tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55264052024-03-12T20:23:10.681-07:00Going to Uni (again)...Law school this year, but I recently taught English in China. A uni grad with a B.Sc. (Bio, French), former Parliamentary tour guide (Ottawa, Canada), and a survivor of Lille (France).Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.comBlogger767125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-7320697408636247662009-12-19T10:04:00.004-08:002009-12-19T10:09:17.750-08:00One of my favourite Christmas traditions is listening to the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/schedule_xmas.html"target="blank">Euradio Christmas Broadcast on CBC</a> the Sunday before Christmas. And sure enough, they're not disappointing this year. Tomorrow's broadcast includes the broadcasts from following countries:<br />9:00 – 10:00: Finland<br />10:00 – 11:00: Estonia<br />11:00 – 12:00: Germany<br />12:00 – 1:00: Czech Republic<br />1:00 – 2:00: Germany<br />2:00 – 3:00: Poland<br />3:00 – 4:00: Sweden<br />4:00 – 5:00: Ireland<br />5:00 – 6:00: Canada<br /><br />And as if that's not enough Europe for me, I'll be studying for my EU Law exam most of the day too.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-79826027267566199732009-10-13T15:16:00.003-07:002009-10-13T15:28:09.152-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Linguists...</span><br />I recently watched a movie called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Linguists"target="blank">The Linguists</a>", which is about two linguists who travel to learn languages from and about people in rather remote locations. It's a really interested documentary, that goes from Siberia, to India, Arizona, and Bolivia (amongst other locations included in the extra material). The linguists meet people who speak a variety of languages, including speakers of <a href="http://lingsib.iea.ras.ru/en/languages/chulym.shtml"target="blank">Chulym</a> in Siberia, of whom there are less than 25 fluent speakers in the world.<br />I'd highly recommend the 64-minute film, which can be <a href="http://www.babelgum.com/html/clip.php?clipId=3016880"target="blank">found online for free</a>.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-8718425606374811442009-07-11T12:45:00.002-07:002009-07-11T12:57:17.456-07:00<strong>The Uyghur...</strong><br />I'm assuming most people reading this blog by now have heard about the Uyghur "uprising" in Xinjiang (China). I've been following the news, and can't say that I'm really surprised by what's happening. For the past couple years I've referred to Xinjiang as the lesser-known version of Tibet (except the Uyghur are Muslim, not Buddhist), perhaps lesser-knwon due in part to the fact that the Uyghur don't have a popular equivalent of the Dalai Lama (though Rebiya Kadeer may play a similar role).<br />It's been interesting to follow the news, especially after Sweden kicked out a Chinese ambassador a few weeks back following the <a href="http://www.thenewdominion.net/756/swedish-uyghur-arrested-on-charges-of-espionage/"target="blank">arrest of a Chinese-Uyghur spy</a>.<br />In any case, there is an interesting letter posted at <a href="http://www.thenewdominion.net"target="blank">The New Dominion</a> by a tourist who happened to be in Kashgar, and thus had a different allowance in what they were able to see compared to foreign journalists. Here's an excerpt from <a href="http://www.thenewdominion.net/1007/a-letter-from-kashgar/"target="blank">the letter</a>:<br /><blockquote>The next day martial law came. The Uyghurs gathered in the Id Kah Mosque to protest the arrests, as well as the destruction of their city, etc. I was pretty close to the Id Kah Mosque. I heard the loud sounds, the screams, and honestly, the screams of people in great physical suffering. There was a stampede, and I knocked over a bunch of watermelons but got back to the hotel (the merchant didn’t hold it against me). The army marched in and all the Uyghur shops in the city were told that they would close for three days (the Chinese of the city were either leaving or behind locked doors). All the mosques were closed and the Uyghurs were clearly scared. Trucks with loudspeakers circled around the Old City, proclaiming: “Always listen to the Communist Party. Hate separation.” The Chinese news interviewed Uyghur women who happily said things like “Xinjiang has always been part of China for 2000 years. Uyghurs are Chinese, one of 55 minority groups. We hate independence and love the motherland.”<br />The police were just kind of amazed I was there, which is probably why they didn’t make me leave. One happily asked me if I had been to Shanghai yet. God. I asked a police officer what he thought of the situation, and he was optimistic, said that everything was going to be fine. He concluded by saying, “You know, in the next ten years, we’ll just send more Han here and that’ll just end the problem once and for all.”<br />Kashgar was amazing, and I’m glad I went. I wouldn’t tell anyone else to go to Kashgar in the future though, because I know that the Old City is going to be gone before next Christmas. Uyghur culture and Uyghur language are beautiful to hear and study, as all things become as they slowly disappear.</blockquote>Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-42412592086613479332009-06-20T06:19:00.003-07:002009-06-20T06:27:17.527-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">5 Months in Jail for Wig Removal...</span><br />Warning: don't try to remove a Taiwanese legislators wig, or you could be sentenced to five months in jail.<br />According to court spokesman Huang Chin-ming, “The judge thought Chiu Yi had the freedom to wear what he wanted, and Chiu felt the wig made him look prettier. The judge thinks that to remove it intentionally was to take away that right.”<br />See the full story: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE55829R20090609"target="blank">Man toupee for revealing bald truth</a>Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-46807782831129947172009-06-04T15:00:00.003-07:002009-06-04T15:23:49.342-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">June 4...</span><br />Today is the 20th anniversary of the crackdown on the Tiananmen protests in the Spring of 1989.<br />It's an issue not widely discussed in China, and heavily suppressed by the government. Just before the anniversary this year, the government sent dissidents to the countryside, or stopped them from leaving their houses. Foreign journalists were forbidden from filming in Tiananmen square, plainclothes police threatened them in the streets around the square, and any foreign media coverage of the event is blacked out within China. There seems to be a new technique aimed at foreign journalists, which is rather clever. When undercover agents with earpieces see a foreign journalist's camera they walk in front of it and open umbrellas! There's a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/2009/06/trying_to_get_into_tiananmen_square.html"target="blank">great video on the BBC</a> (which often gets blocked in China). It's also interesting to read through comments left on stories about the Tiananmen Square massacre (most of the killing didn't actually happen in the Square, but in the streets around the Square). There's one comment that remarks how politely he was treated by the police for doing something that everyone knows is illegal in China (journalism?), and that he would've "being battened and ending up dead" in the UK for the same thing.