Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 28

9.00 Abfahrt. Chaos am Hafen. Es wimmelt dort von "Helfern", die einem irgendwo hinschicken. Das ist dann falsch und man beginnt von vorne... Das Mittelmeer war ziemlich wild, die Tage zuvor waren richtige Stürme an der Küste. Ich habe vorsichtshalber nicht hinaus geschaut, weil ich nicht ein untergehendes Boot mit Flüchtlingen sehen wollte. Am anderen Ende wurde es richtig lustig. Es dauerte ziemlich lang bis die Anfertigung in Gang kam. Und gerade als es flutschte, gingen alle weg und machten Mittag. Dann kamen sie wieder. Aber wieder hing nichts, weil der Computer zusammengebrochen war. Stunden später könnten wir uns auf den Weg zum Hotel machen. ... read more

Wednesday, 21 March – Fes Our boutique hotel, Riad Andalib, is the bomb! It’s in the Medina but has the best location of any hotel you could hope for. You enter through a door in the wall and come into a beautiful atrium with a water fountain and plunge pool, and 10 tables under a clear roof. The intricate carving on the doors and concrete frescos is amazing! On the perimeter of the atrium are the rooms, overlooking the peaceful courtyard. Our suite has a comfy bed and massive bathroom, and the breakfast is delectable. The food just keeps on coming and the local ricotta is to die for! The Riad owner is a wonderful man, Moroccan by birth but he spent time living in Montreal before coming back to renovate the Riad. There is literally ... read more

Day 8 & 9 8 is a sea day sailing from Barcelona to Casablanca. Booked a massage (Elke’s was good). Went for a hot tub. Only crazy Canadians will go into a hot tub in cool weather with a gale force wind blowing. Played scrabble and went for dinner to the buffet restaurant (we had never done that). Elke had Cioppino which wasn’t quite as good as the Pelican Club in New Orleans. 9 we are up early for a tour of Casablanca and the capitol Rabbat. The tour guide spoke to us only in Arabic for a good 10 minutes until some people started asking for English. Nuri the guide answered in English that this was the Arabic tour. Best part of the tour. Bus headed for the King’s Palace. I have very little internet ... read more

Morocco recorded a bumper year for tourist arrivals in 2017, breaking through the 11-million barrier for the first time, the tourism ministry announced Monday. Visitor arrivals numbered some 11.4 million, a 10-percent increase over 2016, with tourists from "emerging markets" such as China and Brazil joining those from France, Spain and Germany. Revenues from the sector jumped to 69.7 billion dirhams ($7.55 billion, 6.16 billion euros) in 2017, up from 64.2 billion dirhams the previous year. Fez, Tangiers and Marrakesh, along with Ouarzazate on the edge of the Sahara desert, recorded the strongest growth in tourist numbers, the ministry said. After several years of stagnation, the tourism industry has turned around, partly thanks to new budget air links with Europe and increased flights by national carrier Royal Air Maroc. Tourism is Morocco's secon... read more

Last night we had our farewell dinner and started saying our goodbyes. The group has been a good mix of kind and curious people. As I had said earlier mostly young professionals , 2 lawyers , a nurse , a mechanical engineer , an environmental technician who had taught English in China for 3 years , a restaurant manager ,a teacher , a mom and her 18 year old daughter , a recent MA grad who studied international relations and a Canadian-polish couple in their late 50,s and Brenda and I. I especially enjoyed the young Austrian couple who seemed to enjoy my company as well . They tell me I am a role model for them because I still want travel and adventure as a regular part of my life . I tried to explain ... read more