Blogs from Rabat, Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer, Morocco, Africa - page 8

Morocco. Im here! Honestly, its has surpassed nearly all my expectations.... about food, the way of life, the vibrancy and liveliness. I am soooo very happy here! First, it still boggles my mind that im in Africa . Even though it may be difficult for us to think of Morocco as part of Africa, many people would consider themselves part of Africa before they would consider themselves part of the middle east. Thus, people commonly say to me, " Here in Africa..." and it freaks me out! Many musical and cultural traditions are very much rooted in african culture, and are mixed with middle eastern practices. There is a true melange of culture here. Boulevard Mohammad V in downtown rabat feels like a promenade in France... whereas the medina and souk are hectic centers of activity, ... read more

Hi Everyone, It has been another great few days! We realized that we could get to the Mediterranean Sea in only a 90 minute taxi ride from Chefchaouen, so we did a day trip and were able to stay in the Blue City for an extra night. The beach town we went to is called Ouad Lau and the sea was gorgeous! We were the only tourists in sight and the only women (aside from 13 year old girls) wearing bathing suits, but we didn't get any bad looks or anything so we felt okay. They have taxis here called "grand" taxis, but they aren't so grand. They are mercedes from the 1980's and they pack in 6 passengers plus the driver in one car. There is usually only one window handle, so you have to ... read more

Well....we embarked on what we knew would be the longest bus trip of our travels in Morocco, the 8.5hr ride from Essaouira to Rabat, and instead of going for the timely efficient CTM Government run service the adventurous side of us opted for a cheaper private bus company...hey...the bus looked good in the picture he showed us...isn't that always the way!! So we waited and waited while they scavenged around trying to gather enough passengers to fill the seats, the ailses, the roof and when all options were exhausted at the bus station, we headed out onto the streets of Essaouira for some more of the same, picking us people as we went (yip...bus still moving) lots of shouting and banging on doors, people pulled on and pushed off if they hadnt the funds for a ... read more

Nous voici à Rabat. Notre chantier a commencé, depuis 4 jours maintenant. Les journées sont longues : levé 7h30 et couché vers minuit. Notre travail consiste à remettre en état les salles de classes qui sont pour la plupart sales et abîmées, alors : nettoyage, ponçage, peinture... Aujourd'hui dimanche : repos, nous étions à la plage où il y avait un monde fou. Notre groupe est composé d'environ 20 personnes (ça change souvent...le Maroc quoi, on est jamais sur de rien !)l'ambiance est sympa animée surtout par les Marocains, les étrangers ne sont que des étrangères : il y a 3 Coréennes, 1 Tchèque, 1 Anglaise et 1 Danoise, ils sont tous adorables !!... read more

Well we landed on time. Our flight from NY got a lil bit of a late start, but we made AMS on time as well. The train to Casa -Voys was leaving so we splurged and paid 80 dh on train for 2 tix. From Voys we got on train to Casa-Port, why stop in Casablanca if you don't see the mosque. The petit taxi we got at the train station left us like a 20 min walk from mosque, it was worth the walk though. Have to post pictures a lil later. Our train was leaving for Rabat until 930 so we took a cab close to train station and ate at alil restaurant. (Everything is olive seasoned?, if you don' know...I HATE olives and my lil sis loves them). The cab there was less ... read more

Well we landed on time. Our flight from NY got a lil bit of a late start, but we made AMS on time as well. The train to Casa -Voys was leaving so we splurged and paid 80 dh on train for 2 tix. From Voys we got on train to Casa-Port, why stop in Casablanca if you don't see the mosque. The petit taxi we got at the train station left us like a 20 min walk from mosque, it was worth the walk though. Have to post pictures a lil later. Our train was leaving for Rabat until 930 so we took a cab close to train station and ate at alil restaurant. (Everything is olive seasoned?, if you don' know...I HATE olives and my lil sis loves them). The cqb there was less ... read more

So here I am, in Africa for the first time! And I am experimenting a strange cultural shock. Not from seeing Africa, but from staying in the fanciest hotel I have ever seen, and will ever see. But first thing first.... After Nepal, I landed in PAris, where I was meeting an old friend. It was a blast to try to see all of PAris in... 48 hours!!! So we walked and took taxis and metros to see all the most famous places. I will not even try to list them all. Of course, I didn't really visit any of them, but just enough to say "been there" and want to return. I loved Paris, friendly people (who said PArisiens where rude?), amazing food, we did the real French thing, with chocolate croissant in the morning ... read more

This is a city of huge contrasts: here are some pictures that illustrate what I mean... read more