In the Moroccan Desert

"It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom." - Aristotle

Morocco: Merzouga
This was one of the most incredible parts of my two week trip in Morocco. We arrived in Merzouga around 5pm one evening. We got to our hotel, had dinner, and went quickly to bed. The next day we were to be up and ready at 5:45am to see the sunrise in the desert. I know. It sounded like a stretch to me too when first given the proposition, but the experience was so worth it and much more.

We walked in darkness guided by a camel herder to the shoreline. I say shoreline because the barrier between the hotel and the desert dunes seemed so much like a shoreline only there was no water in site. Just stars, camels, and us. We mounted our camels which was a little scary at first. I was the 3rd of 4 to mount. I devised a strategy to avoid any potential conflict with my camel: I mounted quickly. As quickly as I could. Long legs, it turns out, are good for something.

Off we went into the night towards the dunes and the desert. The air was calm, cool and there was nothing but peace around. In times like these, honestly, I ask myself why don't I get up at dawn more often. I mean, sure, I am not usually near a Moroccan desert but even when I have those rare moments of waking around dawn in Tampa, FL, I feel it is such a special time of the day.

Peace.

From darkness to sunrise.

Yes, peace it what I felt as we rode quietly into the desert on our camels. We made a 30 minute trek away from the shoreline and towards the dunes. Once we arrived at our stopping area, we got off of the camels and started dune climbing. I would have never imagined that it would be as difficult and tiring to walk on those fine orange sand mounds! But what a challenge....what spectacular beauty.  We walked on the mounds for 30-45 minutes. Talking, sitting, walking, challenging ourselves as we reached higher and higher dunes. In retrospect, it was such a beautiful way to wake up and embrace the day and God's creation. When I looked out over the dunes, it was impossible to see where they would stop. We looked toward the direction of Algeria where the two countries meet.

Let these pictures be my testimony.

Morocco in Color : 10 Cities in 14 Days

Flashback to Easter 2010 in the Ivory Coast

There are so many words that have not been shared...so many pictures and videos that have not been published. This video is one of them. 

I do, however, remember what I felt that day at church in the city of Daloa on Easter back in 2010. There was a lady who worked at the local cellphone company office who I befriended. She invited me to her church for Easter. I was excited. Once I arrived, it was one of the liveliest church services I'd ever seen before and that's really saying something cause I know churches in the South of the US!  Of course, it was also a special day at church, Easter. People probably wore their best, sang their best, and performed their best. This video shows a female youth group performing a dance in front of the church. The "church" itself was actually some sort of multi-purpose building where a variety of  community events were held, including church service. At the end of the service, I wanted to stay and socialize. I still regret a little that I didn't. Why did I not stay? Well, promptly after service, I was offered a membership card.  I was to fill it out and return it to a responsible church usher who was a guy. One of the questions on the card was regarding marital status: married, single, or engaged. This was not an uncommon question in the Ivory Coast, in my experience, but for some reason, that day I did not feel like explaining myself or being subjected to any courting attempts. I already could sense the curiosity surrounding the newcomer. In retrospect, the reasoning for my premature departure was a little silly (particularly since at this point, I would have or should have known how to cleverly exit those flirty situations) but if you read my post on love and dating in the Ivory Coast, maybe you can find a little sympathy for me :) Anyway, it's too bad I did not stay afterwards just to experience more socializing in this beautiful country. I walked home and arrived at my apartment around 15 minutes later.  My kind neighbors had lunch waiting for me. I miss the Ivory Coast.

Germany: Welcome Sunshine!

This must make my 7th or so trip to Germany. Each time, I've been delighted by its geographical and cultural pleasures during some of the chilliest times of the year, usually around the Christmas holidays. On this occasion, however, Germany has greeted me in a very different way...with beautiful warm summer days and nights. I've been here in the summer before, but what I remember most from that trip were days of wearing sweaters and leggings...much too cool for someone who is used to humid, southeastern American summers.

Have you ever tried to explain something beautiful to someone to find that your words don't match your sentiment? Or have you ever been captivated by something so amazingly beautiful that you try to take a picture but nothing in your lens reflects what you're seeing in front of your eyes? Well, many of my travel experiences are like that. As a matter of fact, I find that many of the experiences on this blog are like that. Sometimes I ask myself why do I even bother but then I figure that these things, even if I cannot share them fully, still must be worthy of sharing, right? Beauty is beauty and sometimes beauty is made more beautiful by sharing it. Alas, the scenic beauty of southern Germany on a hot, summer August day cannot be captured merely by words nor my pictures.

