Marrakech’s reputation as a crowded, anything goes desert metropolis is well deserved in the full light of day, but the madness that ensues once the Sun has slipped below the base of Koutoubia’s  minaret is best eased with a bottle of Extra Strength Advil washed down with a few pots of sugary mint tea. Don’t forget to keep your wallet in your front pocket.

To my fellow MOORS, check this vid out of DJ Whoo Kid in Marrakesh, Morocco. What a beautiful city, gotta get over there in the very near future

Moroccan door and window treatments, now available at Home Depot.

Just a day or two before our arrival in Morocco, lunar sightings by Muslim clerics confirmed that the holy festival of Eid al-Adha (عيد الأضحى)  would take place on Saturday, November 28. When we appeared at our riad in Marrakech, we heard rumblings about some “festival of the lambs.” Initially, we didn’t make the connection. Then it dawned on us: we would witness one of the most important religious holidays on the Islamic calendar. We quickly rescheduled our excursion into the Atlas Mountains for Friday and then mentally prepared ourselves for the pleasure of walking through Marrakech with the souq entirely shut down. Of course, there would be blood in the streets…

Even as we made our way from the airport into the city, we noticed an occasional cart filled with sheep. As the big day approached, more and more sheep were being ferried to Marrakech’s mosques. Young men on the city’s ubiquitous mopeds would fly by with sheep tucked under the arms. Sheep in the backseats of cars. Sheep, sheep, sheep. The end would not be a happy one for our shaggy friends.

▲ Eid al-Adha celebrates the end of the pilgrimage (hajj) season to Mecca and Abraham’s sacrifice of his son to Allah. Sacrifice is a key component of the holiday. So, IF YOU’RE SQUEAMISH, IT’S TIME TO NAVIGATE AWAY FROM THIS PAGE. We’re not kidding. You’ve been warned. Pictured here, one of the mosques hidden in Marrakech’s souq. From this vantage, it looks like any other day, though without the hordes of people pushing their way through the market.

▲ Thankfully, we didn’t witness the actual moment of knife to beast, but as we walked the dusty streets of Marrakech on this quiet Saturday, there were abundant signs of the carnage outside the mosques. Fires were built to burn the heads and carcasses of the victims.

▲ 10 hours later, the fire was still blazing.

▲ We took advantage of the empty city to do some sightseeing. We made our way to the southern part of the medina to walk around two palaces. Though their museums were closed for the holiday, we enjoyed photographing the storks perched on their fortifications. And there was another scene of wonder. A sheep was meeting its maker at a nearby mosque. A throng of tourists — mostly French, so far as we could tell — gathered around with open mouths and cameras in hand.

Last year, I lived in Marrakesh, Morocco. How our family got there and what happened to us—that’s my story. It begins seventeen years before we moved to the palm and rock-strewn desert of North Africa.

1991, I was working in downtown Seattle’s Columbia Tower (“once the tallest building west of the Mississippi!”). Though it has rolled through several names (Seafirst Center, Bank of America Tower), a lot of people in our city know it as the “Darth Vader Building.” Dark lobby, unknowable passageways, closed storefronts, tinted glass—it’s a building of edges caught in some outer space fantasy. (This dreamscape has been carried on by Vulcan, the Star Trek building complex of Paul Allen’s, just to the south.)

There, I worked on the 53rd floor as a hack paralegal, a quick hire in a failing firm. After finishing graduate school a few years earlier, I had had my first book coming out. Back then, as now, many artists crowded the temp agencies and back rooms of CPA agencies and law firms.

It was a place of failure. Though you could stand in one of the attorneys’ offices and look over Elliott Bay where container ships pull under the orange cranes for unloading, the glittery theater of the law firm only occupied part of the 53rd floor. The rest was empty except for some ripped carpet and a few pieces of rebar tossed around. On Fridays, the mailroom guys smoked bowls back there and took in the view of the freeway. (One of those boys, I heard years later, was the son a partner at the firm and had used the shipping facilities as a cocaine distribution center. He’d mailed envelopes of powder around the country, using his Dad’s letterhead.)

My job at Sylvester Rood Petrie and Cruzen, as I understood it, was to stamp documents, file legal briefs and run back and forth to the courthouse. I was also meant to endure a boss with a personality disorder and a shopping addiction. Her “luggage,” as she called it, was eight or ten Nordstrom and Marshall’s bags that she juggled to and from the elevators between lunch and 5 pm. The roar of wrinkling paper announced her arrival, as did her shrill come-on: “Tell me what you are doing and how long it took,” she’d shriek and then stand, looking from you to her nails, as if deciding whether to buy the explanation.

Rarely did she come back to the part of the firm where I worked. It was in a dimly lit zone wedged between the storage shelves of bankers’ boxes and the partition that separated us from the vacant real estate on the other side. There were three or four Bartleby guys who worked at tables set up by the metal shelves. They pressed post-its onto papers and pounded stamps with rotating number counters onto folders. I left the hollow-core door to my little office open so that they wouldn’t find me unfriendly and that’s when things got interesting.

A few weeks ago I came across a post on Hijabtrendz about these cute little Al Amira style winter hat from Zara.  As soon as I saw it I said “oh man, I so want that, but alas I’ll never get it from here in Morocco”.  I assumed the store was a UK brand because I’d never heard of it before, and many of the hijab bloggers are in the UK.  That was dumb because when I bothered to read the About section on the blog (just now), I found it’s by an American blogger! 

One of each, any color please!

Anyhow, as most people do when they see something they like, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I’d love to have one for the winter when I already top my hijab with a winter hat and scarf when it’s really cold.  Finally, this morning I decided to look up Zara and see if I could maybe order it online, have it sent to the United States and just retrieve it when we return.  I couldn’t find the piece on the website, or a place to order online.  However, I poked around to see where there were stores and to my surprise, there are quite a few in the United States- great, but I’m still not getting the hijab.  Or am I? 