<br />Of course some things in China have improved in the past 20 years -general education, the economy, and general access to the outside world. But there is still a lot to be improved, and it's a slow process for a country of 1.3 billion people. And it's slow from a government that has successfully quashed political interest in most of its citizens by promoting economics over other freedoms. Here's an interesting Economist article on the topic of <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13741467"target="blank">The Party</a>.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-49693288125670437352009-04-26T15:03:00.005-07:002009-04-27T04:34:07.602-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Study...</span><br />Second year final exams are rolling around. It's hard to concentrate when the summer is more or less here (it's 17 and cloudy today, but tomorrow is supposed to be 30C with sun). Although I've written one exam, I've got two more left before I start work for the summer.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHxdvved2C5lgaKmr9tPLLLDpuoV0OFwfI46aXyB51Vjkby6XYSuBmm5OmbbVfRjeG5vGWUFjSbe2-RgmbsbASFUTrDY3AAcvJohO95tpd847J0T9X-mJ3xyhao_PWMTJ33ek/s1600-h/haohaoxuexi.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 151px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHxdvved2C5lgaKmr9tPLLLDpuoV0OFwfI46aXyB51Vjkby6XYSuBmm5OmbbVfRjeG5vGWUFjSbe2-RgmbsbASFUTrDY3AAcvJohO95tpd847J0T9X-mJ3xyhao_PWMTJ33ek/s200/haohaoxuexi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329127513192058354" /></a>One thing that keeps going through my mind is "You must convince yourself, study study day day up". There's a famous Mao saying in Chinese that goes 好好学习天天向上 (hao3hao3 xue2xi tian1tian1 xiang4shang4), which means "good good study, day day up", or study more and more every day. It's something that my students in China often quoted. And now I'm trying to tell myself that to keep studying through exams.<br />(Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.artwork.com.cn/art/wgh/index.asp"target="blank">artwork.com.cn</a>, which has a lot of old Communist posters)Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-7491980893935357582009-03-06T14:13:00.002-08:002009-03-07T13:54:01.675-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Law 2.0...</span><br />I came across an interesting article from The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia this week entitled "<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/lawyers-to-serve-notices-on-facebook/2008/12/16/1229189579001.html"target="blank">Lawyers to serve notices on Facebook</a>". Basically, a Canberra judge ruled that legal court documents could be served to defendants on their Facebook page when it was reasonable to believe that the pages belonged to the defendants. The defendants could not be contacted in a normal manner, and their "Facebook profiles showed the defendants' dates of birth, email addresses and friend lists and the co-defendants were friends with one another." With this information, the judge allowed legal notices to be served upon the defendants as an alternate method through their Facebook pages.<br />It will be interesting to see if this is appealed, and if it will be used in other jurisdictions as well.<br />Previously, in Australia, text message and email have also been used to serve legal notices.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-77981403353995671552009-01-26T20:48:00.001-08:002009-01-26T20:48:41.686-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Happy New Year! 新年快乐!</span>Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-82145527627810392842008-12-17T13:48:00.005-08:002009-01-24T14:39:48.611-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Winter Treats...</span><br />There are, from time to time, things that I miss about China. One of them is the winter treats that are found everywhere, called "tang2 hu2lu2" (糖葫芦).<br />These are little crab apple type things, that are usually stuffed with some sort of bean paste (red, green, or black), then covered with melted sugar. They're crunchy and chewy, sweet and a bit bitter. Plus they cost only a yuan or two ($0.15 to $0.30) for a whole stick of them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwadvKgGB2q4OYPdVbzzMLrO5Gd_B3hBCdId7eDkH106tCEJWQGnFiBf6vQNupZJaFB5fv3fqSeiwr5h5F9dFGdlkCqD6mzjS5RD7bnKpggUThGzkjdbf9Yh_F58RhYE35AgOl/s1600-h/chinese_candy"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwadvKgGB2q4OYPdVbzzMLrO5Gd_B3hBCdId7eDkH106tCEJWQGnFiBf6vQNupZJaFB5fv3fqSeiwr5h5F9dFGdlkCqD6mzjS5RD7bnKpggUThGzkjdbf9Yh_F58RhYE35AgOl/s200/chinese_candy" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280879641310510354" /></a><br />Thanks to "<a href="http://huoleifeng.blogspot.com/2008/12/sunday-photo-thread-winter-classic.html">A Modern Lei Feng</a>" for the photo, since I can't seem to find my China photos at the moment.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-72296016932597774182008-12-16T08:43:00.001-08:002008-12-16T08:44:41.145-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Busy Stress...</span><br />It's been a busy and stressful few weeks, with everything going on at school and work. Exams are almost done, and it'll be nice to have a break over the Christmas holidays.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-35907235436182163732008-10-28T13:45:00.005-07:002008-10-29T15:44:57.509-07:00<strong>Try the Great Chinese FireWall at Home Now!</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbe_2kawaS6cymja-TduRn9PuKAvBLH1n9Kd3wHhx58X6pGlqyJbkoryHKPXaQsrvhdBnr6AyvOsdhZsSDZXQoOvMhl8njIKpbCXEoXruWn4lHhsvKca8quiSUafD0DwNxYp-/s1600-h/CCFF.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbe_2kawaS6cymja-TduRn9PuKAvBLH1n9Kd3wHhx58X6pGlqyJbkoryHKPXaQsrvhdBnr6AyvOsdhZsSDZXQoOvMhl8njIKpbCXEoXruWn4lHhsvKca8quiSUafD0DwNxYp-/s200/CCFF.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262310035843475410" /></a> I found this on the <a href="http://www.chinalawblog.com/2008/10/now_everyone_can_try_chinas_gr.html"target="blank">China Law Blog</a> and <a href="http://www.sinosplice.com/life/"target="blank">Sinosplice</a>. There's a new Firefox add-on that allows users to experience what it's like to surf the web in China. I haven't tried it myself, having lived in China a year and experienced the frustration first hand.