SALAAM ALEKUM CASABLANCA!

As Captain Renault says in the film, Casablanca (1943), "What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?" Well, Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and its chief port. It is the economic capital of Morocco, while Rabat is the political capital of the country. Casablanca has the Hassan II Mosque. This Mosque is the largest in Morocco, and the second largest in the world. It can have 25,000 worshippers in the main praying room and 80,000 in the mosque's courtyard. That is 105,000 TOTAL. Its minaret is the tallest in the world at 210 metres. Looking at Morocco's history, Casablanca is historic for its main industrial zone, containing headquarters and main industrial facilities for top Moroccan and international companies. Being the chief port of Morocco, Casablanca has been under the power of foreigners. First, it was the Spanish. Later, it was the French. After Morocco gained independence in 1956, it became a monarchy. Tourism is the main industry for Casablanca, which provides over half of the industrial labour (56%); for this reason, Casablanca is going under major renovation to create a cinema center, a shopping mall, and a walkway coast. Another attraction in Casablanca is the bazaar. Like the floating market of Bangkok, this place literally contains everything. You walk in with flowers to the right, and BAM fish to your left. There was actually a type of food that could be cooked MALIKA STYLE. I thought that was pretty cool; it was in the sea food section, so I was not up for trying it. No, I'm not saying I hate seafood, the fish was just on ice in an open air market, so I decided to be careful. Morocco is one of those countries where you must, also, be careful of what you eat. You know the drill, the bottled water, the extra napkins and such. However, in Morocco, you cannot eat the vegetables grown there unless they have been cooked, steamed, or whatever else that kills the bacteria. So, what is Moroccan food? ONE WORD: TANGINE. No, this is not a type of food, this is the serving dish. It is the actual plate that the food is served on. Basically, it is plate with a lid that you put on top that is shaped like a hut, but has a hole on top to release steam. I know, ridiculous. Anyways, the only meals that are served with this are (drumroll please) : chicken, beef, or vegetables on a bed of cous cous. That is it. No, I did not forget anything. Those were the options for lunch and dinner. As you may have already realized, too much variety is not an issue in Morocco. I would recommend bring other goods to snack on, because after seven days in Morocco, other food is a must. I would like to thank McDonalds and Pizza Hut for coming to my family's rescue. We went to each a few times. Even though the food may be a hassle to humanity, Casablanca is just as good as the movie.

Salaam!

SAWA DEEKA BANGKOK!

Some say that the traffic in Los Angeles is the worst. I beg to differ; in Bangkok, a two mile drive can take as long as forty minutes. I know, ridiculous. Yellow is the color of Thailand, or rather the color of the King. The year that the King is born, he is given a color; Thailand's current King's color is yellow. He was born on a Monday, so every Monday the citizens of Bangkok wear yellow to honor their leader. Even though they are very gracious to their King weekly, the people of Thailand can be fairly corrupt. Believe me, I have experienced this. For those of you not familiar with Bangkok, there is the Emerald Buddha, a major tourist attraction. Of course, due to the number of people that come there everyday, there are security officials and police to make sure everything is swell. Well, that is what it looks like. As soon as my family and I got out of the car to see the Emerald Buddha, the main police officer is up in our face telling us how it is closed for the next three hours. Being suspicious, my father automatically started firing questions. It was Christmas Day, and apparently it was the time for only Thai people could come to pray. But lucky for us, there is a Lucky Buddha, and it is only opened for one day a year. Well, I guess that day was our lucky day. He flagged down two tuktuks (Thailand's method of transportation; cabs) and we were off. We got there and the place was empty. Literally, it was the Mehrotra clan with the Patnaik clan and one other Indian family. Um... WHAT?! If this place was really open once a year, then why was there a grand total of 10 people? My dad only became more suspicious. Good for us, we figured their plan out. The drivers took us to a jewelry shop, the leader of the Mehrotra clan warned us not to buy anything and to just sit down. Becoming frustrated, the driver made us leave and dropped us off at some random Buddhist monastery. Thankfully, it was only two blocks from where we started, the Emerald Buddha. This time, we got in without getting stopped. As soon as we enter through the large gates, a tiny sign is there that reads: " DO NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO OFFER TUKTUK, LUCKY BUDDHA, OR BOAT RIDE." Wow, thanks for that oh so helpful tip. We learned that the guard earns money if we buy things from the jewelry shop. Well, that stinks for him then. On a random note, Thailand is known for orchids. Anyways, we got to see the Emerald Buddha, which is really jade, but once people figured out that it was jade, they never changed the name. Another thing that makes Thailand is something called the Floating Market. Doesn't make sense? It is pretty simple: it is a market on water. I know this sounds weird, but it is true. The people/tourists get into Banana Boats, and after a seven minute boat ride: BAM, it's the market. There is everything there, it is like a Safeway. You can buy clothes, blankets, food, books, you name it. It is incredible. Also, Thailand is one of those countries that you need to be careful drinking the water in. Bottled water is a must. But on a happier note, Thai food is amazing. If you think Thai food is amazing here, then go to Thai land to get the real deal!

sawadeeka!

HELLO HOME!

