Hey Team,
It's true. Jedi Knights own Morocco. On the streets, in the mosques, in the cafes. Everywhere you look. JEDI. It's pretty awesome...
... okay. So they aren't REAL Jedi knights. And the two times I've brought it up to Moroccan's they look at me like I'm nuts, but there is no doubt that George Lucas got his idea for the Jedi robes from the Jellaba robes worn here (and likely in Tunisia). Do a google search. Get your Jedi on.
On top of that went into the bowels of Jabba's palace while in the imperial city of Meknes. Sure, some would say it's the graneries (or as the tour guides insist...the DUNGEONS) of Moulay Ismail's palace. But they bear a striking resemblance to Mr. Hutt's palace. Again, some likely inspiration for Mr. Lucas. I wonder if he traveled around North Africa (and perhaps Morocco) when he was younger. Haven't seen any light sabers yet...but I'm keeping an eye out.
So I'm pretty much the only tourist in Morocco.
Not really a big exaggeration.
I've seen, maybe...MAYBE a dozen tourists in Casablanca, Meknes, on the Train, and Moulay Idriss (where I am now). At the roman ruins today there were a couple tour buses, but I have no idea where they are staying. They seem to vanish like the ruins. At first I thought "Man, this is a little rough. No other travelers to chat with", but then I realized that this is really a cool experience. Travelers are familiar to me. Moroccan culture is quite a bit unfamiliar. So it forces me to engage in it all the time. And it's been a little tough. Though looking back, it really only took 3 days to get my "see" legs in place. But compared with the last couple trips (Costa Rica/Panama and Australia), where the "see" legs kicked in immedately. This was a bit of a challenge. And I mean, that even ordering food is intimidating. Or getting a train seat or ticket, or figurng out why the heck they DON'T EAT MEAT before 11am. And as all of you who know me, know I can't do a bunch of bread, jam, and sweet sugary tea for breakfast. I've actually felt a little off most of the time so far because the food is rough. It's LOT's of fried stuff. Very little vegatables (though they end up on the plate... unless they are cooked, I choose to not eat them. Already heard stories from two people who got sick.). So it's meat and potatoes, and LOTS of it. I mean, I thnk it's part of the culture, but they give you TONS of food for every meal. Example: Tonight I had a typical dinner (very different from Costa Rica "typical"). It was: Bread, Olives, Potato salad, Some sort of fruit salad, and the main course, which is in this clay warming plate (the name I can't remember right now), and theres' a lot of it. I keep eatng and eatng because don't want to waste it, but tonight I'm STUFFED. So I think it's time to trim back a bit. I wonder if locals eat that much, or if it's just for tourists and guests. I see their plates at the cafes...and they have all the stuff on it. It's a wonder Moroccan's aren't fat like Americans. :)
So yesterday I was wanderng the old medina in Meknes. (A Medina is the old part of town. Much like Stone Town was, or an old Medieval town, with winding alleys, and twists and turns. Dead ends. Blind turns. No traffic and lots of people. Souqs are the shopping area's in the Medinas. The most famous beng Marrakesh (which will be at the end of my trip). Some Medina's are "new", meaning only 150 years old or so (like Cassablanca), some are old (like Fes, which is 1500 years old...no shit). Meknes is right in the middle, build around 600 years ago. The Royal city area build around 1700). So I'm wanderng the maze of Meknes, just taking in the palaces walls, the life, all the goats being hearded along, or hauled in trucks, and basically lettng myself get lost. It's one of the joys of being here, and in Meknes there is MUCH less hassle (or so I'm told) than in Fez or Marrakesh).
Well, I'm heading out (or so I think) and a guy says "hi. You speak English". And we start to chatting. Well, the thing is, you never know if they are wanting to sell you something, help you for free, or just say hi. We chat a bit, and he says "would you join me for some Mint Tea at my home. I would be honored."
Well, Mint tea is how it's done in Morocco. They love it. Drink it. Share it. It's like Beer Lao in Laos. And as many of you know, one of my guiding principles of travel is 1. Never refuse and invitation. So I say yes...
