Southern Expedition
EXPEDITION PICTURES
On Saturday morning, October 7th, we left Rabat in our flashy touristy bus to begin the first leg of our journey south- to Azrou in the Middle Atlas Mountains. The region around Azrou is rich in national resources, particularly famous is the Cedar forest- the largest one in the world. For lunch, we picnicked in the Cedar forest surrounded by wolfish looking domestic dogs and Barbary Macaques, also wrongly called the Barbary Apes. The Barbary Macaque is a protected species in Morocco, and so cannot be harmed. However their growing numbers are causing great harm to the Cedar forest and the natural ecosystem. The monkeys eat the cedar trees, starting from the top they eat the new branches first. This stops the growth of the trees as they lose the parts that contribute to their growth. After lunch in the forest we discussed the implications and concerns that arose from the various environmental issues that affected the Cedar forest.
We then took a scenic detour through the Cedar forest, which is a polite way of saying that everyone on the bus fell asleep because it took about an hour and a half to drive through the forest to our hotel in Azrou. Our hotel was a colonial looking building- no doubt from the French colonial period. We had a four person room which I shared with Bryan, Aaron and Dan. Apart from the 28 people in our group plus our Academic Director Said and his assistant Badradine, we shared the hotel with this French motorcycle club, They had ridden all the way from France, through Spain and into Morocco on some great bikes- quite a few Dakar BMW 600's and 1200's. On our trip south we encountered quite a few groups on similar bikes going a whole lot faster than our legal speed limit observing bus. Seeing all those awesome motorcycles doing what they were designed to do in the High Atlas and the Western Sahara has forced me to make plans to come back to Morocco in the future with my own bike. So anyway, when we got back to Hotel Panoramique- our hotel, we lounged around for a bit, showered, and then headed out to explore the city. Azrou is a Berber word for stone or rock. The city gets its name from a very large rock near the center of town. I shall expound more on the Berbers later, or as some of the prefer to be called, the Amazigh.
As I drink my fifth glass of Moroccan mint tea since I began writing this half an hour ago, I remember our first reactions as we approached the very large rock in the middle of Azrou. It smelled overwhelmingly of poop. Apparently the life goal of every four legged animal is to poop on every spot that man might consider scenic or worthy to take his time to explore- subtly reminding us of their existence. So, we decided not to scale the large poop covered rock to view the sunset from its summit, instead we opted for a clean looking rock at its base from which we viewed a most beautiful, if a little foul smelling, sunset. As the sun set we heard the call to prayer from the Mosque right behind us, letting the people know that it was time to break their fast. As all of you would already know, it is Ramadan, the Muslim holy month when all Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
Continuation
So after I wrote that bit above this, I went to go watch a soccer game, F.U.S, a local club second division club was playing a team from Casablanca. FUS won 2-0. It was a fun game.
Ok, so... After our night in Azrou we headed out further south through the towns of Midelt, Errachidia to Errisani, a small town not far from the edge of the Western Sahara. In Errisani we had lunch at an inn owned by a very hospitable Berber man who has appeared in a few Hollywood movies. The last one being Sahara, in which he had a short role as a driver. For lunch we had delicious bread stuffed with a whole bunch of vegetables and cheese, baked not in an oven, but in a hole dug in sand. The Berber pizza, for that is what it was called, was most delicious. After stuffing our faces for a bit, we bought some scarves for our trip into the desert. For most people it was their first scarf, but since I am so fond of turbans I had already bought 2 scarves in Fes. So I purchased my third one- a very nice Touaraeg blue. The Touaraeg are a Sub-Saharan tribe that are spread out in Mali, Mauretania, Algeria and parts of Southern Morocco.
Once we were done buying the scarves we headed back out to our bus and packed for the night in the desert. I changed into a Djelaba I had borrowed from my brother... all the better to blend into the local populace. Not that I have any problems with blending in anywhere. Everyone always assumes I am Moroccan and normally assault me with rapid Arabic... most dialouges with shopkeepers go like this:
Me: Assalam Aleikum
Shopkeeper: Aleikum Assalam
Me: Bsshal (how much).. while pointing at an object
SK: Gives me the [price]
Me: La, [price] bezzef (no, the [price] is too great.
Me: I give a new price
....we haggle..
Me: La, ana talib fi Rabat, idruss Al Arabiya. (No, I'm a student in Rabat, learning arabic)
SK: Oh, Mashi maghrebi? (not Moroccan?)
Me: La, ana hindi. (No, I'm Indian.)
SK- Aaaah. Hindustan Zindabad!! You know Sharukh Khan, Amitabh Bacchan, Kajol?
Me: Na'am.
More later...
Here is a little heads up on what you have to look forward to-
- Berber pizza in Errisani.
- Landrovers to the Western Saharan town of Merzouga.
- Landrovers from Merzouga to a mud, straw and adobe Inn in the Sahara.
- Camels into the Sahara to watch the sunset.
- An early morning expedition into the Sahara to watch the sunrise
- A great lunch in Nkob in a restored Berber fort.
