February 2011
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January 2011
59 posts
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Asni and Imlil
Asni is a small village at the base of Djebel Toukal, the highest peak in Africa. There is a large souk every Saturday, and we were told it was a must-see. However, the souk really was just a large farmer’s market, selling primarily fruits and vegetables, unlike the souk in Marrakesh. All types of businesses stood side-by-side (almost all run by men and seemingly shopped by mostly men as well):...
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Ben Youssef Medersa, Marrakesh Museum, and The...
Ben Youssef Medersa is a “university for Koranic theology” built in the 14th century. The glorious courtyard belies the teeny tiny dungeon-like dorm rooms that Koranic scholars studied and lived in. I assume that the lack of windows was to minimize distraction for the students.
Marrakesh Museum is one of the smallest museums that I’ve ever been to (but one of the biggest...
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true story: Woman vs. Taxi Driver
After semi-successfully haggling for a taxi to take us to Jardin Majorelle, we started to climb into the taxi when the driver was accosted by a woman. Who had a baby strapped to her chest. And an 8-year-old boy hanging on to her hand for dear life.
I hopped into the cab and scooted over, blasé as you please, while Jako hovered outside the door, unsure of the situation as the altercation...
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Parlez-vous anglais?
My first language was Mandarin Chinese. My second? Spanish (my babysitter spoke primarily Spanish). Therefore, I knew not a word of English when I entered preschool. As this was in the early ’80s suburbs of Maryland, the teachers knew not a word that wasn’t English. After a brief and hilarious (I was told) impasse, I quickly cottoned onto English, and slowly but surely abandoned the other two...
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Almazar Marrakesh →
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The other side
Yesterday was an interminably rainy day, and it kept us trapped inside our “apartment.” As much as I wanted to try the original “pop-up” restaurants of Jamaa el Fna, the cold and the rain leached all impetus out of me. Of course, we weren’t interested in starving either, and on the tip of a local friend, we went to Carrefour to pick up supplies.
Carrefour is...
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