<br />Apparently the web situation is better now (apart from <a href="http://archives.truthaboutchina.com/2008/10/china-spying-on-skype-users-ca.html"target="blank">spying on Skype users</a>, etc.) and it's possible to access parts of Wikipedia and more blogs from within China than it was a few years ago.<br />From the <a href="http://chinachannel.hk"target="blank">add-on</a> description:<br /><blockquote>The Firefox add-on China Channel offers internet users outside of China the ability to surf the web as if they were inside mainland China. Take an unforgetable virtual trip to China and experience the technical expertise of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry (supported by western companies). It's open source, free and easy.</blockquote>Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-5786264357902422742008-09-26T09:41:00.001-07:002008-09-27T14:27:28.933-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">"Religious Freedom"...</span><br />China likes to tell people that they promote religious freedom within their country. For example, it was thought that putting Bibles into Beijing hotel rooms during the Olympics would help promote the idea that China is tolerant of religion (<a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-03/10/content_824373.htm"target="blank">China Daily: Hotels told to stock Bibles for Olympic visitors</a>).<br />It's currently the month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world fast as an expression of their faith and religion. <a href="http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ramadan-09242008063029.html"target="blank">Except in China</a>, where Uyghur Muslims in government buildings are being offered free lunches during the month of Ramadan, restaurants are being forced to stay open, Uyghur government officials forced to sign "letters of responsibility" to not fast or pray, and special groups to "educate" Muslims against fasting have been set up.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-32062470609540923102008-09-24T12:25:00.003-07:002008-09-24T12:48:19.536-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Back to Uni...</span><br />It's hard to believe that I'm back in classes again after a truly great summer travelling around. And the profs decided not to waste any time getting back into the swing of things, so I'm already in the thick of the readings, research, and job searching process. Lots to keep me busy.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-12444345098014954092008-08-18T12:12:00.004-07:002008-08-18T13:58:55.615-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Devon (England)...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHn7JPjIOUnfEAN1ERokkzYMzAzwNpAnHErR4KShTQl_PekG3mNkKoBzdYYZATiIKwQRklnLdbVStfu93KjFwkxmpleinqM6a6OjBGPMhn9qYnl863StUrV_Vp7R_VsSnpAnL/s1600-h/Devon.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHn7JPjIOUnfEAN1ERokkzYMzAzwNpAnHErR4KShTQl_PekG3mNkKoBzdYYZATiIKwQRklnLdbVStfu93KjFwkxmpleinqM6a6OjBGPMhn9qYnl863StUrV_Vp7R_VsSnpAnL/s320/Devon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235938303032849058" /></a>After Sweden, I headed to Devon the Southwest of England (of Devon cream tea and clotted cream fame). It's a really beautiful part of England, with lots of green fields, and huge hedges that grow so tall you can't see anything while driving the one lane roads in the countryside. Got to spend a bit of time too seeing some other villages, and the seaside resort town of Dawlish before heading to London to visit another friend from China and fly back to Canada.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsc6S1JZ5KZifjpvIUgPfYVc_JWYcmWWAOV-cbbmYf2URYUrJXJTIoJsYhXK76hQpxnspJuMfS3Vuk7RCszeJRX3MVIjO0fL9BDr1DlGwHG0xwDI9sliqXvw2rNt9GZfEC_y7M/s1600-h/Jiaozi.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsc6S1JZ5KZifjpvIUgPfYVc_JWYcmWWAOV-cbbmYf2URYUrJXJTIoJsYhXK76hQpxnspJuMfS3Vuk7RCszeJRX3MVIjO0fL9BDr1DlGwHG0xwDI9sliqXvw2rNt9GZfEC_y7M/s320/Jiaozi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235938302057624418" /></a>I was there visiting my friend Kim who taught in the same city as me in China. So, of course, one of the things we had to do was make 'jiaozi' (Chinese dumplings) with pork and green onion. Surprisingly, or not, they actually turned out really well and tasted like the ones we had in China!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf-7ldb230n2EOpTLrZh1StVTQflAfyNQcoArvta5o1dHI_pa97XruL-naI33iNipPg91m5jrpj2brMMH0oqZR9xeCUdxPQ5rOQsQqZtr2WUcNU5EptnLsAVjOHIeAcpcCTUj/s1600-h/Dawlish.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf-7ldb230n2EOpTLrZh1StVTQflAfyNQcoArvta5o1dHI_pa97XruL-naI33iNipPg91m5jrpj2brMMH0oqZR9xeCUdxPQ5rOQsQqZtr2WUcNU5EptnLsAVjOHIeAcpcCTUj/s320/Dawlish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235938297850967266" /></a>Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-51264862867778878082008-08-14T06:49:00.005-07:002008-08-16T13:03:30.027-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Sweden...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ak7okvUTsMwmXBC_jg2d75L0RImOsk3q3W3xjfj8lfCvGXj-fahP-OZwj6Qd-ru0iwrnLnhSKEZ5nSs28I-gxHJFSMASGZfaZ2yCGmKFOsOsoTJbAGNif93MRbOgyxWR319R/s1600-h/Stockholm+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ak7okvUTsMwmXBC_jg2d75L0RImOsk3q3W3xjfj8lfCvGXj-fahP-OZwj6Qd-ru0iwrnLnhSKEZ5nSs28I-gxHJFSMASGZfaZ2yCGmKFOsOsoTJbAGNif93MRbOgyxWR319R/s320/Stockholm+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234853271052996322" /></a>I spent two weeks in Sweden after being in Scotland. I've been once before, years ago, but this time I was in the country to visit a friend for his 30th. Arriving in Stockholm, the weather was much better than in Scotland. Sun! I spent a few days there before heading west.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_7mmO6MQknpNL2NpWOL3XynGlOlO3igj7sC7B2_8kFST8tvuRrf7mCF0qGj29LTNB0s3Xwqw2z1WuEq9rk-wePdl5yDg67HeyxgDLuyhTaIS-_FTi-mhV9c1Zo2eDRamPjtU/s1600-h/Harbour.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_7mmO6MQknpNL2NpWOL3XynGlOlO3igj7sC7B2_8kFST8tvuRrf7mCF0qGj29LTNB0s3Xwqw2z1WuEq9rk-wePdl5yDg67HeyxgDLuyhTaIS-_FTi-mhV9c1Zo2eDRamPjtU/s320/Harbour.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234853276801809298" /></a>Sweden is a really beautiful country, full of red and white barns, lakes, and lots of coffee. Swedes consume one of the highest rates of coffee in the world; clearly this is a country that I like. There's even a verb in Swedish 'fika', which means something like "to chat with friends over coffee and pastries".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbumZvTYz4XpHT6J0ZFdVUFC0bdDLoaBNjZG5VhRLdxd-BREE1bqptyyvGB86WOG_iW3k8FDYP1gNg4iyKeC0bxMWZ51O9ixSE3sg28ovt6nF-Lret2xuTLkLutahFTLVoHSf7/s1600-h/Barns.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbumZvTYz4XpHT6J0ZFdVUFC0bdDLoaBNjZG5VhRLdxd-BREE1bqptyyvGB86WOG_iW3k8FDYP1gNg4iyKeC0bxMWZ51O9ixSE3sg28ovt6nF-Lret2xuTLkLutahFTLVoHSf7/s320/Barns.