Photos from Morocco

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Hi all - the following info is all cut and pasted from Brenden's email. Lazy, I know, but I have alot of uni work to do before heading to Prague with Amy on Thursday.

So, in Brendens words...

With a rugged work week last week containing two public holidays i decided to take my first wedge day (the day between the public holiday and the weekend). A bit of last minute planning had us heading off to Morocco for 4 days. A short drive down to Tarifa had us on a ferry and in the kingdom of Morocco. Now we didn't really do it backpacker style instead opting for a privately guided road tour and given that it was off season were able to stay in five star hotels very cheaply (cheating i know but i am getting soft in my old age but i blame rachel, that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it).

Sarhan our local driver picked us up at Tangier and we headed to Fez. Sarhan was excellent and explained all the culture, history and religion of the region all in a light hearted manner. On the way to Fez we stopped off at the Roman Ruins of Volubilis, not a bad set of crumbling rocks as far as ruins go. From there we passed through Meknes the Islamic capital of Morocco and all its city walls before arriving in Fez for the night.

In the morning we headed off on foot into the Medina (old town) of Fez. Wow what a step back in time. Everything still looks and operates as it would of back at the beginning of time. The labyrinth of small alleys are crowded with people and the original shops that would of been there 900 years ago. Old mate the blacksmith making knifes while his brother Muhammad runs the knife sharpening shop next door and uncle Achmed, the baker, down the road. After a few near misses with fully loaded donkeys (the Moroccan Mercedes) and couple of dead rats and cats we even found the infamous leather tannery. Fez is apparently the Capital of Handy Crafts so we decided to purchase a few items for keepsakes. Using my bargaining techniques honed over the years on the streets of Bangkok we only managed to get ripped off half as much as normal tourists. Probably score that 1 - Nil to the Moroccans.

The next day we drove from Fez to a small mountain town called Chefchaouen. The town was spectacular and a picture of tranquillity. The houses perched on the mountain side with all the walls, streets and anything else in reach coated in vibrant sky blue. But what really sealed the deal was our guide through the town. His name was Toto, apparently a local legend, but i will always know him as Yoda. He was probably 400 years old and at the most four foot high, wore a white robe and little red Fez hat and had the dry and husky voice. I was waiting for him to say "MMMM..... Enjoy this town you will" as he slowly shuffled up and down the streets.

From here we drove back to Tangier via the mountains. On the way there were numerous road side craft stalls selling hand made pottery and stuff. Now not yet having enough souvenirs to sink the return ferry we decided to get some more. This time Sarhan our driver opted to helped us choose the good quality stuff and also made the offer that he would buy and pay for what ever we wanted from the stall if i gave him my sun glasses. Rachel proceeded to fill the van with Moroccan cookware and serving platers and other trinkets while i handed over my sunnies. The smile on Sarhan's face was immense and i couldn't bring myself to let him know that they weren't real Ray Bans and were just some fakes that i picked up in bangkok for $3 a few months before. Probably score that evens.

Spent the night and the next morning in Tangier before returning home but not before having a little flutter in the Tangiers Casino. Probably not as flash as the one in Vegas but there is something surreal about gambling in a Muslim Country.

The food was awesome and we had a great time and would recommend that people pay it a visit if given the chance.

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