Morocco!!

I have travelled to Morocco and am now in some tiny village on the Atlantic coast north of Agadir. I say "some town" because we took a bus until some guy said "This is a good village. You should stay here." I say "we" because, for the first time on this quest, I have a travelling companion: my friend, Sevtap. You may remember her as the "fascinating" German of Turkish descent - she would describe herself as Turkish from Germany - who I met in Egypt. She has agreed to join me here in the kingdom of Morocco for a bit.

The Morocco adventure began in Marrakech - an exhilarating introduction to the country. The central square, Djemaa el-Fna, is described as the greatest souq in southern Morocco and it does not disappoint. There are snake charmers here with meter-long cobras! Seriously. Awesome. And the fresh-squeezed orange juice is probably the best bargain in the entire continent: 15¢ for a BIG glass. There are people everywhere; bright colors; drumming, clanging, ringing, yelling; the smell of oranges, cinnamon, coffee, and exhaust from scooters as they race through tthe throng and brush your sleeve.

To secure onward passage on a bus took a half-hour, two languages, ten people, and a lot of patience. And even then the bus arrived at the station almost an hour late. Luckily it was only a four-hour ride (though it felt like an uncomfortable eternity).

On the bus, we befriended a Moroccan guy named Medhi. He was traveling to a beach-side village in the general area we were and invited us to join him at his friend's house.

The 'house' wound up being what can only honestly be described as a shack on the beach with somewhere between 5 and 8 other guys (people kept coming and going and I couldn't keep track). It was an awesome yet challenging experience which did, however, ultimately lead us off the beaten track to a lovely little beach village.

After a day with Mehdi and friends we felt our welcome waning and elected to move on to the next village where I actually found a place with a kitchen.

Some of you know that the day I left for Africa I was putting in the last few nails in my kitchen remodel project (3540remodel.blogspot.com). Seriously, stayed up most of the night putting in the last bit of flooring and then put in the thresholds in the morning. Julie drove me to the airport at lunchtime.

So after months of effort I finally had the kitchen of my dreams and I wasn't there to use it - a fact that is driven home everytime I walk through the vegetable markets and wish that I were buying my dinner. Sure I eat oranges and avocados and olives and dates and bananas and mangos. But lentils and maize and eggplant and zucchini and bags and bags of spices make me want to cook!

So kitchen in the context of my place in Morocco means that there is a propane tank with a burner on top and a sink, three spoons, a teapot, five glasses, one pot, two saucers and a bowl. When I first spied it, I was overjoyed! No more or less than if it had been a professional kitchen with a prep sink and a five-burner gas range with double oven and a warming tray. It took every bit of self-control for me to keep a straight face as I negotiated the price.

So on to dinner. We set out tonight with a goal. Sevtap made a point that when tourists come into a village, ask the price of something and the shopkeeper says a price 50% high and the tourist just agrees that it encourages the idea that money doesn't matter to us. The locals certainly never load up their shopping bag before asking the price and throwing a small fit if the price is 1 dirham too high. She also has some interesting thoughts on "baksheesh" (tipping) but that is for another day. So we set out to really do some comparison shopping and to play as though we were locals and in the process see if we can't dispell a misconception or two.

Really, why don't we do this at home? Convenience plays a part in it. My time at home is too valuable to go to three shops to save a few pennies. But I am amazed sometimes at the amount of money that we are willing to pay for things. $4 for coffee?! Or more!! I mean it is 98% hot water with ground-up cooked seeds floating in it.

It is always a challenge when entering a new country to figure out what things cost. Currency changes, climatic availability, tarifs, and the cost of labor and transit all make a difference. So this comparison shopping is something I may do in each new country from now on.

It was also quite enjoyable and fulfilling to go to four different stands asking the price of everything and then to retrace our steps getting the best price per quality. And even to say "onions were 1 dirham cheaper per kg at the other place, let's go back there". Prices are given per kilogram and weighed on a balance against standardized metal weights.

So one dirham is about $0.12 and is abbreviated Dh.
(1) 7-inch round loaf of bread = 1Dh
(1 kg) onions = 3Dh
(1kg) tomatos = 5Dh
(1kg) yogurt = 2Dh
(1kg) bananas = 5Dh
(1/2 liter) olive oil = 20Dh


Not nearly as cheap as Egypt but much better than even the local restaurants. And the tourist places? One of the tourist cafes wanted 8Dh for a coca-cola!