Spent the morning leisurely walking around Ait Ben Haddou. It’s easy to understand why it attracts tourists and filmmakers. It’s photogenic, literally impossible to take a bad photo here and reminiscent of the American pueblos. It can, though, be treacherous at times. The paths and stairs leading to the top of the city are steep and rocky, and even inside the kasbah the floors have minor shifts in elevation, especially when moving from room to room. It makes for easy tripping and one needs to pay attention at all times. And no, I did not fall. Shauna, Jeff, Cade, Kylie and Nur Aldiyn all made sure of it with a helping hand or arm when necessary. Which was very much appreciated.
Came back to Marrakech to our sweet Ryad el Nil. Khadija Ait Zan Zoun, our hostess, came by with her little son for a few minutes. The 4 birds who live in the courtyard greeted us with dweep? dweep? I don’t know what kind they are, probably sparrows of some kind. Will check when I get home. Shauna did laundry, we made packing plans, I took a long hot shower to rid myself of a layer of Ait Ben Haddou dust on my skin and in my hair. Also caught up on my blog a little bit.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. We will spend it doing an artisan tour, part of which will include a lesson in how to make harira soup and Moroccan bread, both of which I could eat everyday. I have really enjoyed the cuisine here, as Moroccans do different things with the same ingredients I customarily use. Bought some spices in the hopes of learning to make some of their signature dishes, especially fish.