If there is one word to describe the owner of Riad Zara, it must be A-N-G-E-L.
Monique is the angel. She is a French mother, at her 50's, having lived in Marrakech for 3.5 years. Grenoble origin, she runs the maison d'hotes herself (with a couple of aides), whilst her kids live in France.
The first two days Dita was ill. It was Monique who helped us call the doctor and volunteerily take us to the hospital. She even stayed there with us whilst Dita was going through all the procedures. I felt God has sent us an angel. If it was not for her, we could not imagine what could happened during that difficult time.
If I could, I would tell and shout to the world of her kind and warm heart. In such a restless world, you hardly find anything like this. You don't even know that sincere heart still exists. We hardly know each other, yet she poured her compassion and sympathy like a mother to her child. Immediately, we felt like she was our mother in Marrakech.
She did not only do this to us, but every guest we met at Riad Zara showed their satisfaction of her personal approach. It makes a difference. We also had Christmas dinner (big dinner indeed, with 7 rounds!) together with Monique and her family (they came to visit her for the Christmas). We felt like one big family. They even loved Nadia so much.
We know "thank you" is not sufficient to express our gratitude to her, her family and her small team. All we know is that sincere hearts still exist. Merci beaucoup, Madame Monique. You have inspired us with your simplicity and unconditional love.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Marrakech (Part 1)
***Dec 22-26, 2007... You can find some of our photos here***
Dusty and smelly. That's my first impression of Marrakech. But quickly, it was turned around by the lively Jemaa el-Fna Square and the mazes of local souks (markets).
Medina (old town) is the heart of Marrakech. Most of the tourist happenings take place there. Narrow alleys, mostly for pedestrians, horse and donkey carriages and, of course, flies... I mean, motorbikes! Oh yes, they are like flies roaring all over you. You feel like your life depends on them. Sometimes, I think they run too fast and at times you don't know where they are heading to. Amazingly, during our stay, we did not see a single accident! It must have taken quite a skill to ride a motobike there!
The dusty, muddy and stoned-path alleys reminded me of the old poor parts of Jakarta, like Karang Anyar or Pasar Minggu where I used to visit my Grandpa at Eid (when I was a little kid). Strolling through, I enjoyed watching local people. As dirty as you can imagine, but it is less disgusting than, say, India (sorry, no offense). At least, I did not see any human dirts or perhaps there was a few trashes. The pink houses are also trademarks of the old town.
Jemaa el-Fna Square was our first place to hang out. Always busy day and night, weekdays and weekends! Orange juice stalls and snake charms during the day (I don't enjoy watching snakes, though). Traditional musicians, food stalls, belly dancers... at night. I have never seen such a variety in a square before in my life. Very lively.
The mazes of souks... a place to practice your bargaining skills. Oh, I enjoyed it a lot. It feels great when you can get a stuff at the price you think is reasonable (although you never know whether it's a good value). In general, the merchants are more 'friendly' than those in Istanbul, for example. You can bargain hard without them getting upset (that's a good start). You can even come back after a while and continue your bargain... and they still welcome you in a friendly attitude. Talking to our fellow guests at Riad Zara, I think we bargained much better than them (of course the white people are not used to it). We take advantage of two things: being Indonesians and speaking French (oh, this is a good thing about Moroccons... they speak French as well as they speak Arabic.) The variety of the stuffs are also interesting. From conical spices, glass-stained laterns, leather, local cactus silk to colorful carpets. If you want to explore the whole souks, you need at least two days. You'll never get bored, unless you are not an art person.
Couscous and tagine are of course authentic. I had been skeptical with them, but the local tastes changed my perception. I just loved them! We tried different restaurants. They tasted somehow slightly different. Still, you loved them all. And don't forget the hot sweet mint tea. Though I found it a little too sweet.
Historical monuments... there are a few. We did not have much time to visit them all, but I think we visited the highlights, like the amazing Medersa Ben Youssef (Quran school) and Palais La Bahia. The landscape and decorations reminded me of Andalucia (Southern Spain), which is just their neighbor. Riding a horse-carriage is a good way to get introduced to the old and new towns. Only 10 euros for one hour. Not bad at all. Plus, Nadia liked it very much.
