Solo weekend getaway to Fes and Ifrane

Hello again dear friends and, before I forget, a special thanks to all of you dedicated (or at the very least mildly curious) readers out there.  While this blog makes a very good journal to keep track of and look back on down the road, it's also out there as a way to stay in touch with all of you guys and let you know what we've been up to.  So with that, I thank you for keeping this blog "alive" so to speak.  And without further adieu....Fes and Ifrane:

I took this trip solo sans wife and kid who were gone visiting friends and family between our big family trips.  For that reason, it's just me writing with no additions in orange from Sabrina (for those who didn't know or were confused, that's how we've been running this thing for a while)

The city of Fes is only about a couple hours east of Rabat and is actually three separate cities: the 20th century modern city built by the French, the 13th century "Middle" city and the old Medina which has been around since the 9th century.

After picking up my guide, my first stop was the King's palace.  Before Rabat was the capital, Fes served for centuries as the royal seat of power.  Naturally there's a sizable palace in the middle city where the current royal family still likes to get away to from Rabat now and then.  Pictures really don't do it justice (especially from my potato camera on my iPhone.  Absolutely beautiful with 7 doors in the front (for good luck).  Nearby is the old Jewish and Berber quarters of the middle city (complete with a fascinating Synagogue from the 13th century I was able to peak into (sorry no good pictures came out).

Broad view of the main entrances to the palace

Obligatory "door" photo next to the archway with Koranic verses

Next, we made our way to the old Medina (which I mentioned dates back to the 9th century).  Even if you are more of a "do-it-yourself" person.  You ABSOLUTELY need a guide to get around this medina.  A labirynth of narrow alleyways, different levels, and confusing intersection, the Medina (or what's properly known as Fes el-Bali is home to over 4000 of the over 1M people who live in the greater Fes metropolis.  No cars are allowed in the medina so everything moves either by hand cart or pack animal (of which there were many).  The whole are is rich in sights, sounds, and definitely smells, and it's easy to see why the UN has named it a world heritage sight and is spending money to restore and preserve it for the ages.  While walking around, we ran in to shops that sell everything from meat, to electrical equipment, street food of all sorts, metal goods, silk carpets, and a traditional leather tannery where fine leather goods of all types are made entirely by hand using ancient materials and methods.

We also ran into schools from kindergarten to very famous Islamic high schools and university all within this mass of humanity.  The schools and accompanying mosques are all constructed with such a fine attention to detail that it almost makes your eyes hurt.  It's hard to consider just how long it took to put together each mosaic or hand carve intricate Koranic versus out of plaster or wood.  They just don't make them how they used to.

View from inside one of the Madrassas (Koranic school)

Alcove typically found within prayer rooms to indicate the direction of Mecca

Marble fountain for ritual washing of the face, hands, and feet before prayer

View inside the chamber of the masoleum of King Idris (one of Morocco's royal founders)

Beautiful, large, wooden door I had to get a picture of just because I though it was cool

Intricate Koran verses carved out of wood.  (Note: Islamic tradition discourages pictorial depictions of holy people and places.  Thus, the words of the Koran itself become the subject of artistic outlet in most holy places). 

Mosque minaret

Fountain in the Medina

Detailed woodcarving on a wall outside the mosque

Looking in the mausoleum chamber

After spending the night in Fes, I headed south to the town of Ifrane located a little deeper in the Middle Atlas range of mountains.  I came under the understanding that this town was a little different than other Moroccan cities in that it had a little more Alpine-European feel.  What I got was exactly that plus something I've been missing since we left the states, SNOW.

After just a few minutes, I noticed that I was about the only foreign tourist around.  Maybe it was because this is not the big tourism season, but I felt like I stumbled upon a Moroccan secret as the streets and pedestrian plazas were bustling with people clearly from out of town who came to take in the atmosphere.  Now that the secret is out, sad to say, there will probably be more and more of us coming to invade in the near future.

