2014 ON THE MOVE..................

FIRSTLY JUST A LITTLE UP DATE ON OURSELVES……………..

Other than to confirm that apart from surviving the long, very long, Christmas/New Year/Three Kings break there is nothing much to add to this month’s entry.

I dropped a bit of a boob in scheduling myself off the just finished January Moroccan tour only to cop the unusually dull and chilly weather back here in Spain. Then due to two venues being under water in the UK I was advised to cancel a planned brief visit. 

Then a new detour's touring project rather unexpectedly hit the ground running and had me lodged in the office and glued to the computers from dawn ‘till beyond dusk ……They [the computers] then took advantage of the situation and crashed big time. I took advantage and got myself a new one!!!

Alice, my canine tour partner, has recovered nicely [but at some considerable veterinary expense] from her Christmas overdose that followed on from emptying a tin of Quality Street that was left unattended, together with a packet of peanuts and another of popcorn.

Historically January is one of our quietest months in the office regarding enquiries. We generally take advantage of the lull and spend the time up-dating the web-site, info packs and working on various other important but mundane matters. But this year we had a welcome bonus …….  The all too predictable internet forum posts by our very own mischievous “Stalker” again had its unintended result by prompting an increase in site hits, enquiries and a few late bookings.  Result? ….. The February tour became FULL with me taking a small second “overflow” group…….plus a few more bookings for further into the year…….. Muchas Gracias.

Did I say not much had happened? ………

Heavy snow in the Moroccan mountain areas and on the open plains seemed to be quite widespread during mid-late Jan.  Then along came rain with higher temperatures, then more snow, then slightly warmer. In a word, unpredictable!  Real-time on the ground info is best so call us if you need latest info and we will help if we can……we always have someone over there.

The weather is of course a factor as to what “Escort Vehicle” we use on any given tour. The larger main tours [we have two Feb Tours running for example] will take the Unimog and probably one of the 4x4 Navara’s.  I would prefer to use one of the “People Carriers” for the smaller group that I am leading……..but will likely use the other Navara. Decisions, decisions, decisions……
Anyway, by the time you read this I will already be on my way…………

DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT SIR…………

Now let me say that I am not one of those closet McDonalds eaters. Neither do I knock them but hang around outside snatching a bit of free Wi-Fi. I have no problem at all with them. In fact at some point on tour you will find the whole team in both the Fez and Marrakech outlets…….and now and then in the Marrakech Kentucky Fried. The fact is that there is only so much Tagine a body can take…….So there!!!

So with absolutely no distress at all I can pen that a few weeks ago [early in January] McDonald’s opened another new restaurant in the city of Khouribga, about 100 km south of Casablanca.

If nothing else around 50 much needed jobs have been created in the new restaurant, which will be located in the center of the Phosphates city. This now increases the franchise presence in the kingdom to 33 in 14 Moroccan cities…….with the fast food company intending to increase the number of its restaurants to 45 by 2015.

Popular?  You only have to visit one of the restaurants to see how popular they are, and not just with the young. It is nice to see a whole 3 generation family out together.  Having said all that despite the enthusiasm that most young Moroccans show towards foreign fast-food chains, the local food served in the streets of all Moroccan cities and towns remain the most popular, attracting natives as well as tourists.

DON……………THAT’S AS FAR AS I HAVE GOT………

By the time you read this you would have missed it anyway…..not only that, it was in Fes. But it was as promised a fascinating talk by Maria Antonia Garcés, Professor of Hispanic Studies at the Department of Romance Studies, Cornell University in the United States, about Cervantes, one of Spain's most significant authors. His most famous work is the classic - Don Quijote. Professor Garcés is a Cervantes specialist and passed on some interesting facts ……….. I have never managed to get past the first few pages of the aforementioned book and in fact also have a much different version, Tilted Windmills, on the go, so I was pleased that I made the venue just in time and have re-kindled my interest.

Returning to Spain after fighting in the Battle of Lepanto (1571) against the Turks, Miguel de Cervantes was captured by Barbary corsairs and taken captive to Algiers, where he remained as a slave until 1580. The five years spent in the Algerian bagnios (1575-1580) made an indelible impression on his work. Professor Garcés’ talk described the sophisticated multi-ethnic culture of early modern Algiers, Cervantes’s four escape attempts, and his opportune ransom.

During his Algerian imprisonment, Cervantes communicated with Muslims, Christian slaves, and renegades. He also had various Moroccan connections, such as the future Sultan Abd al-Malik (1541-1579), renowned for his culture and sophistication. Abd al-Malik was exiled in Constantinople and Algiers during the reign of his bloodthirsty brother, who had a penchant for killing his siblings. Cervantes and Abd al-Malik may have even become friends while the Spaniard was a slave in Algiers and the future Sultan was a refugee in the city.

Abd al-Malik appears in Cervantes’s play, The Bagnios of Algiers, where he is portrayed with great admiration. Around 1574, Abd al-Malik married the daughter of the Ottoman official Hadjdji Murad―she was the historical beauty who inspired the character of Zoraida in The Captive’s Tale, inserted in Don Quixote, Part I. Their lavish wedding, which resembles current marriage ceremonies in Morocco, is sumptuously represented by Cervantes in the The Bagnios of Algiers.

Mmmmm……..interesting……….

A VEILED THREAT………..

In an unprecedented move for a Muslim country such as Morocco, the management of a hotel decided to close its doors in the face of veiled women.

According to daily Al Massae, Cesar hotel in Tangier decided to ban a veiled woman from accessing its premises. According to the same source, the hotel’s controversial decision, which has appalled many of its veiled female clients, was issued by its owner.

The four-star hotel has decided to put the decision into practice starting from Jan 1, 2014.

