Morocco - Day 3-4: Relics

 

 

Date: December 24     Location: Near Meknes     Weather: Warm and Sunny     Years Covered: 1,966

Meknes is a bit west of Fez. There are two spots of note nearby:
Moulay Yacoub, its hot springs resort is famous among Moroccans, and
Volubilis, an ancient Roman settlement over two millenia old
(there are other sites, but these are the only two we visited).

First off was Moulay Yacoub, where we stopped at the hot springs there to relax. Me and YH (the husband of our cousin TQ, with whom we were staying all this time) went to the hot springs, while my sister, my mother, and TQ went off for the spa treatment.

The village and scenery nearby were quite nice, too. The sulfur and other minerals in the hot springs left us feeling relaxed and clean for the next part of our trip: Volubilis.

Now I'd been looking forward to Volubilis for some time. First settled by Carthage around 300BC, it was annexed to the Roman Empire sometime after Rome conquered Carthage, and the city was finally abandoned around 300AD.

One thing that Volubilis is known for, apart from other ruins, are its mosaics still preserved in many places around the site. Here are just a couple (click for larger image):

Another thing that sets it apart from other ruins is the lack of restriction. While, on some reflection, it risks further degradation of the site over time as more visitors come in, it's also a completely new thing to be able to explore around at your own leisure everything the place has to offer. We all had a great time just walking from one end of the place to the other, seeing everything.

We left the ruins around sunset and returned to Rabat that evening.

 

 

Date: December 25     Location: Rabat     Weather: Warm and Sunny     Cats: 30

Being a bit tired from spending the last few days moving quickly between Casablanca, Fez, and Meknes, we decide to spend the day just in Rabat. Fortunately, there's a lot to see.

First thing was the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V, across from the Tour Hassan. The Mausoleum is nice, but more recent and only the interior is worth noting (photos didn't turn out well enough to show here). But, it's across from the Tour Hassan. The Tour Hassan is one of three minarets--two in Morocco, one in Spain--built over 500 years ago. The minaret in Rabat, however, was devastated by an earthquake and left incomplete; hence the pillars and smaller height of the tower itself (though it's still quite something to see). The garden behind it was a lovely sight, too.

Next was the Chellah and Sala Colonia ruins. This is a combined site, with ruins from two historic eras inside: Chellah, from the medieval Islamic era (700AD to 1500AD), and Sala Colonia, from the ancient Roman era (40AD to 300AD). Most of the site is comprised of Chellah.

One of the major places here is known as the Tomb of the Black Sultan.
Me: Why did they call him the Black Sultan?
TQ: ...because he was black.

Beside there was Sala Colonia. Most of the Roman ruins are of ancient shops and a few houses.

And the occasional monument.

After Sala Colonia, we left for the walled medina (an open area with markets, etc.).

This particular medina was quite different. The houses and streets in the area were quite nice, though pictures clarify this more than words.

Oh, and a quick nod to these guys.

After sitting down at a nice cafe to have some tea, we left for the souq for a bit, and then headed home. We needed to rest. Since the next day, we were planning on going to the most famous city in Morocco.

Tomorrow: Marrakesh! KF

Sorry for the Hiatus

Sorry for the brief hiatus. I've been sick the past few days. Updates will continue tomorrow (I hope).

On an unrelated note, I'm updating the "Recent Pictures" on the right to be thumbnails now, so you can start clicking them to see larger versions. Only the top three are like that for now, but eventually I'll get all the ones there to link to larger images. KF

Morocco - Day 2: Ancient and New

Date: December 23 Location: Fès (Fez) Weather: Mild and Sunny Snails Eaten: 28

width="250">

On Day 2, after a good night's rest, we head straight for the
famous and ancient city of Fes (Fez). This is a city that's been alive
for 1200 years, and is still as vibrant as ever. Fes remains my
favorite city in the country, in fact.

src="http://x57.xanga.com/0acd32677133399643324/w70130056.jpg"
width="400">

Me, my mother, and my sister traveled there with my cousin
(TQ), and her husband (YH). Of
course, we stayed with family--YH's aunt, to be precise, and his
brothers' families who were also visiting. When we arrived, we were
treated to more of their hospitality and a great lunch (more couscous,
meat, vegetables, and tea). After a little rest, we went to the Fez
medina.

