October 2018

Hi Everyone Still poor internet. So here it goes. We left our Riad in Fes at around 8:30. Breakfast was your typical boring Moroccan breakfast of great coffee and eggs. Older men pushing pushcarts picked up our luggage and dragged them to our bus. It was then time to hit the road. We drove until around ten all uphill. Went over lush forests and stopped in a town named “Ifran”. Ifran is a ski resort in Morocco. The French built it. There was no snow on the ground. It looked like a village that should have been in the mountains in Europe. There were lots of trees growing all over and saw the empty ski lifts. We were about 6500 feet up in elevation. On the way out of Ifran, we spotted wild monkeys and pulled over to feed them and take some pictures. Very different from the Morocco we have seen so far. It was then back on the road to travel through the Atlas Mountains and onto the Sahara. The further we traveled from Ifran, there were less and less trees and the ground started to look like one of my favorite places. The terrain reminded me of Western Mongolia except for the scattered tree and bushes. The road was narrow and winding over hills and into valleys that were covered with ground vegetation. We also went over some rivers. The further we went the more the terrain was starting to turn into a high desert environment. At about one we pulled into a restaurant for lunch in the town of Midelt. The restaurant was located in a beautiful structure that looked like it was someone’s former home. We had shish kebab. Excellent and the the vegetable soup was quite good. It was then back into the bus. The further we drove, the more houses we started to pass built out of adobe. I could close my eyes and then open them and think we were in New Mexico except for the people and date palm trees. We passed villages that looked like they were out of a Star Wars movie. Maybe Jaba the Hutt was around. At about 6 we finally arrived at our hotel. The hotel is located outside the town of Erfoud. The hotel is called “Hotel Xaleca”. The resort is built like a Casbah. A Casbah is someone’s mansion that is surrounded by walls. We walked in the lobby and there was a group of people playing traditional music and they served us mint tea and local cookies. Our room looks like a thatched hut and is very pretty. Dinner was a buffet with every Moroccan dish you could ask for. We had a grand time talking and sampling the many flavors and tastes. Tomorrow it is off to a Bedouin Camp in the Sahara. We are leaving most of our luggage in the hotel and only taking what we need for two days. Camel riding is included and I have asked for Dune Surfing. Should be interesting. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone It’s back to copy and paste for this blog. The internet has been horrible in our hotel and we are going further into the desert part of Morocco tomorrow. As you know, I go to places where problems like this are common. Will publish when I can. We all met for breakfast at 7 AM. Love the coffee. Almost like real Turkish coffee. Thick and strong. Just the way I love it. After breakfast it was time to board the bus and go to the ancient Medina of Fes. Let me remind you what a Medina is. A Medina is the true City that has existed for thousands of years. We were dropped off after a five minute bus ride and met our local guide. His name was Hassan. He was born and raised in the Medina. Great guide. So funny and honest. He could not lead us for more than one minute before someone would recognize him and stop to talk. No cars are allowed in the Medina. A real maze of winding narrow streets and alleyways. The Medina was also named by UNESCO as a world heritage site and is said to be the worlds largest car free urban area. Two hundred and fifty thousand people make the Medina their home. If the population is not dramatically decreased, then the Medina will eventually collapse. The problem facing UNESCO is that no one wants to leave. We walked and waked passing by food and other stalls that sold everything imaginable. A true feast of the senses. We eventually wound our way to a large carpet store where we we should some beautiful carpets made by hand in the Berber and Moroccan style. I was tempted to buy one, but Olivia pulled me away. We have lots of Persian and Turkish carpets at home and amongst our four children. After being treated to this beautiful carpet display, we walked to our restaurant to have lunch. This lunch was one of the great meals I have ever had. Had Kufta made with eggs. Kufta is chop meat with spices. It was served in a meatball stew with fresh vegetables on the side and eggs