According to the same source, some witnesses allegedly saw some of Cesar Hotel’s guards asking some veiled women to take off their veils to be allowed in.

While such decision might be justified elsewhere, such as in France whose controversial legislation against conspicuous religious symbols in public is (at least) rationalized by the country’s constitutional requirement of secularity, Morocco is a Muslim country and such decision should prompt the government to open an investigation and take the necessary measures to prevent such arbitrary practices from being implemented in the country.

So it was expected that Cesar Hotel’s controversial decision, first of its kind in Morocco, would likely spark an outpouring of public outrage. Strangely the silence is deafening!

YET ANOTHER NEW YEAR…………..

Thirty months after winning official recognition for their ancient Amazigh-language in a new constitution, Morocco’s Berbers pushed for January 13, Yennayer 2964, their New Year, to be made a public holiday for the region’s indigenous pre-Arab inhabitants.

Festivities were planned in several cities around the North African country, including the capital Rabat, while other gatherings took place mainly in parts of the country with concentrated Berber populations, such as Agadir and Tiznit in the southwest.

But more than just a celebration and a way of reaffirming their cultural identity, it was also a chance for the Amazigh community to demand that this day should be awarded its proper place in the national calendar.

In 2011, in response to Arab Spring protests sweeping Morocco, King Mohammad VI introduced a new constitution which acknowledged Amazigh as an official language of the state alongside Arabic, a major achievement for a tongue that was once banned in schools. But the Islamist-led government has yet to pass the required legislation to implement the initiative, which would see Amazigh integrated into teaching and other areas of public life.

A decade earlier, the king had signalled his support for Morocco’s indigenous Berber culture in a historic speech in the northern town of Ajdir.

Morocco hosts the largest numbers of Berbers, who live in scattered communities across North Africa, including in Algeria and Libya, but there are no official estimates of the size of the population. But a census taken in 2004 showed that 8.4 million Moroccans spoke an Amazigh dialect daily, or around a quarter of the country’s total population…..bit of a clue then!

Anthropologists say the possible historical roots of the Berber New Year, known as Yennayer, are difficult to establish with any precision.

Some historians link it to the enthronement as pharaoh of the Amazigh king Chachnaq after defeating Ramses III,” believed to have happened in 950BC. 

For others it corresponds to what is known in Morocco as the agricultural calendar, celebrated around January 13^th, an ancient festival that marks the reaffirmation of some important aspects of agrarian society, a return to the land.

RAIN, RAIN………………………..SOMEONE LISTENED!

I think I have mentioned somewhere that we had an extraordinary 2013 [and 2012 for that matter] regarding the almost total lack rain while on our many tours during that period. It was of course perfect for our clients, but not so good for the locals.

There’s no a great deal you can do about it……..except perhaps ask for help!!!!!

At the request of King Mohammed VI, upon learning that Morocco may suffer a continued drought this year, prayers for rain were held over the weekend at synagogues throughout Morocco.

The prayers were recited after Muslims said similar prayers in mosques also at the request of the King.

Responding to the king’s plea, the Council of Israelite Communities in Morocco, or CCIM, published a statement in which it “invites worshipers to pray in all the synagogues of the kingdom” so that God may “spare our country and help His Highness the King.”

And it worked……. As our current group departs Morocco they confirm a down pouring of rain from Tangier to south of Agadir…….. Not sure how far inland ‘till I make a call. 

As a side note………Earlier in January 2, King Mohammed VI met in his royal palace in Marrakesh with Jack Lang, a French Jewish former minister who last year became the head of the Arab World Institute, a Paris-based intergovernmental body that France runs jointly with 22 Arab nations.

Under Mohammed VI, Morocco has undertaken massive renovations of Jewish heritage sites and participated in such projects abroad, including in Cape Verde off the coast of Senegal, which once had a population of Moroccan Jews.

Approximately 3,000 Jews live in Morocco, according to the European Jewish Congress.

UPDATE ………. It would seem that there prays have been answered.  Morocco has seen widespread and consistent rain across much of the country during January.

FANCY A DATE……………

I returned from Morocco just before Christmas loaded with dates for both friends and us.

Unfortunately, or should that be fortunately, I over estimated how many I needed so when I said “Loaded” I was seriously loaded………boxes of the things everywhere.

However, a great many were consumed after I converted them thus……So, so simple. 

Try it. In a suitable container cover as many dates as you wish with warm [not hot] fresh, yes FRESH ground coffee [of course no milk or sugar]. Then add Amaretto, Brandy, Whisky, Rum or Debbie’s favourite Contreau. In fact use any spirit that takes your fancy and to whatever strength.  We did them all!

Then just leave to marinade, don’t heat or they will fall apart. In fact the longer you leave the better. One produced an outstanding thick coffee-brandy-date liqueur mix…………  

That’s it. I said it was simple………

After a few hours try and walk past the container without hooking one out!

TAP, TAP, and CRACK. TAP, TAP, and CRACK.................. 

The sound of argan nuts being split open between smooth river stones continues in a repetitive beat. Tap, tap, and crack. Three barefoot Berber women are propped up with cushions, sitting cross-legged, as they go through the motions.

Beside them are baskets brimming with argan pieces, the fruit casings, discarded shells and prized kernels, picked from the ‘Tree of Life’, a spiny evergreen, endemic to southwest Morocco.

On the stretch of road between Essaouira and Marrakech, prickly-leaved Argan trees span out into the horizon in every direction, thriving in the arid climate where few other plants could prosper. Herds of goats climb the gnarled trunks, staring out from the canopy between indulgent mouthfuls of plum-size nuts. The peel and pulpy flesh are a favorite treat for animals but the kernels are cherished for another reason:  their oil.  Argan oil is so versatile and valuable it’s likened to ‘liquid gold’. With a wide-platform of uses, both culinary and cosmetic, and long list of medicinal properties, the oil is an attractive commodity and the rest of the world is catching on to its healing benefits.

