.: Morocco - Part Deux

Well, the OJ is so reFRESHing! While in Marrakech, I've had the opportunity to sample the local cuisine. Couscous is the national dish of Morocco, and no two chefs make it the same. In addition to the couscous, I also had the tajine, which is a meal cooked in a clay pot. It was so scrumptious! The combination of spices was nothing like I had ever tasted. WOW! If you are really daring you can go to the D'Jma al Fna and eat food from the street vendors. We played it safe. Besides, snail soup, grilled intestine, sheep head, and whatever else was on the menu did not sound appetizing! We stuck to the restaurants.

After eating, we wandered around the city, using the minaret from the Koutoubia, or mosque, as our point of reference. Every few hours the call to prayer blasting from the mosque was so chilling. I recorded video during one of them so you can hear for yourself.

We visited the ruins of the old palace and then went to the Saadien tombs. These tombs were buried for over 200 years before they were discovered. After taking many pictures, Tim and I wandered around and then sat and reflected at the sheer beauty and detail of the architecture there. The wood marquetry is just breathtaking!

One thing I learned from Tim is to not make eye contact with people. It's interesting to learn and observe the cultural differences when it comes to body language and interpersonal communication. Making eye contact, especially with street vendors, will cause them to harass you to buy something.

We did find time to get lost in the souks and haggle with some of them for souvineers. It was kinda fun! After being here for a few days I will miss Marrekech and would like to come back again someday. There's a lot of development going on so it will be interesting to see it in the future.

Marrakech was definately an adventure I will never forget!