To wander the streets of Morocco is to see where things come from: Behind everyday items lie generations of talent and experience, and hours of hard work.
My Police Escort (But Why?)
Our tour through the historical city of Sefrou included a police escort: along the main road, into the Jewish cemetery, through the medina (old city) — everywhere. But why? We were two unassuming tourists, accompanied by a licensed local guide and a professional driver, the same configuration as everywhere else we visited. And while police…
Light, Shadow, and Color. And a Mule.
I would have noticed the light streaming through the hatched roof in the colorful wool-dyeing section of the Fes medina even without the mule. With the equine, the scene seems surrealistic, almost absurd. But only to me, not to the locals. Traveling is like that: not only discovering new things, but discovering which things are…
The Alleyways of the Medina in Fes, Morocco
The medina in Fes, Morocco is best known for its numerous craft workers and its bustling thoroughfares. But I’m drawn to the alleyways, where a private, intimate, more authentic side of Fes blossoms and…
Camel Meat in Morocco
This camel head hanging from a wall in the food section of the medina (old city) in Fes, Morocco caught my eye. How could it not? I don’t eat camel. In fact, I would never eat camel. Yet right across the way is the Cafe Clock which serves camel burgers (and, fortunately for me, other…
Surreal Israel
What in the world is a wild boar doing walking down a city sidewalk built for people? Or maybe the question ought to be: What’s a city sidewalk for people doing where wild boar live?
5,000 Colones in Costa Rica
What could represent Costa Rica better than the white-faced capuchin monkey that adorns the 5,000-colónes note? The bill even teaches a little, listing both the Spanish and Latin names for the animal. The other elements in the scene, a red mangrove and a marine crab, get similar treatment. And as on other bills, the menagerie…
Argentina in 2004 – Part 1
I learned my first useful Spanish sentence while I was already in Argentina: Perdi mi pasaporte. “I lost my passport.” Because, well, I did, in southern Patagonia, a precious few hours before my return flight to Buenos Aires, and the day before I was hoping to fly back to New York. In what would turn…
On Cats and People
When I saw this cat in a Mumbai market, I thought (obviously), “a cat.” What I didn’t think was, “an Indian cat.” Yet when I saw people in Mumbai, I thought, “Indian people.” This raises the question of whether cats or people are more similar across cultures and continents. On one hand, it’s an easy…
The Vendress
This pair at a market in Mumbai, India struck me with their immense contrast. A man and a woman. Young and old. Western clothes and eastern attire. Buyer and seller. But mostly a towering giant and a fragile Lilliputian. A friend of mine remarked that scenes like this are why she won’t visit India. It’s…