A tidbit about me. I absolutely love the outdoors and nature's beauty. With every passing year, I believe my interest in the outdoors increases! I must thank the Ivory Coast for exposing me to so much organic life (ahem: the good and the bad). I mean, for the first time, I got to see many of the things that I consume regularly sprouting from the earth....: coffee, pineapples, rice, bananas, etc. So I was quite enchanted by the fruit and nuts I discovered on an afternoon walk in Germany's countryside. Cherries, walnuts, hazelnuts, plums, and apples are just some of the things that I saw growing in the wild as I strolled on a quiet, wooded area in Henfenfeld, Germany (population 1,890).

More than the countryside being beautiful, I think being out here in nature with more trees around than people gives me a chance to clear my head. In addition, since I don't explore nature as half as much as I should, being in the heart of it breaks up the monotony of my normal life.When I take a deep breath of country air and look around, I feel like God is giving me a great big hug. Nature can be so personal and pure. I love that.

Germany, My New Home for a Little While

Finally, made it to Germany! I spent 3 days in southern Germany before making it to the middle of the country where my new city exists, Kassel. 

Kassel is really not remarkable (the one thing everyone talks about is their newly crowned UNESCO heritage site) but it seems to be a nice city with a great quality of life. (Although everyone would rather be in Berlin...understandable.) There is a beautiful park (think smaller Central Park with very few people with wonderful views and small bridges) in walking distance. I did a 3.5 mile run this morning. Slopes, hills, lush greenery, stairways .... fantastic workout! (Little did I know how much my thighs would hurt the next day.) The air was crisp, fresh, and cool. Felt great! I can walk to work and practically everywhere including restaurants, bars, and the grocery stores...I guess like in most European cities. It is a refreshing change from the States.  

Portugal : Mountain Hiking on Madeira Island

We started our day at 7:00am. Got breakfast which is fantastic at this hotel and were ready for the Madeira Explorers Company to pick us up at 8:40am. Up, up, up and away we went to Pico do Areeiro, Pico Ruivo, and Achadas do Teixeira in Madeira's steep mountains. Little did we know, today would be one of the most rigorous workouts we've done in a long time. Our hotel organized this trip for us and said that it was a levada walk. Now, a levada walk is simply a winding walk through the hills and mountains along the island's calm waterways. What we did today was a major 8 kilometer hike that left us breathless - from the beauty and the workout. But I will tell you, the feeling of accomplishment as sweat dripped down our faces when we reached one of the highest peaks was wonderful. We watched as clouds passed us by. We were even above the clouds at times; imagine how high we were! We even had a typical drink ("puncha") with the guy who ran the bar at the top of the mountain (José, who is pictured in a photo with me). We asked him how he made it to work every day on the top of this mountain. He said he has carried everything and walked that mountain to make it all the way up to his little bar for the past 24 years! Amazing. (However, we later learned that he did not take the same strenuous path that we had).We worked every major muscle and thought at times we might die up there due to the steep inclines, high elevation, and dangerous cliffs but in the end, we made it:) We took lots of pictures and maybe in a year, I will be ready to do it all over again! Another important point to make is that I kept being reminded no matter how hot, tired, or achy I was, (I did squats yesterday - yeah, bad timing!) I could not complain as we had a Dutch couple with us who were 77 and 73 years old and kept up well with everyone! The wife of this couple (see photo of her posing with a stick aimed at the camera) said her secret to aging well and being in shape was - smoking! LOL No, seriously! She showed us her pack of Marlboro's in her fanny pack. After the 7 hour mountain affair, we descended and stopped at a local snack bar where we enjoyed beverages and some nice little corn snacks that I forgot to take pictures of. Once we got back to our cozy hotel, we went straight to the steam room to relax our muscles and jumped into the cold shower with bathing suits on! Dinner was delivered to the room soon after. A wonderful way to end the beautiful day after being in the mountains on Madeira Island.

Germany: Vegetarian Brunch in the City

...So, if it wasn't apparent before, I'm sure you know it now: I love brunches! Particularly on a sunny day in a cool city! :)

Spent the morning walking down the proper streets of Berlin and stopped to have brunch at a little cool joint called "Tapasa".

I had vegetarian scrambled eggs with red & orange peppers, eggplant, yellow squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spring onions served alongside fresh croissants, bread, jam, coffee, and a peach Bellini!
Guten appetit !

Germany: Yellow Eggs & Ham: A Brunch Celebration after a One Year Hiatus

Photo from my terrace. Berlin, Germany. 06.27.11

After a nearly one-year anniversary since my last public post (a senseless shame!), I salute you and me over a lovely egg and ham brunch in the lovely city of Berlin.

Why a hiatus? Let me just say it was not intentional. I posted many blogs in my highly circuited brain and much more infrequently, in my highly private, personal journal but I somehow let blogging go by the wayside with always the intention to post.