Argan (Argania spinosa) is an endangered species that plays a vital role in resisting the ever-creeping Sahara Desert. The trees are also found in Algeria and have been successfully introduced to Israel but Morocco is the only nation that hosts a meaningful scale. Morocco’s Argan forests cover about 800,000 hectares near the Souss Valley, an area framed by the Atlas Mountains, Atlantic Ocean and Sahara Desert, which hosts roughly 21 million trees and has been given UNESCO protection as a ‘biosphere reserve’.

Argan husks are reportedly 16 times tougher than a hazelnut shell. Stories, dating back to the 13^th century, explain that goats would eat the Argan fruits, locals later collecting their droppings to retrieve the Argan nuts, which had been conveniently softened by the animals’ stomach juices. This method saved on labour by making the kernels easier to salvage, but the resulting oil had a distinct smell to it.

Today, Argan oil production skips the goats’ intestines. The work is done with the hands of tireless women. Argan nuts must be cracked manually, attempts to mechanise the method have failed to keep the delicate kernels intact. It takes 30kg ­of Argan nuts, roughly the annual yield of one tree, and between 15 and 20 hours of hand processing to make just 2 litres of cooking oil or 1 litre of cosmetic oil. Explaining why Argan oil is the most expensive edible oil in the world.

According to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), argan trees support the livelihoods of 3 million Moroccans, about 10% of the country’s population, who use the husks as firewood, the fruit for animal fodder and the pips to make precious oil. Argan oil is an important economy for locals, particularly for women, who have grouped together to form more than 150 cooperatives.  Tourists are welcome to visit the centers, to learn about the process of making Argan oil and to purchase a pot of face cream, scented body oil or even some argan flower honey.

Stopping a short drive from Essaouira, at Assaisse Ouzeka, a certified organic cooperative that employs about 30 women, I’m greeted by Ms. Laila Kanzi, who walks me through the steps of making argan oil.

A favourite breakfast for locals is ‘Amlou’,  looking very much like ‘Moroccan peanut butter, made with a paste of argan oil, honey and crushed sweet almonds…..taken with freshly made bread .

Argan oil has a multitude of uses: it can be drizzled over salads, couscous and tagines to add a nutty taste, applied as a scar healing, skin rejuvenating, nail strengthening and hair vitality treatment and used medicinally as an anti-inflammatory and to aid with immunity and blood circulation. No wonder Berbers call Argan the ‘Tree of Life.’

IT’S A STRANGE WORLD………………..

Indeed it is. I make no political point, statement or whatever ……. just interest.

The Royal Moroccan Air Force is evaluating the recent purchase of three additional [note the word additional] Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1/Harfang unmanned air systems via France. The deal, made with Israeli approval, includes the option for additional aircraft to follow.

A version of the medium-altitude, long-endurance Heron adapted for the French air force, the Harfang is used to perform strategic reconnaissance and tracking missions. Also previously referred to by France as the SIDM, it was manufactured by Airbus Defense & Space, in full co-operation with Israel Aerospace Industries.

It is not clear what payloads will be carried by the UAS Morocco has purchased, but these are likely to be Israeli-produced.

The ties between Morocco and Israel are good, despite the fact that diplomatic relations between the nations were cut in 2000.  

THE “FUEL RELATED” PRESS RELEASE WAS THUS..............

Jan 18, 2014…….. Reuters.

Morocco said on Friday it had ended subsidies of gasoline and fuel oil and had started to cut significantly diesel subsidies as part of its drive to repair public finances.

But the government, keen to avoid the kind of social unrest that toppled several other North African regimes during the Arab Spring, said it would continue to subsidise wheat, sugar and cooking gas used by poorer Moroccans.

The cash-strapped North African kingdom is under pressure from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to cut spending and reform subsidies, taxation and its pension system. The demands are linked to a two-year, $6.2 billion precautionary credit line agreed by the IMF in 2012 for Morocco.

“Gasoline and fuel oil are no longer among the products subsidised by the government,” the general affairs ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency MAP.

Morocco is the most advanced among North African countries in its reform of public subsidies and already started last year to partially index energy prices to international market levels.

On Thursday, nearby Tunisia’s outgoing Islamist-led government announced it had suspended planned oil price hikes after a series of protests and strikes over high living costs.

Morocco said subsidies for diesel would decline from a level of 2.15 dirhams per litre this month to 0.80 dirham by October.

Morocco has budgeted for 30 billion dirhams worth of food and energy subsidies for 2014, down from 42 billion last year and more than 53 billion dirhams in 2012.

But the subsidy reductions could hurt the fragile economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism, agriculture and remittances from Moroccans living abroad.

Morocco’s main Islamist opposition movement, Justice and Spirituality, urged leftist groups last year to join protests against the subsidy cuts. But so far there has been little sign of widespread public discontent over the measures.

WHERE DID THE YEAR GO? ...............

How many times are we going to hear that over the next few weeks? But genuinely, from my part I am at a loss, where indeed did it go.

Desert Detours ran 10 Moroccan tours during 2013 that included the all new “Amazigh Eastern Morocco Tour”, plus a combination Andalusia-Moroccan tour and two separate Andalusia Tours [Andalusia Detours]. Perhaps then no surprise that the year swept by…………

As I write the second of the two December tours rolls over into the New Year, having spent an inspiring Christmas day on the dunes of Erg Chebbie and New Year in Marrakech. I almost wish I was on that tour!

