"Egypt is the place to be... EGYPT... EGYPT..."
When I was just a teenager, some song with that line played in the danceclubs... it keeps running in an annoying little loop in my head.
Managed to sleep until 9:00, then up and a quick trip to the buffet breakfast. We went to check on the shuttlebus at 9:55 -- and we told that it left at 10. Perfect! So we got on and rode into town. At one point I saw something out of the corner of my eye... PYRAMIDS!!!!! They are HUGE. Bigger than I had thought. And they were RIGHT THERE. I, of course, burst into tears. I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed. Amazing.
Once in Cairo, we walked to the train station first, so we could book our sleeping train tickets for tomorrow. Yay! People were astounded that we would walk "that far" - "better to take a taxi". It took us 15-25 dawdling minutes to get there. Along the way we passed dozens of Cairenes about their business -- none in the tourist business, mind you -- and the vast majority said "Hello! Welcome!" -- which made us think there had been a (successful) campaign to promote friendly exchanges with tourists. On the way we stopped to try a drink we'd seen on an advert -- Limited Edition Pepsi Cider. It was like sparkling cider with a Pepsi aftertaste. Awesome!
Then back towards the Cairo Egyptian Museum -- where of course more scams started. "Sir, the museum is closed for lunch... why not come to my shop?" Of course, the guy was clumsy -- he told us the museum closed from 12:30 - 1:15, but it was only 11:45. So we went past him and went into a very quiet museum. LP's description was pretty apt, however: a queue for the scanner at the gate, then a queue to buy tickets, then a queue at the turnstiles to get in, and then another security queue inside. But we were lucky -- the queues were never more than 2 people long, and of course they weren't closed.
So in we went to one of the greatest collections in the world. They have so much stuff that it's all jumbled together and poorly labelled. Any single piece would have pride of place in any other museum (except the British Museum, perhaps) worldwide. Crazy. As Shar (from Fez) said, "I'm from a culture where we make up a mythical beast to sell to tourists -- but they've got so much history it's just jumbled together!"
We paid the extra 100 each to see the royal mummies -- both worth it and a little weird -- I mean, in some ways they were underwhelming, until you thought about how old they are. And about how strange it is to show your dead rulers. Would England dig up its kings and queens to display them? No. Would we disinter our presidents? Nope. Very strange.
The Tutankhamun galleries were amazing, bringing back childhood memories for both me and Wil of books we had in 1977 - 1978, and my very vivid memories of the Tut exhibition that came to Seattle. I remembered the cow-couch, "the chair", the canopic jars, and -- of course -- the mask. We managed to get into "room 10" at exactly the right time -- hardly anyone there, so we had the mask all to ourselves. It's still mind-blowingly beautiful.
We wandered around looking at amazing things -- crocodile mummies, tomb treasures, huge statues, and more -- until we were feeling overloaded. Amusingly, large groups started arriving at 1:30. Maybe it had closed to admissions? So we decided to bug out. We went to the cafe for overpriced soda (Fanta Blackcurrant!) and to plan our next move. The shuttle back to the hotel wouldn't go till 5, and it wasn't quite 2. We didn't fancy the hassle of directing another taxi, so we decided to wander around Cairo a bit. Walked along the Nile, through a high-priced fashion shopping mall containing absolutely nothing I would ever wear, visited the Nile Hilton's pristine bathrooms, etc. Also walked through a local's market and were "Welcome!"d to Egypt over and over again.
Met a nice Bedouin businessman who told us his life story and invited us to tea, coffee, cocacola to celebrate the birth of his first grandchild. We had to decline, but it was a nice exchange. Oh, and there must have been an epidemic of grandchildren last night -- we met three people who told us the same story. While made the story less sweet.
Then back on the minibus to the hotel, where we asked about transport to the SOUND & LIGHT show. They quoted us 80 return, $16, which seemed a lot easier than haggling and struggling each way, so we booked it. Does it make us old that we're pleased by this? Probably. But still.