I scrolled over one of the categories (I can’t remember which now) and a bunch of countries came up including Morocco.  Then it dawned on me to check the store locations for Africa.  There was Morocco (and Tunisia) with four locations in Casablanca (2), Marrakesh, and Agadir.  Since we’re planning to be in Marrakesh for the new year, I’ll definitely be looking for the Zara store and the cute little hijab hat.  If I don’t find it then at least I know I tried!

Zara store locations in Morocco:

• Agadir: Marina Agadir Quai West, 84000 Agadir, 212 28820469
• Casablanca: Blvd. Al Massira - Mesou, Casablanca, 212 22362337 and Med V – Terminal 2, 20240 Casablanca 212 225 39927
• Marakesh: Pl. Marr. Av. Mohamed V – Ima, Marrakesh, 212 24423925

Photos from Hijabtrendz.com.

click above image to enlarge

Though we are both seasoned travelers, we’ve gotten in the habit of picking up a mainstream guidebook before booking tickets and heading off into the great unknown. We’ll let the name of our chosen Moroccan guidebook go unmentioned, but suffice it to say that one of the selling points emblazoned on the back cover should have been a warning: “Four authors, 136 days of in-country research…” Really? 136 days of in-country research for the 9th edition of a 536-page guide for all of Morocco? We wondered if the authors might have missed or misconstrued anything.

So far as we can tell, there are three reasons why Westerners have descended upon Marrakech since the 1960s. First, the bohemian/hippie draw of the place, which now seems to have been replaced with the EasyJet and ClubMed crowd. Second, to gawk at storks. And third, to plunge into the city’s infamous market (souq) and to partake in the carnival-like atmosphere of the Djemaa el Fna. We traveled to Marrakech mainly for the souq, and unfortunately the souq didn’t deliver.

Marrakech’s souq is a sprawling mess, which, in most circumstances, is one of its charms. The larger parts of the market are covered, while others are unmarked, narrow, curvy alleyways which frequently come to an abrupt end. When we’d spy the Westerners in front of us suddenly doubling back, we knew a cul de sac was just ahead. Our guidebook recommended heading north into the souq from the main square and then to be prepared to get lost only to reemerge with a carpet in tow. This was, sadly, one of the only shreds of practical and wholly accurate advice about Marrakech’s market. While some of the remaining information the book contained might have been valid upon publication, it quickly became clear to us that the souqsters of Marrakech were all too familiar with what our guide’s recommendations. The book was tucked away in a backpack and rarely saw the light of day until the end of our visit.

For Westerners who have never experienced such a thing, Marrakech’s souq must seem exotic and magical. And although there were aspects of the market we both enjoyed, we agreed that the ridiculously inflated prices (typically 300% or more over what the seller was actually willing to accept from a foreigner), the aggressive behavior of most of the merchants, and the disappointingly low quality of much the merchandise would not warrant a return-trip to Marrakech.

Many sellers were quick to point out that all of their merchandise was produced in Morocco, or even in Marrakech itself, but many of the items were mass-produced imports from places like India.

▲ With this photograph, we have now come to our most unpleasant moment in Marrakech, the city which doesn’t believe in price tags. Two bits of information from our guidebook are particularly insightful. First, when engaged in negotiation, “[i]f you end up paying 60% of the opening price, you’ve done well.” Bullshit. In our experience, we routinely — and without much effort — “talked down” the initial asking price by half. Second, “[m]any Moroccans genuinely believe that Westerners… are infinitely more naive, gullible, and even plain stupid… Considered to be the most lucrative nationalities, in descending order, are the Japanese, Americans, Canadians, the British, [etc.]…” The basic idea seemed to hold true. Shopkeepers immediately sized us up and invariably asked, “Where are you from?” We told the truth. Of course, the matching Boise State t-shirts may have given us away.

▲ So the chap with his back to the camera thought he could get the best of L. Having negotiated a 650 dirhem (about US$93) price for several pieces, she produced four 200 dirhem notes and apologized for not having change. It’s standard custom in this part of the world for merchants to pop over to the next shop if they need to break a large bill, and our boy-man said “no problem, come with me, we’ll get the change.” Instead of talking a few steps, we found ourselves trailing our fast-paced “merchant” through the labyrinthine souq. Before we knew it, we were standing before a bank. “You can get the money here.” The scam was revealed. After some protestations, our man hastened back into the market; L. trailed behind as S. caught up to the fellow and followed him into his shop. When we insisted to what the hell he was thinking, the Thief of Marrakech initially responded “I already gave her change!” This was easily diffused: “So why did you lead us to a bank? Why are you asking for more money?” Then the third-rate capitalist claimed not to have been paid at all. We dug in our feet, and eventually an older man — perhaps the guy’s father or uncle — who’d been wandering around the shop (see first picture) produced the change. S. couldn’t resist wiping the huge smirk off the boy-man’s face as we were departing, so he darted back into the shop and shamed him in front of his fellow shop keepers. Mission accomplished. But our enthusiasm for shopping had evaporated into thin air.

▲ There were happier moments, to be sure. On our first full day in Marrakech, we made a nosedive into a carpet shop. One carpet just didn’t seem enough. We now have two beautiful carpets from this blurry merchant — and two more from a workers’ cooperative — adorning our flat.

▲ One of the workers preparing a 9′ carpet for a ride on EasyJet as checked luggage. It was double-stitched with a built-in handle.

▲ We lugged the carpets back to the riad ourselves, though in Marrakech an army of men with oversized wheelbarrows are always happy to assist.

▲ This small souq, however, was a no-wheelbarrow zone.