I am struggling and juggling time but expect to update 2014 schedules on our website  www.desertdetours.com  but in the meantime for detailed information/tour schedule just contact us direct………. Noting:  Four “Classic” dates are already FULL. One of the Two December tours are already FULL. The announced “Amazigh Eastern Morocco Tour” is now FULL but we have added a second tour date [also in September].

I am genuinely not gloating or in any way delighted sitting here in our warm Spanish office with the sun streaming in through open windows. Yet again I just can’t believe the appalling UK weather. Whilst it has predictably prompted a burst in enquiries more to the point it has also caused postponements and delays for clients attempting to journey down for the imminent January “Classic” tour. If you are already “On The Road”, struggling down to meet us, or whatever…….do NOT worry, we are and can be flexible with no financial loss to clients and/or “Roll-Over” options. Just take care!

Finally, from all here in Spain at Desert Detours and from our Moroccan Staff we wish you a healthy, happy and safe 2014, wherever your travels may take you.

Ray.

 A DIFFERENT KIND OF NEW YEARS DAY………..

As Moroccan Muslims wound down from Ramadan 2013, Jews across the country celebrated another momentous holiday, the start of their New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, marking the beginning of year 5773 in the Jewish calendar. Fassi [Fez] Jews marked the occasion with a distinct air of solemnity and discreetness.

The ancient city of Fez is known as the home of the first Mellah [Jewish neighbourhood] in the Arab world. During World War II, when King Mohammed V refused to implement the anti-Semitic practices of the Vichy French government, approximately 300,000 Jews lived in Morocco. Today, after decades of emigration, only about 3,000 remain; in fact the last Jewish person left the Mellah in Fez this year.

Fez, Mellah then.

Jews in Fez now live in a newer neighbourhood and attend the Synagogue Ben Saadoun, built in 1920. Invisible to the community, the synagogue is unmarked, with no sign or doorbell for visitors. But the innocuous exterior hides a breathtaking house of worship with intricate Moroccan carvings and hundreds of Jewish holy books.

Fez, Mellah, Now.

The Jewish New Year started at sundown. Just before it began, about 10 men gathered, enough for the Minyan [quorum] required for communal prayer. A solitary woman and a child sat behind a curtain in the women's section, from where they generally watch and follow along in the services, but do not participate.

"Normally there are about twice as many of us, but many choose to go on holiday during Ramadan," said Robert Serero, whose family has been in Morocco for more than 500 years, since Jews and Muslims were expelled from Spain. "It's sad how much the community here is shrinking, with everyone leaving," he said. "But this is my home, and I will never leave. They say we have problems here, but there are problems everywhere, and why trade one for another?"

The men settled into a service, which alternated between personal prayer in Hebrew from the siddur [traditional prayer book] and group prayer led by Rabbi Albert Seddag. "We're offering blessings attesting to God's sovereignty, and giving thanks for the creation of the world," Sebbag said. Services early the next morning followed the same format.

As the prayers began, the men realised that they had non-Jewish Moroccans in the synagogue. In hushed tones, some called for the visitors to leave, while some said that they should be allowed to stay. Near the end of the hour-long services, the discussion became heated and voices were raised.

Outside the synagogue, one of the visitors, a student we will call “Mohammed”, said he was shaken by the experience. “Mohammed” said he often visits different religious communities in a personal search for truth. He said he is sometimes harassed by fellow Muslims, who call him a traitor, and for that reason did not want his real or last name published……..or any personal details.

It’s perhaps worth noting that earlier in 2009, King Mohammed VI marked a major moment in Muslim-Jewish relations when he became the first leader of a Muslim nation to stand against those who deny the existence of the Holocaust, such as the then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In a speech read in Paris in March, the king called the genocide "one of the most tragic chapters of modern history".

Sadly this decade has been marked by increased tension between Muslims and Jews in Morocco, most notably in the wake of the 2003 Casablanca bombings that targeted Jewish sites. But Mustapha Al Khalfi, a member of the council for the Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party, said that the strong Moroccan history of inter-religious understanding still prevails………. let’s hope so.

"We should be careful about any intolerance or attacks that undermine this relationship, and fight anything that might lead to the reproduction of the Holocaust."

PICTURE THIS……….

Still on the Moroccan New Year theme…..This photo was taken way back on 31 December 2007 near Tafraout, with the writings aseggas ameggaz ["good year"] in Tifinagh and bonne année 2959 ["good year 2959"] in French. Note the 1-year mistake, as 2959 corresponds to the Gregorian year 2009………… But never mind, it was and is and interesting find ………

The Tifinagh alphabet ["Lybico-Berber"] has been used by Berber speaking people in North Africa and the Canary Islands at least from the third century B.C. up to the third century A.D. The only dated inscription is from 139 B.C. Its use disappeared, or had already disappeared, when the Arabs came. Among the Tuaregs, especially the Tuareg women, the use continued up to our time, but there are many regional variations. The name Tifinagh is said to mean "Phoenician".

After much pressure [a long story] a standardized version, sometimes called neo-tifinagh,  has been used in primary schools in Morocco since Sept 2003.

AN ARAB PROVERB FOR 2014?……….

“Examine what is said, not who speaks”.

A TASTE OF A MOROCCAN NEW YEAR……..

Did everyone have a nice Christmas holiday? There's still one big celebration underway as I write [That’s if I get this blog out on time!], and the question is how will you ring in the New Year? Will it be a glamorous bash streaming with glitter and bubbly champagne? Or will it be a quiet evening made special by the company of good food and friends?

For me it will be probably be the latter with this year’s menu being a simple but special duck confit, black eyed peas, collard greens and Moroccan-styled meatballs for appetizers. These meatballs are a combination of sweet warm cinnamon with domineering cumin spice, caramelized onions and mint and parsley herbs. Fresh, bold flavours that round each other out and together stand up well against the strong taste of lamb. 

