Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

You would think a modern tour bus embarking on an 11-hour overnight bus ride over the Atlas Mountains would have heat. The bus had a television for god's sake! Nevertheless, the bus had no heat and the temperature was about 30 degrees F inside the bus for the entire journey. Local Berber people knew well enough to have multiple hats and blankets for the journey but the seemingly stupid Americans were freezing. When we got off in Risani, Morocco (on the outskirts of the Sahara) we were starving and frozen to the bone. We stopped at a small stand were I devoured the best meal of my life. The blazing hot and spicy (ras-el-hanout) fish tajine was a life saver. I have tried re-creating this dish since returning from Morocco but with little success. Remembering it ALMOST makes me think that sleepless, freezing night was worth it.