Snapshots from Morocco, Part 1: Birthday Balloons and a Wedding
Snapshots from Morocco, Part 1: Birthday Balloons and a Wedding
“Please take some winter clothes with you as they told me it is little bit cold at the early morning”
We were warned to stay warm before the pickup for the hot air balloon, but it was so warm when we walked back from dinner last night (this morning) that I decided my embroidered Qing jacket would be enough. After all, it was my birthday and I wanted to wear that jacket.
But when I got out of the car, fresh(???) from 4 hours of sleep, I realised I may have underestimated the weather. The air here was cool at first, but gradually became chilly as it worked its way through my jacket. I would shiver, if not for the stars.
Because when we got out of the car and looked up at the sky, I saw the most stars that I had ever seen in my life. It was beautiful and we wanted to take a picture.
While my friend searched for how to take long exposure shots online (I had shown her the Austin Mann post that used a 30s exposure to take a picture of the night sky), I flicked open my long exposure app and exhaled all that nice warm air out. I hadn’t realised the paid app now required a paid subscription to get the most out of it.
Who needs 30 second exposure, I told myself. I have no way to hold the camera still for so long. So while pressing my elbows close to my body to try and keep the phone as straight as possible, I experimented with the iPhone’s native camera app and managed to get this picture of the stars.
Online, I haven’t really kept it a secret that I’m afraid of heights. So I wondered, just before we took off, why I had been so excited to take a hot air balloon that I booked the excursion.
But as we took off and the flame that heated up the air in the balloon also warmed my cold heat, I felt the fear melt away. I didn’t need to be scared because the hot air balloon felt stable, and because the basket was so tall that I knew there was no way I could fall out of it.
That stillness and quiet in the hot air balloon, occasionally punctured by the roar of the flame as we adjusted our height, made it a peaceful experience, just as we were promised at the start.
If you stay in the medina, you cannot avoid going to Jemaa el-Fnaa. The walk there may be a bit scary, with random people shouting “konnichiwa sayonara nihao” and “Japan China Korea” at you, and there’s definitely a bit of a smell (I can’t place it but my first impression was that it’s dried animal pee and unwashed bodies) but
Imagine walking into the square and all the unpleasant smells melt away and you smell mint. Glorious mint.
Moroccan mint tea, made with fresh mint leaves, has quickly become a favourite with me. The only modification I make is that I ask them to put no more than one cube of sugar (or none, if possible, but often it is not). Too much and the mint tea tastes like bubble tea at 100% sugar.
I am here in Morocco to celebrate my friend’s wedding. It is a joyous, noisy affair, with singing and dancing to welcome us and to celebrate the bride and the groom after every outfit change. Even though I’m not a dancer, I enjoy soaking in the atmosphere and listening to all the traditional songs.
The way they dance by lifting their shoulders up and down looks deceptively easy. I tried it and I ended up with shoulder ache very quickly and had to stop.
But the biggest surprise comes when the bride gives me a card and the emcee makes a short announcement and bursts into
Joyeaux Anniversaire
My friend, who speaks neither Berber nor Arabic turns to me and checks: “Is it your birthday? I heard your name so I thought you might be going up to perform.”
I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to distract their attention from the bride, but her love for everyone and her generous way of spreading joy and sharing her special day moved me deeply.
To be continued…