話說在20幾年前，有位爸爸常常在吃飯的時候對兒子說：「你不好好吃飯，以後就把你送到『灰』洲去。」結果20幾年後，這位兒子不等老爸送他，自己就跑到『灰』洲去了，而且到達的第一天就發現那裡的食物其實挺好吃的，還有著規模不亞於美食天堂台灣的夜市。
Sill remember 20+ years ago, my dad used to tell me at dining table: if you don't finish the food, we'd send you to Africa. Unexpectedly, 20+ years later, I voluntarily came to Africa without my parents sending me; furthermore, I found the food here surprisingly good, and the night markets here are comparable to those in Taiwan.
我每到一個新的國家通常都會有一段撞牆期，等撞牆期過了才能真正開始享受這個國家的一切。或許是因為觀光太發達，我在摩洛哥的撞牆期相當短——機場入境人員竟然都認得台灣護照，幾乎所有商家攤販都通英文，市區公車雖然擁擠但至少路線清楚，夜市攤販也有著標價清楚的菜單，換錢也相當容易。相較於中亞，這裡對自助旅行者來說非常友善。
It always takes me some time to adjust to a new country and fully enjoy it. Thankfully, Morocco didn't take too much time for me. Due to its vibrant tourism, the country is very friendly to tourists -- the airport immigration recognized my Taiwanese passport, most stores and vendors speak English, city buses are crowded but at least running on fixed routes, restaurants menus have prices, and currency exchange is hassle-free. Much easier to get used to than Central Asia.
馬拉喀什（Marrakech）是摩洛哥的觀光大城，市中心是個超大的市集，白天有橫跨好幾個街區的攤販，幾乎什麼都賣；晚上則變成像台灣一樣的夜市，有各種路邊小吃，還有許多傳統樂器或雜技表演、手部彩繪、遊戲等等。最可貴的是，這個市集並不是為了觀光客而存在，而是當地人真正會去購物或尋找娛樂的地方，難怪幾乎所有旅遊指南都把在這裡逛市集列為摩洛哥前五甚至前三必做的事情。我的午餐是夾著炸魚、蕃茄、茄子、薯條的麵包，晚餐則是有著大塊牛肉、胡蘿蔔、黃瓜的塔吉鍋（Tagine，一種燉湯料理）。要是我爸知道非洲的食物這麼好吃，不知道他當年還會不會說不好好吃飯就要把我送到非洲這樣的話XD
Marrakesh is one of the largest and most popular tourism cities. At its center occupies a giant bazaar, which encompasses dozens blocks and literally sells everything. At night, numerous food vendors are available, and street arts, games, and performances are everywhere. And most amazingly, this market is not created for tourists. It's an actual market that locals would come to eat and shop. I got a bread filled with fried fish, tomato and fries as lunch, and a Tagine (a beef stew with carrot and cucumber) as dinner. Both very delicious, which probably contradict my dad's impression on the food of Africa, haha.
摩洛哥的建築和去年在西班牙南部所見相當類似，不像中亞有著許多洋蔥形尖頂，但卻到處都是洋蔥形拱門；此外，這裡比西班牙南部更加貫徹用磁磚把牆壁和地板全部貼滿的精神。記得大概30年前台灣曾經流行過使用大量小片磁磚的裝潢風格嗎？今天在摩洛哥所見頗有似曾相識之感（所以說原來北非才是「中華民國美學」的始作俑者？XD）。
Moroccan architecture is similar to those in southern Spain, but different from Central Asia. Here the onion shape exists as door frames, instead of domes. And they also love to cover the floor and walls with numerous tiny tiles. This really reminds me the popular furnishing style in Taiwan 30 years ago, which is similar but later considered ugly and weird. In Morocco, however, this style seems to live in perfect harmony with the typical architecture.
