Morocco Day 5: Fes to Fes

We changed accommodations today, moving to Dar Seffarine.  What a beautiful place!

Relaxing on the rooftop

Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the courtyard, but you can go to their website.

We decided to hire a guide to get an "official" tour of Fes.  Definitely a good thing to do at least once, particularly in Fes, since the medina is so huge.  We got to see some stuff we wouldn't have ventured into if we were on our own, like:

 The alley where they dye fabrics.

water wheel

dyeing cactus silk (from agave)

Or the tanneries (ok, we probably would have found them on our own, but not sure we'd have found the leather co-op.

The stench is fairly bad, so they give you mint leaves.

These guys are around the smell all day 

Getting dirty

Or the guys who tend the fire to the communal ovens.  What a job!: they are underground all day, just feeding the fire.

Our first rug shopping exprience.  We learned quickly how to bargain, after buying a couple of leather poufs from the co-op above.

 Don't be afraid to bargain, it is expected.  Also, don't worry about offending them with too low an offer.  They generally won't be offended, particularly if you are nice about the low offer.  They won't sell you anything at an unprofitable price, so it's just a matter of figuring out the price point.  Some vendors will open with a ridiculously high bid.  There is no general rule, you can even go as low as 25%.  And be willing to walk away.  It's amazing how quickly the price drops as you leave.

Morocco, Day 4: Fes - Volubilis - Moulay Idriss - Meknes - Fes

Today we hired a driver (through our hotel), Hamid, to drive us to Volubilis, Moulay Idriss, and Meknes.  The rate was the same as the "teacher" we met on the train said it would be (800 Dh).  Still wondering if he was for real.  It was raining today, but luckily it wasn't heavy, and we really didn't need to use the umbrella that Hamid lent us.  The only time it was heavy was when we were outside the stables, and even then Hamid was able to drive right up to the doorway so we didn't get too wet.

Anyway, Volubilis is an ancient Roman settlement.  I believe the guide books say it was the furthest Roman outpost here, but I could be wrong.  While on the subject of guide books, we are finding that the Rough Guides (2010 was the most recent edition) book is better for maps and descriptions, while the Lonely Planet (2011 ed) is better for transportation options.  Good thing we got both books.  Too bad there isn't one book that covers everything well.

We spent a good 2 hours at Volubilis; a bit longer than Hamid thought it would take.  I guess we really enjoyed the ruins and the old mosaics that are still visible.  There's something about ruins that I enjoy.  It's fun to imagine what they may have looked like back then, and also to marvel at how they constructed everything without the use of heavy motorized machinery.  Here's a picture of a statue that was not mentioned in either guide book (according to my friend, these were used to mark whorehouses):

After Volubilis, we did a quickie drive through of Moulay Idriss.

Not much to see here, except the view down to the valley.  There is a mausoleum here, but it is in the mosque and we weren't allowed to go in.

This guy was not happy to have his picture taken, albeit accidentally.  He bumped Yoojin with his donkey as he rode by. 

After Moulay Idriss, we headed to Meknes.  Didn't have much time here, but were able to grab a bite to eat at Dar Sultana (Sweet Sultana).  We were the only ones there, probably because we got there pretty late.  The small sampler was probably the best thing we had.  I got a tajine that was just ok.

Visited the museum for a quickie look.  We had like 15 minutes before we had to meet our driver.  Once inside, though, a guide started talking to us and explaining things.  We couldn't tell if he was a real or faux guide (assume real since he was inside the museum, but I don't remember seeing him wearing a badge).  He was nice and took our photo, but soon we decided to ditch him, using the fact that we had to meet our driver as a convenient excuse to high-tail it out of there.

Morocco, Day 3: Fes

Stayed at a "hotel" we found through a group called "Ziyarates", which means "visits" in Arabic. We found this through Lonely Planet.  This is a mix between a home stay and a hotel.  The Ziyarates organization helps families turn their homes into a source of income.  We randomly chose the Family Korriche based on the online photos, and couldn't be happier.  The location was great, just outside Bab Bou Jeloud.  The daughter, Manal, spoke the best English and so we interacted with her the most.  We ate dinner there on our first night and it was delicious (and we got lucky and they had couscous, even though it was not Friday).  The portions were huge: we couldn't believe they normally ate this much (we swore they were giving us larger "American" sized portions).

Morocco Day 3: Rabat to Fes

Warned about people getting on the train at Meknes. Sure enough, some guy gets on and I'm immediately suspicious. He enters out cabin, say hi, says something to the woman next to us. He asks her a question then several minutes later she gets her baggage and leaves. Strange, since we just left the station. He starts to chat with us. Tells us he had his heart broken by a girl in Ca. That he teaches Arabic at the ALIF language school, where he met said girl. Asks us where we are staying (we tell him). Tells us not to hire any guides, official or otherwise, but also that he can hook is up with a driver to Meknes/moulay Idriss/Volunilis for 300 dh less than the riad would charge us. Asks us if we want to join him for a drink at a restaurant he recommended. Wary, we say we'll think about it. When we arrive at Fes, he says bye and leaves without further offer of meeting up. Did he sense our skepticism?  Was he genuine?  Was he a hustler?  I guess we'll never know. We don't like this feeling of immediately being suspicious of people. We want to be open and meet new people, but it is hard to figure out right now. We are too fresh.

Morocco Day 2: Rabat

Checked into Riad Kalaa last night. They had our room set up for our Honeymoon:

This first full day in Rabat has been a learning experience.  Petit (blue) taxis, as in most places, you should always demand they use the meter.  The tram is quite convenient: one fare regardless of distance. Clean and modern trains.