▲ In the next posting we’ll talk more about the major Islamic holiday that occurred while we were in Marrakech. Having had our fill of souq merchants, though, we were quite happy to explore the empty city while the shops were closed. The winding alleys and streets of the souq are impossible to map and many of the streets are either unmarked or have signs only in Arabic (although the more popular streets are signed in Arabic and French). One’s bearings are easily lost.

▲ Other signs are not so helpful for finding one’s way.

▲ The eerily quiet alleyway outside our riad.

▲ The souq offered more than jewelry, lamps, carpets, and aggressive behavior. This part of the market is filled with colorful spices, nuts, dates, and figs.

▲ Marrakech is a city filled with cats. Most were well-fed, though almost all could have used a good bath.

 www.moroccopost.net/

Trains are by far the best way to travel throughout Morocco.  They are inexpensive, have frequent timetables, get you to most major cities in Morocco, and you can watch the varied landscapes of Morocco pass you by as you travel from one place to the next. There’s even a first class cabin if you want to travel in style, but I’m not sure what more they afford you other than a little bit bigger seat.  Otherwise, the second class cabins are clean and comfortable with just a few exceptions of some train relics still on the tracks.  While they can get crowded, you can more often than not find a seat.  The double-decker commuter trains from Rabat to Casablanca (I think they actually start in Kenitra) are crowded to standing room only during the mornings and evenings- rush hour. 

Unfortunately, mishaps can occur when riding the train.  On one of our first train rides to El Jadida, we were stopped for an unusually long time, but not at an actual station.  After about 20 minutes, people started milling about and eventually reported that our train had struck a man.  Though he didn’t die from his injuries as far as we know, this isn’t the first and only incident of its kind. 

The good news is you can easily travel on the trains with a big piece of luggage or even two.  We actually brought seven with us when we arrived, but we were travelling at night when the trains are empty.  It took three of us, and we had to stack them in the pass throughs and stand with them the entire time of course, but at least we were able to manage it.   

Taxis are always at the ready when trains pull into the station, mostly petit taxis, but at some stations like in Tangier and Marrakesh grand taxis are abundant as well. 

Unlike the city buses, the train system in Morocco has a well-developed website with information, train schedules, and customer service phone line (though you probably have to speak French or Darija). 

On long journeys, there are sleeper trains which offer private cabins with beds that travel overnight.  I can hear them pass in the distance when everyone is sleeping and the night air becomes still.  I’ve always wanted to travel on one, but with my luck I’d be up all night and when I got to the destination I’d have to sleep through it!

The company also offers monthly commuter passes that offer little, but at least some discount on regular travel if you are going to be traveling from one place to another on a regular basis.  They are a little restrictive in that the passes are only good for point to point destination such as Rabat to Casablanca and whatever stops are in between, but you can’t use them on a train trip to Marrakesh for instance.  There may be other types of travel passes, but I’m only familiar with the commuter pass since we purchased them during our short stint working in Casablanca.

On our recent trip home from El Jadida, we started out on the city to city buses, but found it hot, crowded, and cramped.  At the stop in Casablanca, we opted to take a taxi to the nearest train station and ride back to Rabat by rail.  It was a good decision even with the extra cost of the taxi, which by the way, is only 10 DH from the bus station to Casa Voyagers.  We found a cabin style car, where little cabins have bench or individual seating and a closing door.  Most trains have open cabins with individual seating 2×2 which is a little better in my view.  But, then again, when you’re in close quarters you can meet and talk with the most random people.

And, on most journeys a little refreshment cart that passes by with over-priced snacks, drinks (hot coffee, tea, soda and juices), and pastries.  But, if you’re rushing on the train and hungry, at least you have an option.  In some places, enterprising individuals also roam the carts selling cookies, cakes, chips and drinks at reduced prices too.  I found this most often on the northern trains between Tangier and Fes. 

Some of my favorite Morocco photos were captured from the windows of the train.

Now that I’ve written a whole post on my point of view about trains, here are many others.  I actually meant to just create a post full of links to these, but see I somehow had a little more to say first!

• Hey Morocco – Morocco by Train
• Morocco.com – Trains
• Riad Views Blog – Guide to Trains in Morocco

What are you train experiences?  Has anyone ever travelled on the overnight sleeper trains?  Please share any tips, stories or otherwise useful information on train travel in Morocco.

Date stamped photo credit to my dad.

Tchaba Marrakesh - Table and Chairs Carved from Tree Roots

This table isn’t for the customers–it’s a display table in the shop section.  Different kinds of tea from all over the world are displayed and sold in the tea shop.

Currant Dream Tea Served at Tchaba Tea House, in Marrakesh

There is a small section of tables where customers can order and try out different teas.   Both of the teas we had (above and below) cost 35 Moroccan dirhams each (about $4 USD).  However, since high-quality tea bags are used, we were unable to read the tea leaves!

Chamomile Breeze Tea at Tchaba Tea House, in Marrakesh

The tea house restaurant is nestled between the Hivernage cafés across from the Palais de Congrés on Avenue Mohamed VI.

–Margot

Marrakech was founded in the 1070s by the Almoravid dynast Abu Bakr ibn Umar (أبو بكر بن عمر‎). The city quickly achieved great strategic importance and was one of the chief stops along the trans-Saharan route linking the kingdom of Mali to the south and the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. Despite its rich history, Marrakech is remarkably devoid of medieval architecture. And yet the tourists come…

▲ Walking along Rue Fatima Zohra, on our way to the Koutoubia mosque (جامع الكتبية), one of Marrakech’s most famous — and historical — landmarks.

▲ The top of Koutoubia’s minaret. Rising to nearly 70m (220ft), Koutoubia was originally built in the late 12th century, although it has come down to us in a high restored form.

▲ Everywhere we’ve gone, from Kizhi to Bucharest, Tbilisi to Marrakech, there have been two photographic constants: pigeons and scaffolding. Unlike our other destinations, however, the menus of Moroccan restaurants invariably included a “savory” pigeon pastry and roasted pigeon stuffed with couscous. Hot sauce strongly recommended.

