Dinner at the Marriott

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007

Here we are in back in the hustle and bustle of Casablanca for a last night of dinner and entertainment (bellydancing!) at the Marriott. Tomorrow we fly home. What an incredible month of sites, smells, sounds, and experiences visiting mosques, palaces, souks and medinas. Read on to discover my travels in Marrakesh, Essaouira, Mohammadia as well as visiting the Djemaa el-Fna (in archives), dining at Chez Ali, getting tattooed, and luxuriating at the hammam baths.

 

arabian nights

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
Nawal, Hakima and I spent a couple of days in Marrakesh. One evening we dined at ‘Chez Ali’ a restaurant north of the city that offers dinner and a fantasia of folk dancing, tribal music, and Berbers riding full tilt on horseback, firing their muskets into the air! When you arrive at the restaurant you’re greeted by women dressed in traditional bridal costume who guide you to your caidal tents for the evening’s show.

 

dinner at Chez Ali

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
Nawal, Hakima, and I dining at Chez Ali for dinner and a show. For the climax of the show at least a dozen Berber horsemen in flowing white robes and turbans ride full gallop across a stadium, stopping abruptly and simultaneously fire their rifles into the air. My photos of the horsemen didn’t turn out, but you can get an idea of the spectacle by visiting here.

 

moroccan feast

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
Our dinner feast at Chez Ali included many varieties of tagines, couscous, pastilla, kebabs, ‘mechoui’ (roast lamb), and mouth-watering desserts all washed down with never-ending mint tea. Each course is beautifully arranged and presented. Our waiter is the sweetest fellow and flirts with Nawal and Hakima without abandon. Meanwhile, in the background we watch tribal musicians and folkloric dancers. For more info on Moroccan cuisine, click here.

 

tribal musicians and singers

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
What an evening of music, singing and dancing! The musicians play stringed instruments including the three-stringed lotar, the eleven-stringed l-aloud and the kamanja (fiddle). They also play the derbouka, the tarija, and the bendir, all percussion instruments resembling drums or tambourines and made from skins stretched over ceramic or wooden frames. This is truly a magical night; a feast for the senses.

 

folkloric dancers

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
I love folkloric dancing; it’s slow rhythms and constant shuffling are hypnotic and sensual. Chez Ali presents many groups of dancers from different parts of Morocco; each with their distinctive costumes, jewelry, hairstyles and head wraps, and dance steps. To the left of the dancers are singers singing a cappella and clapping out the beats for the dancers.

 

Mohammedia, Morocco

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
Nawal and I are staying at the beach house of her family in Mohammedia, just north of Casablanca. Casablanca is stifling hot in August and her family escapes to the sea side during the summer months where the weather is delightful. Here we puttered away our days drinking mint tea, playing mah jong, and cards and strolling on the beach. In the evening we’d visit the hammams (local baths). Hammams are quite possibly the most decadent experience on the face of this earth. Take with you a small mat to sit on, a ‘kiss’ (scrubbing mitt) and ‘sabon bildi’ (black olive-oil soap). Hire a ‘tayeba’ (washing person) who will do everything for you, from fetching buckets of hot water to scrubbing all over your body to within an inch of your life (you lay in her arms across her lap and she flops you around like a fish). Moroccan hammams are a little different than Turkish hammams. For a little bit more insight, click here. (No, it’s not a smutty site.)

 

henna tattoo

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
I’m under the tip of the henna pen while the artist deftly paints delicate pattern work on my hands and feet. This takes hours and you have to sit very still while the henna paste dries and flakes off, leaving a stain that lasts several weeks. For a little more info on henna tattoos, visit here. Behind her on a small table is her henna mixture, mint tea and cookies. Mint tea is the national drink of Morocco and is made with Chinese green gunpowder tea, sprigs of fresh mint and lots and lots of sugar. You drink it everywhere at all times of the day, poured from elegant teapots into small ornate glasses. Pouring tea is considered an art form and is a lot of fun to watch as the server lifts their arm and pours the tea from a great height to create a frothy top on your beverage. For more inf on Moroccan tea, click here.

 

Essaouira, Morocco

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
This is the beach town of Essaouira (pronounced Esa-wera) on the Atlantic coast. Nawal, Hakima and I are enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, miles of coastline, and great food and shopping. We wandered the towns narrow lanes, enjoying the whitewashed houses with blue-painted doorways, tiny neighborhood squares, numerous cafes, and talented artisans with their shops along the way. This is a fabulous place to eat fresh seafood! For history and more pictures, click here.

 

cookies with Zahira

Originally uploaded by elyoung2007
Zahira is trying to show me how to braid cookies. Try as I might, I never got the hang of how to twist the dough. My friend, Nawal, picked it up right away. We bought dozens of Zahirah’s freshly baked cookies and brought them back to the States for friends and family.