals who are used to this pass, make good use of the "sick bags".

Just to start this journey off on the right foot, I have decided to fly from Casablanca to Ouarzazate because I don't really fancy getting stranded here if the pass is closed - snow!!!!

It is Air France from Toronto to Paris, with a short wait for the connection to Casablanca and then a seven hour wait for the one hour flight to Ouarzazate.  I am very willing to wait in a nice cozy airport.

 

TIZI-N-TEST
Up, looking down 
(courtesy of Look Lex)

Driving up the valleys on the Marrakechian side of Tizi-n-Test can be vertiginous for many travellers. At certain points the road is not more than a metre wider than your car, and there is no protection that will hold you back from falling down hundreds of metres.

But if you're OK with this, the views can be quite spectacular, and there are a new village for every valley, all made out of houses that merge with nature, both in material and in the way they climb the mountain sides.

As I am heading off to a desert area, I thought I might like a reminder of my back yard dressed up in its finest green!  The structure, centre back, is where I hang the hammocks, the relaxing area.  Out of the picture to the left is the outdoor office, the not relaxing area.

Note  - this picture was taken just after everything had been cleaned up....it does not look like this now,  but will again.

Hi,

Seven weeks from now I will be on the plane looking forward to a new adventure in the south of Morocco from my base in the small city of Ouarzazate.

I will be there for nine weeks and hope to get some amazing pictures to put up here. 

Click on any photo to enlarge.