Back to the room for mediocre room service and a nap, and then back to the lobby to meet our driver -- Alaa. He was very nice, very calm, very confident, and told us a little about the area as he drove. The S&L show was reputedly very kitschy, tacky, touristy -- but when else do you get to see the pyramids lit up? So we got there, inadvertently went to the VIP ticket line (because there was no queue), and happily paid 90 (as opposed to 75) each to sit unmolested in the front row. Got there as the sun was setting -- amazing. We were led to the VIP seats, which had 3 rows roped off behind them -- nice to keep the riff-raff out. :)
Promptly at 8:30 the show started and it was beautiful. Lights, stereophonic speakers, projections, lasers -- really nice. And nice to be outside in the evening with a cool breeze. After the show was over we found our driver right away, and decided to book him for tomorrow's trip to the pyramids. Sitting outside in the moonlight drinking bourbon and coke light. Very nice.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Casablanca airport and our trip to Cairo
The morning in Casablanca was very easy -- we just got up, showered, zipped up our bags, and walked out of the hotel. Quickly got a taxi -- too quickly, really, and we got to the train station at 8:04... which meant that, by moving quickly, we were able to catch the 8:07 rather than the 9:07 we had tickets for. We were going to play dumb if the conductor gave us any grief, but he didn't.
When we got off the train, before we could enter the airport, we had to go through another scanner. Including the bags. Kinda weird -- some people were even being pulled aside for questioning. But we went through just fine (even if it took us 20 minutes to get through the line... there's only one scanner for a train full of people.
Then up into the terminal, where we went off to find the Iberia counter. Three lines, 2 family/travel groups of 2-4 people each. We joined one and still, somehow, had to wait nearly 20 minutes. Oh well.
Then we passed through to the passport control. First you show your boarding pass and passport to one person, who looks at them and then points you in the direction of a person sitting at a table at the end of a deserted stanchion maze. Wil noted that the person looked at the wrong page in his passport. So you zig zag over to the person at the table, who looks at your passport and boarding card again, says "Tourist?" and then when we nodded, points us toward the next lines at the windows.
So we wait in the line at the windows. And get to the front, and the man in the box says "card?" and asks us to go back to the second person, get a card, fill it out, and then get back in line. Awesome!
Then the official spends a long time perusing our passports before stamping all over them, his desk, and waving us through.
Then another round of security -- x-rays, a bit of pat down -- and we were through -- to the most dismal "modern" international airport in the world.
- nowhere to exchange the dirham you weren't supposed to take out of the country
- lots of shops that only accepted Euro
- signs to a food court that had been closed
- toilets without seats (the seats had been broken and not replaced)
- a restaurant / cafeteria that shared a room, but the "restaurant" wasn't open so you couldn't sit at those tables
- a Duty Free shop that didn't inform you what you would be forced to throw away the bottle of Jim Beam upon your arrival in Madrid
BUT we amused ourselves by buying bags of crisps, mediocre food, overpriced sodas, some scarves/sarongs, and a "Jedi" shirt for Wil. Then an easy flight to Madrid.
In Madrid we threw away our Jim Beam and bought a replacement, bought some candy and some overpriced "beach reading" paperpacks in English.
Then the flight to Cairo -- where we sat in row 6 next to a very stinky man who hadn't had the opportunity to bathe in days.
Landing in Cairo, where we were asked to fill out supplemental health forms, and then handed them to people who didn't look at them. (It's been interesting to see different takes on the swine flu pandemic.)
Then we got in the passport control line, though I noticed a sign saying we needed to buy entry visas for US $15 "at any bank". So we picked one of the 4 windows, handed them $40, and got a crisp $10 bill in exchange. Wild. Some random pushing and queueing, but then we were through to baggage claim.
I needed the WC, so I asked the machine-gun toting guards if I was allowed to go down the hall. They smiled and pointed the way. Of course, there was an obsequious attendant, who handed me "wet naps" and escorted me to a stall from which she had removed the toilet paper. Why? So that when I was finished, she could turn on the tap, squirt some soap on my hands, and then hand me toilet paper to dry my hands. Having no Egyptian small change, I had to give her a dollar bill, which made her grin from ear to ear.
Then our bags came and we faced the arrivals hall gauntlet. I was so pleased to have booked our hotel in advance -- so absurdly pleased. None of that hassle at 11pm. We had read that we could just book a limo for a fixed price -- no haggling. Okay, I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I'm tired of the haggle. And so we went to a limo desk, were told it was 120 Egyptian pounds ($25 US), but easy. So we said yes.
We told the men at the desk the name of our hotel. They swore they knew the place. The took us down to where the towncars were parked. We men our driver and insisted on paying him. We paid the "escort" a "service charge" of a dollar. (He was a jerk.) And then the adventure began.
Two hours later -- after a lot of stops where the driver got out and asked others where to go, including other cabbies, people on the street, policemen, etc.; after getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic; after the electronics on the car died and the driver had to get out and fiddle under the hood; we spotted the Hotel Oasis. It was 1am.
The driver had been kind, and I had begun to feel sorry for him. At one point we feared he would just dump us at some other hotel -- but instead he saw us "home". So I tipped him $3 and he was thrilled. Again, when do you get the chance to be a hero for $3?