Driving south in to the mountains (and being perfectly safe taking pictures while paying attention to the road)

The bustling center of town

Forest restaurant with European and Moroccan fare.

Nice Bavarian style house near the center of town

SNOW

...and cats.

This lion sculpture (I know it's hard to see) was like a rockstar in itself.  There was a hoard of people just trying to get in front to take a picture.  Hence why the awful shot of it.

After a nice couple of days, it was good to come back home just to pack and get ready for the next adventure to come shortly.  Tune in to see where we land in a week or so.  A tout a l'heure!

West Africa Part 3 (Ghana)

The last stop on our three country tour of West Africa was Ghana.  If you missed the first two, click HERE for the first installment.

Arriving in Ghana, the first thing one notices after traveling through Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire is that everyone here speaks English. I was actually kinda getting comfortable with my French, or my terrible french...but still some words of a different language were being uttered out of my mouth! This was quite refreshing, especially when arriving late at night at a part of the airport other than where your ride was supposed to pick you up and trying to negotiate the use of a cell phone to coordinate with said ride. Lemme just interject here.  After getting off the plane we are shuffled into this small room with everyone else from the plane, to wait in line, have an ebola check and then what we thought was customs.  Not once was their any announcement of needing to fill out forms or anything.  But you were supposed to.  Thanks Ghana.  So we wrangled some forms and no pen.  I took a pen off of a desk and was promptly told that it was not my pen to take.  Thanks Ghana.  Ok, so we then survived the customs process to walk around the corner to our bags, right there.  Nice!  And then around the corner again to be BAM! outside.  Wait, that was it?  That was the whole airport?  The sight out side the airport was quite something.  Men standing around with GIANT wads of cash for currency exchange.  I wanted to ask what their rate and commission was...., so our driver was no where to be found (we were early) and this nice gentleman saw that we were obviously tourist and 'helped' us.  Well, let us use his phone.  It cost us about $5, but it was totally worth it,,  Welcome to Ghana! 

  Anyway, unlike all of it's neighbors, Ghana was formerly a British colony.  Gold is what drew in European traders and still does today (though these investors today are Chinese and Indian as opposed to Portugese and British from the 15th century.).

Like much of the rest of West Africa, Ghana is hot, humid, but full of happy people, prosperity, and promise.  Often hailed as the democratic success story, Ghana certainly feels more politically stable than it's neighbors, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement as with any other country in the world.

A couple hours southeast of the capital of Accra is Cape Coast.  This town would normally be unassuming had it not been for two imposing structures: Elmina Castle (St. George's) and Cape Coast Castle.  Like on Goree Island in Senegal, these structures tell the story of West Africa's history from the mid-1400's to today.  Built as a trade post by the Portuguese for the trade of primary goods from inside the continent, the deep dark keeps of these forts found new purpose as the hottest commodity from the region became the population itself as a new barbaric trade spanned the course of centuries before being banned in the mid 19th century.  Still these castles tell a story that's worth hearing, but more importantly feeling (not hard to do as you gaze upon the door of no return and think about the last sights, and thoughts of thousands going through this port.)

Ryan called me a total tourist for taking this photo.  But I thought it was fitting.  

The "Governors" room.  This is where he would pick his date for the evening.  

Door of no return at Elmina Castle 

Beach area used by ocean-going vessel from the 15th through 19th century

Obligatory picture next to a gun

After spending a couple of great days in Cape Coast and Kumasi (a place where we sadly took no pictures for some reason) (it was too hot for pictures) , we returned to Accra to take in some history a little more close to the present. Along they way we stopped at a few hotels I found on Booking.com ...it is now called Booking.fail in our house and Ryan is no longer in charge of finding hotels...that didn't quite meet expectations (what little I had), but as people are fond of saying, T.I.A. (This is Africa)