Now, as I mentioned before, a medina is a
section of town that has open-air markets and stalls selling
housewares, clothing, food, and most anything else you can imagine.
When you picture Morocco, oftentimes you think of the winding alleys
and streets filled with people buying and selling goods. This image
comes straight from Fes.

src="http://x8b.xanga.com/3f7d056a3553399643333/w70130063.jpg"
width="400">

The medina is confusing. Luckily both YH
and his brother were guiding us through, and we bought a few things,
and I ate a few snails with his brother. Snails have a very distinctive
taste; you can't really relate it to anything else, and the broth
they're boiled in is quite good for a cold.

But about shopping... It is quite fun in
this environment. But, while my sister and mother were going about
buying so many things as gifts, I had it easy: I just buy things for
myself. I'm the one on vacation, so I'm not gonna spend all this time
stressing out over what to get for 40 people back home who expect me to
buy something for them. And if it's not your birthday or a holiday,
it's rather much to expect a gift. ...but I
digress.

align=left>I did get one cool thing from Fes. A Fez. Come on, I couldn't go to the city for which it was named without buying one! Right now Lenny is wearing it.

align=center> src="http://x70.xanga.com/f7fd2a671213599643349/w70130073.jpg" height="223">

The medina is much more than shops, though. The medina is
typically the old part of a city, around which it was first founded.
And the Fes medina is built around the oldest
university in the world, href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Al_Karaouine" target="_new">University
of Al Karaouine, founded in 859 A.D. And not to mention that
gorgeous tilework and gates are spread throughout the medina, and the
interior of some shops as well.

src="http://xb5.xanga.com/dbdd0a713563399643341/w70130068.jpg"
height="400">

So, myself, my mother, my sister most definitely enjoyed the city of Fes.

src="http://x9b.xanga.com/ae5d26677213299643348/w70130072.jpg"
width="400">

That night we have dinner at home, and prepare to leave the
next day for the ancient Roman ruins of
Volubilis.

Tomorrow: Meknes. KF

Morocco - Day 1: Casablanca Arrival

Date: December 22 Location: Casablanca Weather: Mild and Sunny Hours Awake: 36

The first thing you should know is that we have family in Morocco. If you recall, in mid-2005 my cousin got married to a fellow from Morocco. Well, my cousin (call her TQ) a few months thereafter moved to Morocco to live with her husband (call him YH); so, now, we have family in Morocco.

I'd counted on his family--at least YH's father and mother--to show us hospitality. But, I honestly couldn't imagine the degree to which his entire family welcomed us. It was literally like they were taking us in as part of their own family--well, like YH's father said, sommes de la même famile. Throughout the entire vacation, we didn't need to stay at a single hotel--our cousin and our new extended family invited us to stay with them instead. Perhaps half of the time we ate, also, it was home-cooked. Those two things you'll notice throughout this vacation. So, let's begin with the events of the first day...

After our flight, we arrive in Casablanca in the early morning. TQ and YH meet us at the airport; they both live in Rabat, while YH's parents live in Casablanca. So, we first go to YH's parents' home in Casablanca to rest for a bit. Now, bear in mind that I don't sleep on flights, and the only way to prevent jet-lag is to avoid sleeping until the evening whenever you arrive. This meant I had to stay up for another 20 hours after not having slept the previous night. We greeted YH's mother and father at their home--and then, they treated us to an amazing breakfast at their home:

We're talking fresh orange juice, coffee, mint tea, croissants, fried bread, biscuits, three different cheeses, marmalade, and several other things I don't recall anymore. This was an excellent way to start the day--I also shot the first video with my camera at this.

After breakfast, TQ takes us to part of the medina (an open-air market area with several different shop stalls, selling food, housewares, and other merchandise) near her in-laws' home--which also happens to be down the street from the King's Casablanca Palace. Because it's Friday, and shortly before prayers, it's rather desolate. We mostly browse around and get some coffee/tea.

Now, I ordinarily go to Friday prayers (it is a requirement for men), although on vacations amd journeys, there is an exception. But, YH offered to take me to the Hassan II Mosque for Friday prayers that day if I wished to go...

The Hassan II Mosque is the grandest structure in Casablanca, the third-largest mosque in the world, has the tallest minaret in the world, and can accommodate hundreds of thousands of worshippers. It was completed in 1993, and despite mixed feelings about its construction, financing, and the King after whom it's named, most Casablancans do really appreciate the mosque. So, I couldn't pass up being able to visit something this grand for the purpose for which it was made.