We walked into the hotel, tired and travel worn, and the men at the front desk were jerks. (Admittedly, the 1am staff at most hotels probably isn't the varsity team.) Someone tried to grab our bags, and we instinctively refused to let them go. Then they stopped being even remotely helpful. We asked for someone to show us to our room as we had been told it was hard to find. They made us wait for 5 minutes for a man who took us to the sign that said "ROOMS ---->" and abandoned us there. Ten minutes later we had found the room (after consulting two maps). Not the best first impression. Luckily, we had our Duty Free bourbon from Madrid and my Coke Light to ease our jangled nerves. It was 1:30 when we got to the room, but we were asleep by 2.
When we got off the train, before we could enter the airport, we had to go through another scanner. Including the bags. Kinda weird -- some people were even being pulled aside for questioning. But we went through just fine (even if it took us 20 minutes to get through the line... there's only one scanner for a train full of people.
Then up into the terminal, where we went off to find the Iberia counter. Three lines, 2 family/travel groups of 2-4 people each. We joined one and still, somehow, had to wait nearly 20 minutes. Oh well.
Then we passed through to the passport control. First you show your boarding pass and passport to one person, who looks at them and then points you in the direction of a person sitting at a table at the end of a deserted stanchion maze. Wil noted that the person looked at the wrong page in his passport. So you zig zag over to the person at the table, who looks at your passport and boarding card again, says "Tourist?" and then when we nodded, points us toward the next lines at the windows.
So we wait in the line at the windows. And get to the front, and the man in the box says "card?" and asks us to go back to the second person, get a card, fill it out, and then get back in line. Awesome!
Then the official spends a long time perusing our passports before stamping all over them, his desk, and waving us through.
Then another round of security -- x-rays, a bit of pat down -- and we were through -- to the most dismal "modern" international airport in the world.
- nowhere to exchange the dirham you weren't supposed to take out of the country
- lots of shops that only accepted Euro
- signs to a food court that had been closed
- toilets without seats (the seats had been broken and not replaced)
- a restaurant / cafeteria that shared a room, but the "restaurant" wasn't open so you couldn't sit at those tables
- a Duty Free shop that didn't inform you what you would be forced to throw away the bottle of Jim Beam upon your arrival in Madrid
BUT we amused ourselves by buying bags of crisps, mediocre food, overpriced sodas, some scarves/sarongs, and a "Jedi" shirt for Wil. Then an easy flight to Madrid.
In Madrid we threw away our Jim Beam and bought a replacement, bought some candy and some overpriced "beach reading" paperpacks in English.
Then the flight to Cairo -- where we sat in row 6 next to a very stinky man who hadn't had the opportunity to bathe in days.
Landing in Cairo, where we were asked to fill out supplemental health forms, and then handed them to people who didn't look at them. (It's been interesting to see different takes on the swine flu pandemic.)
Then we got in the passport control line, though I noticed a sign saying we needed to buy entry visas for US $15 "at any bank". So we picked one of the 4 windows, handed them $40, and got a crisp $10 bill in exchange. Wild. Some random pushing and queueing, but then we were through to baggage claim.
I needed the WC, so I asked the machine-gun toting guards if I was allowed to go down the hall. They smiled and pointed the way. Of course, there was an obsequious attendant, who handed me "wet naps" and escorted me to a stall from which she had removed the toilet paper. Why? So that when I was finished, she could turn on the tap, squirt some soap on my hands, and then hand me toilet paper to dry my hands. Having no Egyptian small change, I had to give her a dollar bill, which made her grin from ear to ear.
Then our bags came and we faced the arrivals hall gauntlet. I was so pleased to have booked our hotel in advance -- so absurdly pleased. None of that hassle at 11pm. We had read that we could just book a limo for a fixed price -- no haggling. Okay, I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I'm tired of the haggle. And so we went to a limo desk, were told it was 120 Egyptian pounds ($25 US), but easy. So we said yes.
We told the men at the desk the name of our hotel. They swore they knew the place. The took us down to where the towncars were parked. We men our driver and insisted on paying him. We paid the "escort" a "service charge" of a dollar. (He was a jerk.) And then the adventure began.
Two hours later -- after a lot of stops where the driver got out and asked others where to go, including other cabbies, people on the street, policemen, etc.; after getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic; after the electronics on the car died and the driver had to get out and fiddle under the hood; we spotted the Hotel Oasis. It was 1am.
