Part V- "So THIS is Morocco!"

'So much to buy- so little time...' Such was our motto for our stay in Marrakesh. While there is lots of history, and beautiful things to see, clearly the main attraction is the opportunity to purchase beautiful and exotic items at low, low prices (assuming you have some bargaining skills, of course). I actually kept wishing my mother was there with me, because while I feel my skills have greatly improved over the years, Mom has this way of getting people to fight over giving her their wares at less than cost. Amazing.

We generally took turns in buying, but accumulated lamps, chess sets, paintings, fabric, bed coverings and all sorts of clothing. In between, we took breaks to eat and see some of the sights. Marrakesh is an huge market which draws shoppers from around the world, but the history and architecture is just as impressive. We toured many of the historical buildings and areas, but one of our favorites were the gardens of Yves Saint Laurent. Open to the public, they are perfectly designed, immaculately kept and bursting with color.

We decided one day that a trip to Morocco would not be complete without a visit to the desert. After all, that's what comes to mind when you think of the country- sand and camels. Deema had brought several guidebooks which suggested Ouarzazate and old articles I had from Condé Nast Traveler recommended the village of Ait Bennhaddou. Our lovely hosts at the Riad arranged a driver for us and we were off on our big adventure. The drive down was beautiful as we passed by and through part of the large Atlas mountain chain. The road was long and winding, which, had I not been in the front seat with my window opened, I would've been sick. Several times we came across beautiful vistas that we couldn't help ourselves but get out and take some pictures (plus one of us, who shall remain nameless was indeed car-sick). We arrived at Ait Bennhaddou by walking through another small village. The village has been used in a number of movies due to its unique and fascinating character, but people still live there. The village is made entirely of mud and straw with the bricks smoothed over so that they look like red sand castles stacked on a hill. We walked around the village and walked up to the top of the hill- it was very cool and a truly unique and transporting experience. It was unfortunately obvious that we weren't the first tourists there. Around many corners lurked artisans ready to push their wares, and two adorable young schoolgirls I asked to take pictures of demanded money upon taking them. Cuteness does get you what you want sometimes...

After, we continued to Ouarzazate, which was actually a bit dissappointing. It turned out to be really just a launching area for excursions into the desert, but not a real desert town itself. We had lunch and headed back. On the way, we stopped at the large movie studio that has been built by Hollywood and contains its own little hotel and restaurant for the stars. When we were there, they were filming several movies including "Alexander the Great" and "Sahara" (with Penelope Cruz) -sadly they didn't pick me up as an extra, and I didn't see the stars themselves. At that point we were tired and wanted to get back to Marrakesh before dark.

We had some fantastic meals, and did splurge several times for the whole experience- coming back to our rooms about to burst. One thing we had to agree on- if you go hungry, its your own fault. One of my favorite things was the orange juice guys. There's a row in the grand square of guys who just squeeze and sell juice. Its basically all the same quality and the same price. So, when you walk by, they do their best to get you to drink their juice. At only a quarter a glass (you have to drink it in front of them so you can return the glass), its fun and delicious! The last night, Deema and I decided that it was ok to eat something other than Moroccan cuisine, so we went to a very upscale Italian restaurant where the well-heeled expats were hanging out. We took a table by the pool (complete with floating candles) and I had a delicious steak that I haven't been able to get in a while... They also had fresh buffalo mozzerella- quite a mystery how they achieved that one...

Finally, it was time to part. Our bags were overflowing and our stomachs had expanded (I gained about ten pounds in the just over two week experience). We said our goodbyes to the wonderful owner and staff of the Riad- they had taken such good care of us- and took off. We had gotten plane tickets from Cassablanca, so we loaded ourselves on the train and took the scenic three hour ride. Morocco is truly a beautiful country, and I was sad to leave. I did do a good job of filling up my camera, so I'll have the memories for years to come.

We arrived in Madrid in the late evening and by pure luck was able to check in my bags for the next morning's flight back to Equatorial Guinea. This also helped Deema, who was not so lucky. We went back to the hotel where we had started, since it was near the stores I wanted to hit in the morning. We took one last late-night walk around the city (the palace and cathedral at night are gorgeous!), and went to sleep.

We woke up and started checking items off the list of things I had to get to bring back -gifts for friends and food and clothes for myself. We started out the day at Dunkin Donuts with a Boston Creme. I almost cried it was so good. We got the computer stuff I needed for the bank and my camera and a pair of Dockers (who says American corporate imperialism is bad?). At that point, we had to leave for the airport so Deema could make her flight, which was four hours before mine. We got there and Deema, who is Platinum on the airline she was flying, was pulled for security. Then she was taken into a room where they questioned her and made her unpack every item out of every bag and explain them for over a half-hour. Meanwhile, I was forced to stay outside, not knowing what was going on. It was a bit traumatic for her, and not the best way to end a vacation.

