Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 10

12 Mar 2020-21 Mar 2020 Casablanca, Morocco, a non-Schengen country, has always held a certain mystique for me since I watched the exploits of Buster Crabbe as the title character in the television series Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion in the late 1950’s. Early in my research, I found a tour that begins and ends in Madrid, Spain (my original starting point) and visits both Morocco and Portugal. That discovery whetted my Saharan appetite. Unfortunately, this tour was not offered until well after my planned arrival date, so I decided to reset my time zone disrupted, biologic clock in the warmth of this enchanting desert country before launching my European adventure and starting my Schengen counter. After a short stop in Illinois on the way east, I hopped on a non-stop flight at 7:20 PM ... read more

February 26th2020 Chefchouen Morocco “You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.” Gautama Buddha “Virtue shuns ease as a companion…It demands a rough and thorny path.” Michel de Montaigne "To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself." Søren Kierkegaard “....there's no need for turning back 'Cause all roads lead to where we stand. And I believe we'll walk them all No matter what we may have planned.” Don McLean From a previous blog ( https://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Tangier-T-touan/Chefchaouen/blog-1031614.html ) : Chefchaouen (35.1695 -5.2685) was founded in 1471 as a small kasbah fortress to fight off the invading Portuguese. It is 113 km south-east of Tangier and is nestled at the base of the Rif Mountains (bes... read more

Nearly every day thus far in our journey around Morocco, like a good omen, good weather had followed us. Waking up on Day 7 in Erfoud, we found the weather was once again nearly perfect. The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and the air was warm and pleasant. In early morning, the Sahara has a subtle way of exerting its influence on its visitors -- an unhurried calmness which overtakes the senses while dreaming of what the day will bring. We always looked forward to the day's adventures, but it would be the evening that we most anticipated. Staying at the Kasbah Xaluca Maadid Hotel had been a delight as it was yet another example of the many types of accommodations we would experience while in Morocco. This hotel had a lot of positives ... read more

Day 18. 6thFeb (Thursday) Up at 7:45, left hotel at 8:15. Got to the small CTM bus office, which was just opening, and met an elderly German couple also going to Agadir. We all weighed our hold bags in for 5Dh each bag & put them in the coach side-boot then sat inside to warm up. It’s quite cool up in Tafraoute in the mornings, it takes quite a while for the sun to clear the surrounding mountains. I had my jumper & coat on… The coach was 10mins past the 9:00 start time, when Maryanne climbed aboard and we set off. I got the feeling that we had waited for her…. She was going to Tiznit, which is a big town on the plain below the mountains, and then heading for the nearby coast. Great ... read more

We settled into a routine most mornings and caught the shuttle bus into the city. The first day in the city was a bit of a culture shock, but we knew now to avoid any contacts with the touts who waited near the bus stop at Freedom Square. Avoid eye contact and look purposeful. It was a steady walk up towards the main mosque and the huge Jemaa El Fnaa Square. The Hotel de Ville or Town Hall is on your left. We always booked the return at 12:30, which gave us enough time and allowed us to return before the suns rays caused the temperature to climb. In the earlier hours, there were much less people on the street and thus less hassle. The locals and indeed many tourists, were wrapped up in a variety ... read more