Morocco......taking it easy !

.......and finally we decided to enjoy Morocco just as it is. No thinking, no commenting  and no nothing...just enjoy what comes along !
It's not everyday that one gets to go to Morocco from Malaysia.
So I'd like to share herewith some of the easy moments we had in this great part of the world, a nation by the Atlantic ocean.

The Atlantic ocean beyond. A photo shoot from the tour bus in Casablanca.

I had visited some Middle East countries while at work many years ago but never had I the opportunity to see up close the olive trees. So dear friends, here it is....
The olives are matured and red black in color. But how do I get to pick them and get the taste of the fruits freshly picked. We had to be creative. So I persuaded a younger member of the group to get on to the rock below the tree and started reaching out for the  fruits.

There it is ! My.....its "kelat" and bitter.
So dear friends, if you have never tried tasting them fresh before, it's okay. You don't miss much.

Just buy them from the traditional market (souk). Some sample below.

(note the beautiful scenery at the background)

From olive galore let's move on to the bazzar they called Jami' Fna. Don't ask me what it means. Just come with me and look at these chariots. Beautiful horses from afar and my hubby wanted to take a joy ride back to the hotel but decided otherwise as we came near them because he was afraid he could not handle sitting behind horses that are not well-groomed.

So we decided to go into the souk that sells all sorts of things from clothes, shoes, leather bags, you name it. We decided to  look around and maybe buy some traditional garments for dear hubby which they called the 'jubah'.

I had a slight discomfort in my stomach on that day and decided just to be with the crowd outside while waiting for dear hubby to get a good bargain price for what he wanted.

Later, when the haggling and the buying is done, I suggested to hubby to go into the food section and have a snack while waiting for the bus. It was not just a snack. Hubby and another friend could not resist the local delicacies. So we sat down to have lamb grilled the Moroccan way.

 

That was half the "fun". Now let me take you to some of the beautiful eating places the agency took us. The food was excellent if you like Couscous. Otherwise, bite your finger. Some of us improvised on what was served the Malaysian way....couscous with " rendang". Great taste!

Beautiful interior decor. This is our group leader, Professor Wahab

 from The Open University, Kuala Lumpur.

He speaks French besides English and some Arabic. It was fun having him around. He connects us with the local intellectuals (and beautiful French speaking  girls too).

Another beautiful eating place.

Wow....look at this! This the Moroccan version of the TEH TARIK man.

We were also shown beautiful monuments. 

This is an example where king (? sorry I forgot which King) lived with his four wives. 

This palace is called Palais Bahia.Those days palaces and traditional houses do not have windows facing outside. Windows are built only between rooms in the house or Palace.

(I asked why so. I didn't get a good answer. My guess is, that was the way the Master of the house control their women. Dear friends, doesn't it sound logical ?)

This is the Facade of the Royal Palace in Fez.

Some of us may wonder and want to know about the long bus trips from city to city. They do not have R&R like we do in Malaysia. "Toilet stops" are done on goodwill basis as in this Cafe or a Gas Service Station like the  one below. They are all nice and very clean 

Beautiful Gas station. We had coffee and snacks to rest our aching backs. The younger members of our group shop for tit-bits. See the sign...like we were in Paris.

Morocco has huge farmlands. This is an example where sheep grazed in abundance.

A cluster of farm houses seen from a distance.

Flowers ? Not much and nothing extraordinary. I snapped some because I love flowers and I never missed any in my trips. But this snap shot below is something I have not seen before. 

It is from a cactus plant, a native specie of the Moroccan land.

A closed-up look.

Finally the tour agency brought us to CHEZ ALI for dinner and cultural show.

There was a display of horsemen riding at great speed and dead stopped to shoot out

presumably at enemies. Nothing much on the show but it was fun all the same.

Hubby and I struggling to enjoy the show because the night was rather cold.

The Prayer Hall of King Hassan ll Mosque after the  Solat Maghrib ( prayers at dusk)

All is well that ends well. On the final night of our stay in Casablanca, Morocco, we had the chance to pray at the Grand Mosque. Above is a  photo shoot after the prayer at dusk (Maghrib) in the Hall for Women.

Alhamdulilah. All praises be to Allah, God Almighty.

One shot with dear hubby at the front of the Mosque. Doesn't he look Morrocan ?

King Hassan ll Mosque by night. May this great mosque be a Centre of Learning

for people across the World. May Allah bless the people of Morocco and bless us all.

Ameen, Ya Rabb.

.....