The driver had been kind, and I had begun to feel sorry for him. At one point we feared he would just dump us at some other hotel -- but instead he saw us "home". So I tipped him $3 and he was thrilled. Again, when do you get the chance to be a hero for $3?
We walked into the hotel, tired and travel worn, and the men at the front desk were jerks. (Admittedly, the 1am staff at most hotels probably isn't the varsity team.) Someone tried to grab our bags, and we instinctively refused to let them go. Then they stopped being even remotely helpful. We asked for someone to show us to our room as we had been told it was hard to find. They made us wait for 5 minutes for a man who took us to the sign that said "ROOMS ---->" and abandoned us there. Ten minutes later we had found the room (after consulting two maps). Not the best first impression. Luckily, we had our Duty Free bourbon from Madrid and my Coke Light to ease our jangled nerves. It was 1:30 when we got to the room, but we were asleep by 2.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Casablanca
After a long train ride yesterday from Fez, we arrived here in Casablanca. Got off the train and stepped into a (relatively) cool breeze -- since we're back at the coast. Got to our hotel (the Guynemer), which LP raves about, but it's nothing special. I mean, it's a small room in a dingy hotel, but it does have a friendly staff and wi-fi. It's all we wanted in a place to crash before flying to Egypt.
Walked around Casa a bit yesterday -- there are some grand old facades in this town -- but it's all dirty and poorly maintained. It's not a poor city -- there's lots of international business here -- but perhaps the lack of rain keeps everything coated with dust.
Made the trek (skirting the medina and inadvertently passing through some dodgy areas, but in broad daylight) to Rick's Cafe -- modelled on the bar in the film... which was, of course, actually modelled on the Caid's Bar in Tangier. But we figured we'd be bummed, later, if we didn't at least have a drink there. Not very imposing on the outside (why on earth didn't they invest in a neon sign?), but it is beautiful inside, even if it doesn't look anything like Rick's. Had a drink in the upstairs bar; the drink was stiff if expensive, the service non-existent... but it was the first time we had had a service charge applied. Happy to have our one drink, beg someone to give us the bill, wait 5 minutes to pay them, and then skedaddle.
On the way to Rick's we came across the Hassan II mosque, the third-largest mosque in the world. It's so big you can scarcely believe it -- it's set a bit apart from other buildings so you don't get a sense of how big it is. But it can house 25,000 worshippers at once, along with another 80,000 in the surrounding squares and halls. Beautiful, but not open to non-Muslims. (fair enough).
After Rick's we decided to get some food, and followed LP's recommendation for Al-Moumia -- which was gorgeous and classy in a way that Rick's will never be. Stepping through a guarded door into an amazing fairy-lit courtyard with a huge tree providing shade. Were seated quickly, and then not long after we arrived the crowds came. We told them we were vegetarian and they brought out a 6-plate salad to share as a starter -- huge thing... an eggplant salad, two different pepper salads, the tomato and onion salad, a cucumber salad, and... oddest of all... ground carrot with sugar. Honest. They were all delicious (well, the carrot was odd but still tasty) and very filling, so when our vegetable couscous came we weren't very hungry. The waiter was funny and charming and pretended to be sad that we didn't finish our couscous (or our "dessert couscous" that came with walnuts, dates, and a liberal coating of powdered sugar). But it was relatively inexpensive and absolutely Moroccan.
Today we head to Egypt. I remember writing this day on my calendar at work: "Fly Casablanca to Cairo". Wow. Being very modern, we can take a train out to the airport... after we take a petit taxi to the train station. Still, we've got plenty of time. Tonight: we should see the pyramids!
Walked around Casa a bit yesterday -- there are some grand old facades in this town -- but it's all dirty and poorly maintained. It's not a poor city -- there's lots of international business here -- but perhaps the lack of rain keeps everything coated with dust.
Made the trek (skirting the medina and inadvertently passing through some dodgy areas, but in broad daylight) to Rick's Cafe -- modelled on the bar in the film... which was, of course, actually modelled on the Caid's Bar in Tangier. But we figured we'd be bummed, later, if we didn't at least have a drink there. Not very imposing on the outside (why on earth didn't they invest in a neon sign?), but it is beautiful inside, even if it doesn't look anything like Rick's. Had a drink in the upstairs bar; the drink was stiff if expensive, the service non-existent... but it was the first time we had had a service charge applied. Happy to have our one drink, beg someone to give us the bill, wait 5 minutes to pay them, and then skedaddle.
