Fish Fry

While in Agadir, we were directed to a delightful restaurant at the port. In true Moroccan style, our taxi driver directed us to "the best seafood in town" at this little hole in the wall. I would have never eaten at this place if I had just walked by, but I wasn't disappointed.

After an array of Moroccan salads and sauces served with bread, shrimp, calamari, sole, and some other fish were deep fried and served.

Not only was the food delicious, but the price was also right. All this food plus soda to drink cost a whopping 55 dirhams (US$6.00) per person. Not bad, eh? We were also treated to some peppy music. After tipping these toothless old dudes, they played us an additional song, complete with groovy dance moves. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Ladies Weekend

Ghislaine, Julie, Krista, and I had a blast in Agadir on our ladies weekend getaway. We left right after school for the airport and after our 40 minute flight, arrived in Agadir in time for dinner.

Day 3 was pretty foggy out, but it was warm. We took a cab up to the kasbah to check out this beautiful view of the city. I love the way the beach curves around - too bad we couldn't capture its full glory.

Life is good. When this is the gorgeous view from your balcony, there is absolutely nothing to complain about.

Hanging out by this pool really wasn't so bad, either. :) We had such a difficult time with decisions on Saturday - beach or pool? Good thing we had enough time to do both!

Weekend Getaway

Just popping down to Agadir for the weekend with Krista, Julie, and Ghislaine. It's going to be spectacular! Stay posted for pics of the tan I plan on getting in the next couple of days!

Important Advertisement

I haven't yet learned to speak much Arabic and I surely can't read or write Arabic, but I'm glad I was able to figure out what this billboard was telling me. Apparently, you're not allowed to make out with anyone in the front seat of the car. :) I guess it could also mean that your children should sit in the back. I probably should learn to read Arabic so I can know for sure.


I have no idea what the 10 means - maybe it's a 10 dirham ($1.25) fine?

Samburu Culture and Tradition

On Christmas Eve, we were able to celebrate with a staff sing along from the Samburu Game Lodge, as well as a cultural talk and dance by the Samburu tribe.



The Samburus are a fascinating people. A very long time ago, they branched off from the Masai tribe of the Masai Mara and took up residence (as much as a nomadic tribe can take up residence) north of Nairobi. In the Samburu tribe, the men are warriors, while the children herd animals such as goats and cattle.
Tribal members are polygamous - the women own their own homes made of sticks and hides and the men visit different homes each night. No Jerry Springer drama in this tribe though - they don't care who the baby daddies of the children are, since they consider everyone in the tribe to be family.

Despite the lack of monogamy, the tribe does have a wedding ritual. A group of men get circumcised and then marry that same day. After that, they are able to go to any hut that they would like.


The traditional dance that the Samburus performed involved a lot of bead shaking by the ladies and jumping by the men. It is tribal tradition for men to jump during the dance as high as they can. The higher they jump, the more popular they are with the ladies. Some of these guys can really jump - the NBA would do well to recruit a few. I'm not sure how their actual shooting skills are, though.

Beer at McDo

When you buy your combo meal at McDonald's in Paris, you can choose between soda, beer and water as your beverage. Kris and I got the beer, while Emily had a glass of water. :)

CHEERS!

Junk Food Mania

One of the perks of working at the American school is applying for the privelege of shopping at the US Commissary. The Commissary is essentially an American grocery store - think very mini Safeway, with no fresh food items. All products are shipped over from the US so that the Embassy and Consulate employees have access to food from home.

On Saturday, Julie and I went with Randy, Anne, Nancy, and Allen to the Commissary for our first shopping trip. I didn't really know what to expect, but I sure didn't expect to come home with this much stuff!

We stocked up on more junk food than we will be able to eat! Some of the items we purchased: flour and corn tortillas, cheese, Cheeto Puffs, bagels, bacon, brown sugar, and Taco/Enchilada Seasoning packets. I definitely have a bad case of buyer's remorse - there's no way I'll be able to eat all this stuff. Luckily, there are a few work get togethers coming up. I hope everyone wants me to bring junk. :)

Interior Decorating

The day after I arrived in Paris, Em, Kris, and I decided to hop on the train for 20 minutes and head out to Versailles. We stood in line for almost an hour, but finally bought our tickets and threw on our trusty audio guides. As we walked through the huge palace, I couldn't help but be in awe of the lavish decor. I tried picturing myself walking into my bedroom and seeing this....

