mosaic road

The Most Important Meal of The Day.

Breakfast maybe an important meal but it is often a joyless affair snatched on the run with coffee gulped down and cereal eaten in the car etc etc. Breakfast on a holiday istruly significant because it is becomes a luxurious unhurried affair after a sleep-in where no alarm clock harshly destroys a deep slumber.. A generous banquet of homemade food is prepared for guests at Riad Mur Akush and they can break their fast anywhere that suits and any time till midday. The rooftop is the most popular al fresco dining spot and guests can eat, soak up the sun and enjoy 360 degree views while they plan their day .

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spinning a Yarn

 

 

 

Totally eye catching were these hanks of just dyed yarn in the souks today. You never know for sure what is down the next alley. But what is for certain is that someone will be trying to sell it to you. Shopping in the souk is the true definition of running the gauntlet. Don't dawdle is my advice to avoid being besieged. But if you do want to buy, then smile and stand your ground like a good Berber, have a rough price in mind and enjoy the experience.

 

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Over the Atlas, a few more pics

These pics maybe a bit fuzzy and blurred as they were taken by me from the bus window. The moving bus barely slowed down for the hairpin bends or oncoming traffic so I had to keep snapping madly in the vain hope that any picture worked out ok. I also undid my seat belt, risking life and limb, so I could crane backwards and at odd angles trying to get photos that represented the crazy curvy road as we hurtled downhill. Roadworks have begun to improve the hazardous conditions, not before time.

 

 

 

 

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The Big Green Bus

 

 

The Tizi 'n Tichka pass crosses the Atlas Mountains. It is 2260 m above sea level with multiple switchbacks. It is the highest mountain pass in North Africa and was constructed in 1936. Traffic over it has drastically increased since then and includes many tourist buses, chugging their way slowly over 60 miles of steep climbing to the top. I recently took one if these buses and loved the trip. It can have its hair raising moments as the buses are passed on blind bends, by daredevil motor cyclists and crazy overloaded big taxis. Not for the faint hearted. But if you want to visit the southern part of Morocco then there is no choice and the rugged scenery is worth it although the ice and snow over the winter months might just about put me off and I am up for nearly anything.

 

 

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True confessions

 

I have three vices - all things oat related, ice cream and chocolate. Could be worse in the worldwide scheme of things !!! I could eat oatmeal three meals a day. Cereal in a bowl is not a Moroccan breakfast and so the range on sale is, as expected, not wide. But raw oats are findable and even the artificially flavoured (yuck) quick oats in sachets are available. But my choice comes down to Polish oats or Czech oats. Interesting.

 

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Being Thankful

 

 

In Australia we do not celebrate Thanksgiving Day as such but I do really try to be thankful every day that I have health and happiness.Two years ago I sat at the above table celebrating Thanksgiving in Boston. I was very happy and thankful to be with family and friends. One year ago I sat at a very multicultural table in Marrakesh, happy and thankful for newfound friends. This year I don't even own a table to sit at or an oven to cook in but I am just as happy and thankful as in past years. I have chosen to live without 'things' for a while and have proven to myself that they are not at all vital to my happiness. I am endlessly thankful though that I am in a position to make such a choice and it has not been forced upon me by a regime, by poverty, by war or by some other unspeakable adversity or atrocity. I think November 26th is as good a day as any for me to reflect and acknowledge that there by the grace of God go I.

 

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The Daily Grind

I am very lucky as I get to work with wonderful people and in a wonderful place. I get roof top views, a warm sun filled terrace, a swinging office chair like no other , music on some occasions and hot freshly made flat bread if I have skipped breakfast. Bestever working conditions !!

 

 

 

 

 

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Lost in Translation

 

I have had some plumbing issues but not one of the three plumbers here dealing with them today told me I would find my toilet in the entrance hall this morning. I always say expect the unexpected in Morocco.

 

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The Merest Touch of Christmas

 

 

As my family knows I am pretty ambivalent about Christmas, Christmassed out in fact. I am perfectly happy living in a country where it is not on the calendar. But today I could not resist entering the commercial fray and buying these limited edition Nespresso festive promotions. Luckily they can be enjoyed anywhere and anytime without an onslaught of tinselly trees, red nosed reindeers, jingling bells or partridges holed up in pear trees. And, yes, I can hear the mutterings of "Xmas Grinch" from the other side of the world where everyone will spend the next four weeks in a frenzied countdown till the 25th December dawns.

 

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I Have Always Hated Broadbeans !!!

This beautiful dish of artichokes and fava beans is music to my heart. It is a traditional Moroccan family winter meal recommended to me by a lovely local food loving friend. I recently learned that a fava bean is the same thing as a broadbean, a vegetable I dreaded growing up. And I now know the reason. My mother did not peel them, she made us munch through that bitter hard outer shell that even when cooked was tough and unswallowable. I avoided them like the plague till my culinary expertise improved enough to for me to be tempted to experiment with them. Then I discovered that inside the much loathed shell was a shiny sweet little green bean. This dish is a showcase for them, using artichoke hearts and preserved lemon. It's a one pot dish and the simple list of ingredients are all easy to find. A must try !!

 

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