On the way to Rick's we came across the Hassan II mosque, the third-largest mosque in the world. It's so big you can scarcely believe it -- it's set a bit apart from other buildings so you don't get a sense of how big it is. But it can house 25,000 worshippers at once, along with another 80,000 in the surrounding squares and halls. Beautiful, but not open to non-Muslims. (fair enough).
After Rick's we decided to get some food, and followed LP's recommendation for Al-Moumia -- which was gorgeous and classy in a way that Rick's will never be. Stepping through a guarded door into an amazing fairy-lit courtyard with a huge tree providing shade. Were seated quickly, and then not long after we arrived the crowds came. We told them we were vegetarian and they brought out a 6-plate salad to share as a starter -- huge thing... an eggplant salad, two different pepper salads, the tomato and onion salad, a cucumber salad, and... oddest of all... ground carrot with sugar. Honest. They were all delicious (well, the carrot was odd but still tasty) and very filling, so when our vegetable couscous came we weren't very hungry. The waiter was funny and charming and pretended to be sad that we didn't finish our couscous (or our "dessert couscous" that came with walnuts, dates, and a liberal coating of powdered sugar). But it was relatively inexpensive and absolutely Moroccan.
Today we head to Egypt. I remember writing this day on my calendar at work: "Fly Casablanca to Cairo". Wow. Being very modern, we can take a train out to the airport... after we take a petit taxi to the train station. Still, we've got plenty of time. Tonight: we should see the pyramids!
to Casa...
Breakfast this morning with the San Francisco girls, very nice and chatty. Katherine is off to Casablanca today as well and then flies home (via Amsterdam) tomorrow. So perhaps we'll bump into her.
Settled up and said goodbyes to Josephine, who thanked us for walking into her house. She liked us a lot, I think.
Then out to the parking lot where, for the first time EVER, there were no taxis. And three people waiting. Boo. We walked a little way down, eventually flagging someone down to take us to the station. Still got there at 10:25; plenty of time to spare. Checked the destination board and asked three people who all agreed that the train would be on platform 2. Got some cold-ish drinks and got on board -- there seems to be the tiniest bit of cold air like when you stand in front of the fridge -- but not proper A/C. Oh well. Shared the compartment with a Belgian woman an a nervous young Fassi who had been born and raised in the Hague and had never taken the train alone in Morocco. Luckily, both she and the Belgian were going to Tangier, so they agreed to help each other. Only 2 hours left now...
Settled up and said goodbyes to Josephine, who thanked us for walking into her house. She liked us a lot, I think.
Then out to the parking lot where, for the first time EVER, there were no taxis. And three people waiting. Boo. We walked a little way down, eventually flagging someone down to take us to the station. Still got there at 10:25; plenty of time to spare. Checked the destination board and asked three people who all agreed that the train would be on platform 2. Got some cold-ish drinks and got on board -- there seems to be the tiniest bit of cold air like when you stand in front of the fridge -- but not proper A/C. Oh well. Shared the compartment with a Belgian woman an a nervous young Fassi who had been born and raised in the Hague and had never taken the train alone in Morocco. Luckily, both she and the Belgian were going to Tangier, so they agreed to help each other. Only 2 hours left now...
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Volubilis
Got up early(ish) and went to the nearest medina gate to pick up a taxi. I had been thinking about taking a bus or a shared grand taxi, but we bumped into Josephine on the way out and she convinced us to take the train. So we got a taxi right away and were at the station in a few minutes. Easily got 1st-class tickets to Meknes and settled in for the short ride.
Got off at the right station (the second one) -- so thrilling not to have luggage! -- and out into the street. A man quietly said "Taxi? Volubilis? Moulay Idriss?" and we said no thanks and moved a little bit away to get our bearings. LP said to go to the Institut Francais to haggle for a taxi and to try to get the price down to 350.
While I was looking for the map, the man approached again, again very quietly and politely, so we asked how much. He described the trip: 20 minutes drive to Volubilis, 2 hours to walk around the site, then a 5-minute drive to a panorama above Moulay Idriss, and then 20 minutes back... for 350. Which is exactly that I wanted to / expected to pay. So w/o haggle or hassle we agreed.
The driver was nice -- chatting in French and telling us about the upcoming festival for the king, about prickly pear (cactus), about olive oil, etc. We got about 50% of what he was saying.
Volubilis itself was surprising -- like Ephesus must have been in the 70s -- some bits cleaned up, but lots of piles of rock, a few arches, lots of fallen pillars, and only a handful of signs. A big museum, very modern looking, is being built, but it's clearly a couple of years from opening. But once open it should help the place -- which just needs money to improve the signage, etc. The mosaics are remarkably intact, other than the ones which have had their faces or naked bodies scratched out. But the Hercules mosaic is lovely. And I liked the arches, especially the triumphal arch. And I like that storks have built their nests atop 2 of the tallest columns in the basilica. Very nice that someone still makes a home there.