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234853281642750562" /></a>I spent a few days on the west coast of Sweden too, visiting a beautiful island as well as Gothenburg and <a href="http://www.liseberg.com/Liseberg/Engelska/Startsida.htm?strFlash=0"target="blank">Liseberg</a> (a large amusement parks).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GV93BvyUIm1lI0R1gXisCN5GxZRW7eDu9tma653Sn6YXbIr312z2dwO_885Bse_C4qHdWq1Q3QVWoi_NYE-CELUlrJfoAsxPfQ0YLxZc5Ow_sdPLKcuCL_bno3_zG5eKpf15/s1600-h/Strawberries.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GV93BvyUIm1lI0R1gXisCN5GxZRW7eDu9tma653Sn6YXbIr312z2dwO_885Bse_C4qHdWq1Q3QVWoi_NYE-CELUlrJfoAsxPfQ0YLxZc5Ow_sdPLKcuCL_bno3_zG5eKpf15/s320/Strawberries.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234853269994160322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6ltztmhHdJHvqp_qhmoaeLoN6-RWX0_dGjftx3HIaq_XhW0nZEIad286tz9gC7sPXm6lolWKAhWDkdhgC3llG0s6lI6oNzoDNUEx1yWnSfLbZTpmFVHCgC4COfKlt3tYklb8/s1600-h/church.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6ltztmhHdJHvqp_qhmoaeLoN6-RWX0_dGjftx3HIaq_XhW0nZEIad286tz9gC7sPXm6lolWKAhWDkdhgC3llG0s6lI6oNzoDNUEx1yWnSfLbZTpmFVHCgC4COfKlt3tYklb8/s320/church.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234853273149126866" /></a>Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-20410581633374281492008-07-30T03:52:00.004-07:002008-08-03T04:19:15.158-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Free Press...</span><br />Due to the Olympic Games, China has promised that reporters would have free access to the internet. They've promised this for several years, and made the promise again only a few days before the Olympics start.<br />Never mind though, they still block internet access for reporters to scary sites like Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, dissidents, human rights, and pro-T1bet@n groups. Part of this is explained in that the officials are just following Chinese law forbidding access to such sites.<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=88249&videoChannel=1"targe="blank">Reuters video</a> (in English)<br /><a href="http://fr.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080730/tcu-medias-entreprises-internet-jo-prev-7b903d2.html"target="blank">Read the full story</a> (in French)<br /><a href="http://fr.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080731/tts-chine-media-internet-censure-jo-2008-c0b8383.html"target="blank">And also here</a> (in French)Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-25856170467352658552008-07-25T04:29:00.015-07:002008-07-25T23:22:01.992-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Bonnie Scotland...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lXvMSXSQUffX9cXArBHQFjmdv2uvIhagHWs0R9v4bxQP55r3yYiNMvwR9bZMdgexX6Ja7KCFyTAwfuth7QJ2Rxf4awCqfhnUGylEYihuOi9VJ4HXvYgSX4S2VG9rzn8LIEc5/s1600-h/DSC03961.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lXvMSXSQUffX9cXArBHQFjmdv2uvIhagHWs0R9v4bxQP55r3yYiNMvwR9bZMdgexX6Ja7KCFyTAwfuth7QJ2Rxf4awCqfhnUGylEYihuOi9VJ4HXvYgSX4S2VG9rzn8LIEc5/s320/DSC03961.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226916726141927954" /></a>It's been a while since I've updated my blog, but a lot has happened since I left Paris. I travelled to Glasgow/Prestwick with my family. We rented a car to drive around, since it was cheaper than taking trains/buses for four people. The first adventure was my Dad driving on the other side of the road (KEEP LEFT!!!!). We visited many relatives -some we'd seen recently, some a long time ago, and others we'd never met- all over Scotland. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and we were all stuffed full of tea, cakes, and cookies. Not even mentioning all the amazing meals we had.<br />Instead of trying to write about the past two weeks, I thought I'd show them briefly in a few photos.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasbKesaGJdZfRY4TW986CBEoh2Cz6KAGpuc2LvN9ZF5syZCf-Pf11Khoji-gfhQ2ltgKr4HZYLs3ADsYrbawLcUkv9Jk8lvL0lu7uXCQIW8cwZMuYrN938QvZ8ZEl1QRqVD00/s1600-h/DSC03962.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasbKesaGJdZfRY4TW986CBEoh2Cz6KAGpuc2LvN9ZF5syZCf-Pf11Khoji-gfhQ2ltgKr4HZYLs3ADsYrbawLcUkv9Jk8lvL0lu7uXCQIW8cwZMuYrN938QvZ8ZEl1QRqVD00/s320/DSC03962.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226916724592295074" /></a>A view of Edinburgh<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwSWOoX-aaW2YW4hwtKz_FPH56CsdxWE4sRsxVfeqL_gjlC8z1uzTtQaIE_Pf4-bC6mBQejv8pRPK-TsuhTcH1zVhMD7Ed8c6nltOMZjvmo-m9lXLOR7yQn2JIkuA7qQFvK4f/s1600-h/DSC03963.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwSWOoX-aaW2YW4hwtKz_FPH56CsdxWE4sRsxVfeqL_gjlC8z1uzTtQaIE_Pf4-bC6mBQejv8pRPK-TsuhTcH1zVhMD7Ed8c6nltOMZjvmo-m9lXLOR7yQn2JIkuA7qQFvK4f/s320/DSC03963.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226916730988030482" /></a>Stirling Castle<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLt59pY3rKOgS8J2QK6hs7zII-qM_V4QLS3ld9JRLngo0N987E72lv4VCUfO3H1vUAj84tnwWEL-pN3WcIP10ObGP-qmRrK5KIvw-7ktU9z7tiH5mofW8cx0jsGFMP7I70fR3/s1600-h/DSC03964.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLt59pY3rKOgS8J2QK6hs7zII-qM_V4QLS3ld9JRLngo0N987E72lv4VCUfO3H1vUAj84tnwWEL-pN3WcIP10ObGP-qmRrK5KIvw-7ktU9z7tiH5mofW8cx0jsGFMP7I70fR3/s320/DSC03964.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226916730176944802" /></a>Loch Ness<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg2INW_gU6pJk_ZdwO92fQyythJlqIkey5oq2Flmv8jOGA6KHjEDpJ6-9kYBT1TvnE8kNX89jJOo-9an5xe-PwgGse2siCYGkmryaY605eM_WHQtp_xkndsGl0R0VNVrZVDRS/s1600-h/DSC03965.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg2INW_gU6pJk_ZdwO92fQyythJlqIkey5oq2Flmv8jOGA6KHjEDpJ6-9kYBT1TvnE8kNX89jJOo-9an5xe-PwgGse2siCYGkmryaY605eM_WHQtp_xkndsGl0R0VNVrZVDRS/s320/DSC03965.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226916730519129890" /></a>Whisky distillery<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Fk5T1xfW0HCvuujKJn3y6dyCP1K8A_vUWaeWFERpEIcMnpoQazFOUL2sCEhr886Wr91mpuv9DDolljM1yO8GM99uuNr4JWiOVzoLPfgARSgAQkm37ec_8FYvxvi6Kfimh4Z7/s1600-h/DSC03966.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Fk5T1xfW0HCvuujKJn3y6dyCP1K8A_vUWaeWFERpEIcMnpoQazFOUL2sCEhr886Wr91mpuv9DDolljM1yO8GM99uuNr4JWiOVzoLPfgARSgAQkm37ec_8FYvxvi6Kfimh4Z7/s320/DSC03966.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917096986396978" /></a>Family pub/music night<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3D7m9P9cobMT1EegAjoDy1Lo-yw0VxASXHl-_p7QltwRTndiLy8jmHz-0o_GVGCyuDmESbz_a9gVyS4XLBaZGKbSukmqfPsB8y0qcG2SJ0895cgeG_rqaPX30X7zz9HrWM5wt/s1600-h/DSC03967.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3D7m9P9cobMT1EegAjoDy1Lo-yw0VxASXHl-_p7QltwRTndiLy8jmHz-0o_GVGCyuDmESbz_a9gVyS4XLBaZGKbSukmqfPsB8y0qcG2SJ0895cgeG_rqaPX30X7zz9HrWM5wt/s320/DSC03967.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917101376853298" /></a>Eilean Donan Castle<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOugNtmJgZ-71e3gMWoBtxePD0HxxDUveZEj9q0mZUF3i0ID2AhmvjDEtpirPmnW8ihyg6W8Pi_7vihO7PanYkJapO403jSW-5FHMge0sp35it7mwKjHIjsaHi6gmZC_RDHBA/s1600-h/DSC03968.