▲ As soon as she saw this minaret, L. fell into an unshakable trance and began to sing “♪♫♪♫ Koutoubia, Jamaica, ew I wanna take u to Bermuda, Bahama, where’s the Benihana? Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go down to Morocco…? ♪♫♪♫” For the record, there’s no Benihana in Marrakech, but there is a Pizza Hut.

▲ Koutoubia as seen from the Square de Foucauld.

▲ The park around Koutoubia, although popular with camera-clutching tourists, is a popular hangout for Marrakech’s less fortunate. Indeed, the gulf between rich and poor is unusually large, especially when one enters the outskirts where Western pop and movie stars are dropping millions of euros on walled mansions.

▲ The park, like the rest of Marrakech, is also home to a seemingly infinite population of cats.

▲ An Islamic shrine near the Arset Moulay Abdessalam.

▲ Marrakech’s old town, the medina, is nestled inside a (highly restored) 16km circuit of walls.

▲ There are a few notable historic sites in Marrakech, but the celebration of a major Islamic holiday (to be covered in a later posting) and our short stay made it impossible to visit several of them. On our last full day in the city, we trekked to the southern part of the medina to see the Royal and Bahia Palaces as well as the ca. 1600 tombs of the Saadian dynasty. These were closed because of Eid al-Adha. Happily, there were other photo opportunities. Perched along the top of the walls of the Royal Palace were twenty or more storks.

▲ So far as we know, the storks are not for eating.

▲ Besides the Koutoubia mosque, Marrakech’s other major landmark is Djemaa el-Fna (جامع الفناء), a large public square that is normally brimming with spice and juice vendors, snake charmers, dancing boys, prophets, and, at night, a mind-blowing assortment of food stalls. On this day, however, Djemaa el-Fna was uncharacteristically quiet and empty thanks to the Islamic holy day.

▲ The irritating call of the snake charmers was difficult to resist.

▲ This poor chap took the bait and before he knew what was happening, a snake was around his neck and his picture was being snapped by one of the swindlers, uh, handlers.

▲ This angry cobra was closer than he appears in the photo.

▲ Just 30 seconds into the reptilian adventure, the charmers demanded payment: 500 dirhems, over $71! The victim stalled by ruffling through the change in his pockets while snapping a few extra pictures. In the end he escaped with a bribe of only 100 dirhems, about $14. Few things are free in Morocco, and nothing is a bargain in tourist-laden Marrakech. We’d learn this the hard way in the market (souq).

▲ The most dangerous thing about the snake encounter was the threat of a rapidly shrinking wallet. S. was reminded of a far more perilous situation, the feeding of wild hyenas outside Harar, Ethiopia in summer 2007. Raw, stinky strips of mystery meat on the end of a four-inch stick… was my rabies booster up-to-date?

▲ More of Djemaa el-Fna.

▲ As the sun slipped behind the Atlas Mountains, the snake charmers vacated the square and their place was taken by an assortment of food vendors.

▲ We escaped the carnival and returned to our room at the riad.

▲ And we drank more mint tea in preparation for our descent into the brutal souq of Marrakech.

I never really knew that kabobs were a Middle Eastern food thing.  It’s one of those things that I grew up with because my mom made us Lebanese food as part of our every day meals.  They never seemed like the other exotically named foods (well, exotic to an 8 year-old) like tabbouli or hommos.  Nowadays, kabobs aren’t some exotic food and everyone makes them all the time- in fact, they are a summer grill staple.  Of course, every culture has its method of seasoning, marinating, and cooking.  Back in the United States, I once discovered that even ground beef can be made into kabobs by shaping the meat around the skewer.  Who knew!  We used to go to this wonderful halal restaurant called Kabob Hut  in Laurel, MD about once a week (even though it was a 45 minute drive away) to have the spicy kefta kabobs- we miss them greatly!

In Morocco, kabobs are called brochettes and unlike their American counterparts that I’m most familiar with, the pieces of meat on a brochette are much smaller and there’s no vegetable between each piece.  One of the most popular preparations of brochette, especially during Eid Al-Adha is sheep’s liver grilled, then wrapped in belly fat and regrilled.  Not a fan!  Brochettes also come in all other meat forms like beef and chicken as well and are often found on many of the cafe menus- I love the chicken brochettes at Cafe Toubkal in Marakesh. 

During Eid this weekend, I watched twice as the perfect recipe for mutton or lamb brochettes were prepared in such a way that I would not only eat them there, but consider replicating the recipe again myself.  The recipe is really simple and the most work comes from cutting the meat in such small pieces. 

Luckily, on Sunday, my brother-in-law sat at the table and created mounds of meat cut perfectly for making brochettes.  Then, about half of it was bagged for us to take home.  Strange how in the United States we’d never even think of not taking meat on a three-hour journey without refrigeration, but here in Morocco, the sheep wasn’t refrigerated at all up to the point we had packed it in our bag.  Now, most of it is sitting in bags in my mini-freezer.  Anyhow, on to the recipe…

Brochettes of Mutton or Lamb
Serves 4-6
Cooking Time: 30-45 minutes preparation, about 7-10 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. mutton or lamb*
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons oil

Heat up grill.  Cut meat into very small cubes, less than 1 inch square.  Chop onion and parsley very fine.  Place cut meat, onion, parsley, oil and all the spices in a bowl and mix well.  Allow meat to sit for at least 15 minutes before beginning to place meat on skewers.  Place skewers on grill and rotate after about 5 minutes until desired doneness is met.** Serve with crusty bread and a mixture of cumin and salt for dipping.

Notes:

• *We used meat from the leg for our brochettes.
• **We like them very well done, not tough but with a nice charcoaled edge to them.
• I would only cook these over a real grill, not under a broiler, but that’s just my personal preference.

