Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 256

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Africa » Morocco September 1st 1990

Geo: 35.8179, -5.19417Crazy adventure for 3 weeks in Tangier, Asilah, Chefchouen (Rif Mtns).We really hadn't a clue what we were doing but arrived in Tangier at night with nothing booked & a guide book that suggested some where. But we met 3 more people on the flight with nothing booked either & a place picked from their guide book which turned out to have no room at the inn. So the 5 of us tried the one in our book which once upon a time had been a fab hotel. It was on the edge of kasbah over looking the port & the view was great but the hotel was all faded grandeur with basic enough rooms, it was grand we were happy, so cracked open the duty free with our new friends & let our ... read more

Africa » Morocco » Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer » Rabat October 13th 1989

After a long drive, we came to Casablanca mid-afternoon. As comes from relying on movies, the city was a disappointment to me. So many visitors come for weekends or short holidays, that nothing seems particularly authentic. The hard truth is that Casablanca is an important international centre of commerce rather than a romantic tourist site. Our visit was not much more than an overnight stay. In the morning we drove for an hour on the highway along the sea coast to the very authentic Rabat. Rabat is the capital city of Morocco, and the reverence for the king was evident in our guide’s demeanor. The heavy rectilinear architectural style of Fes and Marrakech created an austere opulence for the main royal residence of King Hassan II . The weigh... read more
Apartments near Rabat
Entrance to the residence of King Hassan II
Residence of King Hassan II

Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » Marrakech October 10th 1989

Bread rolls and croissants with preserves and café-au-lait and orange juice pursued us throughout the rest of Morocco. Rolling through the countryside was a delight to me. Jean and I usually sat together on the bus, and she didn’t want the window seat. For long periods of time, I looked out the window at the not-quite-desert landscape. I could see “forever” across a barely undulating landscape of a dull cinnamon colour, touched by scrub bushes. Sometimes indifferent goats wandered across my view. Occasionally, in the distance, I saw a large Bedouin tent encampment. Their long, dark tents blended into the landscape, as if they were a natural feature. As we drove through villages and towns, I was intrigued by the variety of women’s dress. Some wore traditional dress and some wore Western styles, even amongst professionals ... read more
Sacred building in Marrakech
Sacred building in Marrakech
Sacred building in Marrakech

Africa » Morocco » Fès-Boulemane » Fes October 8th 1989

Left-over cheese and biscuits came in handy on the ferry from Algeciras to Ceuta. We were expected to buy lunch, but I didn’t want to go down into the hole on that little bucketing ferry. I preferred the blasting wind on top, and picked my way through most of the cheese and half of the plain cookies. Later when I went down to avoid missing an opportunity, I was glad to only have twenty minutes remaining. It was hot, stuffy and close. Being a Spanish tour, of course our meals were on the Spanish schedule. By eight o’clock in Fes , I was truly hungry, in spite of the plain cookies along the way. Since the government had taken over all the 5-star hotels in Fes for a medical conference, we were in an alternate 4-star ... read more
Ferry ticket
Cleaning the palace gates

Africa » Morocco November 26th 1974

We had a really memorable couple of bus trips that afternoon, taking 5 hours for the 150kms. The first, to the Tunisia-Algeria border at Bou Chebka, had several social stops, two mechanical breakdowns, and even an embarrassing pee stop for Joan. No hassles at the border, but it was a freezing walk over no-man’s land and about 30 minutes of business at the other end. The second bus was literally on its last legs, and took over an hour for the short trip into Tebessa. We checked into the Hotel Theveste and borrowed money from the local cop for a meat stew dinner. That was followed by an early night of washing clothes and playing cards, but there was no chance of a bath, with the whole bathroom under water! A late start next morning gave ... read more
El Kantara (the ravine at Constantine)
Oujda, Morocco
Dyeing pits in Fes




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