I left Côte d'Ivoire almost one year ago in July 2010 (which coincides with and explains the departure from writing on my blog more frequently) and returned to somewhat a mundane life in Florida. However, since then I have had great adventures in Korea, Brazil, Central America, Mississippi, and Paris, France which I hope to retro-post about in my quest to make up for a year of absence.

Above is a photo of the beautiful view that I am soaking in right now from the Berlin terrace on which I stand. I have also posted a photo of what I am about to devour: lovely yellow eggs and ham with a bit of rosemary cheese and bilberry jam on the side. Oh! let's not forget the OJ.

More photos and tales to come. Kisses! ~M

Ivory Coast: It's Shawarma Time!

My friend, Florent, and I share a shawarma salad (with the Arabic bread on the side) with an old fashioned glass-bottle Coke.


I didn't mention this earlier but there is a fast-food culture here that does differ from the traditional Ivorian "fast-food" and it can be found in the numerous Lebanese restaurants. While shawarma Lebanese restaurants in CI vary in their offerings, most of them will have shawarma as an option. They also typically have items such as burgers, pizza, and french fries. A shawarma is a sort of Arabic sandwich which consists of flatbread, meat, and vegetables. The meat choices at the local shawarma joints in Daloa vary from chicken to beef to meatballs to -----COW BRAIN! (and I kid you not!) There's also kidneys and liver available for your shawarma too :)

My first experience with shawarmas was when I was living in France but I must say that I have not really tasted another shawarma like a Jordanian shawarma. So anyway, here in CI, when I want to grab a bite to eat quickly, I'll go to one of these shawarma joints and order one up - but, erhmm, beef or chicken only please!

Ivory Coast: Oasis

When a friend suggested to take me swimming at a nearby military police school, I only expected a regular swimming pool. Nothing special aside from the rampancy of athletic looking young men I was sure to see.

What reality greeted me with was an oasis! When we arrived, the military students were doing chores around the campus, away from the pool, so we were welcomed by a mildly relaxing ambiance. There was a small bar with a television displaying an alternation of sports and music videos. At any rate, the swimming pool area was beautiful (aside from the woodsy construction area) and I couldn't believe that I was still in my city of Daloa. For me, it was like a pool lifted up from Maui or Miami. Perhaps I felt this corner of recreation was like an oasis because the normally brilliant sapphire Ivorian skies seemed to gleam just a bit more than usual or maybe it is because the clear, sparkling pool water set off the panoramic green landscape oh so perfectly....

I had a great day swimming until the sun almost set. Perhaps, it's good that I didn't stick around for the celestial event or else I might not have left this blue haven.

Traditional Clothing for Mature Women

Here is one of my colleagues, Madame Koné (right) with her friend. I thought the colors they were wearing were lively so I asked them to pose for me - they did so gladly. The outfits they are wearing are typical of the clothing style here for mature women.

Obama, Obama, O---bama!

When I first arrived in Côte d'Ivoire, I was so amazed by the myriad of Obama representations I saw everywhere. Now, I am used to it but it is still quite a wonder! I have eaten Obama cookies, smelled Obama cologne, seen an Obama printing shop, passed by an Obama apartment hunting business, wanted to purchase an Obama toothbrush (regret that I didn't) and have ridden in an Obama taxi! Oh, and did I mention my Barack Obama flashlight? I hope President Obama knows how much he is revered in this country!




Can you see President Obama in the faded poster to the right? It's an advertisement for green cards to the US? In this regard,I guess Obama is rightfully represented. Today, his face must be the strongest representation of the United States in Côte d'Ivoire and perhaps in the rest of the world.

Feeling So Alive

What a beautiful morning! My cup of tea and French baguette are hot. Lots of work to do today!

Oh yeah, check me out in my traditional African bou bou.

Braids, Finally!

I cannot believe that I have been in West Africa for almost 9 months now and I am just now getting my hair braided! I mean, after all, isn't that one of the things that I should have just been dying to do - getting braided up in the MOtherland? I mean, I seriously asked myself yesterday as I was sitting in the hair salon (at the outdoor flea-like market), "what took you so long?" But as the girl proceeded to tear out my hair with the small toothed comb in order to make her job of braiding my thick hair easier, I remembered why I had been reluctant about letting someone in CI do my hair.

As mentioned in a previous post, relaxers are more common amongst adult women than natural hair so in general stylists, like in the US, are most accustomed to working with relaxed hair. I really made a sacrifice in getting my hair braided yesterday. It was like I decided to lose at least 2 inches of hair (with all of the pulling). Was it worth it? Hmmm....well I like the change of style with my hair but I really wish that I had detangled my own hair. I sat there as the girl tugged, pulled, and snatched. I tried coaching her but I saw that she really didn't have a sense (or didn't care to have one) of treating hair delicately in order to prevent unnecessary breakage. However, I have noticed that here in CI, there seems to be a hair culture of sacrificing healthy hair for beautiful hair. I have seen the most women in my life plagued by alopecia due to excessive weave wearing.