So Ryan has been waiting for me to write and tell y'all about our hotel adventures in Africa.  Now, re-read the last part of that sentence.  We were staying in hotels in Africa.  To anyone that has PCSed across the US with out a care in the world, the thought of a comfy bed and a shower is something that comes normally.  Sure, when you are on an actual vacation you will spring for the more expensive place to stay.  Perhaps with a king size comfy bed and a hot shower.  But that is not a thing of normalcy when traveling around Africa.  Now listen here, I AM NOT COMPLAINING.  Well maybe a little, just because Ryan got my hopes up with awesome reviews and 4 stars.  But I do understand that life is different anywhere you go.  And I just want to explain for those who would like to travel to the places we have explored.  FAO or not. 

So our first hotel in Cape Coast, first off we couldn't find it.  Our driver had the hardest time.  The directions given from the 'front desk' staff were take a right after the secondary school on your left and we are right there.  No, they were not right there.  So after some serious frustration and me eyeing the teeny tiny sign on the house, we found it.  It was very unassuming.  That's fine.  Now our room.  ::le sigh:: and not in a good way.  A small room  After sitting in a car for six hours we needed some time apart, but there was no where to go to get away.  There was no trash can.  Really?  That was strange, but there were cold drinks in the fridge.  Bonus!  I had read in one online review that the power had gone out one night and the staff was quick to fix the problem.  So when we got home from dinner I was not surprised to see that the neighborhood was dark, and the staff was scrambling to turn on the generator.  Which was right outside our window.  And the power did not actually turn on til about 5 am.  So we had the calming whirl of the gas generator as a gentle lullaby all night.  But the white noise was enough to keep the kid asleep while the people in the lobby yelled and threw a party all night long.  And I was wondering about the giant bucket of water in the bathroom.  Well duh, its to flush the toilet when the power goes out.  At least they are prepared. Oh and  no hot shower.  Our driver, Foster, laughed at me when I asked about hot showers.  I am sure he thought of me as "that dumb American" the rest of the trip.  But I honestly didn't know.  

And for hotel number two, in Kumasi.  Now this place just makes me shake my head in utter disappointment.  Obviously my expectations were not that high bc of the night before.  But Ryan reassured me that this was going to be the best place ever.  I just wanted a hot shower and a good meal.  Neither of which I got.  When we first got there our room was not ready. Of course not!  The previous occupant was still in there bc of car troubles.  But it was nice to know that they would let us stay if we had no where else to go.  One problem right off the bat was that the staff did not speak English.  I understand that there are many different languages being spoken, but ugh.  Two hours later, our room was ready. And it was a WONDERFUL room!!!  King size bed, separate alcove for the kid.  The bathroom was less than unpleasant, but hey.  The toilet flushed.  (But that was about it) The chef personally came to our room and asked what we wanted for dinner.  We were the only guests and I suspect that he was happy to have something to do.  Poor guy.  Dinner was ready promptly at seven, and was edible.  I am willing to try anything once, but I would rather not eat then have an upset stomach for the rest of the trip.  Plus, knowing that you will be sitting in the car for at least four hours the next day really makes you examine your meal choices.  Anyway, my diet of french fries continued that night.  The kid ate a piece of bread and ketchup.  That was the norm for our trip.  Ryan tore through his "beef curry", Gross.  Anyway.  We went back to our room to retire for the evening.  That is when we found that there was no water pressure.  Well, more like no water at all coming from the faucet.  Called the front desk, she said some one would come up and no one did. So we all took ice cold wash cloth showers.  But at least we were clean. We went to sleep and were happy for the comfy bed. At about 1 am the power went out.  Ok, that's fine,  Woke up at two in a puddle of sweat.  Ok, I thought they are working on it.  Then the kid woke up.  Then we were all up.  Ryan went down to the front desk (bc the phones didn't work) to find the dude sleeping on the couch and oblivious to the world.  Luckily the power was on before Ryan even made it  back up the stairs but our fate was sealed.  Awake, sweaty with a baby at four am.  Meh. Oh oh oh!  And if you ask for a pack and play on your reservation sheet, just take it and smile. The gal was very happy to bring us a bassinet for our 30 lb 18 month old child.  When I said that I didnt need it bc we had brought our own she actually looked sad. Poor thing. 