- Arrival in Ourzazate (pronounced warzazat) also known as Morocco's Hollywood. Three of my favorite movies, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven were shot around here.
- Arrival in Marrakesh, strolls through the famous Djemaa El Fna- the Square of the Apocalypse. My encounters with snake charmers, Berber apothecaries, monkey tamers and a lot of other random people who ask for money. The square at night with its foodstalls and hordes of entertainers. The amazing souk or market filled with so many things that I wanted to buy.
- Essaouira, wonderful little town with a great beach, on which we had a great game of soccer,
That's all folks, I'll finish this entry in a bit.
On Saturday morning, October 7th, we left Rabat in our flashy touristy bus to begin the first leg of our journey south- to Azrou in the Middle Atlas Mountains. The region around Azrou is rich in national resources, particularly famous is the Cedar forest- the largest one in the world. For lunch, we picnicked in the Cedar forest surrounded by wolfish looking domestic dogs and Barbary Macaques, also wrongly called the Barbary Apes. The Barbary Macaque is a protected species in Morocco, and so cannot be harmed. However their growing numbers are causing great harm to the Cedar forest and the natural ecosystem. The monkeys eat the cedar trees, starting from the top they eat the new branches first. This stops the growth of the trees as they lose the parts that contribute to their growth. After lunch in the forest we discussed the implications and concerns that arose from the various environmental issues that affected the Cedar forest.
We then took a scenic detour through the Cedar forest, which is a polite way of saying that everyone on the bus fell asleep because it took about an hour and a half to drive through the forest to our hotel in Azrou. Our hotel was a colonial looking building- no doubt from the French colonial period. We had a four person room which I shared with Bryan, Aaron and Dan. Apart from the 28 people in our group plus our Academic Director Said and his assistant Badradine, we shared the hotel with this French motorcycle club, They had ridden all the way from France, through Spain and into Morocco on some great bikes- quite a few Dakar BMW 600's and 1200's. On our trip south we encountered quite a few groups on similar bikes going a whole lot faster than our legal speed limit observing bus. Seeing all those awesome motorcycles doing what they were designed to do in the High Atlas and the Western Sahara has forced me to make plans to come back to Morocco in the future with my own bike. So anyway, when we got back to Hotel Panoramique- our hotel, we lounged around for a bit, showered, and then headed out to explore the city. Azrou is a Berber word for stone or rock. The city gets its name from a very large rock near the center of town. I shall expound more on the Berbers later, or as some of the prefer to be called, the Amazigh.
As I drink my fifth glass of Moroccan mint tea since I began writing this half an hour ago, I remember our first reactions as we approached the very large rock in the middle of Azrou. It smelled overwhelmingly of poop. Apparently the life goal of every four legged animal is to poop on every spot that man might consider scenic or worthy to take his time to explore- subtly reminding us of their existence. So, we decided not to scale the large poop covered rock to view the sunset from its summit, instead we opted for a clean looking rock at its base from which we viewed a most beautiful, if a little foul smelling, sunset. As the sun set we heard the call to prayer from the Mosque right behind us, letting the people know that it was time to break their fast. As all of you would already know, it is Ramadan, the Muslim holy month when all Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
Continuation
So after I wrote that bit above this, I went to go watch a soccer game, F.U.S, a local club second division club was playing a team from Casablanca. FUS won 2-0. It was a fun game.
Ok, so... After our night in Azrou we headed out further south through the towns of Midelt, Errachidia to Errisani, a small town not far from the edge of the Western Sahara. In Errisani we had lunch at an inn owned by a very hospitable Berber man who has appeared in a few Hollywood movies. The last one being Sahara, in which he had a short role as a driver. For lunch we had delicious bread stuffed with a whole bunch of vegetables and cheese, baked not in an oven, but in a hole dug in sand. The Berber pizza, for that is what it was called, was most delicious. After stuffing our faces for a bit, we bought some scarves for our trip into the desert. For most people it was their first scarf, but since I am so fond of turbans I had already bought 2 scarves in Fes. So I purchased my third one- a very nice Touaraeg blue. The Touaraeg are a Sub-Saharan tribe that are spread out in Mali, Mauretania, Algeria and parts of Southern Morocco.
Once we were done buying the scarves we headed back out to our bus and packed for the night in the desert. I changed into a Djelaba I had borrowed from my brother... all the better to blend into the local populace. Not that I have any problems with blending in anywhere. Everyone always assumes I am Moroccan and normally assault me with rapid Arabic... most dialouges with shopkeepers go like this:
Me: Assalam Aleikum
Shopkeeper: Aleikum Assalam
Me: Bsshal (how much).. while pointing at an object
SK: Gives me the [price]
Me: La, [price] bezzef (no, the [price] is too great.
Me: I give a new price
....we haggle..
Me: La, ana talib fi Rabat, idruss Al Arabiya. (No, I'm a student in Rabat, learning arabic)
SK: Oh, Mashi maghrebi? (not Moroccan?)
