We head to Chefchaouen in the hope of things getting easier. Our time in Morocco so far has been, well, trying. The effect of Ramadan greatly intensified the culture shock in Casablanca and Larache: we staggered around famished during the day eating whatever we could get our hands on, only to find at night that the dining-out culture in Moroccan society is very very male dominated. Cafes brim with men leisurely drinking tea throughout the evening; women are barely seen at all in the street after dark.
We’ve heard that Chefchaouen, despite being full of hash-peddlers, is a chilled out tourist-oriented town. We book a hotel run by Spaniards, which in itself puts us at ease: as red-neck as that sounds, it’s comforting to know we will likely share at least a basic cultural frame of reference after flailing about in deep and completely unfamiliar cultural waters so far.
Read the rest of this article »

Easter in the south is a curious event. Visiting the small town of Priego I was caught up in elaborate traditions involving spectacular processions, excessive conglomerations of people, and some surprising peculiarities.

Read the rest of this article »