 In 1957, when Ghana became the first European colony to gain independence, newly elected President Kwame Nkrumah was hailed as a nationalist hero of pan-African anti-colonialism.  But the honeymoon would be short lived, as many of Nkrumah's Marxist policies ran the economy into the ground.  The military staged a coup d'etat not 10 years later and this happened to poor Nkruman (the statue, not the man).

Later, in the spirit of national reconciliation, the people slowly chose to forgive (but never forget) as evidenced by the giant park and memorial gardens that bear his name (and also his tomb).

Independence Square and parade ground

As far as food is concerned, I am a fan of Ghana.  Sabrina also declared it her 14th favourite ( I see what you did there with the spelling, clever boy!) former British colony.  This place is no stranger to good seafood.  Like Senegal, fish on the bone is a go-to around these parts.  Something else I found I love down here is plantains.  You can do just about anything with them (reminds me a bit of Bubba and his shrimp in Forest Gump)  Fufu (ground casava meal) is also big and quite tasty with the right sauce.

Finally, like all good things, our trip came to an end.  And like most trips in this part of the world, it happened on yet another plane.  Nothing like a toast of warm beer (in the best British tradition) to cap off this adventure.

Happy to be headed home to Morocco.  I do have to say that was one of my favorite parts of the trip...When some one would ask where we lived, I would say Morocco...and the look of just total confusion that would be on their faces was priceless. 

I do hope that you guys enjoyed reading about our adventures. It was a great way to kick off our year long IRT and I cant wait for our next adventure down south coming this summer.  But its their winter.  Wait, we are going below the equator?!  Seriously. Epic.  Do the toilets really swirl the other way?  I am sure we will blog about it. 


 I am going to write an entry about the trials and tribulations of traveling with a toddler.   Seriously, its horrendous. I will publicly apologize to everyone we stayed with and encountered on the trip for his atrocious behavior.  He is getting help for his Bubble Guppies addiction.  

West Africa Part 2 (Cote d'Ivoire)

Welcome back to part 2 of our 3 country tour of West Africa.  If you missed Part 1 (Senegal), here's the link.

For our second stop on our our West African tour we flew south from Senegal to Cote d'Ivoire (or Ivory Coast for all your francophobes out there).  The name of the country in French is an obvious indicator that (like Senegal) it used to be a French colony.  It later gained independence in 1960 like many other French holdings in the region. I was very disappointed to find out there are no elephants in CDI.  Laaaaaame. 

The first thing one from the north notices about Cote d'Ivoire is the heat.  Yes, it was hotter in Senegal than we're used to Morocco; but after that 3 hour flight over Ebola country, and landing just 5 degrees off the equator, January doesn't feel like January anymore.  (And I say this will all due consideration to some of our friends who may still be trapped in their house behind a wall of snow from Snowpocalypse 2015).  It wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for the daily Doxycycline taken to prevent malaria with the unfortunate side effect of making one sensitive to heat and light.  But enough whining and complaining.  There's no time for that while traveling. Hot doesn't even describe it. Hot is NY in August.  Hot is FL in June.  This was stifling and gaross. And hits you like a ton of bricks.  Our plane landed at 9 pm and it was just as hot as it was a 4 pm.  January is part of their winter, after that comes the rainy season, and I hear that it just pours.  All day, all night.  Rain.  So there is your weather lesson fro CDI.  Sunny hot or rainy hot.  I knew I should have been a meteorologist!  