We were pretty much done after 1:45 -- there's no shade to speak of at the site, and it's very dry. We couldn't even be bothered to go to the cafe for a cold drink -- we just went back to the car and our driver.
Leaving Volubilis ("I told you you would only want 2 hours!") he drove up the hill to a nice view of Moulay Idriss, explaining that it's the tomb of Moulay Idriss I, and the tomb in Fez is of his son, Moulay Idriss II. "Poor man's Mecca", because 5 trips to Moulay Idriss during the saint's festival = 1 trip to Mecca. A fossil seller sidled up and tried to sell us fossils, while telling us about Moulay Idriss but he kept slipping from German to English which is pretty much what I do when speaking Spanish or French.
Then back in the car and back to Meknes, where the driver was a bit disappointed in us that we didn't want to explore his city. But we only had 20 minutes until our train at 13:29, so we didn't want to risk it. So to the station we went, and discovered the train would be 35 minutes late. Okay, fine. Well, the train was 90 minutes late. Boo. And when it came there was no A/C. Double boo. But it came, we got on, and had no trouble getting a petit taxi back to the medina.
Spend the afternoon resting (oh, after having a date shake at Cafe Clock...) and then in the evening went back out for a saunter, looked at some slippers, and ate.
The slippers thing was tough -- I think I *wish* I wanted them, but in part I didn't want the hassle. But we went to a shop, Wil tried on some yellow slippers (the best!), and we looked at the different quality. I think the guy just normally sold to locals, so didn't want to haggle -- but he also gave us very inflated prices. So we said no and walked away, and he didn't follow. I realized that flat slippers really wouldn't do much for my feet, so I dismissed the idea as well. So no slippers for us.
Dinner at clock -- got a great table we sniped from another couple (who left a bag with a melon, and then slunk back for it). Wil had the cheese and veggie grilled sandwich, I had the falafel/tabboulah/hummous platter (not as nice as last time?) and two big waters. We watched the sun set over Fez and relaxed.
Then "home" to our riad, then bed.
Got off at the right station (the second one) -- so thrilling not to have luggage! -- and out into the street. A man quietly said "Taxi? Volubilis? Moulay Idriss?" and we said no thanks and moved a little bit away to get our bearings. LP said to go to the Institut Francais to haggle for a taxi and to try to get the price down to 350.
While I was looking for the map, the man approached again, again very quietly and politely, so we asked how much. He described the trip: 20 minutes drive to Volubilis, 2 hours to walk around the site, then a 5-minute drive to a panorama above Moulay Idriss, and then 20 minutes back... for 350. Which is exactly that I wanted to / expected to pay. So w/o haggle or hassle we agreed.
The driver was nice -- chatting in French and telling us about the upcoming festival for the king, about prickly pear (cactus), about olive oil, etc. We got about 50% of what he was saying.
Volubilis itself was surprising -- like Ephesus must have been in the 70s -- some bits cleaned up, but lots of piles of rock, a few arches, lots of fallen pillars, and only a handful of signs. A big museum, very modern looking, is being built, but it's clearly a couple of years from opening. But once open it should help the place -- which just needs money to improve the signage, etc. The mosaics are remarkably intact, other than the ones which have had their faces or naked bodies scratched out. But the Hercules mosaic is lovely. And I liked the arches, especially the triumphal arch. And I like that storks have built their nests atop 2 of the tallest columns in the basilica. Very nice that someone still makes a home there.
We were pretty much done after 1:45 -- there's no shade to speak of at the site, and it's very dry. We couldn't even be bothered to go to the cafe for a cold drink -- we just went back to the car and our driver.
Leaving Volubilis ("I told you you would only want 2 hours!") he drove up the hill to a nice view of Moulay Idriss, explaining that it's the tomb of Moulay Idriss I, and the tomb in Fez is of his son, Moulay Idriss II. "Poor man's Mecca", because 5 trips to Moulay Idriss during the saint's festival = 1 trip to Mecca. A fossil seller sidled up and tried to sell us fossils, while telling us about Moulay Idriss but he kept slipping from German to English which is pretty much what I do when speaking Spanish or French.
