10th and Lawrence Streets, N.E. Washington D.C. 20017
From: Martin Paule <paulfolk@intrepid.net>
Subject: Re: Where have we been?
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 21:35:06 -0500
Everyone,
I love the travel tales! Let's hear more! Elsie, we try to get a
travel guidebook if we don't know the language and then study the important
words, eg, bathroom, hello, please, food, etc. On the occasions when we
have had to wing it, it was amazing how easy it is to mime the things you
need. It's important to reduce the need or question to as few words as
possible--keep it simple.
Once when we were in Bulgaria with not a clue to the language
whatsoever, we were able to get directions to take public transportation
(train and bus) to a mountain outside the city where we stayed and go to a
cable car at the top. We showed some people a drawing of a cable car and
they said the directions three times. Of course we got thoroughly lost but
did eventually make it and had fun.
Once in Morocco, we had rented bicycles to circle around Marakesh,
become hopelessly lost even while staring at the map and asked directions
of a young man. Our common language was French, but he implied that our
French was really bad. (It is.) However, when he heard we were from
America he was so excited, he shook all of our hands and personally
escorted us to where we wanted to go. Later, we spent a day eating
traditional Moroccan food with his family. (My daughter and I had our
hands hennaed by one of his friends.) And we went to his sister's wedding
which was one of the most outrageous parties I've ever attended due to its
utter uniqueness (at least in my life). There were actually two
parties--one for the men and one for the women--it was Muslim. The women's
band (made up of friends and family who were all women and sang and
drummed) played all night. While the women danced and partied (yes, of
course I danced and yes, they laughed at me but also videoed me--the
American), the men kept sneaking in to witness the women's party. My
husband and son have some wild tales to tell about the men's event too. My
son was a little freaked out by the paste they were passing around to
partake of--it was some kind of marijuana-related substance. But they did
not offer it to him since he was only 13. (My husband missed that part--he
was probaly disappointed when he heard about it! Ha!)
Oh dear, Elsie, you've gotten me started. . .
Terry, your trip this summer sounds like great fun. Try out some Indian
food in London--they have some wonderful restaurants there. And, Skip, you
are so lucky to have ridden the arch!!! I've visited it twice and never
convinced my fellow travellers to ride.
More later,
Rose