After Deema went through security, I went to complete my buying mission. I asked around and discovered that a Carrefour was only two subway stops away, so I headed there. It was quite an overwhelming experience, even after getting used to "western culture" for a while. It was essentially a huge Super Wal-Mart with three floors the size of city blocks full of things to buy- Food, electronics, clothes, housewares -everything. It was a phenomenal exercise in self-restraint not to just load up my cart- since I knew everything I bought had to be carried on-board the plane. Only essential items- so I constrained myself to only a couple pairs of pants, a pair of shoes, some chorizo, olive oil and a load of sauce mixes. It wasn't easy, but it was kinda fun.

The flight back to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea was mostly uneventful until we arrived. I had a problem which I wasn't sure how to deal with. My flight arrived around midnight and the flight to Douala was at 9am the next morning. Since I had been lucky on the way over and didn't stay overnight, I still didn't know the town and wasn't too keen on exploring it looking for a vacant hotel room at midnight. So, I talked to pretty much everyone of any power at the airport and asked them if I could just pass the night in the airport lobby- being a new airport and air-conditioned, I figured it couldn't be too bad. After much discussion, security took my passport and let me stay. I guess they figured it would act as insurance. As it turned out, there were two couples who had the same idea, so we all spent the night on the chairs of the airport waiting lounge.

At last, I arrived back home- no more problem and no more stories...

I know its been a long time coming for the photos, so I'm going to interupt the vacation story with the 'best of' pictures from the trip. I took around 800 photos over the three weeks, so I'm guessing that a selection of those is probably fine. These are my favorites ...

Part IV- "This Ain't So Bad"

Luckily, I suppose, there were taxis awaiting our arrival. Of course being about the only "blancs" on the boat, we were attacked after getting to the parking area. I ventured apart from the group and found an ATM where I got some dinars (I have trouble imagining life before ATMs-I'm just thankful they exist everywhere). Our taxi driver was a nice enough guy, but he very quickly figured out we had never been to Tangier. As a result, we went to see his "friends'" hotels while virtually ignoring our constant requests (which came from the somewhat unreliable Lonely Planet). At each stop, I got out, went up to check on the rooms and came back to report so we wouldn't leave our bags in the taxi alone. The first two or three were vetoed until finally it was after one in the morning and our standards had lowered significantly. We figured no evidence of rats or roaches and running water in the room was good enough for a couple hours sleep. It wasn't a Marriott, but we survived. We decided to stay another night while we explored the city a bit and plotted our course for the rest of the trip- but we moved into the Holiday Inn- a big step up.

Deema and I headed off after depositing our goods at the hotel to the markets. They were not unlike the markets of Jerusalem or Douala, but the food market was much more fascinating. All sorts of fantastic food, and the unique ability to come face to face with dinner (with the skin removed, unlike here in Cameroon) was particularly pleasant. After a while, we ended up at a huge artisan shop with just about everything you could want with a Morocccan flavor. The owner was quite entertaining and regaled us with tales (and pictures) of his friendships with Hillary Clinton, Martin Scorsese, and John Malkovitch. Quite a character. We bought a few items from him and continued on our exploration. At some point during the day, we made reservations for dinner at the fancy hotel in town (note: not ours) and we all met up to enjoy a fantastic dinner with a moroccan band and belly dancer! Of course, I was chosen to go dance with her, so Mom, the photos aren't what they look like! She was a dancer in a restaurant. Thats it!

We planned out the next day quite impressively, and went out to hire a driver/guide for the day. One of the first stops was a panoramic view of Tangier from a neighboring cliff- there were a number of Moroccans also there just contemplating their place in the world... After that was the Camel Man. In a sandy parking lot between the road and the ocean was a camel driver in the touristy sense (he obviously lived for people like us). It was quite evident that none of his money went towards dental care, however, and he was quite funny. As official photographer, I took lots of pictures while both Deema and Frankie got on camels for a ride around the parking lot. Unbeknownst to us at the time, those would be the only camels we would see our entire trip. After a narrow escape from the rain in Hercules' Cave, we had lunch of chicken schwarma back in downtown Tangier. A stop at the lighthouse with its beautiful views and a nice drive on that side of the city completed our tour. We stopped on the way back at the train station to get tickets for the night train to Marrakesh.

After my favorite dinner of the entire trip -Pizza Hut stuffed-crust pizza- we boarded the train and found our couchettes. I was either really tired, or they were surprisingly comfortable, but I slept almost the entire trip down. At 7am the next morning, we arrived in Marrakesh.

Frankie's time with us was coming to a sad close, so this was to be her last day, catching a train early the next morning and going to the Casablanca airport for a return to the US. As a result, we split up and I went with Frankie for one last day of shopping, this time in the renowned souks of Marrakesh, while Deema and Jean headed off to find a place for us to sleep for the rest of the week. Frankie and I had a blast trying our best to navigate the Marrakesh medina. They say don't try it without a guide the first time, but those who know Frankie and I know that's a challenge! We had a great time "feeling" our way around and haggling everywhere we went. I didn't intend on doing much shopping that day, but I still ended up with a bunch of stuff. My shopping goal for the trip was really only to get things for my friends here in Cameroon, since it would be almost a year and a half until I return to the US. But, there were a couple of items that were just irresistable and I'll get them back somehow!

