journal
Moorish Empire 2010 Travel Journal
To MarrakeshOct 11, 2010 Mon | |
| Morning | |
|---|---|
| 05:45 | |
| 06:28 | |
| 06:55 |  majestic hotel 350dhm include breakfast
more seedy than majestic fridge, tv, good hot water, air con. It looks kind of dated. |
| 08:30 | |
| 08:36 |  car near grand mosque |
| 08:39 |  grand mosque |
| 08:53 | Entrance: 120d
tour time: 9am, 10am, 11? |
| 09:04 |  hassan mosque tour |
| 09:11 |  inside hassan ii mosque |
| 09:13 |  hassan ii mosque window |
| 09:16 |  hassan ii mosque The architect of the Mosque is a French man, Michele Pensu, not a Muslim
It is the 3rd largest in the world All material came from Moroccan mountains (e.g. the Cedar roof) All tree from south Morocco Chandelier from Venice (only thing not from Morocco) Two white columns were from Italy It could host 25000 worshippers one time The floor is heated at winter It was built at 1983 (6 years) Roof can be open to the sky (No air con so roof can open) Angry wind from the Atlantic... A vast plaza making everyone looks so small. A majestic mosque. Even when crowded with tourists, the interior still gave an empty feeling. Brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling... white marble columns... the windows looking out to the sea... dried fountain. Islamic decoration. Every closed doors looked heavy, decorated to a tedious detail... Strong brass doors... marble floors which is heated in the winter. cedar wood ceiling hung high above... could open to heaven in a sunny day. But today the wind was angry. We can hardly stood against the wind... |
| 09:17 | Strong wind |
| 09:23 |  arch of hassan ii mosque |
| 09:26 |  white columns from italy Direction to east (to Mecca)
Chair is for Iman, pray on Friday Loud speakers hidden in columns |
| 09:29 |  windows from hassan ii mosque |
| 09:29 |  windows to atlantic |
| 09:30 |  light of outside world |
| 09:31 |  hidden speakers in white columns |
| 09:35 |  mosque exit |
| 09:37 |  washing fountain wash 3 times, left and right foot, elbow
Pillar made of limestone, mixture of... to absorb humidity, so the chandelier are not oxidized |
| 09:38 |  turkish hammam |
| 09:44 |  outside grand mosque |
| 09:44 |  photographer outside grand mosque |
| 09:48 |  hammam for both Muslims and non Muslims |
| 09:54 |  moors pattern |
| 09:56 |  casablanca beach |
| 10:00 |  grand mosque of casablanca |
| 10:02 |  mosque arch |
| 10:02 |  hassan mosque full picture |
| 10:03 |  arch of grand mosque |
| 10:10 | |
| 10:16 |  rick's cafe |
| 10:21 |  casblanca medina mosque |
| 10:21 |  casa medina restaurant |
| 10:30 | |
| 10:45 |  casablanca medina |
| 10:49 |  cinema rialto |
| 10:52 |  casablanca building |
| 10:55 |  casablanca window |
| 11:27 | return taxi only cost 9
|
| 11:36 | veggie Pizza and coke
Price: 50d It is OK, pizza a bit burnt but good overall next to train station |
| 11:38 |  resturant near casablanca train station |
| Afternoon | |
| 12:30 |  casa voyager Does not have drop luggage service, but they do have praying room
The closer station is Casa Port |
| 12:37 | 12:50p
price:90 around 4hrs 12:38:42 waiting for train 13:04:24 still waiting, seem to delay 25 mins around 1:15pm then? will see 13:39:41 to Marrakesh Train is orange, in a cabin with 8 people. 3 from Thailand, student study Arabic... Orange cabin with Florescent light two luggage rails, an orange tea table Plastic floor that is mostly clean.. Occasional mud houses, parched field, blue sky, white cloud, endless power lines. dry yellowish earth. Institutional fluorescent lighting. Plastic orange seats in the cabin that barely fit eight people. Yellowish grass. Mirror to make the cabin look larger. Luggage racks. A yellowish field dotted with tree stumps. A busy bush of cactuses. Mud brick walls... Blue mile posts... Dirty windows... creamy clouds... Occasional shepherds... wearing hooded sweaters... Rugged clouds with a high contrast texture... Weather is an intermission of blue clouds and grey sky... Trucks on a race to nowhere... sometimes the pattern was broken by a donkey cart, seemingly riding to nowhere... |
| 16:32 |  marrakech train station |
| 16:33 |  train from casablanca to marrakech |
| 16:33 |  marrakech train station |
| 16:35 |  marrakech train station |
| 17:07 |  hotel amalay Finally, a true 3 star hotel, together with Balcony.
around 350? With aircon (but can't turn on), Sat TV, no fridge... toilet a bit broken, but room is descend enough. |
| 17:22 |  hotel amalay scenery |
| Night | |
| 18:08 |  koutoubia mosque inside |
| 18:09 |  koutoubia mosque entrance |
| 18:17 | musicians...
A mingle of food stores, spices, dry fruits, orange juice carts, slippers, brass wares, souvenirs, umbrellas, dress, watches, clothes, Young girls selling tissues, wild kittens running around, belts dangled like dead meats, children dresses wooden slippers with assorted colors, Arab music cd, sunglasses, shoemakers, masked woman selling weaved baskets, dry nuts like dead insects, cheap wallets, strollers with tired Moroccan children, motor cycles rushing through. I pretended to examine a wooden sandal, the eager shopkeepers greeted me in 5 different languages... Cart pulled by bored donkey parked in the narrow pass way... modernized by occasional ATM. An ambulance aimlessly wander around.... food stalls serving unknown meats... large brass kettles, the Plaza landmarked by two minarets.... Monkey trainers drew no crowd... the air filled with noise of heavy drums.... Oranges arranged like ..., falcon trainers telling stories... Elixir sellers... Shuttling horse carts and blind motor bikes seemed to pass her like a phantom.... A covered alley with cheap hotels and telephone booths, money exchanges... bicycle repair shops, cell phone lairs... Night drew in all kind of people... Doorway decorated with fake fruit... Prince pastry... From ancient to now, people like to shop, I guess it's a sense of possession... |
| 18:21 |  rush hour in djemaa el-fna |
| 18:21 |  rush hour |
| 18:38 |  souq of marrakech |
| 18:43 |  medicine booth in marrakech |
| 18:43 |  orange juice stance in marrakech |
| 19:06 | Tomato Omelet and sprite...
|
| 19:17 |  tomato omelet near djemaa el-fna the tomato omelets I ordered looks like an old rug |