on top of the stew. The smell and taste was classic. I then had one of my great cups of coffee. The dense full flavor kept my senses at their peak. Olivia tried it but said it needed milk. No way. Perfect as it was. After lunch we visited a tannery. When we arrived at the entrance a Moroccan man gave each of us each a bunch of fresh mint to keep and smell. We then climbed a few flights of very narrow winding stairs to the top. I looked down and saw something that will stay with me for a long time. In a large courtyard were barrels upon barrels of dye and men were soaking animal hides in the barrels to dye the hides. The scene was truly amazing. Men were in and out of the barrels of dyes soaking the hides. We were told that this was the way the hides were dyed since the fourteenth century. Whenever you think you are having a bad day, think of these poor souls in the tannery of Fes standing in barrels of dyes soaking, by hand, animal hides. OSHA would have a field day. I could not even think of the health hazards associated with this. Of course there was leather coats, bags, shoes and other leather items for sale. Olivia bought two pairs of leather shoes and a handbag all for $100. Other members of the group bought some coats. Also, they would make you a coat and deliver it to your hotel by the end of the day if they did not have have your size. I could not stop thinking of those poor men going in and out of barrels of dye soaking the hides. It was then onto visiting some gates. We also paid a visit to the Jewish Cemetery. There are four thousand Moroccan Jews living in Morocco and 1.2 million in Israel. The cemetery tombstones were different and beautiful in their own way. The tombstones were all white hard clay. It was then back to the Riad and some rest. Dinner was very special. We visited a local family for dinner. They introduced themselves and the families grandmother was the head chef. What a feast. Dessert was served first. This is a Moroccan tradition. Fresh dates, sesame cookies and little egg rolls filled with rice and coated with honey. Need I say more. The next course was a local Fes soup. The soup had anise and saffron. So good. Then came the salads. Numerous dishes were brought out with beans, eggplant, tomatoes and pumpkin. 5e pumpkin dish melted in your mouth. Indescribable. We then we served large appetizers. One large cookie was made of filo and had chicken, rice, and vegetables in it. The final dish was almond cookies that Olivia fell in love with. Hope you get the idea. Morocco seems like a food orgy. We then walked back to our riad and am getting up early for the long ride to Erfoud while crossing the Atlas Mountains. We will be much higher up in altitude. Erfoud is known as the Moroccan Alps and there is skiing in the winter Love Larry

Hi Everyone We finally left Rabat. I was so sorry to leave. We were staying in a beautiful hotel and in a beautiful city on the ocean, but its time to move on. We boarded our bus for the long ride to Fes. Fes is the fourth largest city and is inland towards the Sahara. Along the way we stopped at two places and had lunch. Our first stop was in the city of Meknes. Meknes is in the middle of Berber Country. A caliph built Meknes and surrounded the city with walls like a fortress. The caliph was Arabic and up until the past hundred years the Berbers and Arabs did not get along. There was never intermarriage, but toady it is allowed. The caliph decided that he needed a walled fortress. We were told that his two compassions in life were money and women. Sounds like some people we already know. Meknes is walled in and has these huge gates that you drive under to enter. We stopped at the Bab Mansour Gate which was patterned with mosaics and quite beautiful. After entering the city, the bus pulled over and our guide decided to take us to a local food market. There were lots of vendors selling all sorts of products. The olives and dates were displayed like a tapestry of colors and patterns. The meat vendors displayed their products in a way that Olivia has almost decided to become a vegetarian again. Use your imagination. We then drove to a nice restaurant for lunch. I had chopped meat and a salad. The meat was very tasty and we all enjoyed our lunch. The food is interesting, quite good and very reasonably priced. It was then onto a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site is named Volubilis. This is a Roman ruin site and was the Romans African administrative center for the Roman Empire. The ruins were very extensive and the excavations were still going on. We walked all over as our local guide told us the history of some of