Then I imagined walking into Lowe's or Home Depot and falling in love with this design. I sure hope the Queen of France loved it, because it kind of makes me cringe.

Another fabulous wallpaper design covered the walls of the Abundance Salon (not quite sure what an Abundance Salon is, but it sounds fabulous). This incredible design also had a nice fuzzy texture.

King Louis-Philippe commissioned this bed to be made in the nineteenth century - it looks ridiculously uncomfortable in my opinion. If I were to have a bed specially made just for me, I probably wouldn't choose for it to be adorned with eighteenth century embroidery. My John Deere sheets are so much cooler!

Becoming a Knight

Apparently, it's not too hard to become a knight. At the Tower of London, we came across a knighting ceremony. Dozens of kids were all lined up ready to accept the title of "Sir". I wonder if this is what it was like when Elton John got his title. Can't beat the venue - pink and orange striped tents are marvelous!

BTW, if I had seen any adults in line, I would've totally done this. Unfortunately, I think it was just for kids. :(

Fresh Produce

Just the other day, I stopped at the strawberry cart and picked up a kilo (2.2 pounds) of these scrumptious looking berries for less than $2.00. The fresh produce's quality and price in Casa never ceases to flabbergast me.

London Eyesores

While on the Big Bus Tour around London (yeah - it rocked), we were informed by the tour guide that we would be passing the one of London's greatest eyesores. Here's the picture I snapped. London's own version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I don't think that this lean is due to a poorly laid foundation, though. Seems intentional!

Another eyesore (this one can be seen from Primrose Hill, Rufus' favorite walking spot) is a building commonly referred to as "The Gherkin" because of its resemblance to a pickle. Some even call it the "Erotic Gherkin", due to its phallic nature. Sorry the pic's blurry - the bus was just racing by this spectacular London landmark.

This pic is a little more classic London. The London Eye was a millenium project that has brought in tons of cash. While it was meant to only be around for a year or so, they have kept it running since the turn of the century. They also upped the price, from 5 pounds to 15. It never stops moving its breakneck speed of 0.5 miles per hour and has been compared to the Eiffel Tower. The London Eye is the largest ferris wheel in Europe - wow! I have not experienced a ride on the London Eye and I doubt I ever will. Maybe if it was free, but I can do a lot of cool stuff for 15 pounds.

Sky Rats

This picture didn't turn out as well as I hoped it would. This is the lady who was standing in front of me for the line for the Sacre Cour - I'm not sure if she knew that at some point while she was wearing this coat, a pigeon's poop landed on her back. Check out the spot above the strap, near her arm. In real life, it was a lot more obvious. Stupid Sky Rats!

French Fondue

On the way to the Sacre Cour, we stopped at a place that advertised fondue. Since Emily hadn't gotten the chance to get fondue in Switzerland and we both love fondue, we stopped for lunch.

I'm used to my cheese fondue getting served already melted in a pot with a candle or something underneath. This experience was a little different.

First off, the waiter brought a giant hunk of cheese and plugged in this heating mechanism to get the cheese warmed up.

The cheese heated up for about 5-10 minutes under the heat lamp before it was finally ready to be eaten. We used a wooden spatula to scrape the runny cheese from the side that was being heated. I was completely focused on getting the perfect cheese off the block. Check out that determined look on my face.

After getting the cheese off the block, it was time to transfer it to the plate of meats and potatoes that came with the meal. I particularly enjoyed the cheesy potatoes.
We didn't finish our block of cheese, but I'm sure the restaurant was able to put the leftovers to good use. It was scrumptious!

Tour Through the Maze

At Hampton Court Palace, there are beautiful gardens and a section of the gardens has a delightful maze that we decided to explore. It started off super easy, no forks in the road or anything and then....we came upon our first dead end! :(

Kris apparently has a knack for mazes. He became our trusty tour guide and he was pure business.

Em and I didn't really get a chance to wander - we followed Kris as he twisted and turned us through the maze. As I was behind Em, I didn't even get a chance to see where he was headed - it was quite the power walk.

I can't really complain though - Kris got us to the heart of the maze in record time and as quick as it was, it was definitely an enjoyable experience!