Spain-Portugal-Morocco--Sept 2012-- # 4

Morocco

The old and the new.

The use of donkeys is common in the rural areas.

I've mentioned how I like the look of Arabic. The writing on the stop signs makes me think of two kids on a toboggan.

Whatever works to shade yourself from the hot sun.

Could have been a problem if it had been windy.

More aqueducts.

There aren't many camels in the parts of Morocco we saw, but we did see a few.

Another example of using whatever might be nearby to use as shade. In the more barren areas there's little choice.

Not much shade is available from a sparse tree, but some is better than none.

Here I was shooting the man and the stop sign. I didn't notice the woman 'til I looked at the shot on the computer screen.

Some women hid their faces as our bus went by, knowing that some of the tourists aboard may have cameras I guess. I'd never take close-ups of anyone that didn't want me to, but I think more distant shots are harmless enough, though I have to admit, even in a case like this I feel a little guilty.

A scene in a small town. This is another type of shot I like. The "busy-ness" of life. The dust (and bus window glare) adds to the shot for me.

Why walk when you can ride? This boy decided a caleche was good to save him some steps.

Time to get off. Not something he likely told his parents about. It reminded me of growing up in Moose Jaw.

In the winter, when they hadn't plowed all the streets yet, we used to crouch down, hold onto the back bumpers of cars (they had bumpers then), and slide along the street for a bit. Dumb, in hindsight to be sure, but luckily, we all survived.

A 'petit taxi' (regular city ones). Each city in Morocco uses a different color for them. Rabat had blue ones, Marrakech beige ones, etc.

A 'grand taxi', used for inter-city rides. They too were specific colors. Most were older Mercedes. You could catch one at bus stations, etc. Our Moroccan guide said, "Mercedes come to Morocco to die".

 

This newer Mercedes caught my eye. Not so much the car itself, but the fact that the owner was using pieces of cardboard for a sun-screen. It's not that proper sun-screens weren't available, I saw them on other cars.

Had the owner just not 'got around to it' yet? Was he making a statement?

It's not unusual to see feral cats in cities but I don't remember seeing so many in one place.

A survivor. Life isn't easy on the streets.

Marrakesh is a special city to most.

Shop displays often catch my eye... some at least.

I didn't see nearly as many storks as I did on my first trip to Morocco, but we saw some. This one was beside the shops above. Bigger birds use bigger nesting materials. This one found some rags that she thought would be a good addition to her nest. I read somewhere that stork nests can weigh up to a ton.

Some street treats. I tried one, with cheese.

My daughter collects masks. I was tempted, but it's the weight. Sorry, Lee. :-)

On the spot harrier work.

The highlight of Marrakesh for most is the Djemaa el-Fna square-- difficult to pronounce, hard to remember. The spelling in English varies as well. It's a hive of activity. By day, there are musicians, snake charmers, flamboyantly dressed water sellers, monkey 'trainers', story tellers, etc. Motorbikes dart everywhere but there doesn't seem to be any accidents-- on most days anyway.

At night it's transformed into dozens of food stalls, with grilled meats, vegetables and all that comes with them. The stalls are numbered, presumably to help you find your favourite one, if you return. Smoke billows above the square.

The beige cars are the petit taxis of Marrakesh.

Interesting looking trinkets for sale.

There are at least a dozen orange carts on the square, together in one area of it. They all sell freshly ground orange juice, all of them charge the same--4 Dirhams (about 50 cents), and somehow they all survive. It's delicious.

We were impressed with how this guy displayed his water bottles.

I swear, the world really does love Marilyn. I've never seen pictures of any other star in other countries the way I keep seeing Marilyn. I've seen her on T-shirts, and many other things as well. Here, she was on a poster in an ice-cream stand.

Another interesting display I thought.

And another.

One 'corner' of the square. The guys in red are water-sellers, dressed for the tourists. Have your picture taken with them for a few Dirhams, or Euros, or $US. Any of them will do.

Musicians taking a break.

Water-sellers at the end of the day, comparing notes before heading home.

"Catch you later, guys".

Small town Morocco... enroute to visit a Berber family south of Marrakesh.

The building looked abandoned but the Coke sign lives on.

We stopped for a camel ride but there were no takers in our group. I rode a camel for two days in the Sinai desert, enough for a lifetime. :-)

I was glad to see they did get some business.

Tagines (cooking pots), etc. for sale.

You could even pick up a mini-minaret. 

The visit to the Berber family was the highlight of the entire trip for me. You seldom get a chance to see inside the homes of others, especially when their culture is so different from ours. This was the door we entered through.

The house was immediately next to the highway, with a beautiful view of the  valley they were in.

Just inside the doorway there was a small stall for these goats.

And next to the goats, another stall for the donkey. The family is so self-sufficient and use so little in the way of the world's resources. It makes our life-style seem so wasteful. Not that I'm rallying for change, but seeing how the family lived made me question once again, our western way of life. We're spoiled beyond belief really.

A sink outside.

One of the women in the kitchen. This visit with the family was a business arrangement with the tour company of course, but we couldn't have felt more welcome by the family. They were so kind and so warm-hearted and they greeted us as though we were friends.

I can't remember exactly who was living in the home (extended family) or who was visiting to help out.

A smile that says it all. And a beautiful baby!

Mother & baby in front of an outside haman (sauna). They have one inside too for when the weather is cooler.

The lady of the house made us mint tea, the proper way. There's a proper method, just as the Brits have their proper way for making tea.

She made two pots of the mint tea, one sweetened (with block sugar) and one not. We had a choice of sweetened, unsweetened or a blend of the two.

This had to take a while to get the hang of. She was pouring both the sweetened and unsweetened at the same time.

Then she poured both for those who wanted the blended.

Their dog had me wondering... climbing around on this loose wood pile, chewing on some of the twigs. He's inches away from a 20 ft drop to the highway.

Neighboring rooftops. The melons are on the family's roof.

A comfortable patio on the second level.

View from the patio.

Their cat was enjoying the melons.

One thing I did notice is that we didn't meet any males. Was it a case of "make yourself scarce while the visitors are here"? Or were they working maybe?

I hated to leave. I could've stayed for hours, asking questions and learning more.

On the way back to Marrakesh... "Whatever size you want, we got it!"

We stopped for a coffee on the way back. This chameleon was poking around through the plants outside the restaurant.

Their eyes get me. Roll them around, point them in different directions. Must be handy at times. Gives new meaning to the phrase, "eyes in the back of your head".

Interesting lanterns.

And a mirror shop. The reflections might make for some interesting shots if one had time.

Shades of the Tour de France. Tour de Morocco? The Atlas Mountains are in the background-- just south of Marrakesh.

I have more images of Morocco than I thought, so I'll do one more post for sure, if you're still hanging in there. I enjoy reliving the trip through the blog. It also helps me sort my images.

Thanks again to those of you who have commented that you're enjoying the blog.

- fini -