Starting to understand Chefchaouen

I am starting to understand Chefchaouen today. Sure there is a touristy area, which has it's pros and cons as a visitor, but it also has a genuine souq, market area, living areas which are very accessible from the touristy area. The market area, the alley ways and call to prayers reminds me alot of the Moslem area in Jerusalem. The souq, town reminds me a bit of Hebron. Of course I have not been to that many souqs - but it is interesting that the appearance and culture spans that distance from Palestine/Israel to here.

Anyway, I bought some green peas and some oranges from the souq. 5 Oranges were about 25 cents, half a kilo of green peas cost about 35 cents. I have been having fun with the big bag of green peas... When people were offering me kif or hash today, I tell them I have some really big bag of good, high quality stuff and try to sell them a pea pod. Presumably, The Surete Nationale won't have a problem with my peas.

This morning I went for a walk in the mountains and met a few shepherds. I just missed a goat calf - if that is what you call a baby goat - being born, but did get to see the shepard (probably 14 or 15 years old) try and encourage the goatee to feed from the mother. I walked across some plowed areas which are probably the kif fields. I did not take pictures - though - because I am a bit paranoid. Ok, I took a picture of the goat. But that's it!

All of the boys play soccer here. Constantly. I think they probably get up in the morning, play soccer, go to school, play soccer at recess, come home and play some more. Every flat place in the city (and in the beaches in Assilah) gets used for soccer fields. What is kinda funny is that they also play it in the steep alleyways and ramparts of the medina - getting in the way and getting in trouble. I have no transition for this - sorry - but their balls are all flat and soft.

The passeo is also a tradition here, as it was in Assilah: Everyone goes out for a walk between 5:30 and 9 to find out what is happening in the city. According to the Lonely Planet, this tradition is a carry over/import from Spain. What is funny is I spent over a month in Spain and did not see it there... Perhaps it is one of those old fashioned rituals that gets modifed at the source (say into tapas crawls) but doesn't change in the colonies.