the homes and gates. The site is located in the middle of farm country. There were lots of Olive trees growing and the cacti were extensive. I am not a ruins guy. They don’t turn me on anymore. Once you have seen the Roman ruins in Turkey and Greece, other Roman ruins are sort of pale in comparison. This site had some large mosaics, but did not compare to the Roman mosaics we saw in Sicily in a Roman bathhouse that was being excavated. It was then onto Fes. We were not driving on a highway, but over a local road and through some serious farm country. The local farmers were getting ready to plant their crops. This area grows soybeans, peas, wheat, barley, chick peas etc. The ride to Fes took about ninety minutes and the landscape and topography was quite interesting. We finally reached Fes. In Morocco there are hotels called Riads. Riads are former homes of people that have been converted to hotels. The one we are staying in was built by the Salam family about five hundred years ago. The lobby area has hand made tiles ad mosaics and the whole area has small fountains with bubbling water all over. The Riad is located in the Medina of the old part of Fes. The Medina is sort of the old quarters of the city. This was what the city was like prior to expanding outside the Medina as the population grew over the years. There are narrow streets and lots of vendors selling almost everything. Old men pulling carts met us when the bus stopped to take our luggage to the Riad through narrow twisting streets and alleys. Our guide told us not to go out at night and Olivia is sort of scared even during the day. Tomorrow we have a full day of being with the group so there will be no leisure time on our own anyway. Our room is quite small and the bathroom is the size of a small closet. We will survive. Its only for two nights and then its off to the Sahara. Maybe we have really caught up to the real Morocco. Rabat did not seem to be like a real Muslim country and was so beautiful and clean. Time will tell. Love Larry

Hi Everyone Hopefully everyone has gotten Morocco Day #1. I am trying to sort the problem out from Morocco with my web designer and I am sure the problem will be fixed shortly. She is great and I love working with her. I fell asleep so fast last night. The bed is so comfortable and I had only slept about two hours coming here. Was awoken at 7:15 by a wake up call. We immediately got dressed and went downstairs for our first Moroccan breakfast. The coffee did not disappoint. Was great. Similar to Turkish coffee, but not as dense. The fruits were fantastic. Dates and prunes together with fresh eggs. Olivia sampled the many varieties of cakes, cookies and pastries. We all boarded a fifty passenger bus and there are only twenty one on the tour. Nice and comfortable, Can really stretch out. Rabat is on the Atlantic Ocean and quite beautiful. There are lots of ancient gates and walls all around a beautiful harbor. The fortress walls are made of hard sand mud collected from the Sahara and very well preserved. We first stopped at the entrance to the Royal Palace. Before I forget, some brief facts about Morocco. There are three languages spoken in Morocco. French, Arabic and Berber are the three languages. Berber is an ancient language and strange looking when you see it in print. All signs are in one or more of these languages. An average Morocco wage earner earns around $850 per month. So far, certainly not a third world country. There is 30% illiteracy. Now school is mandatory until the age of 16. Prior to mandatory schooling, most of the women did not attend school. The Moroccan society used to be male dominated, but that is rapidly changing.There are 60 women members of a 360 Parliament. We saw some women wearing Burkas, but that was few and far between. The population is about 33 million. Most of the people live west of the Atlas Mountains and six families, at different times, have ruled the Country for over the last thousand years. There is a Prime Minister who is elected, but the monarchy has power, unlike the British monarchy. You would not think you were in an Arabic country except for the hearing of the Call to Prayers. No one stopped to pray. There was a huge door at the entrance to the Royal Palace. The doors are beautiful. They are made of wood and very well preserved. There was a huge hard clay gate near the entrance that looked like it was used to be used as a tributary or a way to circulate and transport water around town. Rabat is very clean. I did not see any homeless nor garbage. The harbor is magnificent. The weather is so beautiful. It is cold during the morning and evening and