Thanks to MarocMama’s latest post and recipe I realized I forgot oil as an ingredient and the recipe has been amended above.

As the Swiss prepared to ban new minaret construction and as Americans chowed down on turkey and stuffing, we headed to Geneva and boarded an early morning EasyJet flight to Marrakech (Marrakesh, مراكش), an old trading center in central Morocco.

▲ Four days later, we returned home with painfully sore throats to Bern’s first significant snowfall of the year. The weather in Marrakech was somewhat better — daytime temperatures in the 70s and abundant blue sky.

▲ The old quarter of Marrakech, “the Red City,” is renowned for its souq (market), irritating “merchants,” and labyrinthine passageways, which double as interstate highways for insane moped and motorcycle riders who have a complete disregard for human life. Here, the main gate of the tiny street leading to our riad (رياض‎), a cozy bed-and-breakfast with an open central garden.

▲ View from the roof of our riad towards the 12th-century minaret of the Koutoubia mosque (جامع الكتبية). The loudspeakers on this particular minaret were particularly numerous and well placed. The daily 4:30am call to prayer was impossible to miss (i.e., sleep through).

▲ The distinctive chimney of the riad’s hammam (steam bath).

▲ View from our room into the riad’s garden.

▲ One of the resident cats sleeping on the couch outside our room’s “door.”

▲ Breakfast guest.

▲ Our first meal in Marrakech: a plate of Morocco’s famous couscous. Not quite mom’s Thanksgiving dumplings…

▲ One of our favorite things about Morocco: tea spiked with fresh mint and a kilo of sugar.

▲ Settled into the riad, food in our bellies, and desperately trying to pry ourselves out of a sugar coma, it was time to explore Marrakech… and to steer clear of the hordes of European and American tourists. Before heading off, we studied the tourist map given to us by our riad hosts. When we checked out several days later, we discovered an optional/mandatory €1.50 map fee. It was, sadly, indicative of our experience…

Dian Emery is another travel blogger who saw a hole in the internet and endeavored to fix it. While researching a girl’s getaway with her mum, she realized that there was a lack of information targeted directly to women travelers.

She traveled extensively as an “Air Force Brat”, spending summer vacations touring Austrian castles, camping near the beaches of Barcelona, and train trips to France.

Dian Emery enjoying lunch in Banes, Cuba

After university, she continued her life of travel, but soon discovered money was a necessary evil required to support her wanderlust. She launched Girlsgetaway.com a few months ago and hasn’t looked back.

“My goal is to encompass all aspects of a girl’s getaway,” she says. “From letting everything that happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas, to having a life altering experience in Marrakesh.”

While the site’s new, it’s lacking in the content department, but it makes up for it in the quality department. Dian’s passion for travel shines through in everything she writes.

However, the site’s not all about Dian, there are guest columns from writers around the world. I was particularly fond of the easy-to-read question and answer style of Laura Byrne Paquet’s “pampered girls” trip to Kingston and Vanessa Villanova’s short, but sweet video of Machu Picchu.