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOugNtmJgZ-71e3gMWoBtxePD0HxxDUveZEj9q0mZUF3i0ID2AhmvjDEtpirPmnW8ihyg6W8Pi_7vihO7PanYkJapO403jSW-5FHMge0sp35it7mwKjHIjsaHi6gmZC_RDHBA/s320/DSC03968.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917102496838882" /></a>Fishing<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVShITe7GAZGUJm-Opa9OUZxF-CLG6SrPnUWgluRkC6N3hkBCqh03HcDF3RoMou0GwwthEyiTzoxeYlElgn0RkMYs6AvR_7VUt_RgSs7GbAsprb5EEThtoUHtlscmi2KXQ6hw/s1600-h/DSC03969.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVShITe7GAZGUJm-Opa9OUZxF-CLG6SrPnUWgluRkC6N3hkBCqh03HcDF3RoMou0GwwthEyiTzoxeYlElgn0RkMYs6AvR_7VUt_RgSs7GbAsprb5EEThtoUHtlscmi2KXQ6hw/s320/DSC03969.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917109418138066" /></a>Gaelic/English sign in Uig<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm081dSq7HsSUBr4yIVdeTdfUTL5VcHEdf9nlfcwo4DIrw8W5FSKwREjRGGOUkoxUyy9eOqvTeKfetm1dDQ8L0ovApvwZg3r5uehn_R57UzE1uNwECf2ug7rrWHyIL2Y_yB-Z/s1600-h/DSC03970.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm081dSq7HsSUBr4yIVdeTdfUTL5VcHEdf9nlfcwo4DIrw8W5FSKwREjRGGOUkoxUyy9eOqvTeKfetm1dDQ8L0ovApvwZg3r5uehn_R57UzE1uNwECf2ug7rrWHyIL2Y_yB-Z/s320/DSC03970.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917105856710034" /></a>Isle of Lewis<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24U-yyTCsg2xDxtC8zaKh7_g-BXOQmCjblaakzrh5Eyx_RvrgaGAqAgSBWs1CM1zcnFKIEN0NkuCvISEn_xwHCz1_MgC_0srpM4O7duHFC1gvLB9LrZT5zZDXOL5Fi59MYsgH/s1600-h/DSC03972.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24U-yyTCsg2xDxtC8zaKh7_g-BXOQmCjblaakzrh5Eyx_RvrgaGAqAgSBWs1CM1zcnFKIEN0NkuCvISEn_xwHCz1_MgC_0srpM4O7duHFC1gvLB9LrZT5zZDXOL5Fi59MYsgH/s320/DSC03972.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917391021487730" /></a>Isle of Lewis<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgwE9ZI3gxem4tL33aoRW5IfFCA5ZBsnUO8LDQfeKgQi9eDwaOQDbD-KkeuoW22IJkqdEAoGs5d9KKhRFCVBt8lAVu4vx-z8IrAZJ75J2jKDaXihUPmNQlfqg-IdgcUDOyISP/s1600-h/DSC03973.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgwE9ZI3gxem4tL33aoRW5IfFCA5ZBsnUO8LDQfeKgQi9eDwaOQDbD-KkeuoW22IJkqdEAoGs5d9KKhRFCVBt8lAVu4vx-z8IrAZJ75J2jKDaXihUPmNQlfqg-IdgcUDOyISP/s320/DSC03973.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917393263377058" /></a>Isle of Lewis<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcCshR7o4MpO7u7YqUuKdukYLnFnjC8U7Mxe6tdBsC1r8pQiafrvecMRfB1r8JQdq0A3hHGlwqPTP51jEFal0ZYUow6pgWLGBnISC0wef-OCqZd8t4nUu4hJQ62K_o0q9uuEc/s1600-h/DSC03974.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcCshR7o4MpO7u7YqUuKdukYLnFnjC8U7Mxe6tdBsC1r8pQiafrvecMRfB1r8JQdq0A3hHGlwqPTP51jEFal0ZYUow6pgWLGBnISC0wef-OCqZd8t4nUu4hJQ62K_o0q9uuEc/s320/DSC03974.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917392852497154" /></a>Calanais standing stones (older than Stonehenge)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcT25Ed5J_8kWAOMvDw_LMEEW8GYuHAuKJzT4_WadDgNTADzjU4OcG2nALSQAItwBmJakg5Ep_sY6ilpYy33xd_SwnyNFkYQpJ1znGurfAxVfFFch8eP0N7RLvQc2h4atyahU5/s1600-h/DSC03975.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcT25Ed5J_8kWAOMvDw_LMEEW8GYuHAuKJzT4_WadDgNTADzjU4OcG2nALSQAItwBmJakg5Ep_sY6ilpYy33xd_SwnyNFkYQpJ1znGurfAxVfFFch8eP0N7RLvQc2h4atyahU5/s320/DSC03975.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917392139641314" /></a>Stornaway harbour<br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdebQZ3AK8P3_tkJ0euoS174THzL0GMRnVijK3ylOEyD8vJCIOy3J84O4So79vXBDFVleTgX7RvjM__sO2Cj3C8nNl51ZLWAIMCxl2JR2dig3mUFBdDv4Qgv07USkk5CcaFnR/s1600-h/DSC03976.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdebQZ3AK8P3_tkJ0euoS174THzL0GMRnVijK3ylOEyD8vJCIOy3J84O4So79vXBDFVleTgX7RvjM__sO2Cj3C8nNl51ZLWAIMCxl2JR2dig3mUFBdDv4Qgv07USkk5CcaFnR/s320/DSC03976.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226917513146097682" /></a>Scottish thistleStephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-88232117868085407162008-07-03T13:16:00.000-07:002008-07-03T23:43:12.162-07:00<strong>Marrakesh...</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUh5j_u5AjsZjn3scNdt8CaaSxP_E2H9JHGu1IZzC7jVijexB-qmTwbW1WmdI48zKDJ50SgQBOdCjroiuX_-7Rqsr4yoGQ7LJiRkbhlESNjLupxVT4bdGYClbVFJbVkE9xyk5/s1600-h/m1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUh5j_u5AjsZjn3scNdt8CaaSxP_E2H9JHGu1IZzC7jVijexB-qmTwbW1WmdI48zKDJ50SgQBOdCjroiuX_-7Rqsr4yoGQ7LJiRkbhlESNjLupxVT4bdGYClbVFJbVkE9xyk5/s320/m1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218925667893775138" /></a>A-Ssalaam âlikum fi Mrkesh. I'd love to be able to write this post in Arabic, but clearly 3 weeks of language classes just isn't enough to become fluent in a language! I spent only 3 nights in Marrakesh, just off the Jmaâ el Fna which is the main square in Marrakesh. The 'in the shade' temperature was around 43C (109F), and in the sun it was closer to 48C (119F). Needless to say there was a lot of sweating, and even after drinking 3.5L of water and juice a day I was still thirsty.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIh4t4fI-YggdkTyqMZhps575q5D62XvBuIp3WP7LPi9CgnRhh2fge5s8rqp1mKBRs9XGXb2BeQhMO_cHWf17dwH9sHPx-fs_1J0kSsuetAfxda1AY-X7ZlwtMFdZ2MaBJBLIP/s1600-h/m3spice.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIh4t4fI-YggdkTyqMZhps575q5D62XvBuIp3WP7LPi9CgnRhh2fge5s8rqp1mKBRs9XGXb2BeQhMO_cHWf17dwH9sHPx-fs_1J0kSsuetAfxda1AY-X7ZlwtMFdZ2MaBJBLIP/s320/m3spice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218925675475365778" /></a>Marrakesh is one of the main cities in Morocco, and also the most touristed. It's clear from all the hassle given to the tourists in the souqs and main areas that people in Marrakesh are used to ('stupid') tourists. I must admit that I was able to pick out the new arrivals by the fact that 1)despite the 48C heat they continued to walk in the middle of the road instead of in the shade (where it was only 43C) and 2)the gawking that was done when a donkey would go by carrying a big load of some product. Not to say that I didn't stand out as a tourist having light skin.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2cBX2ri3RKb1sv4Tvf4eVtCZCdJOB-pWwQgsN_6cvTzrdkaeuXku7N-Q9bEmqQiAPtlOO4Yjy7e-HWMUOZ1eWze3D9V3JUdcs_oJB4wK0_DXEXfjr7uWhsY-FSaR2Ltclctb/s1600-h/m2stall.