chefchaoun
To reassure everyone that I am surviving the program, here are some pics from our Saturday trip to Chefchaoun.
As you can see, it's a mountain town painted in blues and white. Both the aesthetic and the people are charming. We got lots of chances to practice our Arabic, with a more appreciative audience than we've encountered in Tangier. Possibly because we were spending money like it was going out of style...
Chaoun has historically been the center of Moroccan kif production (pick your favorite marijuana euphemism). According to our tour guide--yes, we're one big pack of sheep here, but at least the tour was in Arabic and we don't have to endure the humiliation of flags or neckerchiefs or matching polo shirts--they're trying to diversify the local economy, with a particular emphasis on ecotourism. Not sure how well it's working out, but it was certainly a pleasant place to visit.
As you can see, it's a mountain town painted in blues and white. Both the aesthetic and the people are charming. We got lots of chances to practice our Arabic, with a more appreciative audience than we've encountered in Tangier. Possibly because we were spending money like it was going out of style...
Chaoun has historically been the center of Moroccan kif production (pick your favorite marijuana euphemism). According to our tour guide--yes, we're one big pack of sheep here, but at least the tour was in Arabic and we don't have to endure the humiliation of flags or neckerchiefs or matching polo shirts--they're trying to diversify the local economy, with a particular emphasis on ecotourism. Not sure how well it's working out, but it was certainly a pleasant place to visit.
posted by Emily at 5:20 PM
10 Comments:
Nice pictures, I like the glowing blues.
Seems like they could kluge eco-tourism and kif production together without a lot of trouble.
just keep to the marked trails...
thanks for the comment, always nice to feel like I'm not talking to the air!
well, in that case: nice pictures! I especially like the one with the cat....
Greetings from sunny (hot) California. The ac in our building is not functioning - must be 85 degrees here. We are working sans lights. I got the news today - my job is solid. So, back to the grind. We are all leaving early here today due to the 4th of July holiday. Enjoying the blog - and the eventual adventures that will come our way. Love ya - Toni
glad to see you're thriving. what a lovely looking city. also, i quite like the word "kif." thanks for adding to the old vocab treasure trove. take care!
I am glad to see that you finally made it there.
"just keep to the marked trails..."
it's like the Emerald Triangle up north here in CA - incredible wilderness (Trinity Alps, Marble Mountain Wilderness, the whole coastline and the redwoods) and rather hefty kif production... when i worked up there for the forest service, we were specifically instructed to "keep to the trails," there's sort of an agreement between the two industries to keep out of each other's way (stemming from a nasty shoot-out in the 60s which the growers won).
but i guess i was thinking more in terms of marketing the wares to the ecotourists, who are probably more prone than most to be interested in those goods as they eco-tour... or do it like amsterdam, guided tours of the growing spots themselves, with tasting sessions.
i don't know what i'm saying, i've been off that stuff for a few years now. :-) bu there's a market.
yeah, I actually imagine that many of the green tourists (in both senses of the word!) are torn. Because the locals are really trying to transition to a legal economy, and you want to encourage that. But on the other hand, it's so AVAILABLE. And cheap... what's a bohemian backpacker to do?
hey- that's where I went last summer. I loved it!
Just catching up on your blog now- thanks for posting!
Thanks for sharing these nice pics of this pittoresque town.
Want to see more of Chefchaoun?
Please visit my site at
http://www.pbase.com/gervan.
Gervan.
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