Try them for yourself…….Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Hors d'Oeuvre, by Brigit L. Binns

Ingredients:

·         2 Tablespoons olive oil

·         1 red onion, very finely chopped

·         1 lb ground lamb

·         3 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press

·         2 eggs, lightly beaten

·         1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped

·         1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, plus sprigs for garnish

·         2 Tablespoons fine dried bread crumbs

·         1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste

·         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste

·         Lemon wedges for squeezing and garnish

·         About 42 cocktail picks (optional)

Method

1.    Lightly oil a shallow-rimmed baking sheet.

2.   In a fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

3.   Add the lamb, garlic, eggs, parsley, chopped mint, bread crumbs, cumin, cinnamon, the 1 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper to the bowl with the onion. Combine the ingredients thoroughly with your hands (the only way to evenly distribute the ingredients). Fry a small pinch of the mixture, taste, and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into balls about the size of a walnut, rolling them very lightly in the palms of your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

4.   Preheat a broiler. Place the meatballs about 4 inches from the heat source and broil, turning once with tongs, until brown and crispy on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and transfer the meatballs to a platter.

5.   Squeeze some lemon juice over the meatballs and arrange the remaining lemon wedges and mint sprigs on the platter. Using a cocktail pick, skewer each meatball. Serve immediately. Makes about 42 warm bites.

Note: The meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours before cooking. Remove them from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking. If desired, cook and cool the meatballs, refrigerate them for up to 4 hours, and then reheat in a 350°F oven until heated through, 10 to 20 minutes. These meatballs are delicious alone or could be served with a cool cucumber-dill yogurt sauce. This recipe also works well to create mini hamburgers on brioche mini buns.

CHRISTMAS WISHES............

From all the staff at Desert Detours ...............

The Full Time Tour Team ....... Steve Cooper [Tour Leader/Mechanic], John Hubbard [Tour Leader/Mechanic], A'Hammed [Tour Assistant], Hassan [Tour Assistant], Hammed [Tour Assistant], Pillar [Office Spain], Jane [Office Spain], Wayne Dawes [Admin/Link UK] and the valuable part timers ............. Benny ["Entertainment" and "Stuff" at Meski], Yoseff [Assistant at Meski], Mustaffa and Bros [Guardian/Shepherds at Volubillis], Amarwi [Mechanic at Tinerhir], and the many, many more who assist us on tour.

AND of course Debbie, Bex and Myself...........

Wherever you may be [not forgetting the early small December tour group and the current Christmas/New Year Tour Group] enjoy and be safe.

We wish you ALL a very Happy Christmas Holiday.

Ray. 

FLYING BACK ...........

The annual pre-Christmas family catch-up visit is done.  Now, having miss-calculated the M25/23 traffic I have arrived far too early at Gatwick Airport for my flight back home to Spain, I have more than a couple of hours to kill.

Calling the tour-team confirms that all is well on the current November Moroccan tour, strange feeling chatting to Steve [Tour Leader] who is presently at the sunny and warm Erg Chebbie Dunes.  A brief chat to the office is all that is needed to give orders and warn that I am on my way back!

Two hours to kill so dig out the Kindle and order a very expensive breakfast.

Hang on a moment.  I had prepared this current blog issue on a word document while away but did not get around to transferring and posting on-line.  Search for a Wi-Fi point and hope there is enough battery in the laptop ...... Now less than two hours to boarding, fire-up and log in......................

If it's a touch more messy than usual you know why!  But here is the November Blog Issue.

Traditionally this is the start of our busiest booking period and nothing has changed.  2014 is already looking good with a number of tour dates already FULL, with a number of others heading that way.

Pressing point for potential clients is that there is now just ONE available date left for each of the 2014 "Discovery" and "Amazigh-Eastern Morocco" Tours, as the previously advertised dates are now FULL ....... These are additional dates and will fill soon!

There are no problems yet with the remaining "Classic" tour dates.

We haven't had time to upwardly adjust the 2014 tour costs ..... so book asap for 2014 tours at promotional costs etc.

That's it .... Last call for the flight ......... press the send button ...........

PS....... Even at 8.50 pounds the breakfast was rubbish!



THERE IS A CONNECTION SOMEWHERE……… AND I’M WORKING ON IT!

It’s coming up to Thanksgiving [28^th November], a celebration/feast day that is by far an American thing. So what’s the connection with Morocco you may well ask?  MMmm…….Its tenuous I will agree and I am working on it. It came to mind when I had the opportunity recently, and not for the first time, to enjoy Eid al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" with some family friends in Morocco. That feast is celebrated by Muslims to mark the occasion when Allah appeared to Ibrahim [Abraham] in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, to demonstrate his devotion to Allah [sounds familiar?]. I was also in the right place at the right time to be invited to Eid al-Fitr, otherwise known as the “Feast of Fast-Breaking” or the “Lesser Feast”, Eid al-Adha being the major festival. Then a few days ago on the 5^th  November in Spain, I dined with a Muslim family celebrating their new year [1434]. The next day was another celebration meal, this time for the 1975 “Green March” ……phewwww…… Like I said it got me thinking….

Historically………..Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621 by the Pilgrim who inhabited the Plymouth colony in what is now known as the State of Massachusetts……And?….. Puritan residents of North America observed religious teachings and strictly adhered to them. They also valued hard work and believed that “The devil has work for idle hands”. They, attributed success in earthly deeds to God’s favors and blessings. After they settled in the newly created colony in the eastern seaboard of what is now the US, they started tilling the land and working hard to grow their own crops after the great crossing of the Atlantic. They soon reaped the benefits of their efforts and succeeded to have a first good harvest. That could ensure the provision of the Pilgrims’ daily bread and sustain them for quite some time ahead.