We stayed in the city of Abidjan, the largest city in the country, on the coast, and the de facto capital (though the official capital is Yamoussoukro to the north).  I like to call Yamoussoukro, "The Town that Felix Built.")  When Felix Houphouet-Boigny became the first president of newly independent Cote d'Ivoire, he wasted no promoting his country to the world by building impressive structures (that we visited) in his home town including the Basilica of Notre Dame de Paix (Peace) with no officially price tag but "the price of peace." (at least a couple mil.) As we visited this impressive replica of St. Peter's in the Vatican (taller actually), one cannot wonder how many roads, hospitals, irrigation projects, etc this money could have gone to.  Still though, it was an impressive sight.

Column.....for scale

Also on the agenda in Yamoussoukro was the Houphouet-Boigny Foundation, a large super-convention center used heavily in the 80's and 90's to resolve political and security issues between the new African states and the west.  Ok, so we showed up thinking that we could walk around and take a look at the place.  They offered tours, which was nice.  But the guard was a little taken aback about our unannounced visit.  I don't think many people go there, and that's sad.  But anyway, our tour guide was great.  Very knowledgeable about the facility and very very very proud.  Very proud.  I can honestly say I had no idea what I was looking at or who this Felix cat was, but by the end I understood.  It is an impressive building and I can see why it would be used for state functions.  But its doesn't get used much anymore.  Hoping with the move upstate it will be used to its full capacity.  

Of course being on "The Coast," we had to take in a beach day.  So we headed east to Grand Bassam which served as the French Colonial capital back it the day until it was moved to Abidjan near the end of the 19th century.  The old French colonial buildings are all still there though which was cool to see.  Today, however, Grand Bassam is a tourist getaway with lots of hotels as well as restaurants and pools which the kid enjoyed (along with good seafood which we always enjoy.) We all got a well-deserved break in the middle of our hectic travels.  Grand Bassam was my favorite part of CDI.  Cool ocean breezes, a nice pool and quiet.  Ahhhhhhh.

A officer of the Gendarmes sitting by the pool at the hotel talking on the radio.  A sign of the lingering political insecurity that exists 4 years after the civil war hostilities?

Cote d'Ivoire was at one point the "Paris of West Africa," cosmopolitan and bristling with hope and potential for growth.  Then there was the civil war that followed the contested national elections of 2010.  Today, it is a country faced with the task of rebuilding peace and reconciling it's past and present self.  The people are proud and there is a feeling that something good is going to happen here soon, pending the outcome of this years elections.

So my PSA of Cote d'Ivoire.  Its not one of my favorite places.  I know that there is still a lot to see on our crazy year long adventure, but if CDI is on 'the list' anytime soon, I will pout.  I know its what you make of it, but after visiting I see that there is not much to make of it.  Power to all those that are living there and are making it work, but I know a lot of work went into it.  The "rules" are a lot and I don't think that its very fair or fitting to bring a family to a place where there are so many restrictions and cautions to everyday life.  Yes yes yes, the country went through a Civil War less than five years ago, I understand that.  But I sometimes with the big Army would actually take a look at what is happening and take into account the quality of life that is associated with living in a certain place.  Its so easy to live in your DC town home and commute on the Metro every morning to a nice office with hot coffee to make decisions for a family with small children to live in a country where it isn't safe for them to go out after dark. Or have their Service member be away for lengths of time to leave said family alone. Oh and spending time with the IRT family that is there now really helped shed some light on having an entire family there.  And how important staying in touch is.  And how important a consumables shipment can be. And how much I really do love getting mail. 

  Ok ok ok.  Lemme just say this.  Is Cote d'Ivoire the absolute worst place in the world, no.  Of course I would be happy if we could be a whole complete family.  We would make it work, but I hope that we don't have to.  ((I am sure the PCS Gods have now set my fate in stone))

While visiting Cote d'Ivoire I noticed how nice we have it up here in Morocco.  From now on I will not refer to myself as living in Africa.  This is an extension of Spain.  For realsies. Or as Ryan likes to call it, AfricaLite. 

Click HERE for the last installment in this series: Ghana