It's hard to trust people here, as we never know if they are being helpful or trying to get money out of us (or both).  So far, our only experience has been a faux guide in Sale.  He supposedly helped us out with directions, then  when we followed his directions, he whistled at us saying we were going the wrong way and then led us where we were going, saying he was going that way anyway. After he started telling us a bunch of trivia, I got suspicious.  Cut him off a little late, but at least we smartened up after our morning hustle that we insisted on only giving him 15 Dirham rather than the 100 dh he was asking (keep in mind, the train from Casablanca to Rabat cost us 125 dh each).

Visited the Medersa (Koranic school). Intricate tile, wood, and ceramic work. The study rooms look like prison cells in Cambodia.  Before heading back across the river to Rabat, we ate Tajine at a touristy looking place which was actually pretty good.  In Rabat's Central Market, we strolled past the various meat and produce stalls. The most interesting was a couple of animal carcasses hanging. We couldn't tell what they were, but now think they were camel.

Dinner was at Le Petit Beau, a Lonely Planet 2011 top pick. I thought it was ok. Not much better than the little touristy place in Sale. We were not able to try the couscous, as they were sold out. Which brings me to another thought: we keep coming across things that are closed, like the mausoleum: we went during prayer time, so we would've had to wait until after to see it.

Oh, Senna at Riad Kalaa referred us to a great website:
http://www.espace-morocco.co.uk/

We are finding it has many of the same riads you'd find on Trip Advisor or Booking.com for less. We just booked a place in Marrakech for half off!

Morocco Day 1

Arrived in Casablanca after ~18 hrs of travel time, including getting to SFO.  Arrival was smooth and it was easy to find a train to Rabat. Most people in the airport spoke some English, and many people in people in general speak it as well, so it was easy to figure out how to get to Rabat. The taxi driver didn't  speak much, but he got us where we needed to go. Explored the Medina a bit at night, but didn't want to get lost in the dark, so we pretty much just stayed to the main streets. Had my first street food: a pita like sandwich made of hollowed out bread stuffed with ground beef, cheese, paprika, and hot sauce. Sort of your Mexican hit dog cart slash hamburger joint in one.

Fondant Covered Cheesecake??!

The next time a friend asks you to make her a wedding cheesecake, covered with rolled fondant, don't fret.  It can be done, and I'm going to tell you how I did it.  You have probably performed countless internet searches (I assume that's how you ended up here); received contradicting information (yes, you can cover a cheesecake in fondant; no you can't; don't refrigerate or freeze fondant; yes you can).  Well, in my experience, YES you can not only cover a cheesecake in fondant, you can also freeze it.

The problem with freezing or refrigerating fondant is once you remove it from the cold, water vapor in the air starts to condense on the surface (think of an ice cold beverage and the condensation that forms on the glass).  Since fondant is mostly sugar and other water-soluble ingredients, the condensation that forms starts to dissolve the fondant and creates that sticky surface you've read about.  Eventually, it will just start to disintegrate like this:

The picture above is of a cheesecake I froze, then thawed at room temperature for several hours.  The fondant did not begin disintegration until 1.5 to 2 hours later, but you can see what a mess it becomes.  The left side of the picture is where we cut into it to taste.

After this disaster (expected), I decided to test whether using a fan would help.  I covered a ramekin with fondant then put it in the refrigerator for 3 hours.  I removed the "cake" and just fanned it by hand.  This worked surprisingly well to keep the fondant dry.  I then put the "cake" into the freezer overnight, defrosted in the refrigerator for 4 hours, then put at room temperature in a brown paper shopping bag.  I aimed an electric fan at the "cake" (I put it in the bag so it would get air circulation on all sides) and let it warm to room temp over the course of 2 hours or so.  Voila!  The fondant was nice and dry; no disintegration.

My next debate was: am I really going to try this on my friend's wedding cake?  I wasn't that crazy, but almost.  Here's what I did.  Baked the 3 cheesecake layers.  Let them cool to room temp.  Spread a layer of swiss meringue buttercream to smooth out the rough spots and level the top and sides.  Note: occassionally put in the refrigerator to harden the buttercream; this will help you get a really smooth surface.  Roll out the fondant and cover the cakes.  Immediately put them in boxes and put in the freezer.  I kept them frozen for one week.  The reason I froze them is the drive to the wedding site was four hours long and involved curvy mountain roads.  I packed the cakes in a cooler with dry ice (~2-3 pounds?) and transported them to the wedding site the morning of the ceremony.  Once at the site, I removed half of the dry ice and we left to check-in to our hotel.  Just before the ceremony, I removed the remaining dry ice to allow the cakes to slowly warm up (as if in a refrigerator).  About 2.5 to 3 hours later, my fiance and I went in to assemble the final cake.  We removed the cakes, one at a time, from the cooler, and immediately placed them between two box fans running on high speed (you can just see the fans in the pictures below).  I could see the fondant glistening, but no actual droplets formed.  To my surprise, the fondant was actually drying out, enough to touch without feeling sticky.  We were able to bring it out to the reception tent and display it for an hour without problem.  The top layer was cut-able, and the middle layer was just barely still frozen inside (I did not get a chance to try the bottom layer).  I suspect the cake would have survived several hours following this procedure. 

 Assembled tiers.  Cake stand is on a turntable to make decoration easier.

 Cake topper on and adding flowers.

 Final product.

 Me and the final cake.

Safely delivered to the reception area.