Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thé a la Menthe

Sipping hot mint tea in cafe Hafa looking across the strait to Gibraltar and Spain.
Hafa is an old, run down, blue painted brick shack. A series of about 10 rough terraces ladder down the cliff facing the strait, dotted with tables and chairs.
My fingers are sticky as I type, a symptom of the sugary glass of tea I am holding. A group of men across from me are smoking Kif, joking, listening to catchy Arabic pop music and laughing. They have a very good life.

Here Truman Capote, Jack Kerouac, Tennessee Williams and Paul Bowles hung out, doing much as I am doing now ... Gazing across the sea brushing the bees away from their sticky glasses of thé Menthe.
Groups of tourists come, drink tea and go. The locals hardly raise an eyebrow with each invasion and retreat, although if I understood Arabic I would probably have a different story to tell.
My second glass exceeds the first, I know why they spend all day sipping it, just as it cools to drinking temperature ... You want another fragrant hit.

Petit dejeuner

Shauna
Oh my God girlfriend, this breakfast was so good, for the second day running. I had to share it with you.
I laugh at people who take happy snaps of food, tragic tourists ... But this morning I became one.
It's just SO French, everything home made, freshly squeezed OJ, 3 types of fromage, crepes!, cake!, 2 preserves, some caramel spread that i ate straight off the spoon, 2 types of croissant, freshly ground coffee and blah blah blah...
You get it right?
Heaven.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

La Tangerina

La Tangerina: Tangier.
A taxi ride from Tangier train station in a very big, very beige, very old tank of a Mercedes. took me through the bland, repetitive, high-rise nouvelle city and into the old medina town.
My mouth actually fell open as we drove through the arched gateway into the old medina, the streets now become alleys and shrink to narrow cobbled passages... Too narrow for the big old Mercedes taxi, but he didn't seem concerned at all and powered on.
Grey clouds did nothing to dampen my excitement as I stood on the rooftop of the riad overlooking the old town, beach and coastline. Waves crashed and once again the deep musical call to prayer resounded across the city.
White washed walls, black iron work and sweet mint tea served on the rooftop terrace.
Children called out in French, playing and running below me in the narrow maze of the ancient world.
This was bloody exotic, this now felt like Morocco.

Casa to Tangier

I'm on the most comfortable train from Casablanca to Tangier, it's a little over a 4 hour journey.
It cost me 285 dirham (about $21) for a first class seat. As it turns out, I probably didn't need to sit in the 1st class compartment as there are no chickens or other assorted livestock in the open class carriages (that i can see or smell) ... I may try the cheaper option for my Fez to Marrakech trip.
A pretty uneventful journey today except for one very smelly ticket collector, I had to stick my face in my own underarm for some fresh air (yes way)
Passed some donkeys (actually tons of bloody donkeys), sheep, baby lambs (mmm lamb, that reminds me: I must have a tagine tonight) cows and camels along the way.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Afternoon in Casablanca

So I don't speak French and everyone in Casa only speaks French (& / or Arabic I guess)
They can still listen to Lady bloody GaGa on the radio but not understand a word I'm saying!
I bet that meat dress wasn't halal.

It was easy when all I wanted was a coffee and a croissant, but any more complicated requests are .. well, friggin complicated and generally unfulfilled.
I managed to get a local SIM card for my phone by having the doorman accompany me to a dark hole in the wall shop and buy it for me. I felt like a circus animal juggling my phone, sunnies and fists full of unidentified bank notes: the crowd of locals appreciated it at least.
Very nice of the doorman I thought, till he ripped me off with his "conversion" fee (lesson learnt) needless to say I've sorted the currency out now.

Casablanca

Casa 2

Took all my technical know how (yeah like I have any, fluke more like it) but I'm up and blogging from my iPhone! Loving myself.
Casablanca was freezing cold this morning & then hot and bloody chaotic by noon.
Beautiful, decaying architecture everywhere. Avenues of crumbling old art deco mixed with decorative Moorish style .. These are a couple of quick snaps.
Casa looks pretty dirty and industrial, falling down around itself, the sounds of jack hammers mixed with the call to prayer and traffic noise is all I could hear as I walked the city.
Had the most delicious cafe creme and croissant this morning ... Some parts are so very French and chic!

Sent from my iPhone

Casablanca

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Ouch

OK so today I had some vaccinations for Morocco as recommended by Dr Dick .... Bloody hell, I can hardly type.
Countdown has begun :)
Sent from my iPhone