Rabat and other ramblings

2+ Weeks

Setting:  Hotel guest computer access room

It's only taken one hour for me to change the language settings from Arabic to French... and then the keyboard to English.  (Surprisingly I'm only slightly annoyed.)  Amazing how motivation will conquer any hurdle.

One of the last hurdles that Dear Husband and I prevailed before his departure to India was a trip to Rabat (the capital) to blindly find the South African Embassy.  This was an attempt to obtain a letter of residence change for customs.  Our container has been sitting in the Port of Casablanca for about 2 weeks.  Quite incredibly, nobody mentioned how important this document would be.

I say, 'blindly' because after hours of online research we never could pinpoint the location of the South African Embassy.  Most roads in Morocco have a pre-existing French name, current Arabic name or are simply newly constructed. Google Maps has it's work cut out. 

Amazingly we happened upon the place.  (enter weak trumpet sound):

One place the South African government
did actually skimp on

My husband is a genius!

As slow as the wheels are to turn at the consulate there's one small comfort:  I don't have to work there.

Unfortunately, the Moroccan security guard does.  He felt our pain and, once again, displayed incredible Moroccan hospitality, even though he didn't speak a word of English.

Captive audience weighs in on whether their
parents WILL actually drink the tea.

While waiting and waiting and waiting, we discovered one of Rabat's major attractions. 

A one thousand-year old incomplete mosque, started in 1195.  The minaret is made of red stone and some 200 columns are left standing.

Contained within Hassan Tower are
asceding slopes so that a horse
rider could gallop to the top
for the call to prayer.
(Totally wheelchair accessible!)

The Posers

A gorgeous view of Rabat from the other side of Hassan Tower, ocean in the background:

Boy #3, "Mommy, can we go for a ride on those boats?"

Doc Lauren, this one's for you

Thirsty?
 'SmartWater' never looked this good!

Moroccan Flag



Moroccan Food

Every day we venture out from the resort for a more affordable meal and local experience in El Jadida.  This has been great because we're slowly infiltrating the ant hill.

A couple nights ago I noticed that on the outskirts of town men step into the road and jingle their keys.  Boy does that get your attention - but not enough for me to want to give them the good samaritan ride they're looking for.  (Me thinks my room keycard won't have the same effect)
UPDATE:  I have been set straight.  The reason they're jingling their keys is because they have a house or apartment to rent out.  Now that's some advertising!

Mr. BoJingles

On to the food. 

There's the Moroccan tea I've already mentioned:

Show-off!

Then tanjine and cous cous, umm bread.  Flat or puffy 'pain'.  Actually, we are YET to see any cous cous.

Very fresh, very 'delicieux'.  It's really fantastic how newly prepared everything tastes.

Tanjine is pretty much any meat (other than pork) stew, prepared and served in a clay pot (tanjine).  Sometimes there's vegetables galore but usually not.

One of my most favorites drinks, introduced to me by our waiter seen above, is 'jus au lait'.  When offered milk with my apple juice I politely declined but he INSISTED!  So hospitably Moroccan.  Now we all love fresh apple pulp with milk.  Really!

Mmm, Harira Soup!
A chef at our resort was kind enough to prepare this gluten-free Moroccan staple for Bug Boy.  We both LOVE this.  It's traditionally Berber but eaten widely during Ramadan.  It's tomato-based with lentils, chickpeas, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, vegetables and whatever else you can hide in there.  We happily discovered it at the breakfast buffet. 

Harira

Before DH wants his laptop back, I'll insert a few more pics from around town.

El Jadida

Impressive 5 minute car wash, while you eat lunch,
 with about a Gallon of water. Price: $3

"I think I just breaked for a camel on the zebra crossing."

El Jadida Medina

Yesterday we visited El Jadida's 500-year old medina (ancient town) originally built by the occupying Portuguese.  What an absolute treat it was to be walking these old streets.

Minaret

Quiet alley



Like something from a travel guide

For Sale

I wonder who lives here?

A real highlight was gaining access to the below ground cistern with dramatic reflections and cool, damp air.



Bug Boy desperately wanted to dash across the
still water (and upset every Japanese tourist)

After wondering around the cobble-stoned streets we discovered what Morocca's youth get up to on a hot Saturday afternoon:  diving off incredibly high walls.

The history in this town amazes me. Having mostly lived in young countries, walking the medina wall (10m/32' WIDE ) that actually functioned as legitimate protection for the Portuguese settlers, leaves me speechless.

Naturally the boys loved every minute of the excursion:



(Is it bad to wish my kids were afraid of heights?)



Finally, a few shots from the wall:

Bonne nuit!

Land of BIG smiles

People smile a lot here.  It's refreshing.  Moroccans seem to be less guarded than Western cultures.  Moving on from that would be the less-than-refreshing constant kissing of our children by strangers.  Particularly Boy #3.  Being blonde is a big hit.  Fortunately he takes it in his stride so as not to be culturally offensive to the lip-smacking locals.  At least its only on his cheek.



