Thursday, Marakesh

This morning has broken quite cool and very cloudy, but it is not raining so far, so out I will go with the crappy umbrella I bought. And looking ahead, this morning, on the web, I see that there is rain in Cairo, Nairobi and Stonetown, my future destinations, but it gets warmer.

Breakfast is served at this hotel on its terrace on the roof. It is weird getting warmly dressed, pulling on my new wool cap and going upstairs for breakfast in the chill of morning. When I head out, I am wearing five layers: singlet, long-sleeved T-shirt, regular T-shirt, sweater and coat.

The Kasbah is a ten minute walk and I am excited about seeing such a historic place. It is fabulous on the side streets where there is practically no one, but on the streets where there are merchants, I am a solitary target.

CORRECTION: The other day I posted a photo of what I thought were the old gates. WRONG! That was the oldest Mosque. Below, are the old gates into the Kasbah.


It is winter, so there are not a lot of tourists, and it is early, so I see few other foreigners and I feel like a steak in a den of hyenas. I stuck to the back streets and then left.















Thank God for this garden across from the hotel. it is like a church for me where I can be alone, untroubled with a bottle of diet coke and today, a very charming man with sugared donuts came by. And yes I did—to celebrate the return of some sunshine. I had to take off all my layers except the short-sleeve T-shirt and I want to go back onto the hotel and get these hot jeans off.

Note: There are just. Billions of flies here. They cover you, your food and your things. At first you try to shoo them away, but eventually you give up and accept them as part of life. They've. Even all over The food I've been eating and I feel fine. (See below.)


Also, whereas I appreciate the concern of friends about eating wisely, the street food and small vendors are astronomically more interesting and fulfilling than eating "safe" and, to me, boring. The Club Med Medina provides Pastilla the traditional way in a menu du jour meal for $200. Won't be doing that.

1:45 pm and so I am back to the same restaurant as yesterday. The idea was to try something new, but I caved and ordered the Tajine de poulet again. Why not, I am on vacation and what is more self-indulgent than that? I know, more Tajine! The rain has stayed away. It has been nice and warm and now this food that smells as good as it tastes ($7). Then a short walk and back to the hotel for a rest. I am beat for some reason.



Storks are on many, many of the higher structures.