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2cBX2ri3RKb1sv4Tvf4eVtCZCdJOB-pWwQgsN_6cvTzrdkaeuXku7N-Q9bEmqQiAPtlOO4Yjy7e-HWMUOZ1eWze3D9V3JUdcs_oJB4wK0_DXEXfjr7uWhsY-FSaR2Ltclctb/s320/m2stall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218925670352285442" /></a>I'd been in Morocco for long enough that I was able to enjoy the cheap food at night, and the $0.30 orange juice served in the main square. I think I probably would've gotten very sick otherwise. The main square, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djemaa_el_Fna"target="blank">Jmaâ el Fna</a>, is a hive of activity especially when the sun starts to go down, probably because it's just too hot to do anything while the sun is out. The square is full of orange juice sellers (drink with caution if you're new to Morocco), date sellers, food stalls that sell everything from tajine to harira soup to goat brain, snake charmers, musicians of all types, fortune tellers, magicians, Tuareg traders from the Sub-Sahara selling all sorts of eggs, skins, and traditional medicine, monkeys, Gnaoua musicians/dancers, story tellers, henna painters, and even a man who pulls teeth! It really is a site to behold, and continues until people leave, sometimes as late as 4AM. UNESCO has even declared the site and "<a href="http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?cp=MA"tareget="blank">Intangible Heritage Site</a>".<br />Marrakesh really is a fascinating city, and I can see why it's so popular for tourists. It has the 'exotic' Orient feel, but also the Western comforts if that's what one is looking for. I'll be back to Marrakesh, and to see more of Morocco, <em>Insha'allah</em>.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-18630787623136113002008-07-02T10:30:00.004-07:002008-07-02T10:54:40.735-07:00<strong>A Paris...</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5zSndnRnivqLmFoWIvVRW-_c47N9ywxepjLKpl_vmCxzrpJmvewBj4StExBlz_eY859agi-t-feJp1Z925lvoa1zJeLuPHdiyV3anglYtLqECwnXUHj34F9XHf-c_CAONxEr/s1600-h/lweek6.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5zSndnRnivqLmFoWIvVRW-_c47N9ywxepjLKpl_vmCxzrpJmvewBj4StExBlz_eY859agi-t-feJp1Z925lvoa1zJeLuPHdiyV3anglYtLqECwnXUHj34F9XHf-c_CAONxEr/s320/lweek6.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218471982103233794" /></a>C'est encore la Semaine de langue (<a href="http://www.srah.net/weblog/archives/2008/06/oh_my_has_it_been_six_years_al.php"target="blank">Language Week</a>), quand on devrait essayer de blogger dans une langue autre que d`habitude. Alors, comme je suis à Paris encore une fois, je vais blogger un peu en français.<br />Après mon voyage au Maroc, je suis venu à Paris (très tard, alors j'ai passé la nuit au sol de l'aéroport) rendre visite à ma soeur. Je suis à Paris pendant trois ou quatres jours, avant d'aller en Ecosse avec toute la famille.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-27756547322745457712008-06-26T08:35:00.006-07:002008-07-01T01:51:52.890-07:00<strong>El-Jadida...</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWk_K1Tl-YGyeBMO3WuytweYE7s6FntAGTVksgFeqicr_qcSayGxu8SWf5qpxFIpkDr7lrlixBcrD9pgBNttf4cudtYCHZXTYIlMaTi77SqnR6pLwVN48XFSMftnX-w4Fg-xuL/s1600-h/DSC03536.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWk_K1Tl-YGyeBMO3WuytweYE7s6FntAGTVksgFeqicr_qcSayGxu8SWf5qpxFIpkDr7lrlixBcrD9pgBNttf4cudtYCHZXTYIlMaTi77SqnR6pLwVN48XFSMftnX-w4Fg-xuL/s320/DSC03536.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216216528614821170" /></a>El-Jadida is a costal city, which is much more popular with Moroccan tourists than it is with foreign tourists. Because there aren't tons of foreign tourists the city is less 'touristy' in the sense that there aren't stalls everywhere selling the same goods, and the locals are welcoming in a genuine way and aren't trying to sell you something, <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdpNqfKNIajBwSiSh1qYypF_mbJfR9-Fb51sATtOhZeClrl5rtgVBKRDA_FQWxUQxadtWGz_ZhJ8fsuVgFZp0rysRW_uJ9Gmct9JB4V8labMt4RGZQt8Ycp7KluKvdAnSS4T3/s1600-h/DSC03535.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdpNqfKNIajBwSiSh1qYypF_mbJfR9-Fb51sATtOhZeClrl5rtgVBKRDA_FQWxUQxadtWGz_ZhJ8fsuVgFZp0rysRW_uJ9Gmct9JB4V8labMt4RGZQt8Ycp7KluKvdAnSS4T3/s320/DSC03535.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216216532267965794" /></a>The main attraction in the city is the 'Cite Portugaise' which was built by the Portuguese as a fort to protect their port, and was called Mazagan by the Portuguese. The 'Cite Portugaise' is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is really interesting to walk around. There are two abandoned churches, and abandoned synagogue (all closed), and the main lighthouse of the fortified city has been converted into a minaret.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZA3v_ZTGsuaki_9z4MwLDcbXMNZWVfxbH5SxGbaFBny-XdFL2aYW_7Ol0ATont3FlNi-ngpNYJBTh-aEzTb-PvnF8iU_bT9d9zDtLTBwVsjibYU3LIzjwzUc2K7H8EHlZ0zq/s1600-h/DSC03538.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZA3v_ZTGsuaki_9z4MwLDcbXMNZWVfxbH5SxGbaFBny-XdFL2aYW_7Ol0ATont3FlNi-ngpNYJBTh-aEzTb-PvnF8iU_bT9d9zDtLTBwVsjibYU3LIzjwzUc2K7H8EHlZ0zq/s320/DSC03538.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216215406224172130" /></a>Because El-Jadida is a port town, there's a lot of fish to be found. Fish of every kind, cooked in every way possible. Fish tajine, cumin spiced sardine balls in bread, fried fish. I tried a few of the types of fish, and from the photo you can see that one night I got more than my dose of Omega-3 Acids (this dinner was battered and fried sardine, calamari, and sole).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2u8LaaNDuiYI5_GHaaeikW1Hwhfs3exHvmmlw3LfTfGnAwPjiPD3ui2cS3YpAWmc4YHPkIM9tMxKRz_Q_H9sznLDD8Pqs5NlQ8vG7iO1bgQx-cFM1MJrskiocn6erVC_ZxnJ5/s1600-h/DSC03537.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2u8LaaNDuiYI5_GHaaeikW1Hwhfs3exHvmmlw3LfTfGnAwPjiPD3ui2cS3YpAWmc4YHPkIM9tMxKRz_Q_H9sznLDD8Pqs5NlQ8vG7iO1bgQx-cFM1MJrskiocn6erVC_ZxnJ5/s320/DSC03537.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216215409487752434" /></a>There's a nice beach in El-Jadida, which is the other main attraction. The sand is really nice, and the beach pretty clean too. And of course they had the obligatory camel and/or horse on the beach that you could take for a ride for a minimal fee.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-27790908396270654372008-06-24T09:22:00.004-07:002008-07-01T01:54:15.529-07:00<strong>Casa...</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDKrTGnXZDDGHQy0ulYAI8fWvoRvhH3g_RN2dz1DGXZwuehS617V7ByWU77ZRvTYwZ_NzhmunVv8hvgN02GcEMwDZ4AJ-bzq9uTYsDN50dE26_EVadF_2S3MorjOmhSrL5UeH/s1600-h/DSC03532.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDKrTGnXZDDGHQy0ulYAI8fWvoRvhH3g_RN2dz1DGXZwuehS617V7ByWU77ZRvTYwZ_NzhmunVv8hvgN02GcEMwDZ4AJ-bzq9uTYsDN50dE26_EVadF_2S3MorjOmhSrL5UeH/s320/DSC03532.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216214218671993346" /></a>I spent one day in Casablanca, or Casa as it's known by the locals, which was plenty of time to see the city. The Arabic name for the city is Dar al-Baida, meaning "White House". It's famous mainly from the film 'Casablanca', which was shot entirely in California and not at all in Morocco.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q3m0r40mN0jOwtIVRlG20NiURtjX_eL66XUY0lIgGHRUTRlt0r3uYJqt06sjMH17WDouKbKVEDJi59BHj_fNhYwISjOo-ybRG8VjR-wMw6qHMJuLjfZRQzAI7pIhnnKoMR3f/s1600-h/DSC03534.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q3m0r40mN0jOwtIVRlG20NiURtjX_eL66XUY0lIgGHRUTRlt0r3uYJqt06sjMH17WDouKbKVEDJi59BHj_fNhYwISjOo-ybRG8VjR-wMw6qHMJuLjfZRQzAI7pIhnnKoMR3f/s320/DSC03534.