DH wants to bring his weedeater next time

 When it comes to family-friendly restaurants we've hit the jackpot.  Almost every restaurant we've been to has a cool playground.  Moroccan children can been seen playing till late at night - 11pm, no problem.



Moroccan boy's got these foreigners pegged!



And a few days along...

SO, it's Wednesday.  Everyone's still alive.  Nobody wants to go home yet.  Great!

The last few days have been mostly unwind time for the four of us (while DH is early to rise, early to bed). It's a bit strange at times with our daddy at work while we're on vaca. The boys are in love with the hotel's Kid's Club and have made some friends. At this point I'm begging them to come to the beach with me.

Boys playing soccer with their new friends from Rabat

Yesterday I had no choice but to brave the short drive from the resort into El Jadida.  This is a town of about 150 000 people all playing their part of a disturbed ant hill.  Armed with 3 large bags of laundry, I drove into town along a sweet, winding tree-lined road.  95% of the traffic overtook me AND I WAS DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT. 

I found parking, like everyone else, anywhere on the sidewalk.



Missing hubcap added for effect - not!

Dry Cleaners.  CLOSED!  Ugh! 
Went next door to investigate and discovered a lovely Patisserie and about 700 bees.  I was motioned inside with my new buzzing buddies and told, in broken English, "You not worry. Bee bite good medicine."  Mmm, comforting.

Une Patisserie

Insert new information:  shops close between 2 - 3pm.  OK... so I decided to walk down to the beach with my camera.



Beachy Burka Day



Just in case you forgot to pack your tea.

3pm, back in time to drop off the laundry.  Such a deal at 900 MAD ($100)!

Not too imPRESSING



More later....


Day 3

Day: 3

Once again we awoke to the smell of the Atlantic Ocean. Mmmmm...

Breakfast was especially exciting as I fell in love with Moroccan tea.  Yes, it's a newsflash, seeing as I can't abide tea BUT this is quite something else.  Fresh, minty and best without sugar (although DH would disagree). I think it serves as the perfect palate cleanser.

Post-breakfast walk on the beach and swim time.

Dung Beetle action

'Aw, do we have to leave now?'

Our supermarket adventure was far less exciting than in Thailand, but made things a lot easier. Thank you France for being so close to Morocco.

Boy #1 wants to know why these ladies are wearing these head-thingies?

STOP! I can read Arabic!



With our rather expensive goodies in hand (!$10 for ice-cream!), we headed to our friend R's villa in El Jadida.  We figured the increased noise level would fondly remind him of his family back in Houston. ;) 

While waiting for R to return from the beach, we waited in the shade and allowed the boys to play on the dusty sidewalk under a tree.  A family of four, walking home, stopped in the shade and I watched as the head of the family unrolled a small cloth on the ground.  The family patiently and quietly waited as he cut up a melon with a sharp knife.  To my surprise, he turned and offered Young Boy #1 a piece, which Mr. EagerBeaver gladly accepted.  Instinctively I jerked forward to politely refuse the possible bacteria-containing fruit BUT melon juice was already running down his chin. (We probably still need to learn to say 'thank you' in Arabic). We'll chalk this one up to immunity building!



Boy #1 eating melon from local family



DH & R enjoying a beer on the sofa while I cooked calamari dinner:



DH & R



Good night!

[PS. Just for the record, I still have a Houston ant bite that's itching from 3 weeks ago!]

Day: 2

Dragging the jet-lagged small people out of their luxurious beds at 10am was probably about the only challenging thing we had to face today. 

Breakfast was a sight for sore eyes with just about anything one could dare to wish for.  Topping the charts was the most delicious croissants, prunes and dates I'd ever had (amongst 5 different kinds of pancakes, French cheeses, eggs any way... to mention but a few).  The service boasted perfection.  Mazagan Resort, you rock!

The highlight of the day was an interesting trip up the coast to Dar Bouazza, where we'll be living.  Apparently my DH hadn't lost his Thai driving skills as he stealthily navigated the pot-holed country road without the least bit of his foreign presence detected by local drivers. (I'll be buffing out my claw marks on the passenger side pronto.)

Dar Bouazza is a charming little town running a short distance along the pretty coast.  A nice break along the shore for surfing, politically-correct caramel-colored beach for beach lovers and rock pools for Bug Boy to spend hours in. 

After being refused entry at our (future) secured gated community (apparently they're not joking), we spent a delightful afternoon with a co-worker of DH and their 3 daughters, at their ocean-facing villa.  Ugh, it's a hard life drinking wine on a rooftop terrace. ;) 

Some remarkable things about this home is that it has 4 levels, with marbled floors throughout and at least 5 large areas for seating large amounts of people.  The basement contains another sitting area, maid's quarters, steam room the size of my Houston kitchen and it's very own mosque!

A great discovery, on the way home, was a tiny 'hanook' (convenience store) run by a Frenchman who bakes..... GLUTEN-FREE BREAD!!!!  :) Happy Tommy = Happy Mommy :)

Picture for today:  View from our hotel room.