Ci siamo. Qualche giorno ancora è l’Aîd El-Kebir, come si chiama in Marocco l’Aîd El-Adha, arriverà. Arriverà a stordirmi la vita.  Premetto che sono ospite in questo Paese quindi accetto e rispetto in toto le loro tradizioni e tutto quello che è la loro cultura, ma l’Aid El-Kebir è un vero incubo per me. La soluzione? Semplice, mi barrico nel Riad e per un paio di giorni non metto fuori il naso, e mi tappo le orecchie perchè nella medina si sentono belati strazianti ovunque, come adesso che sto scrivendo dall’ufficio.  In questi giorni centinaia di dibattiti sui blogs degli animalisti, nelle televisioni e sui giornali mettono, come ogni anno, il dito nella piaga. Perchè far soffrire cosi’ gratuitamente un povero animale lasciandolo cosciente durante la sua agonia?,  perchè non cercare almeno di stordirlo perchè i suoi ultimi minuti di esistenza siano lievi?..,  perchè in nome di un rituale antico di secoli non si puo’ trovare una soluzione più accettabile considerando che siamo nel terzo millennio?…..potrei andare avanti all’infinito. La mia riflessione parte da un altra considerazione: perchè la corrida, strumento di spettacolo ( e non religioso) continua ad esistere in un Paese assolutamente civile rispetto a molti Paesi arabi?   La pratica della tauromachia è puramente spettacolare, racchiudendo in se una nicchia culturale certo,  ma pur sempre spettacolo per le folle. E ancora penso agli allevamenti intesivi dei vitelli da latte o alla forzata alimentazione delle oche per produrre un fegato enorme e di conseguenza un paté consistente e brelibato (per gli estimatori). Tante sono le questioni  sul tavolo e ovviamente trovare una risposta solida non è facile. Qui si tratta di morte (come nella corrida) in nome di una tradizione religiosa che, a detta di molti esperti arabi, ha sconfinato nella pura festa goliardica e godereccia. Tutti quelli che erano i pressuposti di pietà, di condivisione, di solidarietà, sono pressochè scomparsi in questi tempi moderni. Quindi allora perchè non trovare una soluzione e permettere che questo sacrificio diventi più tollerato anche dalle frange occidentali più intolleranti? La risposta secondo me e semplice e di facile interpretazione. Il procedimento dello sgozzamento, lasciando l’animale cosciente, coricato su di un fianco con la testa rivolta verso la Mecca, pronunciando alcune parole dedicate ad Allah, non è una pratica ad uso esclusivo dell’Aid El-Kebir ma é la procedura consueta nei mattatoi islamici.  Sempre si dissangua l’animale perchè la carne deve essere Halal e qualsiasi tipo di animale riceve questo trattamento, non solo il montone ma galline, mucche, conigli e uccelli. Quindi il problema si ribalta e diventa più generale. E’ vero che durante l’Aïd in Marocco quasi 5 milioni di montoni vengono sgozzati all’unisono e lasciati agonizzare, ma cio’ non toglie che non sia un caso isolato, un giorno all’anno. Quindi, a mio giudizio, è un problema culturale e di civiltà (non di religione), di metodo, che non puo’ essere eliminato da un giorno all’altro. La religione non richiede espressamente che l’animale sia vigile e cosciente.  Durante una conferenza tenuta al Cairo nel 1966, sotto il patrocinio dell‘Accademia Islamica, un buon numero di eruditi musulmani si sono espressi sul soggetto del sacrificio nell‘Islam. Una delle conclusione è stata: ” Il Corano formula chiaramente che il Creatore (Dio) non desidera il sacrificio come tale, ma come simbolo della devozione a Dio del sacrificante. Il versetto del Corano 22:37 indica espressamente che il sacrificio  non deve sussistere come componente essenziale della religione, ma un atto di carità destinato ai poveri“. Questa espressione di sacrificio permette di perpetuare una necessità di ordine umanitario, la prova provata di una  compassione verso i fratelli umani nel bisogno, come testimonianza della compassione che Dio accorda agli uomini. Il Grand Mufti di Marsiglia ha dichiarato che ” Durante i primi tempi dell’Islam la tradizione di offrire degli animali aveva un senso. La carne era un ingrediente essenziale dell’alimentazione umana. Nei nostri giorni uccidere un animale è diventato un rituale vuoto e il senso profondo dell’atto è stato dimenticato“.  Ha concluso esprimendo il concetto che “l’immolazione di un montone nell’occasione dell’Aid  El-Kebir non è un pilastro dell’Islam, ne un obbligazione comparabile alla preghiera o al digiuno del Ramadan“. Detto questo si puo’ tranquillamente affermare che nulla vieta di stordire l’animale prima di procedere allo sgozzamento, non vi è traccia alcuna sul Corano che proibisca questa pratica di pietà. Anzi, in alcuni Paesi a forte componenete islamica questa pratica è già una realtà, come in  Kenia e in alcuni Paesi asiatici. Credo sia esclusivamente una questione di tempo e anche il Marocco, molto vicino all’Europa,  si uniformerà alle leggi vigenti, in funzione del fatto che è disumano far soffrire gli animali in questo modo e, cosa molto importante, per una questione di igiene. La maggiorparte di questi sacrifici non sono compiuti in mattatoi autorizzati ma nelle singole abitazioni dei privati, a volte in condizioni deprecabili. Questo comporta tutta una serie di problemi sanitari non indifferenti, con la presenza costante di bambini e anziani, che sono i soggetti più esposti e più fragili.  So per certo comunque che una percentuale di persone, ogni anno più numerose, di ceto medio alto e culturalmente preparate, scelgono i giorni dell’Aid per andarsene in viaggio, in Paesi dove ovviamente non si festeggia questa tradizione. Mentre dilaga in in Algeria una moda che vuole il combattimento tra possenti maschi di montone che, ovviamente, porta alla morte di uno dei due animali. Non è servito il richiamo degli Imam del Paese per scongiurare questa attività, e per 3/4 giorni prima del sacrificio in ogni luogo si improvvisano i combattimenti. Spero tanto che questa moda non dilaghi anche qui in Marocco! Queste considerazioni comunque mi conducono al discorso precedente; è un problema di cultura e non di religione, di civiltà e di rispetto verso tutti gli esseri viventi.  Mi rammento, per chiudere e spezzare una lancia, di certe pratiche che ancora oggi in un paese civile come l’Italia, perdurano nelle campagne. Molte volte mi sono fermato alla vista, in qualche bella aia del cuneese, di conigli appesi a dissanguare o a vedere l’amico contadino che, con un colpo preciso, sgozzava il povero pennuto; non dico che tutto il mondo è Paese ma cerchiamo di essere realisti e comprendere che costumi di una qualsiasi società sono difficili da sdradicare, quindi pazienza e coraggio, affidando alle nuove generazioni un po’ più di buonsenso.

Vedi anche http://myamazighen.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/aid-el-kebir-2009/ 

Tra meno di due settimane avrà inizio la 9a Edizione del Festival Internazionale del Film di Marrakech (FIFM). Registi da utto il mondo saranno presenti al rendez-vous dal 4 al 12 dicembre e prenderanno parte a diverse attività in programma. Il realizzatore e scenografo messicano Alfonso Cuaron, il  regista australiano Christopher Doyle, il regista Jim Jarmusch e il regista/attore serbo Emil Kusturica daranno vita ad un Master Class che avrà luogo nelle sale degli Ambasciatori al Palais des Congres, sede ufficiale del Festival, red carpet incluso. Ricordo che il Presidente della giuria è Abbas Kiarostami, regista, scenografo e produttore iraniano, premiato con una Palma d’oro per “Il gusto delle ciliegie“. Kiarostami sarà circondato da uomini e donne del cinema internazionale. Cito l’attrice francese Fanny Ardant, il regista palestinese Elia Suleiman, l’attrice nostrana Isabella Ferrari e il regista/scrittore francese Christophe Honore. Membri della giuria l’attrice spagnola Marisa Redes, il regista britannico Mike Figgis, l’attrice indiana Nandita Das e l’argentino Pablo Trapero. Nella cerimonia di chiusura prevista per sabato 12 dicembre, la giuria premierà con quattro Stelle d’Oro (Grand Prix) i migliori films, oltre ad un premio della Critica e un premio per la miglior interpretazione femminile e maschile. Nel quadro dell’omaggio reso al cinema asiatico, il FIFM ha previsto un programma dedicato al cinema thailandese. Questo settore in Thailandia sta conoscendo una florescenza artistica che dura da alcuni anni con numerosi giovani attori come Nonzee Nimibutr, Pen Ek Ratanaruang e Oxide Pang. Lo sguardo sul cinema thailandese avrà inizio giovedi’ 10 dicembre, in presenza di una delegazione di registi thailandesi. Una selezione dei films sarà proiettata durante tutta la durata del Festival, secondo programma della manifestazione.

