A Week in Review

...~did I just drop off my two favourite sweaters to a drycleaners where he said that they would be cleaned in oil? (sound familiar Mom?)...~the young man who followed me down the Tala'a Sghira for a bit today and said that he wasn't a quick hustler, but rather "I am a gentle hustler" (at least he was honest). He then asked if I needed "a cheap husband?"...

Walking a Different Path

A Traditional Djellaba or Robe,
originally uploaded by Raven Weaver.

This photo is of a man in a djellaba or hooded robe worn by men and women. A woman passed me by the other day and as we came face to face she quietly said "modest" and continued on. The area I am staying in is very conservative and though my coat is long-sleeved and goes to my knees, I will not cover my hair. Some women here dress as I do.

Arduous Employment

Astonishing Tannery,
originally uploaded by Raven Weaver.

Walking the kingdom continued on Monday with Khalid the guide. We made it to the tannery which is a highlight for tourists. The dyes are all natural and the smell can be something to contend with.

Quest for the Giant English Crumpet

Working Lunch,
originally uploaded by Raven Weaver.

Awakening in the pitch black of my room, I wondered if it was before first prayer or after. Gasp, could I actually have slept through the multitude of calls? Or do I remember hearing it? The clock showed me that it was 7 a.m. and that yes, I vaguely had heard the morning call. Almost as soon as I had finished my banana and two dates for first breakfast, I began pondering my ability to backtrack upwards from R'Cif to the Bab Boujloud and complete my giant English crumpet second breakfast quest...

Walking the Kingdom

Bab Boujloud,
originally uploaded by Raven Weaver.

Yesterday (Saturday) an official guide came to the house to take me on a walk through the city. While reading the inflight magazine on the last leg of my trip here, I realized that I was going to a kingdom. I've visited countries before that have monarchies but are ruled by governments. This was my first time visiting a kingdom with a ruling King. My first small walk in this kingdom was following Si Mohammed Wednesday evening from the cab to the riad along a narrow passageway with many twists and turns. The next day he returned to the riad and showed me the way to the souk where I might purchase fruits and vegetables, round,flat, fresh loaves of bread, spices, herbs, eggs or a camel's head should the need arise.

Early Morning Rooftop Excursion

Early Morning Rooftop Excursion,
originally uploaded by Raven Weaver.

The Farthest Land of the Setting Sun

There is a small bird twittering in the orange tree in the courtyard. In the last dark of the night, the first calls to prayer rolled out over the medina. I stood in the chill of the air on the rooftop terrace to take a photo of the light creeping across the crumbling, tenacious, amazing landscape.