27monthswithoutbaseball

Martha, whose new Arabic name as of today is Raisa, or president, and Susan, whose Arabic name is Fassia, because someone in Fes told her she had the face of someone from Fes, and I had a wonderful vacation! I will write more about it after I catch up (on things Peace Corps and Azrou, email and mail, laundry and sleep) but for now, the trip in haiku. Martha and Susan wrote some too, and I encourage them to add theirs to the comment section. The picture was taken in the Azrou artisana – since Azrou is known for its monkeys, one of the products that the woodcarvers make is the familiar “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

Riad Oudaya
The first stop in Morocco
Welcome to Rabat

Tour Hassan old mosque
Destroyed in Lisbon earthquake
Horses, royal guards

Mohammed the Fifth
Mausoleum all grandeur
Hassan second too

Come to the Kasbah
Blue walls and doors for photos
Bookmark souvenirs

Archaeology
Berber nose on the bronzes
Also the tour guide

Chellah – tranquil place
Tombs, storks’ nests, old mosque, garden
Graffiti by Ted

Toast, the restaurant
Frequented by PCVs
But no toast at lunch

Musee Belghazi
Photo – man and his portrait
Historical crafts

Lake, migrating birds
Lixus ruins a drive-by
Stone circle too far

Asilah – the charm
A walk, shopping and sunset
My ring was still there

El Minzah hotel
Couscous and belly-dancing
A big bathtub too

Tangier medina
Shoes and plates and necklaces
And Phoenician tombs

Africa’s northwest
Point, Grottoes of Hercules
Did a camel ride

One pedicured foot
Says, “hey bro” to the other
Double solitaire

Tetouan Spanish flavor
Medina UNESCO site
Pix without looking

Blue-washed Chefchouaen
A quiet walk, a magic town
Oh, look at the peaks!

Thunderstormy drive
When the sun sets it’s quite dark
Chicken, rice and fries

Come and see my home
Introduction to Azrou
Pastry and coffee

Roman ruins next
Volubilis a must-see
After reading blog

Person, place and thing
All three at once – a new game
Called “Sixty Questions”

Meknes a quick look
Moulay Ismail not nice
Let us not stay here

Marjane – Magnum bars!
Stuffed peppers, chilaquiles
Pomegranate night

Celebration too
Halfway through Peace Corps service
October nineteenth

Hammam the highlight
Ghassouls, olive soap and steam
This is not a spa

Azrou artisans
Walk in the medina too
Carpet shop and tea

A couscous Friday
Driver, guide and friend Youssef
A sweet family

To see the monkeys
While I was in the meeting
Pretty much same thing

Sunset from the roof
Farewell Azrou, on to Fes
Fat bread Immouzer

Dar Roumana Fes
Gourmet food, champagne, music
Underneath the stars

Fes El-Jdid – gold!
Spiritual synagogue
Good to be the King

Then old medina
Long walk just scratched the surface
Reason to come back

Wonderful visit
Vacation feel as well as
Showing off my home

Now it’s time to part
We have pix and memories
Preserved in haiku