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216214224466208194" /></a>The original medina is really small, since it was only a village when the French arrived. So most of the city is a French 'invention', with lots of art deco buildings in various states of repair and disrepair. The medina itself has a lot of new buildings in it, and there isn't much of the wall left. The interesting buildings are the Art Deco buildings that the French built.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_BB2iP6qjjnoc-3tpXm7c2b2ZFq1ooZ9hjaapcUNk4FaYBRIYuUNu6GoxJFGFadUnYGQvmXnylRzbrmPw56gX4EfHLwAx3dvUfRTui_aDjOOOAyFS3prxUjByP245BbCHw13/s1600-h/DSC03533.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_BB2iP6qjjnoc-3tpXm7c2b2ZFq1ooZ9hjaapcUNk4FaYBRIYuUNu6GoxJFGFadUnYGQvmXnylRzbrmPw56gX4EfHLwAx3dvUfRTui_aDjOOOAyFS3prxUjByP245BbCHw13/s320/DSC03533.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216214222429778402" /></a>The main 'tourist' site in Casablanca is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_II_Mosque"target="blank">Hassan II Mosque</a>, the world's 3rd largest mosque (and largest outside of Saudi Arabia). The mosque is so big that it could fit 25,000 people inside and another 80,000 in the courtyard (quick math = 105,000 people!). The minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres. Quite incredible to see, and interesting because it's one of the very few mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims are allowed to enter (at a very high ticket price).Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-89195890969082208242008-06-24T00:15:00.001-07:002008-06-24T09:16:50.188-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Larache...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BnAe-GcSzXFkJiwHzWOB-AMjR4NJYB9xU9e4UZ4XrPr6ZcsiUr7EflHQrFipvdGxUmtWfvcj2xpAE7bOoVylZeJ4Wqwxb3qzer2bS6grGWq_q_Ld-9LYvCihFh7IYph5y1tp/s1600-h/DSC03452.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BnAe-GcSzXFkJiwHzWOB-AMjR4NJYB9xU9e4UZ4XrPr6ZcsiUr7EflHQrFipvdGxUmtWfvcj2xpAE7bOoVylZeJ4Wqwxb3qzer2bS6grGWq_q_Ld-9LYvCihFh7IYph5y1tp/s320/DSC03452.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214787617013600626" /></a>After Chefchaouen I headed west to the small coastal city of Larache to meet up with two friends who lived with the same host family as me in Fez. I arrived in the afternoon, and by the evening we had wandered around most of the small port city. Larache has an interesting history though, as it was controlled by the Spanish in the 17th century, and became the main Spanish port city in Morocco in 1911. The city still has a Spanish consulate here, and a distinct Spanish flavour (which includes churros being sold in the main square, and a crumbling Spanish fort at the mouth of the harbour).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquTP6SFfo2ZNWfx-ev-v8Oy_1f68Sl57K7MZ_VFR4rcJFQ17ZFpAul1r2oKOBKp8MqiAgpSh_YM7oaL_bIACeHZPPjiy26pPbPN2cmBjOEIM-UoOg_wws208pSLwhGlQCDRVb/s1600-h/DSC03453.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquTP6SFfo2ZNWfx-ev-v8Oy_1f68Sl57K7MZ_VFR4rcJFQ17ZFpAul1r2oKOBKp8MqiAgpSh_YM7oaL_bIACeHZPPjiy26pPbPN2cmBjOEIM-UoOg_wws208pSLwhGlQCDRVb/s320/DSC03453.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214788311970421474" /></a>Larache still has a minor port, and lots of fish to go around. Not to mention a beach, Phoenician/Roman ruins, and a relaxed atmosphere. There are few tourists who come here, so it's a nice place to escape all the tourist touts of the bigger cities like Casa, Marrakech, and Fez. I've decided to eat well here, since food is less expensive than in the bigger cities. I've had my fill of some amazing pastries, pizza on the sea, an incredible fish, potato and tomato tajine (one of the top 3 tajines I've had in Morocco so far), and a bowl snails eaten with a safety pin from a dirt street vendor at dusk.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXILvCw0hx1kIgLGsf45RBYm2Q0t4qVrm5X3yPlDZ2g7xNyKrzSube0gDdiyoMOFMQEV_7NIntWKVc_tyGbCybGz0E6ckYZF4yc3WCRZBf3377ehakPv-pcfYcR9laWml1NTla/s1600-h/DSC03455.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXILvCw0hx1kIgLGsf45RBYm2Q0t4qVrm5X3yPlDZ2g7xNyKrzSube0gDdiyoMOFMQEV_7NIntWKVc_tyGbCybGz0E6ckYZF4yc3WCRZBf3377ehakPv-pcfYcR9laWml1NTla/s320/DSC03455.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214788316833437202" /></a>Near to Larache is the ancient city of Lixus, which was founded by the Phoenicians and expanded by the Romans. It's not a huge city and hasn't been fully excavated, but it's cool in that you can wander through the ruins yourself without paying an admission. There's an amphitheatre, temple, baths, houses, ramparts and lots of stones strewn about.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-18210909151711603942008-06-22T11:45:00.008-07:002008-06-24T09:19:24.256-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Hammam...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUKFEGEkcKRxioZ9jAeVHjFjdDcBF0zxKpKP9CVM_NqEeCyxPlct18XJfio_LZ1-vJjIyF6uI2mXfLeL98KmZ9v1L5oIlrS_4zlWWMRPDDBeT5n6D2pqPN6hTZQjbY7ewt_d2/s1600-h/DSC03449.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUKFEGEkcKRxioZ9jAeVHjFjdDcBF0zxKpKP9CVM_NqEeCyxPlct18XJfio_LZ1-vJjIyF6uI2mXfLeL98KmZ9v1L5oIlrS_4zlWWMRPDDBeT5n6D2pqPN6hTZQjbY7ewt_d2/s320/DSC03449.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214783309513090258" /></a>I decided to try a Moroccan bath while I was in Chefchaouen because it was right next to the hotel. Of course I got charged at least three times as much because I'm a tourist (30Dh compared to 8Dh). Hammams are open at different times (and rarely alternate days) for men and women.<br />There were three rooms at different temperatures and humidity levels, starting with the coolest and working to the warmest (but not hot) and most humid. Everyone gets one or two buckets, which can be filled from a main source (boiling hot and freezing cold water is mixed to the temperature you want) as many times as you want. There's a smaller scoop that you use to pour the water from the big buckets onto your body. I decided to try the <span style="font-style:italic;">gommage</span>, which is basically a man who works at the hammam with a scratchy mitt who scrubs multiple layers of skin off you as hard as he can. The soap traditionally used in a hammam is made of olive and other products, and is great after having your skin peeled off. It's nice to feel clean at the end of a hot and sweaty day.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-51456234719354540202008-06-21T07:11:00.003-07:002008-06-24T09:19:54.331-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Chefchaouen...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1obImEJWxzJIE6oHMRFzlpoe0RfSAuj1aSUAcfJowoIcyNVeaxbYPAY8VVamitZBH_GT-gI_c7W2t2L2UBNbHRE1RrqYkR6xeufTppNkP9QT2PIwVEYYvZwg2owIgm4VeAlW/s1600-h/DSC03448.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1obImEJWxzJIE6oHMRFzlpoe0RfSAuj1aSUAcfJowoIcyNVeaxbYPAY8VVamitZBH_GT-gI_c7W2t2L2UBNbHRE1RrqYkR6xeufTppNkP9QT2PIwVEYYvZwg2owIgm4VeAlW/s320/DSC03448.