nice and warm during the day with no humidity. Perfect. A/C not needed. The Royal Palace complex is beautiful and large. We drove past the school for the two children of the current Monarch. His name is Mohammed VI. The royal children go to school with the smartest students from each of the twelve provinces of Morocco. It was then onto Hassan Tower. Hassan Tower is part of an unfinished mosque started by a 12th century caliph. There was a huge mausoleum that contained the casket of Mohammed VI’s grandfather. A holy man was sitting next to the stone casket praying. Beautiful looking government soldiers or guards were standing around. There were also guards on horseback at the entrance. How the horses did not misbehave or appear nervous with so many people around, was quite amazing. Our next stop was the “Kasbah of the Udayas”. This is a beautiful fortress like city on the Atlantic. There were lots of non Roman ruins and beautiful gardens. The Moroccan people love cats. Lots of them roam the sites and are well fed and taken care of. The streets of the Kasbah were very narrow and colorful. Reminded me of the streets on the Greek island of Santorini. We finally made our way to a viewpoint overlooking the harbor. There were vendors selling tea in glasses and Moroccan among cookies. When you looked down you saw people swimming and lots of small fishing boats. Our final stop before lunch was to “Chellah”. “Chellah” is an ancient Roman outpost. There are lots of large swan like birds all over making clicking noises. The birds were majestic and they are considered to be sacred. Now for lunch. We went to the harbor to a beautiful restaurant on the harbor facing large boats. The fish was good and I had tow more cups of great coffee. Back to our great hotel for some R&R. Worked out and then took a long nap in the hot non humid sun. So refreshing. The sun felt like it was hugging me. Dinner was on our own. We ate at the bar in the hotel. I had one of the best meals I ever had. The Moroccan salad was so good. I then had beef tagine. It is like a stew and hot. Beef, vegetables, olives all served in a large clay pot. Onto tomorrow. We travel to Fez and away from the Atlantic. Fez is the largest city in the Atlas Mountains. Should be quite amazing.   Love Larry

Hi Everyone I have not reached out to everyone since July 11 and have really missed being on the road, writing my blogs and taking pictures in the way I want you to see them. But, I am back again. Where is this crazy guy now, how did he get there and why is he there? These are all great questions and hopefully I can try to answer them in the only way I know how to. I am currently in Rabat Morocco with my beautiful wife, Olivia. Why go to Morocco? Morocco is one of my last countries on my tier one bucket list. We are on a two week tour starting in Rabat. Rabat is the capital. We left JFK on Friday night and flew all night. We then landed in Paris, had a four hour layover and then flew nonstop to Casablanca. Before the flight I was so hoping that the movie “Casablanca” would be one of the movies to choose from. I have only seen it over twenty times, but what a way to start our Morocco holiday. I love this movie and have practically memorized all the classic words. “Here’s looking at you kid”. Oh Bogie, how I live through him in this movie. How beautiful and exotic was Ingrid Bergman? I could go on and on. The movie was playing. How lucky I am. Put on the headsets and drifted off into the world of Casablanca in 1942. Lets now talk about where we are going in Morocco. Rabat, Fez, the Atlas Mountains, Erfoud, a tent camp in the Sahara, Marrakesh, Casablanca and finally Essaouira. There will be plenty of stops between places. Of course, I brought my cameras. How could you go to Morocco without bringing your cameras? Its the same as saying how can you go to Morocco without going to “Ricks Bar” in Casablanca and listening to the piano player playing “As time Goes By”. I hope Sam, the original piano player in the movie, is still there. Maybe I will rent a white cocktail jacket and I will dress up as Bogie and Olivia as Ilsa. When we landed in Casablanca we met our tour guide and most of the others on the trip. The group consists of twenty one people. The tour guide expects we will drive over fifteen hundred miles in our big bus during the two weeks. The group seems very nice and we all had dinner together. Great lamb and salads. Olivia can’t wait for breakfast. Bring it on. I am ready to conquer Morocco. Rick and Ilsa will always be in my mind as we see and experience the wonders and beauty of this special country Talk to everyone tomorrow Love Larry