Indonesians... please note: you do not need a visa to enter Morocco! Isn't it amazing? Gee... for the first time in my life, I don't need a visa to travel outside South East Asia countries with my Indonesian passport. It was very unfortunate we did not have a chance to try one of the hammams nor did we visit the Atlas mountain area for a day-trip. I heard Fez is also nice. It is probably a good reason to come back.
Dusty and smelly. That's my first impression of Marrakech. But quickly, it was turned around by the lively Jemaa el-Fna Square and the mazes of local souks (markets).
Medina (old town) is the heart of Marrakech. Most of the tourist happenings take place there. Narrow alleys, mostly for pedestrians, horse and donkey carriages and, of course, flies... I mean, motorbikes! Oh yes, they are like flies roaring all over you. You feel like your life depends on them. Sometimes, I think they run too fast and at times you don't know where they are heading to. Amazingly, during our stay, we did not see a single accident! It must have taken quite a skill to ride a motobike there!
The dusty, muddy and stoned-path alleys reminded me of the old poor parts of Jakarta, like Karang Anyar or Pasar Minggu where I used to visit my Grandpa at Eid (when I was a little kid). Strolling through, I enjoyed watching local people. As dirty as you can imagine, but it is less disgusting than, say, India (sorry, no offense). At least, I did not see any human dirts or perhaps there was a few trashes. The pink houses are also trademarks of the old town.
Jemaa el-Fna Square was our first place to hang out. Always busy day and night, weekdays and weekends! Orange juice stalls and snake charms during the day (I don't enjoy watching snakes, though). Traditional musicians, food stalls, belly dancers... at night. I have never seen such a variety in a square before in my life. Very lively.
The mazes of souks... a place to practice your bargaining skills. Oh, I enjoyed it a lot. It feels great when you can get a stuff at the price you think is reasonable (although you never know whether it's a good value). In general, the merchants are more 'friendly' than those in Istanbul, for example. You can bargain hard without them getting upset (that's a good start). You can even come back after a while and continue your bargain... and they still welcome you in a friendly attitude. Talking to our fellow guests at Riad Zara, I think we bargained much better than them (of course the white people are not used to it). We take advantage of two things: being Indonesians and speaking French (oh, this is a good thing about Moroccons... they speak French as well as they speak Arabic.) The variety of the stuffs are also interesting. From conical spices, glass-stained laterns, leather, local cactus silk to colorful carpets. If you want to explore the whole souks, you need at least two days. You'll never get bored, unless you are not an art person.
Couscous and tagine are of course authentic. I had been skeptical with them, but the local tastes changed my perception. I just loved them! We tried different restaurants. They tasted somehow slightly different. Still, you loved them all. And don't forget the hot sweet mint tea. Though I found it a little too sweet.
Historical monuments... there are a few. We did not have much time to visit them all, but I think we visited the highlights, like the amazing Medersa Ben Youssef (Quran school) and Palais La Bahia. The landscape and decorations reminded me of Andalucia (Southern Spain), which is just their neighbor. Riding a horse-carriage is a good way to get introduced to the old and new towns. Only 10 euros for one hour. Not bad at all. Plus, Nadia liked it very much.
Indonesians... please note: you do not need a visa to enter Morocco! Isn't it amazing? Gee... for the first time in my life, I don't need a visa to travel outside South East Asia countries with my Indonesian passport. It was very unfortunate we did not have a chance to try one of the hammams nor did we visit the Atlas mountain area for a day-trip. I heard Fez is also nice. It is probably a good reason to come back.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
The Masterplan
Polyclinique du Sud, Marrakech (Marroco)
Sunday, Dec 23, 2007
We came here for our Christmas break. We came here to enjoy the city, the food and the culture. Like any other vacationers, we came here with a PLAN... our vacation plan.
A plan is still a plan. But God holds every key to His masterplan. This is what I have believed since I was a kid. A man can always make a plan in his life, but it is up to God if He would give you the privilege to make it happen.
Today, in Marrakech, God once again showed us His power and His masterplan.
He had given us the joy of keeping the fetus for two months in Dita's store, but then He eventually decided to take it away from us. As painful as it could be, Dita and I could only pray, down on our knees. We were of course disappointed. We just lost our unborn baby. We lost our miracle. We cried. Yet, we were not mad at God. Who are we to be mad at Him? He has given us a lot in our lives. Now if He wants to take it back from us, He has the ultimate power to do so. We don't. It hurt (even until now...), but we both are believers. Everything we have on earth belongs to Him. We believe that.