Then back in the car and back to Meknes, where the driver was a bit disappointed in us that we didn't want to explore his city. But we only had 20 minutes until our train at 13:29, so we didn't want to risk it. So to the station we went, and discovered the train would be 35 minutes late. Okay, fine. Well, the train was 90 minutes late. Boo. And when it came there was no A/C. Double boo. But it came, we got on, and had no trouble getting a petit taxi back to the medina.
Spend the afternoon resting (oh, after having a date shake at Cafe Clock...) and then in the evening went back out for a saunter, looked at some slippers, and ate.
The slippers thing was tough -- I think I *wish* I wanted them, but in part I didn't want the hassle. But we went to a shop, Wil tried on some yellow slippers (the best!), and we looked at the different quality. I think the guy just normally sold to locals, so didn't want to haggle -- but he also gave us very inflated prices. So we said no and walked away, and he didn't follow. I realized that flat slippers really wouldn't do much for my feet, so I dismissed the idea as well. So no slippers for us.
Dinner at clock -- got a great table we sniped from another couple (who left a bag with a melon, and then slunk back for it). Wil had the cheese and veggie grilled sandwich, I had the falafel/tabboulah/hummous platter (not as nice as last time?) and two big waters. We watched the sun set over Fez and relaxed.
Then "home" to our riad, then bed.
Monday, July 27, 2009
tanning beds...
Wandered down to the tanneries this morning – just went down, down, down past the shops and the mosques, eventually finding our way by following the unmistakable stink.
A nice man offered to show us a good view and took us through his shop and up onto his terrace. I was happy we had gone with him, since the place seemed simpler than the ones with the fancy covered terraces – we walked past trying hides. Yellow was today’s color… or perhaps yesterday’s as these were drying?
The dye pits are pretty amazing. The whole seen looks (and, now that I think of it, IS) medieval. They were dyeing browns and reds, with men (they were all men) standing in the pits moving the hides from one pit to another. Amazing. We also saw the very stinky part, where they take the hides and actually tan them, using lots of pigeon poo and cow urine, apparently. The men drop hide after hide into a vat, turning them over and then mushing them down with a stick. Then they take them out and put them in the next vat of muck. It must take days to tan the leather…
Anyway, after watching the tanner and dyers do their stuff, we headed back in to run the gauntlet through the shop. The first man had been nice, but he turned us over to another man who was less nice. Wil saw a good bag for the netbook and the haggling began. The seller started at 750 Dh. ($95) Wil countered with 200 Dh ($25). The seller dropped to 550, but Wil stood firm at 200. They asked our best price, and Wil stood firm. So we said thanks, goodbye, and then left. A few minutes later the man came after us, telling us he couldn’t make a profit, and asking our best price. Wil was a rock, and said “200… it’s all I can spend on a bag”. The man let us go, and I started to wonder if we had really gone too low. I man, a camel leather bag, pockets, buckles, etc…. But a few minutes later the little boy from the shop came running after us with the bag and said “OK! OK!” We had won.
A bit more wandering around; got a little lost and actually left the medina to try and get our bearings. Eventually made it back in and found our “home”. Now up on Josephine’s breezy roof terrace enjoying beverages from her icy fridge. Bliss.
A nice man offered to show us a good view and took us through his shop and up onto his terrace. I was happy we had gone with him, since the place seemed simpler than the ones with the fancy covered terraces – we walked past trying hides. Yellow was today’s color… or perhaps yesterday’s as these were drying?
The dye pits are pretty amazing. The whole seen looks (and, now that I think of it, IS) medieval. They were dyeing browns and reds, with men (they were all men) standing in the pits moving the hides from one pit to another. Amazing. We also saw the very stinky part, where they take the hides and actually tan them, using lots of pigeon poo and cow urine, apparently. The men drop hide after hide into a vat, turning them over and then mushing them down with a stick. Then they take them out and put them in the next vat of muck. It must take days to tan the leather…
Anyway, after watching the tanner and dyers do their stuff, we headed back in to run the gauntlet through the shop. The first man had been nice, but he turned us over to another man who was less nice. Wil saw a good bag for the netbook and the haggling began. The seller started at 750 Dh. ($95) Wil countered with 200 Dh ($25). The seller dropped to 550, but Wil stood firm at 200. They asked our best price, and Wil stood firm. So we said thanks, goodbye, and then left. A few minutes later the man came after us, telling us he couldn’t make a profit, and asking our best price. Wil was a rock, and said “200… it’s all I can spend on a bag”. The man let us go, and I started to wonder if we had really gone too low. I man, a camel leather bag, pockets, buckles, etc…. But a few minutes later the little boy from the shop came running after us with the bag and said “OK! OK!” We had won.
