The Uselessness of Ice Cubes

Wikipedia photo

My new refrigerator came with a plastic tray for little teeny ice cubes.  I mean teeny.  You could fill the individual spaces with an eye dropper. I asked a friend to bring some ice cube trays on her visit to Morocco. I shouldn't have bothered.

Ice cubes are useless in drinks when it's 107 degrees. By the time you drop the ice in your water and go from the kitchen to the living room, your cup has already self-combusted.

Here is what to do instead:

1. Reuse your plastic water bottles or wash out and recyle your 2-liter soda bottles.  
2. Fill all of them about 2/3 full with water and toss into the freezer. 
3. When completely frozen, remove and add water on top. 

The frozen bottle of ice lasts much longer than a few measley ice cubes, no matter their size.

Just something I learned here in Marrakech.

5 Things You Need on a Trip to Morocco

If you are thinking about visiting Morocco, here are some things you may want to bring with you:

1. A French-English dictionary. If you don't already speak Arabic, and don't have the time to devote to learning it, a bit of French will be quite useful. French is also the language of all things medical, in case you get sick.

2. Hair care products for black hair. Yes, you are in Africa, but you are in Berber country. If you are going no further south than, say Marrakech, you will find most of the Moroccans are of Berber or Arab descent. Plan accordingly.

4. Deoderant for sensitive skin.  Anti-perspirants are plentiful.  If you can't wear these pore-clogging products, you should bring your preferred brand with you.  I haven't seen plain deoderants of any brand here.

3. Thick-soled walking shoes, sneakers or sandals. The sidewalks are often gravel-strewn from all the new construction around (in Marrakech, at least). Ballet flats or thin-soled sandals are uncomfortable when doing a lot of walking.

4. Hand sanitizer. For times soap and water are not readily available.

5. You may, to put it delicately, need a clue.

4 Ways to Beat the Heat in Marrakech

We are in the middle of our first heat wave of the summer.  It is currently 102.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be 107. The forecast is for 9 straight days of triple-digit weather.  It is just May.  Here are some tips based on my observation of the locals:

1.  Leave town.  Marrakech is inland and unrelentingly hot. Locals find a host of long lost relatives and friends who live somewhere on  the coast (read: near a beach)  to visit during the summer. Don't bother giving your aunt the line about how much you suddenly missed her.  You come every summer.  She's already expecting you.  (If you don't know anyone in places like Tangier or Agadir, you can always rent a house in a tourist town like Essaouria).

2.  Psyche yourself out.  There seems to be a widespread perception that temperatures that reach only up into the 80's are cold.  All breezes are also cold.  Almost everyone is still wrapped in at least 2 layers of clothing during such weather. Their parents start dressing them this way as babies. So don't put away those jackets or winter undershirts yet.

3.  Turn off that a/c or fan.  What happens when you go outside after lounging around  in that artificially-cooled environment?  You sweat buckets from the shock of the sudden change in temperature, that's what.  You will actually sweat less if  allow your body to acclimate itself to the heat. Although I doubt this was on your to-do list of New Year's resolutions (and don't get heatstroke/heat exhaustion while trying this out).

4. If all else fails, you can always put on a movie, relax or take a nap  until the sun goes down.  What else could I recommend but Casablanca?

Washing Blankets in Morocco

Blankets drying on a rooftop clothesline

Washing blankets in Morocco doesn't mean just tossing them in the washing machine or taking them to the laundromat. The washing machines are generally too small for the heavy, plush blankets.  Laundromats haven't caught on either. So this is how you do it:

1.  Get a nice, sturdy plastic tub that is about half as tall and about twice as wide as a laundry basket. 
2.  Take the blankets and tub to the roof.
3.  Fill the tub with soap and water. 
4.  Slip off your sandles,
5.  Wash your blankets (one at a time)  I Love Lucy style.

 

I tried it and just like Lucy, the splash between my toes put a smile on my face (no fighting though).

So You Want to Marry a Morrocan

If you are American and you want to marry a Moroccan, it is going to take time, money, and probably a lawyer to help you get through the labyrinth of paperwork. While you're watching your time and your money go bye-bye, you can share information, get support and vent frustrations on VisaJourney. VisaJourney is a site for and by Americans trying to wend their way through immigration regulations for marriage and other family situations.

More on Busses

When you want to get on a bus in Marrakech, you can use a couple of techniques that are socially acceptable and may get you on a crowded bus and possibly a seat. I have seen or used them  myself numerous times.

People often crowd the doors instead of lining up and boarding single file. For this situation, you need a defensive move.  As soon as you are close enough, feel free to use what I call the "door block techique"  where you reach past  as many people as you can who are boarding the bus ahead of you. With an arm now extended to either or both doors, you can block people from getting ahead of you from the sides (this is my favorite).

Sometimes the bus is so crowded that people are standing on the front steps.  Don't despair of getting to your destination.  You can reach on and pay the driver at the front of the bus and then climb aboard through the back door.  Of course, the back is probably equally crowded, so feel free to Twister your way on board.

Once your on board, if you're a woman of a certain age, a man of advanced age, enormously pregnant, holding a small child, or have an obvious physical disability, then you are entitled to go on the offense.  You can ask a someone to relinquish their seat to you.  Most people will.

The WC or Life's Little Necessities

1. The "necessary room" in Morocco is most often just that.  A place for life's little necessites and nothing else.You will be hard-pressed to find a spa-bath among the common folk. My bathroom is so tiny you can easily see wall to wall here.
2. A word of advice:  if you are travelling and want or need a Western (sitting) toilet, ask in advance about the accommodations.  Squat toilets  are the norm in Morocco. Here is a little advice on what they are and how to use them--I'm not kidding, although I wish I were.
3. Finally, showers are pretty much universal. Bathtubs are rare. 

Marrakech City Bus Etiquette

If you are going to venture forth on a city bus in Marrakech, you have to be prepared.   I was surprised the first time I paid 3.50 dirhams, got a receipt and went through a turnstile inside the bus. The reason for this bit of formality is that inspectors randomly board busses and check every passenger receipt.  (They do occasionally catch people who have sneaked aboard through a backdoor, window, or the push of the crowd.)

Don't have a seat? You can sit on the steps, on the side, or even in the aisle.  You can lean on the doors.  You can put your arm out of the window.

If you get a seat and an older person asks you for it,  you are generally expected to give it to him or her.

Just so you know--the city busses, as opposed to tour or some of intercity busses, are not air-conditioned in summer or heated in winter.