As a sign of gratitude to the divine endowment bestowed on them, they celebrated this landmark event in their lives and invited members of the Massasoit Indians to attend the celebration. The Massasoits were the original inhabitants of this north eastern part of the US. These Indians whom the State of Massachusetts was named after, were peace-loving and friendly people. They were also good neighbours to the inhabitants of the Plymouth colony who equally were motivated by the sacred and wise statement “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

As a token of recognition of the Massasoit Indian tribe’s help and assistance with the harvest, the Pilgrims invited members of the tribe to attend their celebration. It is said that the first thanksgiving feast the Pilgrims shared with their Indian friends was constituted of turkey and wild rice.

This particularly North American feast is an occasion in which family members gather and enjoy substantial meals that can go on for quite some time. Family gatherings do somewhat curb the frantic American pace of life and make it slow down to a more comfortable and enjoyable tempo……….

Thanksgiving is celebrated widely in Canada, where in French-speaking Canada it is known as Jour de Grace. In fact a good few years back I was back home visiting the family farm outside McLean, Saskatchewan, when I had a chance to attend Thanksgiving with an American/Canadian family. For the feast, we had the traditional oven roasted turkey with wild rice along with the customary pumpkin pie that most Americans serve on such occasion, plus of course so much more …… perhaps a story for another time.

Thanksgiving Day was not institutionalized as a feast and national holiday in the US until 1674. It is traditionally celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This year, it is going to be celebrated on Thursday, November 28th.

So…….Thanksgiving, in my opinion, generates solidarity between North American family members and in some reminds whoever is willing to take the lesson that no success is exclusively guaranteed through a hundred per cent planning, calculations and sustained inhuman hard work ……………it takes just that little bit more…………genuine understanding, tolerance friendship……… So, not a whole lot different to the Eid’s then!   

DID I MENTION THE GREEN MARCH……….

Visitors to Morocco who have not done their history homework might well be wondering why Moroccans have a national holiday on 6^th November……..

On November 6, 1975, approximately 350,000 unarmed Moroccans converged on the city of Tarfaya in southern Morocco and waited for a signal from King Hassan II to cross into Western Sahara. They brandished Moroccan flags, banners calling for the "return of the Moroccan Sahara," photographs of the King and the Qur'an; the colour green for the march's name was intended as a symbol of Islam. As the marchers reached the border Spanish troops were ordered not to fire to avoid bloodshed.

So on the 5th Moroccan people celebrate the anniversary of the Green March that helped the country peacefully retrieve its southern provinces from Spain under the Madrid accords signed in 1975 by Morocco, Spain and Mauritania.

Agree or not……..The march was devised in a philosophy of peace to liberate and reunite the provinces of Morocco and has been a reference point in the peaceful struggle of the people for their rights on their land.

The move was designed by the late King Hassan II and was successful thanks to selflessness of the people, which spontaneously took part in the liberation process.

The liberation of the provinces, known as the Sahara, was made in the wake of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on October 16, 1975, that confirmed that the Sahara was not a "Terra nullius" and that there have been legal and allegiance between the Kingdom of Morocco and the territory.

The late King Hassan II wrote in the foreword of the book "La Marche Verte":  "I sought inspiration and hope in the tenets of the Holy Koran, in my past as a patriot and militant for the independence of my country, and my attachment to peace ".

350.000 volunteers, 10% of whom were women, armed only with the Holy Koran and faith, coming from all the regions of the Kingdom, converged on Tarfaya (southwest), waited for the signal of the late King, who in a speech to the nation, on November 5, 1975, okayed the starting of the march.

On Thursday, November 6, 1975, the Moroccan flag was hoisted on the Sahara. Marchers turned to the direction of Mecca and thanked the Almighty for the retrieval of the territory, which was an important stage in the completion of Moroccan territorial integrity.

Another important date, November 18, 1955, the day the late king Mohammed V of Morocco announced to the people the end of the period of the French protectorate.

After the royal family returned to Morocco from exile in Madagascar on November 18, 1955, the late king Mohammed V announced the end of the French protectorate and the advent of the era of freedom and independence.

Moroccans have paid an expensive price for their independence that was gained after enormous sacrifices and a long struggle that left scores of martyrs. They managed to foil France's attempt in 1930 to impose the "Berber Dahir," that aimed to sow division between Arabs and Berbers, as well as the Spanish occupiers endeavour in 1946 to impose on inhabitants of Ait-Baamrane and the neighbouring tribes the Spanish nationality to reinforce its colonizing power.

Like I say, agree or not…………….

THE MULE-WOMEN………………….

I posted a feature some months ago…….at least, without looking, I think I did, about the “Mule-Women” at the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta but have now spotted this similar article here……  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24706863  rather than me paste ‘n post take a look yourself. 

I MAY HAVE CHANGED MY MIND…………

I have never made a secret of my dislike of Casablanca. Indeed, it could be said that I actively discourage clients from visiting the city at the end of our tours…….not that it makes much difference, many visit anyway. For many it’s one of those “must visit” destination, and why not. here is no denying that the spectacular  Grand Mosque Hassan 11 is, well, spectacular!  But as always I digress….. I have of course visited many times, both on business and “pleasure” but the fact is I struggle to come to terms with the place…….perhaps for my liking it is too much “in the face”, perhaps it’s the ever decreasing line between ancient and modern, perhaps it the perpetual drone …….. Whatever…….  But there’s no denying that I have had my moments there and fascination is not the same as antipathy.