A bit more wandering around; got a little lost and actually left the medina to try and get our bearings. Eventually made it back in and found our “home”. Now up on Josephine’s breezy roof terrace enjoying beverages from her icy fridge. Bliss.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Fez
Looooong way from Marrakesh to Fez – the train was an hour late to arrive but not too bad – and was happy to see the end of the fat belching woman.
Bought 1st-class tickets to Casa for Wednesday morning, giving us 3 nights here in Fez (and time for a daytrip to Meknes or Volubilis). So that’s good to have that sorted – even though we were relatively lucky with our train seats from Marrakesh.
Then out to the street, where we hailed a Petit Taxi – the first guy wanted to charge us 50 Dh, which we laughed at and moved on. The second guy said 15, so we jumped in and he took us to the Bab Bou Meloud, the blue gate. From there it was relatively easy to find Talaa Kebina, even if it was challenging to find the first riad we wanted to look at: the Dar Iman. I thought the mosaicwork and painted doors were beautiful, but Wil hated it from the beginning. He didn’t like the terrace, the courtyard, and the immediate surroundings. So we moved on.
We checked our map and decided to try my first choice: Dar El Hana. We got lost a couple of times, and had to ask directions, but we found it and it’s gorgeous. More subdued, with a great big room and a lovely roof terrace. The room was, however, far more expensive – 890 Dh, but we talked her down to 700/night for 3 nights. The owener is an Aussie expat named Josephine, and she’s lovely and thoughtful, giving us tea and water and telling us about Fez and how she came to be here.
Our room is huge, with an anteroom and desk and couch, as well as a large bedroom and shower. Beautiful floors and wooden details, and a very cute “secret window” looking out over the street from the bed.
Got settled a bit and then headed out to the town. We made a loop through our part of the medina, stopping to visit the shop of the man who helped us find our way. (Wil hates the brass mirrors, I’m trying to think of a place to put one.) We ended up at Café Clock, a very cool “cross-cultural café” run by an expat Brit. It’s a converted riad, so there are lots of different seating areas and chill-out rooms, plus a great roof terrace. The food was good too – we split a falafel/tabbouleh/hummus plate and a “Fez tapas” plate with roasted beets, pickled carrots, little croutony things, an eggplanty pepper spread, some very soft goat cheese, a tomato and onion salad, and a couple of dates. Which made me sorta wish I had a date shake.
Now back at the riad and thinking about tomorrow. Would like to get a look at the tanneries, which might be a great place to start.
Bought 1st-class tickets to Casa for Wednesday morning, giving us 3 nights here in Fez (and time for a daytrip to Meknes or Volubilis). So that’s good to have that sorted – even though we were relatively lucky with our train seats from Marrakesh.
Then out to the street, where we hailed a Petit Taxi – the first guy wanted to charge us 50 Dh, which we laughed at and moved on. The second guy said 15, so we jumped in and he took us to the Bab Bou Meloud, the blue gate. From there it was relatively easy to find Talaa Kebina, even if it was challenging to find the first riad we wanted to look at: the Dar Iman. I thought the mosaicwork and painted doors were beautiful, but Wil hated it from the beginning. He didn’t like the terrace, the courtyard, and the immediate surroundings. So we moved on.
We checked our map and decided to try my first choice: Dar El Hana. We got lost a couple of times, and had to ask directions, but we found it and it’s gorgeous. More subdued, with a great big room and a lovely roof terrace. The room was, however, far more expensive – 890 Dh, but we talked her down to 700/night for 3 nights. The owener is an Aussie expat named Josephine, and she’s lovely and thoughtful, giving us tea and water and telling us about Fez and how she came to be here.
Our room is huge, with an anteroom and desk and couch, as well as a large bedroom and shower. Beautiful floors and wooden details, and a very cute “secret window” looking out over the street from the bed.
Got settled a bit and then headed out to the town. We made a loop through our part of the medina, stopping to visit the shop of the man who helped us find our way. (Wil hates the brass mirrors, I’m trying to think of a place to put one.) We ended up at Café Clock, a very cool “cross-cultural café” run by an expat Brit. It’s a converted riad, so there are lots of different seating areas and chill-out rooms, plus a great roof terrace. The food was good too – we split a falafel/tabbouleh/hummus plate and a “Fez tapas” plate with roasted beets, pickled carrots, little croutony things, an eggplanty pepper spread, some very soft goat cheese, a tomato and onion salad, and a couple of dates. Which made me sorta wish I had a date shake.
Now back at the riad and thinking about tomorrow. Would like to get a look at the tanneries, which might be a great place to start.
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