New York destinazione Marrakech!. E’ in Marocco, nella Ville Rouge, che le fashion protagoniste hanno posato le loro valigie Louis Vuitton, per girare alcune scene del secondo film di “Sex & the City“. Forse finalmente si potrà vedere un cambio di look, abbandonando i tacchi a spillo “Jimmy Choo” per indossare delle babouches?. “Mai” dichiara Carrie Bradshaw. Accompagnate da tutta l’equipe delle riprese, le quattro attrici si sono installate per circa sei settimane a Marrakech, sorseggiando thé alla menta e Bloody Mary…le riprese si sono svolte in alcuni Hotels della città tra cui il Mandalina Resort, in fase di costruzione, con apertura prevista per il 2010. Mobili, suppellettili e quant’altro sono stati trasportati dall’America per poter ricostruire parti del set nell’Hotel-Resort, praticamente work in progress.

Ancora scandali, rumors, forse censure per la martoriata stampa marocchina. Questa volta si tratta di una rivista femminile a finire sotto i proiettori infuocati dei benpensanti. La rivista si chiama “Femmes du Maroc“, molto seguita dal ceto medio- alto borghese del Paese e, se l’inchiesta sul parto in Marocco non scandalizza, la fotografia di copertina crea imbarazzi e discussioni accese, invocanti la messa al bando del mensile. Una fotografia, una semplice e bella fotografia che ritrae Nadia Larguet, incinta, con la mano sinistra che copre il seno e la destra appoggiata sul ventre arrotondato. La sola cosa che indossa è un anello con sei piccoli cuori. Se non conoscete la coraggiosa Nadia Larguet vi dico chi è: moglie di Nourredine Saïl, direttore del Centro Cinematografico Marocchino, di mestiere è produttrice/presentatrice di una trasmissione per bambini, Entr’act, sul canale privato marocchino 2M. La fotografia è stata scattata sul modello della celebre immagine di Demi Moore, datata 1991, per la rivista americana Vanity Fair. Tutto il mondo islamico si è sollevato e a dichiarato guerra a questa “infamia“. Questa copertina audace rischia di far colare tonnellate di astio nei prossimi giorni senza dimenticare che il mensile Femmes du Maroc è disponibile in tutte le edicole del Marocco, fianco a fianco della stampa arabofona o delle riviste inneggianti la famiglia. Quale sarà la reazione del Governo e dei partiti politici come il Partito della Giustizia e dello Sviluppo davanti a questa provocazione?. Quello che è certo è il risvolto pubblicitario gratuito del mensile che sta imperversando sui media del Paese. L’immagine di Nadia ha provocato e provocherà un forte choc in certune persone ma per altre ha offerto un soffio di modernità inaspettato. Sicuramente, fatto salvo i risvolti della censura, questo mensile femminile ha avuto la capacità di far riflettere un intero Paese su aspetti troppo a lungo nascosti, demolendo un tabù anacronistico, mettendo in risalto la bellezza e la poesia di un corpo femminile fuori da schemi preconcetti, gettando alle fiamme veli, jellaba e tradizioni ancestrali. Bravi!

The rest of our time in Morocco was great.  We really enjoyed walking around Marrakesh but weren’t quite as refreshed as we had hoped seeing as Eva didn’t think much of sleeping and Andrew was busy negotiating contracts!  It was still great to be away.

The weather was beautiful in the high 20’s.  It was so warm we even braved a swim in the unheated hotel pool.  Eva loved her very brief dip in her wetsuit.  Daddy enjoyed playing games and singing to her despite that fact that his legs went numb.

We were pleased that overall Marrakesh was very clean with no rubbish to be seen and plenty of rubbish men collecting.  Also it was much more pleasant than in Turkey or Egypt where the shop sellers really hassle you.  Sadly the air was very polluted and made it hard to breathe at times.  There were lots of scooters and old vehicles on the road.

We enjoyed more wandering in the souks (covered Markets) where they wanted to sell us everything for our baby of course.  We took a Caleche (Horse and Cart) Ride which was a lovely pace to watch the world go by.  The breeze was nice to keep us cool.  We enjoyed visiting several of the old buildings with the lovely geometric shapes in the tiles on the walls and floors. Eva enjoyed sitting on the cool tiles and touching the marble.

We ate and drank in the restaurants over looking the main square and enjoyed a bird’s eye view and of course lots of photo opportunities.  On the last day we took our few saved up coins and paid for close up photos of the characters in the square.  Of course they were bitter about only a few coins and I was worried that they might follow us in anger but we only went by the Lonely Planet guidelines.  We did end up with some good photos.

Every night we ate at the food stalls in the square which was fun.  The spriukers had an amazing memory and touted for our business each night.  We tried to go back to ones who bantered with us.  All the food was pretty good but we did go back to stall 22 again because they were the most entertaining and the yummiest.  They all loved Eva.

There were many gymnastic events when Eva needed her nappy changed in various restaurant toilets.  It was always fun to decide whether the basin, floor or my lap was going to work. Now of course with her reaching over and trying to sit up the challenge was on!  Of course I was thankful that there were toilets to change her in.  As always she traveled well in the sling and we enjoyed the convenience of breastfeeding in all sorts of places.  Unfortunately Eva’s eczema flared up quite badly which we think was mostly due to tomatoes in her packaged food.  Also this affected her sleep.