Now we advance with our lives....
We also would like to thank our families and friends for their supports from a distance. Even though we are apart, their words are meant the world to us in that particularly hard time.
Rest in peace, our unborn baby
Merry Christmas, baby Jesus
Only for a time
I must not learn to call you mine
Familiarize that face, those eyes
Make future plan that cannot be confirmed
On borrowed time
On easy terms....
("Easy Terms", Blood Brothers)
Sunday, Dec 23, 2007
We came here for our Christmas break. We came here to enjoy the city, the food and the culture. Like any other vacationers, we came here with a PLAN... our vacation plan.
A plan is still a plan. But God holds every key to His masterplan. This is what I have believed since I was a kid. A man can always make a plan in his life, but it is up to God if He would give you the privilege to make it happen.
Today, in Marrakech, God once again showed us His power and His masterplan.
He had given us the joy of keeping the fetus for two months in Dita's store, but then He eventually decided to take it away from us. As painful as it could be, Dita and I could only pray, down on our knees. We were of course disappointed. We just lost our unborn baby. We lost our miracle. We cried. Yet, we were not mad at God. Who are we to be mad at Him? He has given us a lot in our lives. Now if He wants to take it back from us, He has the ultimate power to do so. We don't. It hurt (even until now...), but we both are believers. Everything we have on earth belongs to Him. We believe that.
Now we advance with our lives....
We also would like to thank our families and friends for their supports from a distance. Even though we are apart, their words are meant the world to us in that particularly hard time.
Rest in peace, our unborn baby
Merry Christmas, baby Jesus
Only for a time
I must not learn to call you mine
Familiarize that face, those eyes
Make future plan that cannot be confirmed
On borrowed time
On easy terms....
("Easy Terms", Blood Brothers)
Thursday, December 06, 2007
December News
Hello all
It's been a while since our very last news (and I have not updated my blog since Oct 29!). Both, Dita and I have been extremely busy. Here are some updates from the gloomy Paris:
It's been a while since our very last news (and I have not updated my blog since Oct 29!). Both, Dita and I have been extremely busy. Here are some updates from the gloomy Paris:
- I started my Executive MBA mid Nov (in fact the pre-course had commenced a month before), as some of you may have known. It is a 13-month program. My new routines: work during the day and hit the books from 9pm (and all weekends) to as long as my eyes allow me. I think I'll be a coffee addict in a few weeks time! But of course, I always try hard to spare my time with Dita and Nadia, although it means we'll have less free time in the weekends. Details of the school and program will come soon in my blog.
- Dita has started searching for maternelle school for Nadia (here it starts at the age of 3) for Sep 2008 (assuming we'll still be in Paris by then).
If we don't start the enrollment now, chances are we'll end up with no place. We are eyeing a private Catholic school, St Joseph, 10-min walk from our place, having surveying some public and private ones. And... St Joseph is French-speaking. - Christmas is just around the corner. You can feel the ambience around Paris. Parties are lining up this month. We have booked ourselves for a short trip to Marrakech (Marroco) Dec 22-26 (trying to get out of the Parisien gloomy weather). No ski trip this year. No plan for New Year yet. Most likely, we'll be in Paris. What are your plans?
- Nadia is as ever cheerful as you all know her. She is becoming more and more articulate now with a lot of Indonesian and French words, phrases and tunes. She's got teddy-bear theme on her Christmas tree at home. Little Einsteins (Petits Einsteins) are still her favorite tv program. Unfortunately, her hair has not yet grown as much as her eyelashes :-). Her swimming lesson continues, which she always look forward to.
- Last but not least, we are expecting our second baby (Insya Allah, in July 2008). Dita is doing fine until now. No morning sickness whatsoever (as yet). Pls pray for us.
Once again, we apologize for not having been in contact with most of you for a while. We promise we'll do.Take a good care and talk to you soon.
PS. Karim - it was nice seeing you in Paris. Thanks for the visit. Wingky - what a shame! Next time you'll have to stay over.
Bisou
Nadia, Dita & Novel (Les Parisiens)
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