Me: La, ana hindi. (No, I'm Indian.)
SK- Aaaah. Hindustan Zindabad!! You know Sharukh Khan, Amitabh Bacchan, Kajol?
Me: Na'am.
More later...
Here is a little heads up on what you have to look forward to-
- Berber pizza in Errisani.
- Landrovers to the Western Saharan town of Merzouga.
- Landrovers from Merzouga to a mud, straw and adobe Inn in the Sahara.
- Camels into the Sahara to watch the sunset.
- An early morning expedition into the Sahara to watch the sunrise
- A great lunch in Nkob in a restored Berber fort.
- Arrival in Ourzazate (pronounced warzazat) also known as Morocco's Hollywood. Three of my favorite movies, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven were shot around here.
- Arrival in Marrakesh, strolls through the famous Djemaa El Fna- the Square of the Apocalypse. My encounters with snake charmers, Berber apothecaries, monkey tamers and a lot of other random people who ask for money. The square at night with its foodstalls and hordes of entertainers. The amazing souk or market filled with so many things that I wanted to buy.
- Essaouira, wonderful little town with a great beach, on which we had a great game of soccer,
That's all folks, I'll finish this entry in a bit.
posted by Behzad J. Larry at 7:26 AM
11 Comments:
Behzad,
I LOVED reading your nice, long " alive" entry. Travelled with you smelt the not so lovely ( i.e. the huge rock )and lovely ( the cedars) ! What a beautiful land. I have a Moroccon colleague and he was very happy to hear how much you are enjoying his land.
Lots of love from Krishen Uncle and
Lila Aunty
Dearest Behzad,
I can feel the excitement of Morocco, watching the sunrise over the Sahara must have been spectacular. And going crazy in the souks! Enjoy and stay safe.
Lots of love.
goooood shizzle! Heh. I caught a bit of time and read today's entry - I've got to check out your pictures too, looking forward to it. Sounds great there. Good luck on the road, ol' boy.
-Alex
hey man sounds like alot of fun
i really want to go to the sahara during a sunset, it would be so relaxing..
dude you have to bring back some moroccon tea!
Am going through the photos again, as many people are and thoroughly enjoying them. Everyone feels it's all just incredible, just being there and doing all what you guys are experiencing in a beautiful country!
Love.
Submit one! (or I can submit one on your behalf).
Event Information
Title: Call for Submissions: Photo Exhibit for International Education Week
Contact: Abby Berenson
Location: Bring work to OISS, 561 LaGuardia Place
Open to public?: Yes
Complete Description:
The photography exhibit focuses on experiences and perspectives of individuals living in or traveling to the African continent. Submissions should include an explanation or story behind the photograph(s) and a description of the location where it was taken.
Any NYU student, faculty, or staff member who has lived in or traveled to Africa is encouraged to submit photos. Please email electronic files directly to abby.berenson@nyu.edu or bring all submissions, in person, to the OISS at 561 LaGuardia Place. If images are brought in person, they must be at least 8" x 10" and already framed. Each photographer may submit up to three photos. SUBMIT EARLY! The first 10 photos accepted will be enlarged and framed for FREE by the OISS!! The deadline to apply is Wednesday, October 25.
The goal of the exhibit is to depict Africa through photographs, which will help to paint a fuller picture of this fascinating continent. "This is Africa..." holds such a variety of meanings to all of us and through these photographs we hope those meanings will become clearer to all. Please direct any questions or to abby.berenson@nyu.edu
Chadli Bendjedid. Remember?
Great pics. Nice camels - all camel coloured (er..English spelling)and you all blue. Add colour.
You write well. Ofcourse, must be tough typing on camel-back. Hopefully you'll be up to speed soon.
Eid Mubarik to all. Especially your host family.
Love.
...sorry for anon earlier.
Hit the button w/out the name!
Dear Behzad,
Here's wishing you a very happy and festive Eid Mubbark. It must have been quite an experience to have seen how Ramadan is observed in a Muslim Country and now how Eid will be celebrated. Please do tell us more about your Ramadan and Eid adventures. As usual, loved reading about your latest trip. The photos are beautiful, but where are the locals - the villagers, the kids, the woman? I'm know, I know, you have to pay them before they let you take a picture, but please pay if you think it's going to be an exceptional picture. At the moment, Morocco looks like a beautiful clean (except for Poop Mountain) country with no people.I think you should become a travel writer/journalist. We all think we are there as we are reading your blog.
Love,
Birjees
Yes, Morocco is so exciting! If you are looking for a superb holiday climate, golf courses, untouched sandy beaches, picturesque fishing and mountain villages, than you should think about Morocco. Morocco is a beautiful country, with its ancient towns, coastal resorts and snowy peaks. Areas along the Mediterranean coast are expected to be the next boom – prices for Morocco property are currently very low. It is the major cities where capital growth has been at its highest – most notably, Casblanca, Fes, Marrakech and Tangier.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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