Anyway, at the end of it all, I am happy to have gotten my hair braided and will most likely do it once more before leaving, but this time, I will come ready with my own wide tooth comb!

The Night I Almost Slept with a Mouse

It is almost midnight and I just swept my entire apartment and cleaned the floors with bleach. Only moments ago, I felt icky, disgusting….my skin quivered.

An hour and a half ago, I arrived at my apartment after a long day out. I left the house around 8:30am this morning and stayed out all day –working, taking care of errands, and spending time with friends. Since I didn’t sleep very long last night and I must get up early tomorrow morning, I was looking forward to a nice evening of sleep.

When I came home at 10:45pm tonight, I started my normal routine of undressing and getting ready to go to sleep. Around 15 minutes after my arrival, I noticed a wet spot in my bed. My mattress is violet and so when it is wet, the moistened area darkens and is noticeable. I wondered to myself, now what did I do to make a wet stain on the bed as I didn’t remember being anywhere near the bed in my 15 minutes of being at home. It was strange. I started thinking about the steps I had taken since my arrival. I touched the wet spot with my fingers to ensure that it was really wet and not just a dark area – a sign that perhaps I’d soiled it earlier. No, it was definitely wet. Actually there were two stains, a small one and a large one. I had not yet even touched water since being at home – that was the baffling part. I don’t remember what thought I had next; I only remember what I did. I pulled back my covers and something moved quickly and immediately, I knew what that something was - a MOUSE! { My skin is chilled just thinking about it.} I shrieked and it started moving everywhere in my bed - in my bed! It was looking for a way out but could not find it thanks to my mosquito net which totally encloses the bed. It got stuck in one corner and stayed there --- looking at me at the corner of its eye, scared. I was scared and so was it. We stayed there, staring at one another with fear making us both frozen into place. I called a friend and asked him what to do. He told me to push him out of the bed with a broom. I didn’t want to gently coax the thing out. I wanted to beat him…kill him. After all, he was in my bed! But for that very reason, I could not hurt him. Imagine mouse remains scattered in my bed at midnight. I mean really, could I ever really sleep in that bed again? And I have no sofa alternative so that wouldn’t have been a good move. I got my broom and a can of roach spray. I then widened the opening of the mosquito net so that the mouse would have sufficient room to get out. I sprayed him first so that he’d be irritated and move. He did. Instead of jumping through the entrance, out of my bed, and out of the open door onto the terrace, he ran to the corner of the bed where I lay my head. My head I said! I figured that this night was screwed. I mean, what if he decided to stay there with his long body and tail, next to my pillow? I would not sleep the entire night, that’s evident. I sprayed some more and opened mosquito net exit further. Finally he hopped out of the bed, fearing for his life dare I say it. And then ran out of the apartment into the night.

So it is now almost 30 minutes past midnight and I am here in my bleach fragranced apartment hoping that I have cleaned up enough to erase the events of tonight’s nightmares from my head. I have thrown my covers into the hamper and I have cleaned the wet spot (which I now realize is mouse pee) with antibacterial spray, soap, and water. I am waiting for it to dry. Since I must be awake in six hours, I will try my best to put my horror to rest and as well as my body and proceed as if I did not almost sleep with a mouse!

Fast Food in Côte d'Ivoire

So....there's no culture of drive-thrus as you might have imagined. However, you can pull up (or walk up to) just about any curb and order a variety of meals to go. For example, in this photo, this woman whose business is to sell fried fish and attieké (which is a starch dish made from manioc; can be substituted for rice in many instances).

How does curbside ordering work in Côte d'Ivoire? : You walk up and tell the seller how much fish you want (for example, you can say that you want to pay for 50 cents worth or a dollar worth). She gives you the fish and attieké in a small sack and adds oils, peppers, and other seasonings to make it taste yummy. Joints like these are practically everywhere. The other day, I paid for lunch at one of these curb sides next to my house. I got two pieces of fish and attieké all for 50 cents. Yep, not like our fast food in the US huh? Here, the fast food is arguably healthier and cheaper - but I must say the USA wins hands down on the fastness of the food! At any rate, can you see why I am not particularly missing McDonald's!? Although a Big Mac with fries and a Coke will be on my agenda of purchases upon my arrival on US soil! LOL

Other foods that are available at curbside: grilled chicken, smoked sausage, beef, and sheep, grilled fish, etc.

There are also always littlee "nic naks" available on corners such as fresh fruit and vegetables, peanuts (raw and cooked), small cakes, cookies, fried chips, grilled corn on the cob, grilled bananas, etc.