The Drive to the Desert

We had a few days off from school for Moroccan Independence Day. Brahim, Ahmed, and I met up with a couple of other Fulbright teachers to travel to Southern Morocco.

The drive was stunning. It took us through the High Atlas Mountains, canyons, and eventually the desert. There were lots of little villages tucked on the side of the mountains.

We saw a lot of this striking red color.

I took a lot of pictures through the window of our moving car, resulting in many shots like this. Stupid truck. Get out of the way.

Eventually Brahim started pulling over so that I could take pictures while standing still. (Thanks Brahim!!!) I love this shot of the mud houses with the terraces in the background.

Another Moroccan village.

Fall in Morocco. It makes me laugh that I had to go all the way to Africa to see leaves change color. Shishmaref is completely treeless.

Close up of the terraces because I think they deserve one.

There were occasionally little stores on the side of the room. We stopped at this one to get a drink and take a little walk.

I got to see a donkey!!!

There were also random restaurants along the route. We stopped at this one for breakfast...

and enjoyed this view.

This is the Dades Gorge.

This is my Fulbright partner Brahim and me in the Dades Gorge. One of these days I will post a normalish picture of Brahim. You know, one where he isn't making any silly faces or acting like a goofball.

This is my favorite picture from the drive. The reddish color makes me feel warm inside. Also, notice that the moon is in the sky.

It was a gorgeous drive. Unfortunately, it was also the first drive of my life during which I got carsick. The windy roads were simply too much for me to handle. Thankfully, a combination of dramamine, sitting in the front, and a few well-timed stops prevented any major spewage.

Wildlife Watch on the Way to School

I do not want to see animals on my way to school in Shishmaref. During the winter, they would probably be the carnivorous kind, and I'd run away screaming.

In Tahnaoute, the animals I see on the way to school are cute and cuddly looking.

Well, sort of. At least I'm not afraid that any of these animals are going to eat me.

They didn't even pay any attention to me. They just kept eating.

I really wanted to get a picture of the front of this little lamb.

Don't run away little lamb! Let me photograph you! He didn't cooperate...

Luckily I didn't have to be disappointed for long because I was able to get this shot of the shepherd with some of the sheep. (The shepherd is kind of hiding behind the tree, but I promise he's there.)

We also saw goats!!!

These little goats were seriously mowing down.

I thought their little horns were insanely adorable, but not adorable enough to touch.

Some of the goats were so anxious to eat that they were standing on two legs to eat from the trees. I'd never seen goats do that before...

Picture Trouble

It has recently come to my attention that some of my faithful readers have been unable to see all of my pictures.

I asked Steve (AIM's official Tech Support) to check it out. He reported that he has no trouble seeing the photos. The best guess we could come up with is that the pictures may not display if your browser has not been recently updated. So, if you're having trouble, try upgrading to the latest version of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.

AIM will continue further research on this problem. Thank you for your patience.

Experiences Everyone Should Have-6

Teasing and laughing with your Moroccan family after dinner.

Watching as the teasing develops into a battle between boys and girls.

Attacking your little brother with your little sisters.

Laughing hysterically as he squirms, helplessly outnumbered.

Watch as his dad tries to rescue him.

Be amazed as his mom sails out of the kitchen with a broom in her hands.

Laugh even harder as Mom starts hitting Dad with the broom.


Moroccan women rock.

Shopping for Hammam Supplies

I went shopping with Khadija for my own hammam supplies. This is what we came home with...

Shampoo. Khadija picked it out for me.

The red bowl is for scooping water out of my bucket. The green container is for my soap. The blue bag is to hold all of my things in the hammam.

This is an exfoliation glove. You wear it over your hand and use it to remove the skin from your body.

My bags were stuffed when I came to Morocco, so I left my towel in Shishmaref. That turned out to be a mistake. Buying a new one cost me 70 dirhams.

Note to readers: 70 dirhams = about $8.14

$8.14 does not seem like an outrageous price for a bath towel. But, if you felt how thick it was, you would understand why I was appalled. Grrr...

This is a pathetic picture, but it's of my bath mat. It's for laying down on the floor of the hammam before you sit down.

All together, I spent about 200 dirhams. (Not pictures are some beautiful gold and red plastic sandals I bough to wear in the hammam.)

Note to readers: 200 dirhams = $23.20

Jardin Menara

Ahmed took me to Jardin Menara. Jardin means garden.

It was built in the 12th century by the Alhomad Dynasty. (Hey Lonely Planet! Thanks for publishing your "Morocco" book to remind me of the date and name of the dynasty!)

It was very tranquil. There were only a few tourists there. Ahmed said it is more popular at night.

The very nice pool is home to a bunch of fish. You know the ones. They make the sound, "Thlllllggghhhhh, thllllggghhhhh, thlllggghhhhh" while sucking up anything thrown in their general direction. These fish were devouring bread. The bread was sold by Moroccan men who are masters at preying on tourists who enjoying seeing African fish do exotic things like slurp bread.

After we walked around the pool, we stopped at a little cafe nearby where I participated in the age-old tourist tradition of paying 15 dirhams for a can of Fanta.

Note to readers: 15 dirhams equals about two dollars.

Experiences Everyone Should Have-5

Eating dinner while making fun of TV commercials with your Moroccan family.

Hearing your little Moroccan brother ask his dad if "Sunsilk" means "son of silk."

Listening to your Fulbright partner explain the difference between "son" and "sun."

Hearing your little brother ask if the feminine of son is "santa."

Laughing out loud with everybody as Karim learns the word "daughter."