During the days Andrew and I would take time to reflect on what had happened a year ago.  Sometimes with sadness sometimes we had a laugh.  Always we were thinking just how lucky we are to have this beautiful baby girl as a result.  We remembered meeting Colin the chaplain who listened as Andrew explained the situation, I was too upset to speak.  We remembered how every time Andrew would unfold his camp bed my contractions would start. We remembered discussing names for our beautiful baby and being relieved when the baby had an identity.  We remembered all the bed pans and bed washes with head down.  Andrew remembered my “I’m never doing this again” during pushing.  We also thought of the people who are doing this right now in their lives and also those who don’t have a baby to hold in their arms.  Although our pain at Eva’s premature birth is intense theirs in unimaginable.  Please pray for people who are going through premature labour as you read this.

There are many things to be seen in Marrakesh, No 1 is the souk – the local market. You need a guide in order not to get lost and also to keep you away from the beggars.

Streets are very narrow and there are a lot of colours and smells. The interesting thing is that everything at souk is manufactured at the very place. The craftsmen are very skilled and at a reasonable price you could get a wonderful carpet, handmade wooden chess or silver tea pot.

Marrakesh Morocco

Local cuisine is very delicious. Ask someone about Moroccan cuisine and you will hear about Tagine. They have in the menus various types of Tagine and whichever you choose, you will be satisfied. In fact, Tagine is called the clay pot in which the dish is cooked. It has a very extraordinary form which I think contributes to the quality of the dish.

Moroccan Tagine

Spices widely used in Moroccan cuisine are cumin, saffron, coriander, ginger and many others. You will also taste many types of couscous.

One can’t help but notice that there are many cats in Marrakesh and it is not because the cat is a sacred animal. Cats are considered clean and people leave them go wherever they want – in the houses, in the restaurants, practically everywhere and feed them with milk. It is forbidden to have a dog in Marrakesh. You can have a dog if you live in the suburbs but outside the house.

The usual attractions in Marrakesh included in a tourist program is a dinner in the desert in barber tents, desert rally, belly dancers’ show or dinner in luxurious local style restaurants. And though on your way out of the country you will see the police system functioning again, you will be satisfied you had the chance to take a glimpse at something exotic and exciting.

Conto alla rovescia per la 9a Edizione del Festival Internazionale del Film di Marrakech che si svolgerà dal 4 al 12 Dicembre 2009. La programmazione dei films in gara non è ancora stata pubblicata (appena sarà disponibile la postero”) ma sono a disposizione della stampa gli omaggi che verranno attribuiti a diversi attori e registi del panorama mondiale cinematografico. Il primo omaggio al grande Ben Kingsley con la presentazione di una filmografia selettiva che parte dal 1972 con “Fear is the key” di Michel Tuchner passando per “L’amore necessario” di Fabio Carpi, terminando con “The love guru” di Marco Schnabel. Secondo omaggio dedicato a Emir Kusturica con due sezioni, una dedicata ai suoi films come regista, da” Underground” a “Arizona Dream” sino al recente “Maradona by Kusturica, e una sezione dedicata al suo lavoro di attore con titoli come “La veuve de Saint Pierre“, “Super 8 stories”, “Viaggio segreto” e “Hermano”. Terzo incontro con Said Taghmaoui, grande attore di origini marocchine che ha al suo attivo films come “La Haine“, “Il tempo dell’Innocenza” di Vincenzo Terraciano, “Last minute Kasbah” di Michael Venning, “O Jerusalem” di  Elie Chouraqui (vedi anche alla Cat. Portraits). Infine un omaggio a Christopher Walken con “Me and my brothers” di Rober Frank, “Basquiat” di Julian Schnabel, “Pulp Fiction” di Tarantino sino ad arrivare al 2009 con “The lonely maiden“. Presidente della giuria internazionale (mancano ancora i nomi) il regista iraniano Abbas Kiarostami. Il red carpet è pronto davanti al Palazzo dei Congressi dove si svolgerà il Festival in concomitanza con alcune sale cinematografiche della città e ovviamente il mega schermo piazzato sulla Place Jemaa el Fna che renderà le proiezioni magiche.

Do you plan a great vacation or holidays in Marrakesh Marrakech Riad? You need to know how you can make arrangements on how much the prices will be reserved as to stay at one of the wildest places on Earth. A little preparation will tell you everything you need to know to book your holiday you today.

In the Marrakech Riad, there are two great sites for you to choose from. The prices are in British pounds and they accept payment in Pounds, Euro or MoroccanDirhams at the prevailing exchange rate. If you are unsure of the exchange rate, it is simple and easy to look up online. This is recommended because it changes periodically.

Riad Papillon

The prices for Riad Papillon (as of September loud 2009) as follows:

· Bouganvillea 100.00 EUR per night
Geranium · 100.00 EUR per night
Hibiscus · 100.00 EUR per night
Jasmine · 100.00 EUR per night
· Rose 100.00 EUR per night

You can also rent the whole Riad Papillon, ifChoose. Rent in Marrakech 'newest Boutique Hotel in your exclusive disposal: Only € 450 per night or CHF 2950 per week.

All prices are per room and include breakfast. Each room can accommodate two people. The Bougainvillea room can accommodate a third person for a surcharge of £ 25. A deposit of 50% is required at time of booking up to eight weeks prior to arrival.

Within eight weeks of arrival full payment is required. No refunds of deposits or payments if less than four weeks noticeprior to arrival.

Supplements: Christmas, New Year and Easter Plus 20%.

But that's not all available because of early 2010, you also have another great choice in Marrakech riad.

Riad Haira

Riad Hajra House is a beautifully restored dealers in a quiet residential area in the heart of the medina (old town of Marrakech), located just north of the famous souks, and near the famous Museum of Marrakech.

The house was often used for weddings beforetheir conversion as a riad hotel. Marrakech tradition was that, impressive as these places have been offered by the homeowner as a gift to the couple and as an act of charity for the community.

Now you can stay on a piece of history as well as luxurious accommodations at affordable prices, you will enjoy it will not believe.