And he leads me down all these alleys and circles all around, way back into the medina. And to his home. Which is a door in a wall. He opens it and we descend stairs into a dark, gloomy room. I'm thnking..."hmmm... keep your shit with you and trust your instincts if you want to run. But don't be paranoid". Beyond the gloomy room, he turns on a light in another gloomy room. This one has a bed, couch, table, tiny tv, dvd player, and posters of Jimi Hendrix and a VERY young Rolling Stones. Like teenagers.
We get to chatting. He cleans up as we do. I keep feeling like I see random drug paraphanelia...but it never is. It's mint tea, or sugar, or cigarettes. He's nice. We chat of life in America, his family and other things. Travel and more. He cooks up some tea and we drnk away. (But I wait to watch him drink it first... I seem to know something about the poisoning of drink to get what you want... (those of you who know what I'm talking about, know. Those who don't, you'll find out someday soon...)
I ask to use the toilet, careful to brng all my stuff with me. He says "sure", leads me to a black "closet" looking thng in the wall by the front door. I can't see in it, but he tosses water in (the way you flush a squat toilet.). He goes away, and I have to pull out my headlamp so I can see... and there's no way I'm stepping in there to pee. So I take aim and go for it. Yikes.
Back to tea. And then what it's really about...
I ask "so what do you do?"
He gets up and brings over a little tray of Jewelry (ahhhhh... this is for the sale!). He claims to have made it, but honestly I don't think he did. It was all pretty varied and there were odd details in how long he said it took to make things. But honestly...who cares if he made it or not?
Next thing I know, we're eating cus-cus. Yep, he got it from his neighbor, cooked it up and we dig in. Was really good and he kept insisting eat more. (again...LOTS of food). I look at Jewelry, I pick out some items and ask "How much?"
He says it's not capitalism. I'm his brother. We are all loved by god in our hearts. Eventually I had to make the first bid...
100 Dirham. (that's $12.50). For a pendant (to be a magnet), two sets of earings and two necklaces.
He looks shocked, and laughs. (that's how it's done).
He tells me how long they took to make (the necklace a MONTH). I smile.
He says 1650 Dirham. (do the math, that's $200!!!)
I laugh. He says 1400.
We discuss more. I offer 150.
I remove one necklace. How much?
He says I should offer him.
And I end up at 200. (Now without both neclaces).
He says 250.
I say 220.
All the while we smile, we drink tea, we take our time.
He says 230.
Then goes back up to 250.
No way! I laugh.
I go to the other room. Pull out a 200 and 22 in coins.
I come in and offer them to him.
He takes them...
I take my jewelry.
And very quickly I'm lead out to the street and only 10 feet from his door we are back on the main drag where | met him in the first place. He'd led me all over tarnation just to add to the mystery.
He gave me directions and sent me on my way... me havng spent a little more than I should have, and him making a little less than he hoped. But I had good tea, good food and a good story. Well worth $27.50.
(But I've got to keep my eyes peeled for this in all the future Medina's I go to...because I'll be broke if I don't. :).
I'm glad I read this article by Andrew McCarthy (yep, the actor from the 80s, now turned Travel writer), about bargaining in Marrakesh. It helped a lot.
But thanks to that...I felt like I got my "See" legs back.
I headed to the crazy taxi stand as the rain came in again, was able to get in one to Moulay Idriss. But first they had to take the Goat out of the trunk. (yes you read that correctly). Open trunk...take out tied up goat. Pile into cab (not trunk), and off to the holiest Islamic City in Morocco. They say 5 pilgramiges here during August are worth 1 to Mecca. So it's like 1/5 Mecca!
And I'm stayng in a cool guest house... by myself.
I mean completely by myself.
Think a 3 story house with a central atrium all the way up. Rooms with beds on the different floors. A roof terrace. Bikes to ride. Hot showers. AND NO ONE HERE. I mean, not even the employees. NO ONE. It's my own fricking house! And will be for 3 nights because tomorrow is one of the biggest Muslim holidays, and the workers aren't allowed to work. It'd be like working on Christmas. Only with Goats...
CraigO
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