Morocco: Down to Monkey Business (Part 2)

Drive to the Farm House

The smell of another delicious breakfast made waking up bright and early the next day a relatively easy task.  Added dishes to the breakfast feast my second day where Moroccan pancakes, similar to traditional ones just filled with more air pockets, and a sort of porridge with onions which has a Moroccan name that I cannot recall.  After another super filling breakfast we hopped in the Land Cruiser and headed off to the first of two farm houses that we would visit that day.  On the way to the countryside I began noticing wealth discrepancies from the well commerced city to the weaker economic country side.  In otherwords from passing the construction site of a new Ritz Carlton resort, to the rusted Coca Cola Cafés with old plastic furniture.  This other side of Morocco was just as fascinating as the city, as all the little towns seemed bustling with activity where “Vine Ripened” produce and freshly skinned animals were at every country store and corner vendor.

Goat Mechoui with Dipping Salt and Spice

Opening the gate and pulling up to the first Farm house was quite a spectacle, with the semi-Spanish clay architecture exterior only to find the traditional Moroccan interior.  After a quick tour of the house, including the balcony which overlooks the vineyard portion of the farm, we were served a very traditional Moroccan meal.  Starting with ¼ of a Goat prepared Mechoui style, I tried one of the kidneys which is considered the best part of the goat.  Not a fan of the kidney, but the rest was top 5 foods Ive ever had, starting with a goat that was killed earlier that day, then slow roasting till the outermost layer was crispy and tasted like bacon to the juicy interior it was absolutely phenomenal.  Following the Mechoui was the traditional homemade Morrocan Couscous, with day-of-fresh chicken and vegetables from the farm.  For desert was a mixture of orange and green cantaloupe (we don’t get green in the states) that was by far the best I have ever had… picked fresh and ripe earlier that day.  To wash it down was the best Mint Tea I had all trip where loads of fresh (im sure you get the picture by now) peppermint leaf was added to the green tea to make an unbelievably savory drink.  I know this was a lot about the lunch, however this feast was so delicious any less of a description wouldn’t do it justice.

Thumbs up from the People Packed Truck (See the Goat?)

Post-gorge we walked around the farm a bit to digest, walking by the worker’s huts, checking out the farm equipment, and petting the horses.  Afterwards, we piled back in the Land Cruiser and headed out to the second farm house (much smaller than the first and just recently completed) which sits on 100’s of acres of land.  The approx. 1 hour drive was pretty neat as we climbed to a much higher altitude on a windy two lane road, occasionally passing large harvesters going 1/3 the speed limit or pick-up trucks filled to the brim with a combination of people and livestock.

The other Farm House Roof Top, Land extends to the
2nd Farthest Ridge

After arriving, more mint tea was served and we enjoyed it with a spectacular view of the surrounding areas while sucking in large amounts of the fresh and cool mountain air.  Outside of the super overloaded hay-semi’s and people packed trucks, the ride back to Rabat was uneventful.  At dusk we were taken on a short tour of the actually city of Rabat where I was able to see the major tourist attractions all lit up at night.  After having a light dinner we plodded off to bed where again I had sweet dreams.

Yuri on our Marrakesh Room Balcony

Waking to a wonderful breakfast I said my goodbyes to Rabat and Thank You’s to my hosts (They told me I now have Moroccan grandparents should I ever make it back), and Yuri, his mom, his aunt and I headed for Marrakesh.  The 3 hour highway drive went by quick between sleeping and reading, at times it was even interesting listening to Mrs. Protzuk and her sister speaking in the French-Arabic tongue of Morocco, I had a go of it myself which resulted in Laughing Out Loud from the other passengers and some stifled sniggers from the driver.  Good thing is I’ve always known languages aren’t my thing so no dreams of becoming a linguistic where crushed that day.  The decision was made to stay in a hotel as opposed to one of “The General’s” condos in Marrakesh, so the blackberry was pulled out to explore the Marrakesh hotel options where we decided on a hotel that had a nice pool and a large breakfast buffet and was near the condo.  After Yuri and I got acquainted with our room we headed down to the pool to catch the last sun rays before going to the Jemaa El Fna.

The Monkey with its Hair Pulling Death Grip

The Jemaa el Fna was an incredible experience, where there were thousands of people milling around and vendors that sold all products: From fresh spice stalls and hot cooked meals to knock off Dr. Dre Beats and football jersey’s.  I picked up some delicious dried dates while I was on a sensory overload from the exotic spice aromas, foreign language bartering, and vendors trying to persuade me to visit their shop or stall.  I even got a picture with monkeys; being shamelessly honest I was freaked out in the picture cause one of them had just jumped on my head and started pulling my hair.  After a long night at the Jemma el Fna we grabbed Moroccan McDonalds (much better than the US) before retiring to bed.

Just one of many Spice Stalls

Still have Agadir and Casablanca left to blog about, I hope to do them tomorrow.  Blogging time has been largely reduced as various other pressing matters (Gym/Hong Kong/Euro Trip) have started hogging my free time.

Cheers until Tomorrow!