Molotoff

Growing tired of medina life we decided to take a Moroccan cooking class. We said goodbye to the large satellite dish lined buildings of Marrakesh an headed to the Moroccan suburbs.

Following the provided GPS coordinates we were lead through a series of dirt roads to find ourselves in the back yard of a quiet gated house. A Frenchmen waved us in and we parked.

Our day begins with a lesson about making the famous Moroccan Frisbee bread we have been enjoying with every meal. 

We were then left to our own devices to recreate the item. While my dough looked good at the start it fell a bit flat and didn't rise as expected. Tim was more successful in this endeavor.  

  

Next up was a spice workshop. The instructor walked us through the various spices important to Moroccan cooking. Each spice was introduced us to with a blind smell test. Still congested from my African cold I was a bit handicapped but in the end was able to identify quite a few mainly because I cheated and peaked. We both managed to take the same shot of each other while the other was not looking. 

With each spice came a bit of history and use typical use of the ingredient.. In the case of saffron each pestle come from a tiny blue flower that only blooms for a 2 hour window before it dies. It takes around 200 flowers to make a single gram which is why it is more valuable than gold. For the more expensive and exotic items we were informed on how to spot importers

Once we had the spices down it was time to apply them to our main course. We followed the instructor as we dumped spice after spice in our dish. Today's recipe was a beef tajine with pears and caramelized orange peel.

Once we finished assembling our dishes we were told that they would need another hour to cook. They took this time to give us a crash course in Moroccan salads and breakfast balls.  

Once everything was complete we set off to eat our creations.  

To our surprise both of our dished turned out quite tasty. Whether or not we can recreate these results at home is debatable. The class ran into the mid afternoon and after we grabbed some desert it was off to Casablanca.

The drive was quite pleasant. We were now on a well maintained toll highway that featured a top speed of 120 km/h which was a nice departure from the last few roads we have faced. Since we were already through the mountains we mostly passed green farm land.  

Earlier in the week we had researched the possibility of seeing a Moroccan Botola league soccer game. Our only opportunity for this was tonight in Rabat. We had planned on stopping at our hotel and then driving off to the capital but as we approached Casablanca we realized we would not have time for our detour. Instead we drove straight to Rabat. It took us a while to find the stadium but we ended up procuring police protected parking not far from the entrance.

Having no idea where to buy tickets we approached a police officer and inquired about tickets as best we could. He pointed at a building way across the way and told us we could buy tickets there. Noting our discouraged look he stopped and talked to one of his superiors. We were then waved towards the stadium and asked for a bribe. We lacked any physical ticket but we were in the stadium.

Although the official start time was at 8pm the game had started an hour earlier. We had arrived at half time with the score already 1-1. The stadium was mostly empty but there were a few sections packed with rabid fans. The halftime show was a technological marvel.  

The second half started and we quickly realized the level of play was similar to men's league games we participate in back home. We wondered how large of a bribe it would take to make it on the field. Not far into the half the first red card was presented. The crowd went nuts.

Then the flairs and smoke bombs appeared.  

After the second red card was issued a fan lit a firework and proceeded to point it in the busy crowd. He was promptly beat unconscious and the game continued.

There were hundreds of police all around but they mainly served a symbolic role as the spectators did whatever they wanted.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie and we never saw any goals which was unfortunate  The streets of Rabat were clogged with angst ridden teenagers upset from the result. We dodged them as best we could while exiting the city. The main highway ramp was closed so we had to navigate the side streets to make our escape. Casablanca was fairly quiet by the time we arrived.

We found our hotel and headed to the room. This was the first western style hotel we have stayed in and the view was quite nice.

Most of the restaurants were closed but we managed to find a fast food boutique called Big Choice that was still open. The menu was impressive.

I went with the molotoff, complete with 3 burger patties and a bunch of things I could not identify. It was interesting...

We have a flat screen TV as well. The resolution has really helped with our Qur'an studies.

We squeezed a lot in today and we are both tired so it is time for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow we take on the storied Casablanca.

Professionals

I am still sick. Although my head is still a mess some of my energy has returned to me. Skiing is on the docket today and I really don't want to miss that so I sucked it up. We ran into typical Moroccan traffic conditions on our way out of Marrakesh. 

Outside of the city we were presented with another challenging set of mountain roads to navigate. Can the Logan handle it?

As we approach the ski basin the road is littered with ski and snowboard rental options from the 1990's. We pull into the parking lot and are instantly approached by multiple men in ski outfits. Like moths to a flame they run after our car yelling in various languages. As we try to avoid them they multiply and in no time a group of men are chasing us. Finding this quite humorous Tim starts doing laps in the parking lot while these men follow his every move. Locals are now laughing at their ridiculous attempts. This spectacle continues until Tim decided to finally park. 

The men stood outside our car and wouldn't leave. A few got distracted by another car and ran off but we still had a good number as we stepped out. We refused their services and headed to the slop to see what we were dealing with. None of the lifts appeared to be running but we decided to rent gear and walk up the hill. Tim decides to go with the official looking rental shop by the parking lot while I opted for the cheaper road side rental.  

This was a clear you get what you pay for situation. Tim got decent boots and a somewhat newer board. I got a set of rossignols from another generation. While Tim was renting his gear the shop owner informed us a lift was running just around the bend. With gear in hand we headed over. Sure enough a decent looking lift was moving. We purchased the 100 dh lift tickets and ascended the mountain.

There was no snow at the bottom or top of the lifts so we had to carry our gear in hand on our ride up.

The lift was extremely slow but traveled a lot further up the mountain than we expected. It also reached alarmingly high heights. From this vantage point we tried to gauge the quality of the snow. Certain parts looked decent but there were a lot of exposed rocks. A few people were skiing but for the most part the mountain was empty.

After around 30 minutes we reached the top. Jumping off the lift in ski boots with your gear in hand while the lift chases you is not the easiest of tasks. Tim got a nice little bump from the chair. There was a small ski building at the top. I wouldn't really call it a lodge but they did sell snacks and water.

We began our run and were approached my multiple guides/instructors asking if we were professionals. Of course we are professionals, just look at us. Even when we would say yes they would ask if we wanted lessons. After multiple attempts at declining their services we skied away to the other side of the lodge. We started our run and the snow was pretty good. Enjoying ourselves a little too much we soon realized the run we were on was roped off just after where we started. We ended up having to take off our gear and walk over the ridge to get back to the only open run. I was particularly exhausted and any strength I had gained from my sleep was gone. After a bit of rest we got our heads back in the game and killed it. Take some notes Morocco.

The terrain was very rocky and icy. It was pretty challenging skiing/boarding. Good thing we are professionals.

After a few runs I started to get light headed and had to call it a day. The long lift time combined with our detours really sucked up the time. The sun was setting as we left the resort. We had conquered Oukaïmden.

On the way out we decided to buy some local produce. No idea what these are. They tasted funny, especially the squishy ones. We ended up mostly throwing them at each other. 

We were even able to catch the end a local soccer game as we left town.

The drive back was pretty low key for the most part. It was a hell of a lot better than this guys journey.