  

Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, struggles with a growing divide between the “authentic” upper class and hundreds of thousands of migrant Bedouins who populate the city’s slums.

Here they sell sheep … here is the "sheep hotel" … here is straw, coal, onions, knives and other tools meant for grilling. Between each market and "hotel" is an overflowing skip, and near each skip are warnings posted on the walls: "Cleanliness is a part of faith," "Place rubbish here" and "Please do not urinate here."

In almost all of the city's districts, especially in the suburbs, sheep owners set up shops in makeshift tents where they sell their goods. It is also here that he vendors raise their sheep until the morning of the feast. Thus, the scrawled signs posted on grubby tents: "Five star sheep hotel." It’s a 24/7 hustle and bustle and convincing evidence of the importance of meat in this society. During Eid al-Fitr relatives merely exchange phone calls…… However, during Eid al-Adha, it is necessary to visit other people's homes and share meals.

Fatty sheep are of course particularly prized. To entertain the sheep and calves and to attract patrons the "hotel guard" takes them out of the tent in the early morning for a short stroll. A contrast to later when you can only imagine the scene after the slaughter. At this time, the "civilized face" of the city disappears, and it is dominated by the "Bedouin lifestyle."

King Mohammed VI was angry when he spoke in parliament in Casablanca at the opening of the new legislative session in October. The king said he had been carrying out tours of the city's various neighbourhoods since 1999, to access the conditions and concluded:

"Casablanca is a city of glaring social inequalities, where the rich live alongside the poor. It is a city of both high-rise towers and slums. It is a financial and business center as well as a center of misery, unemployment and so on. Furthermore, there is waste and dirt that pollutes the city and distorts its reputation." The king closed with a rhetorical question: "Yet, why has this city, which is one of the wealthiest in Morocco, not realized the tangible progress that its male and female residents aspire for, like that realized by a number of other cities?"

Casablanca's residents rejoiced, because the best solutions are those that always arise from the king's anger. The city's mayor immediately announced a war on garbage. While waiting for the results, we must ask: How did Casablanca reach this miserable situation?

In terms of local management, the mayor's office has never been characterized by partisan agreement. Rather, the city's path has been marked by coalitions whose members fight with one another and accuse the other of what they are all guilty of. Partisan quotas have led to an excess of public employees in the city. The city employs 17,400 public servants, while in fact only one-third of this number is needed. This has depleted the city's budget, as Casablanca rapidly expands. Newcomers have settled in the plains surrounding the city, which received intensive waves of migration. The population has increased from 20,000 in 1900 to more than 5 million in 2012.

Politically, the city witnessed violent uprisings in the era of King Hassan II, in 1965, 1981 and 1984. Thus, the security forces have been cautious when dealing with Casablancans. The late king had experienced difficulties when it came to controlling uprisings in major cities, and he realized that Casablanca was a bellwether for all of Morocco. Thus, it was divided into five, and later six, prefectures. This deprived its leaders of a comprehensive vision for the future, and division overcame "administration." Residents were left to fend for themselves, after the state withdrew from the field of development and paved the way for the police administration in this field.

The city is located in a fertile agricultural region in the heart of "productive Morocco," the area that was first occupied by the French in 1907. The arid mountain regions of the country were not occupied until 1930. Hubert Lyautey, a French army general, had described these areas as "non-productive Morocco." He meant that these regions were not useful for the French, of course. Thanks to Casablanca's prime location, it receives food from all directions — from the land and the sea. Thus, food prices are reasonable, despite the high cost of housing. Everywhere in the city there are donkey-drawn carts carrying fresh fruits and vegetables, harvested just hours prior.

In Casablanca, food does not sit in supermarket freezers for hundreds of hours. It is a city that monopolizes a third of Morocco's industry. This has made it a "metropolis," attracting a huge number of migrants, particularly from Morocco's southern and eastern regions. Thus, those who [complain] that Casablanca's budget is double that of Fez, neglect to mention that the former's population is many times that of the latter. This is despite the fact that when Fez was established, Casablanca did not even exist. Casablanca appeared for political reasons, when the colonizers established coastal cities to weaken the influence of the conservative cities in the interior. These new cities included the elite that would rule independent Morocco.

In the high-end neighbourhoods, where the "original" Casablancans live, the residents are nostalgic for the city as it was at the beginning of independence. This was before it was assaulted by "Arabism", or Bedouin Arabs who occupy the public domain and engage in unstructured economic activity. The "city folk" scoff at the Bedouins and say that these slums have become the norm.

Where do outsiders stand? This is the opinion of those who benefit from a structured economic system; they live in modern neighbourhoods and ignore the fact that modernity is costly. It is hard for one with full pockets to understand the brutality of need.

The slums, in the other's point of view, are a blessing for those who do not have a degree, a job or the resources to live. These slums are opening and welcoming, and appropriate for those uprooted from other regions, particularly women. This is because the big city liberates the women from social constraints and gives them the chance to redefine themselves, away from tribal customs and their "non-forgiving" approach.

Hundreds of thousands of people come to the city, where free trade is widely available. They start small projects, sometimes without capital, or borrow whatever goods they may need. Some merely set up a small tent and call it a restaurant or "a factory for repairing pressure cookers." … These "Arab" migrants depend on their muscles to earn a living. They work long hours and have no time or energy to think. This repetitive work strengthens their muscles, yet weakens their minds. This physical exhaustion prevents them from engaging in any cultural efforts. Given their situation, they demand nothing, thus granting the state total peace. Even when their carts are confiscated, they do not set themselves on fire in protest.