LAH. The Hills. The Middle of No Where. These are only some of the names that my home is called. Los Altos Hills. This is the town I grew up in. I moved here when I was just a kindergartner. Wow, five years old. Well now, ALMOST eleven years later, here I am. Even though I may have changed, my "hometown" is just the same. Nothing is different. Sure, there is a new house being built down the street, and the people across the street have remodeled, but this is still the same place where I had my fondest childhood memories. My first day of school, my first puppy, my first bike, etc. I remember not having a backyard for the first three years, and when it was finally finished a lady came with flowers and welcomed us to the neighborhood. There is the small community feeling. One thing I love about home is that it is natural. I mean this in two ways. First off, Los Altos Hills is a different type of suburb. There are no sidewalks or street lamps. We have pathways. These pathways have been a huge controversy within the community. Every year, the townhall suggests to destroy these pathways, but as always, the citizens vote for them. These nature paths are for nature hikers. They are all over town; they go behind houses, through the pasture, everywhere. When it is night, it is by moonlight. Los Altos Hills is a very natural town. There literally is green everywhere. There is a pasture that is about a fifteen minute walk. Right next to a pasture, there are some stables and a barn. The horses there are gorgeous. Even though, I am not into horses anymore ( yes, I was a horseback rider for a year or so), I still love taking walks there with my parents and friends. Anyways, what the second way that home is natural is that you can always be yourself at home. You don't need the make up, the clothes, or even the perfect hair. When people are at home, they are truly themselves because there is no one there to judge them. Honestly, there is no place like home no matter where it is!

byebye!

GOOD DAY SYDNEY!

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! OY OY OY! Sydney, Australia is such a fun city. There is tons of nightlife, tons to see and do. Sure, people say that it is difficult to travel from Sydney, but there are actually a lot of places close by. There is Manley Beach, Bondi Beach, the Bat Caves, and the Blue Mountains. Of course, there is the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This bridge is a wonder in itself. You can climb the bridge at any time 24/7/365. My family and I went in 2005 to Sydney. We climbed the bridge at dawn and saw the city awaken. It was one of the most gorgeous sites ever. On New Year's Eve, we went to the Sydney Opera House and watched the fireworks above the Harbour Bridge at midnight. TIP: Look forwatching the new year's eve fireworks at the Harbour Bridge on TV as Sydney is one of the first cities to ring in the New Year. We were only there for a week, so all the sight seeing was crammed in. At the Blue Mountains, there is a site that is called the seven siblings. It is really difficult to locate all seven of them (my family spent at least a good 20 minutes). We eventually gave up, and our tour guide pointed them out for us. Try to plan New Year's Eve in Sydney and do not forget to see a wallabee or koala bear!

GOODBYE MATE!

SHALOM JERUSALEM!

Where to start about the Holy City? I think it is actually pretty spiffy. One of the things that intrigued me greatly is that no airplanes/ or anything can fly above the city. Outside Jerusalem, there are many bazaars and merchants who sell goods that vary from foods to clothing to bags. My family and I went there in the summer of 2006; it is a shame that we were only there for four days. When we got to there, we had to wear these fake skirts because we were showing too much skin. My mother was in a skirt, I was in shorts. I forget what my sister was wearing. Jerusalem is an amazing city. It is the center of both Christianity and Islam. You can see the stone where Jesus lied on and the rock Mohammed sat on. There is so much history in Jerusalem that it takes two days to completely see everything.

Shalom!

HAILEO DUBLIN!

So I went to Dublin the summer before my eighth grade year of school. I went all by myself for the very first time. I attended a three week summer course there studying archaeology. This course was based in Dublin, but since not all the the archaeological sites are based in Dublin, there was some frequent traveling to be done. Ireland is a really interesting country; it has the most bogs in all of Europe. For those of you who are wondering what a bog is it is basically dry marshland. Don't worry, I did not find out until we got to one. ( I was the only American in that class.) Another thing is hurling. No, I don't mean barfing. Hurling is actually one of the fastest sports. I did not pay attention and in the first seventeen seconds the score was 7-3. I can't really describe hurling; it is like a mix of hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and football. Yea, I know what you are thinking: this sport is ridiculous. I decided to add a picture of a bog (bottom) and a hurling game (top). Oh, and just for clarification all these pictures are taken by me, Malika Mehrotra, that is why there is no photo credit. ANYWAYS, another thing about Ireland is the crisps and chips. HUH? Well, I'll make it simple for you. Crisps=Chips and Chips=Fries. This sounds weird, but believe me after being there almost a month, you catch onto their lingo. It is a common supposition that Ireland is just like a mini Great Britain, but the Irish culture is definitely one of its kind. Slán leat

SALAAM ALEKUM CAIRO!

The Mosque of Cairo under restoration

The Tomb of an Egyptian Leader

The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Khufu

A Camel

A Camel and the Great Pyramid of Khufu

Egyptian Jewelry

The Border of the Sahara Desert

The Hookahs

Cairo never sleeps. It is lively 24/7/365. Cairo has so much to offer that I honestly cannot put words to describe it. I thought a Photo essay would do much more justice. Some of the things that Cairo differs from the United States is that:

1. Hookah is basically the equivalent of a business dinner.
2. In the heart of Cairo lies Giza, the Ancient Pyramids. The surrounding is the modern city.
3. Camels are still used as a method of transportation.
   
4. All leaders are buried properly in mosques that are either dedicated to them or ones that they visited frequently.
5. Half of Egypt, the archeological things anyway, is under restoration.
6. Upon request by a reader, Egypt's economy is based on tourism.
   

RANDOM FACT: If the Aswan Dam in Southern Egypt is broken, all of Egypt will be underwater in 72 hours!

Enjoy the photos!

Salam!