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214784696707972994" /></a>My first stop after Fez was a city in the north called Chefchaouen. It's a beautiful city in the mountains, and the whole medina is painted various shades of blue and white. It was rather warm while I was there, and one day I drank 3 litres of water and still had a headache from dehydration and too much sun. I stayed at a small hotel, which was of course painted blue, right next to the main square and kasbah in the city.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4IYpiwDU-2Xgi9OaPKsZg-wuRpBZp-6ktrev997b-YaGtunY3jn6lRQElku0btfVhiL0wfcBj5igx8qWjblw5704FOKmNIMHSN2V-2Etxa7-WrUr3ZtZDqqiqnOFiHFvCF-x/s1600-h/DSC03450.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4IYpiwDU-2Xgi9OaPKsZg-wuRpBZp-6ktrev997b-YaGtunY3jn6lRQElku0btfVhiL0wfcBj5igx8qWjblw5704FOKmNIMHSN2V-2Etxa7-WrUr3ZtZDqqiqnOFiHFvCF-x/s320/DSC03450.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214785499576510546" /></a>A two kilometre walk up the hill leads to a ruined mosque, which the Spanish built while they occupied the northern parts of Morocco. It was a nice walk, with a great view of the city from the hill that the mosque is on. That was an interesting thing I found in Chefchaouen that wasn't present in Fez or Meknes -the fact that a lot of people addressed me first in Spanish and then in French.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFRE-AFd90KYqj8iUQMzyYfqwfSLU_lvJk7FJWVcTKkdpsPe9uqpa_V4F4yZzFVfUEJRb-u81awMXuuoXqNRF6s4q_p9TAEJkw5XxX0_kN1KxQ8X21pYAwQJCy9mkWz1Qeukp/s1600-h/DSC03451.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFRE-AFd90KYqj8iUQMzyYfqwfSLU_lvJk7FJWVcTKkdpsPe9uqpa_V4F4yZzFVfUEJRb-u81awMXuuoXqNRF6s4q_p9TAEJkw5XxX0_kN1KxQ8X21pYAwQJCy9mkWz1Qeukp/s320/DSC03451.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214786115282902082" /></a>Chefchaouen is in a valley surrounded by some beautiful mountains and hills. While walking up to the mosque I passed by several goatherders with small flocks of goats. The city was also interesting because there were a number of different berber groups that live/trade in the city, as is seen by the different types of headgear (colourful hats, or coloured clothes folded over the head, as opposed to the Arab headscarf).Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526405.post-3292881414394993182008-06-17T03:54:00.006-07:002008-06-24T09:20:14.092-07:00<strong>Fez...</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6rXwC6p8os-qiOZUs3-JjLbhr7eXdZb6ua6glt-pFJWZ2optZyVOWuyeE1-Hmou-CGrPibL3zAAjvaz2D4yLUABIBPmw9X9h62X_VBdjhje-Y5aywz840kIjJZX58TjvDI5v/s1600-h/3men.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6rXwC6p8os-qiOZUs3-JjLbhr7eXdZb6ua6glt-pFJWZ2optZyVOWuyeE1-Hmou-CGrPibL3zAAjvaz2D4yLUABIBPmw9X9h62X_VBdjhje-Y5aywz840kIjJZX58TjvDI5v/s320/3men.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212811277162635746" /></a>It's hard to believe, but I've been in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fes%2C_Morocco"target="blank">Fez</a> for three weeks now studying Arabic. During my time here, I've stayed with an amazing Berber family in the heart of the medina who has been incredibly welcoming. I know that if I were to stay in Fez for three weeks in a hotel, I would have had a totally different experience.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHKlHGqidICwvLoM6f8stbKt5U41GoPPP1AaQnKDG1EK_RAkzsGmXbkJDHgpJjUWmKMYfDyxlC8sB-H8cwpdJP7veWC_Ndyi5XX0pv4XKd6GooF_9mlhH0GVauW67_kKmKecf/s1600-h/Market.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHKlHGqidICwvLoM6f8stbKt5U41GoPPP1AaQnKDG1EK_RAkzsGmXbkJDHgpJjUWmKMYfDyxlC8sB-H8cwpdJP7veWC_Ndyi5XX0pv4XKd6GooF_9mlhH0GVauW67_kKmKecf/s320/Market.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212811284693017186" /></a>Fez is the third largest city in Morocco, contains the world's oldest continually functioning university (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Al-Karaouine"target="blank">Qarawiyyin</a>), and the old medina where I lived is a UNESCO <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=170"target="blank">World Heritage Site</a>. Apart from that, Fez is one of the four Royal Cities in Morocco, along with Meknes, Rabat, and Marrakech). The city itself is quite interesting to just wander around. Of course there's a bit of hassle from the shop keepers who all want you to take a look or buy something from their shop, but it's a lot less then I expected.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsturgt2KP6ktOZgLttifg4pk2YQ58kHq5pb-qolmTMHBmzu_mn5ioVraG7EEyvEv9mv2p7q5cuVrr3uMU1YjmtfOaW-qHy9blibuZtS0o_vcgDM9_wWXcsvWyI2kcgcRWKcH/s1600-h/tanneries.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsturgt2KP6ktOZgLttifg4pk2YQ58kHq5pb-qolmTMHBmzu_mn5ioVraG7EEyvEv9mv2p7q5cuVrr3uMU1YjmtfOaW-qHy9blibuZtS0o_vcgDM9_wWXcsvWyI2kcgcRWKcH/s320/tanneries.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212811280480580146" /></a>Fez is famous for a number of things, including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanning#Ancient_methods_of_tanning"target="blank">tanneries</a> where they turn animal hide into leather of all sorts of colour. The whole process is done naturally, in huge vats of chemicals (including pigeon excriment) and natural dyes, by people who have learned the trade from their fathers/uncles. The process does smell a bit, though it's not too bad if you go in the afternoon.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbspfcEmUtFkyiKhl0ENY_gt2C6DfsYopMzf9UMsfWfiPO0X6hdCLugPwAknUn5jmCeDrnCPShYJe7YcsSsCiZiJ0qpU70r7Y4Ssfy9JDSybtCQCY0NhgeDu7zjlZ9qEkEdT5/s1600-h/Coke.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbspfcEmUtFkyiKhl0ENY_gt2C6DfsYopMzf9UMsfWfiPO0X6hdCLugPwAknUn5jmCeDrnCPShYJe7YcsSsCiZiJ0qpU70r7Y4Ssfy9JDSybtCQCY0NhgeDu7zjlZ9qEkEdT5/s320/Coke.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212815725400210018" /></a>The city is great to just wander around, and get lost in (which is rather easy to do). The old city is totally surrounded by the original/repaired medieval wall, which helps a bit with the navigation.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BLAEO8iU8MaSjoavrFFBLgQxhpipXaaEVA1woa3AHWF6W805M3uZhNkE6T8JEMmnIb0yfWuq8Jq1-ywoozurQXxRm79j-hy9Ag5PP77i8d_f3yTTHj4I14faAcDVnbo5SYI4/s1600-h/Cats.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BLAEO8iU8MaSjoavrFFBLgQxhpipXaaEVA1woa3AHWF6W805M3uZhNkE6T8JEMmnIb0yfWuq8Jq1-ywoozurQXxRm79j-hy9Ag5PP77i8d_f3yTTHj4I14faAcDVnbo5SYI4/s320/Cats.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212811278715951650" /></a>I've enjoyed my three weeks in Fez, and I know that I'll be back (<em>'Insha-allah</em>' as they say here) when I have the chance. I'm now off to explore other parts of Morocco, including the coast and Marrakech.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05101668124878922584noreply@blogger.com2