However, these migrants still do not achieve peace. Theatrical performances, television shows and films have dedicated a lot of time to making fun of the figure of the "Bedouin in Casablanca." Moreover, many Moroccan comedians ridicule the Bedouins, contributing to discrimination and targeting. In these comedic sketches, the Bedouins speak in a funny accent, using a lexicon that is becoming extinct. They are naive, lost in the big city and easy to take advantage of, since they are not as intelligent as the "city folk." This is vulgar and foul comedy, which garners few laughs. It insults the dignity of the spectator and goes beyond reality. It is a type of superficial humour that fails to capture the spirit of Casablanca.

SEX…………..THAT MADE YOU LOOK……….

Sex education has always been taboo in Muslim societies. Whether within the family or at school, the sexual act is never addressed from an educational perspective, or any other for that matter. In fact, a total ignorance seems to have settled on what is allowed in Islam and what is not in the life of a couple. For married couples, some Muslim scholars say that the famous “Qiwama” begins in bed.

A “Qiwama ”that is based on total and mutual satisfaction of both spouses. Let us say it openly then, any action that may promote sexual fulfillment in a couple is even a duty. Everything, really everything? Yes, when the relationship is legal, with only two obvious exceptions.

What is prohibited then? The sexual act in Islam is regulated. First, a well-known law: “everything is permitted except what is forbidden.” This means that as long as there is no text that clearly notifies the prohibition of an act, the act is tolerated.

Regarding the sexual act in a couple, Ulemas [Muslim scholars] agree that there are two clear-cut prohibitions: sodomy and vaginal intercourse during the period of menstruation. The first prohibition is framed by several texts. Al Boukharis, Muslims, Jabirs and many others, relate the same hadith: “The Jews said: if the man penetrates the vagina of his wife from behind, the child will be born with strabismus.” So Allah revealed: “Your women are for you a soil to cultivate. So, come unto your soil from where you will.” In one version of Tirmidi, Ibn Abbas added: ” [if he desires] from the front or from behind, and stay away from the anus and menses.”

The prohibition of sodomy is even clearer in the following hadith narrated by Ibn Dawud: “Omar explains the verse saying: “from the front, from behind, lying on the side, that means [penetration should] always [be] in the vagina.”

“The second prohibition, namely vaginal penetration, is strictly prohibited in the same verse: ”And they ask you about menstruation. Say: “It is an impurity. So, keep away from the women during menstruation; and do not have intimacy with them until they are cleansed. But when they are cleansed, then go unto them from where Allah has commanded you. Surely Allah loves those who are most repenting, and loves those who keep themselves pure” Al Baqara verse 222.

The hadiths also widely mention this question: “Whoever takes a menstruating woman or a woman from behind, or goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says, has certainly misunderstood what was revealed to Muhammad.” ”Do everything except penetration.”

It should be noted in this case that the Ulemas [Muslim scholars] agree that it is permitted to penetrate a woman with breakthrough bleeding [blood loss more or less of uterine origin occurring outside the menstrual period], because it is not considered an impurity 

.

Fellatio and cunnilingus? No ban has been verbally expressed in this regard. It’s true, some Scholars say that this practice refers to bestiality and man must rise from such practices. But in Islam, prohibitions do not work that way. The rule quoted above is clear: everything is permitted except what was prohibited, in the text of course.

God says in Surat Al Baqara, verse 187: “They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them.”

This verse expresses metaphorically and very strongly the degree of the relationship, including physical, that must exist between a woman and her husband. The degree of intimacy is total. God also said, “Your women are for you a soil to cultivate. So, come unto your soil from where you will.” [Al Baqara , verse 223].

He also said: “Those who strictly guard their private parts save from their wives, or those whom their right hands possess; for with regard to them they are free from blame.” [ -Mu’min?n , verses 5-6]. These three verses clearly express that fellatio and cunnilingus are not prohibited at all.

Proponents of the ban have several arguments, the most famous is the hadith of Aisha: “I have not seen that from him as he did not see from me [that is to say, the private parts].”

However, according to the majority of Ulemas who do not see fellatio and cunnilingus as prohibited, this hadith is in total contradiction with several other hadiths of Aisha, in which she says she did her complete ablutions with the Prophet. This implies that it is possible to see the other one’s genitals. Better yet, in another hadith, the Prophet is believed to have said: “Make sure that nobody except your wife can see your Awra [private parts].”

That is to say spouses have full rights to enjoy their partners’ bodies. Fellatio and cunnilingus fit into this framework, on the sole condition that the practice is mutually agreed. In other words, if both partners agree, they can do whatever they want.

WHAT A HOOT……

Who would have thought that Moroccan sheep’s horns had an international value! Well they didn’t, that is was the case until recently!

According to the Moroccan daily Al Massae, the Israeli army hasacquired a large amount of sheep and gazelle horns from Morocco to be used during both Roch Hachana and Yom Kippour celebrations.

I spotted this in Daily Al Masaa after it was first appeared in Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot where is reported that the Israeli Secretary of Defence expressed his intention to acquire a considerable amount of sheep corns from Morocco for both Jewish celebrations.

He also reportedly stated that there would be no need for intermediates during the acquisition, and that army representatives would get the needed amount of horns themselves. Getting the horns from Moroccan traditional souks would allow the Israeli army a decrease of 50 % compared to the prices suggested by international intermediates.

The Israeli Secretary of Defence also reportedly stated that he was particularly interested in gazelle horns coming from the Middle Atlas. That is why Eid El Adha celebration in Morocco represents an excellent opportunity to get enough supply of horns for the upcoming Jewish celebrations.

Sheep’s horns constitute one of the sacred, Jewish objects called “shofar.” During Jewish, religious rituals, the horn symbolizes the trumpet whose sound reunites Israeli tribes during the exodus. Since antiquity, the horn has been used as a symbolic, Jewish instrument of music played during religious rituals.

There you go………….