After prayers, YH and I returned to his parents' house for lunch. The traditional, after-Friday-prayers Moroccan dish: couscous. This isn't the kind you can find at supermarkets, or even what you can find at restaurants. Nothing beats this:

So all of us, as family, enjoyed this together. After a little nap, we set off for Rabat, where YH and TQ both live. Rabat is the capital of Morocco, and only an hour east from Casablanca. We have dinner there, and rest up for the evening.

Tomorrow: Fès (Fez). KF

      

Exhausted

Ok I'm really, really exhausted now. I took off tomorrow from work is how tired I am now. I'll be making updates on my vacation over the next few days on what we did, with photos and everything. But for now I'm taking a little rest. KF

Vacation 2006

I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow. I'll be gone from December 21st to January 1st. I'll post once I get back.

So where am I going? Let me give you a couple hints...

We got:

Or perhaps:

And if you still haven't picked up on it...

Photos when I return. Happy new year, and happy holidays! KF

Into the Season

Christmas time tends to be a pretty enjoyable season. The most stressful thing about it is perhaps buying gifts, and when you don't really celebrate it (apart from exchanging a couple gifts with your friends, perhaps) then it's perfect: all the holiday cheer, with none of the pressure.

For me, the only other thing I dislike about Christmas is that it's during winter, and I hate cold weather. But considering it's been an average of 50 to 60 degrees over the past two weeks, no complaints there either.

But a funny thing happened on the way out of Chinese class week before last (Dec. 9th). I was meeting up with someone for lunch, and there we saw a group of folks being led by Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Mrs Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and the Ghost of Christmas Present. ... Well, the leading was done by the Cratchits; Scrooge and the Ghost were off to the side, observing. So, they acted out one of the scenes from A Christmas Carol, and segued into a bit about the history behind the Navy Memorial and National Archives area (which were right behind us -- don't ask me how they went from Christmas Present to the Navy Memorial, but it worked).

I asked Google what the deal was, and he told me about the Historic Strolls - Historic Walking Tours of Washington, D.C.. It's a rather interesting (and original?) concept... There's another one on December 23rd if you're interested enough.

©Michael Temchine -- The Washington Post

Ending the Year

Otherwise, things are closing out for this year. My Chinese class just ended yesterday, and I'm preparing to leave for vacation this Thursday (more on that later this week). Work is winding down, and I'm still researching taking math courses next year, though things get real complicated with that.

And I just spent 3 hours cleaning up my kitchen. Finally got that damned grease off the stove, and it only took 2 heavy-duty sponges and half a thing of Lysol.

Anyway, my last post of the year will be just before I leave for vacation. That'll center more on what I'll be doing and where I'll be going. 'Til then. KF

 

New Room

Ok so thanks to my mother, I finally got some more furniture. And I put up some other decorations I already had lying around. Anyway, if you don't recall, here's what it used to look like:

And here's what it looks like now:

It's feeling much more comfortable now. All that's left is to find some good decorations to fill out a few blank-ish spots on the walls. KF

Holiday Weekend

Hm, I really should get back into the habit of updating more often. I'll try to start updating once a week henceforth, at the very least.

Anyway, the last few weeks have been going by rather well. Over Thanksgiving Weekend, my mother came into town, so we got to spend Thursday through Saturday together. And, that Wednesday I was also at another friends' place in Reston, so I got two Thanksgiving dinners that week! But, on the menu for Thursday was:

• Chicken soup (with white meat and mixed vegetables)
• Broiled chicken (with the olive oil and set of spices we used, it turned out extremely good)
• Curried rice (my own recipe)
• ...and I think something else... I can't recall

But, point is, it was good.

Now Friday... every Black Friday I find myself in a mall. Never mind that I don't celebrate Christmas really, and even when I get gifts, it's only 2 or 3 for close friends, so I have no real incentive to do any shopping the day after Thanksgiving. But, fate always brings me by a mall for some reason or another on that day. I figured no point in working against fate, so we went shopping after Friday prayers. Though, I do wish I brought that shiny new camera so I could've taken some shots of the crowds.

Oh, and we went to Ikea. At my mother's insistence, I got some new furniture for my place. I'll put up some pictures and say a bit more sometime tomorrow then. KF