Along the way (and it turned out on the way out) we found this mod, New York-ish lounge called Café Arabe which had aranchini. Now, I don't get overly excited about aranchini, but then again, I'm not Sicilian. Frankie immediately became best friends with the proprietor and swore that we'd be back once we found our friends again. And we were.

Frankie and I stayed at the not-so-impressive Ibis hotel next to the train station for the night (the manager and employees consistently acted as though we were theives out to rob him blind. He even followed us to breakfast to see how much we ate from his "free" buffet). We got on the early train to Cassablanca for a three hour trip so I could help her to the airport. When we arrived, we had several hours to "play with", so we went to the one notable tourist attraction in Cassablanca- the Hassan II mosque.

As the third largest mosque in the world, and less than fifteen years old, it was impressive in scale, in detail and in awe-inspiring beauty. We weren't allowed inside, as it was prayer time and thousands were streaming into the gigantic building which supposedly holds 20,000 worshippers at the same time under a retractable eighty foot roof with thirty foot tall modern chandeliers. Truly a modern engineering feat. After, we went looking for Sam's Bar, but found that only a replica existed inside the Hyatt hotel. Too bad.

Frankie set off for the airport, and I returned to Marrakesh by train, passing fields, villages of stone and mud and plenty of herders.

End of Part IV...

Thursday, March 26th, 2004

Part III - 'Spanish Steps'


In Madrid, there is the greatest of chain restaurants ever, at least for someone who likes their pork. Its called (translated) "The Museum of Ham". Its a wonderment of cured pig legs, most of which is illegal in the US. That's because it tastes so good. They know it would blow those Chicago canned ham packers out of business. Damn US trade barriers!

While waiting for Tara to arrive from London, we had a fantastic lunch/dinner at Boutin's, supposedly the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in the world. The choices were essentially suckling pig or leg of lamb. It doesn't get much more old-school than that. Both were tasty, as we ate in the curved brick cave of a basement dining area.

Tara phoned when she arrived, and we went out in search of Mardi Gras- Spain style. There was a huge concert that night, but there was also cold rain, which tends to reduce the enthusiasm for an outdoor musical event. Somehow, we eventually agreed on a pizza place for dinner and returned to make plans for the next day...

We left the next morning for Cordoba (from the same station that would be bombed three weeks later), and arrived to find our hotel. The weather cleared up, and we walked over to this thousand year-old mosque which the Catholics had gotten a hold of during the crusades and turned the center section into a gaudy, but beautful cathedral. Of course they tried not to entirely ruin the perfect symmetry and geometric designs, so what they ended up with is a one-of-a kind mélange of styles and cultures, all in the same building. It was fascinating. Unfortunately, the lighting was poor for taking pictures, so they didn't come out that well.

After that, we wandered around the very cute town (and UNESCO World Heritage site) to get some all-important shopping in. We ended up at a tapas bar-type place where we ordered more food than we could finish. A nice end to the day.

Before heading to Sevilla the next day, the girls went to the spa to have "treatments". I wandered around the part of town we hadn't gotten to discovering some old roman ruins and more beautiful churches (not all that difficult to find in Spain). Sadly, we had to part with Tara (the world's financial markets couldn't do without her for another day), but we continued on to Sevilla.

Arriving in Sevilla, we found that the weather was just not going our way on this part of the trip. Cold rain was becoming the norm, and Sevilla was no different. This was, however, Deema's birthday, and as principal planner of the trip, to celebrate, we were going upscale. Way upscale.

The Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Westin hotel, was built to host world leaders for some world expo in the 1920's. Now, its just fabulous. And, Deema's endless nights as a consultant came finally paid off (even if only a little), yielding two suites complete with foot thick crown molding, marble bathrooms and window-terraces. With the rain outside, we were reluctant to leave the rooms, which was entirely unnecessary.

The next morning, we felt the need to at least see a little of the city we were scheduled to leave that day. Deema and I braved the cold rain and went to see the "Cathedral that Columbus built". By the time the cathdral opened, we were soaking wet, but inside it was indeed magnificent. There was more gold in that building than anywhere else I had ever seen (thanks to the generosity of indian tribes up and down the coast). The guidebook put the amount at well over a ton of gold in the center altar alone. Its truly hard to describe, but a site that should be seen. The intricate detailing, the shine, the size- all a bit overwhelming.

Checkout time had sadly come for the Hotel Alfonso XIII, so we gathered up our assorted backpacks and luggage and headed for the train station once again. This time to Algecieras. We arrived, and had just missed a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar (or very close to it) to Tangier, Morocco. Finally the ferry arrived and we landed in Tangier around midnight- with no reservation and no feel for the city. The only thing we knew was from our Lonely Planet guide which warned not to stay in Tangier if possible due to its high crime rate. Great. Now what?

End of Part III...