Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 6

Advertisement

Africa » Morocco October 10th 2022

Today we headed north to our first house swap, at a beach town called Bouznika. Our 1st train wasn't til just before 10, so we didn't need to set an alarm. We did a workout video on the terrace, got showered, had breakfast and got ready to go. The train station was just a 5 min walk away. The train station was clean and not overly crowded. For our 1st train, to Casablanca, the seating was assigned. Lots of legroom, space for our bags up top. Then we had just under an hour in Casablanca before our next train. Toilets were just those holes in the ground- I hate those, I'm always worried I'll pee on my feet or something. We walked a couple blocks from the train station, but there was nothing to see nearby ... read more
20221010_172511
20221010_172458
20221010_172447

Africa » Morocco October 9th 2022

We slept in this morning, did some laundry, booked our train tickets for tomorrow, then headed out for a bit of exploring. First we checked out how to get to the train station, then stopped by the grocery store for some snacks (the wine section was closed off due to the Prophet's birthday), and then to the olive gardens, which were busy with families picnicking and relaxing together. Then we went back to the apartment for awhile, while it was the hottest. We did a short walk again later in the afternoon- Monica was cooking for herself, but I got some takeout paella. We ate together on the terrace. Once evening came, we went out for another walk. There are so many people out in the evening, it's great for people watching. We found a mall, ... read more
IMG-20221009-WA0083
IMG-20221009-WA0084
IMG-20221009-WA0070

Africa » Morocco October 8th 2022

During our night camping out in the desert, it started raining. I'm thinking it's a fairly infrequent occurrence, happy we weren't just sleeping under the stars, but had the protection of a tent! It also cooled down quite a bit, I ended up putting on my polar fleece and socks during the night. We were already awake by 4:30 thanks to the noises of being next to the bathroom 🤮 We were supposed to meet at 6:30am for another camel ride, to see the sunrise- I had already had my fill of riding a camel, and definitely didn't want to ride a wet camel, but we got up to see what was happening, as by then the rain had tapered off, but it was overcast. The guide let us know that things were canceled due to ... read more
IMG-20221009-WA0078
IMG-20221009-WA0080

Africa » Morocco October 7th 2022

Another early start- we metnup for breakfast at 7:30, then headed out. Before continuing the drive to the desert, we stopped at a gorge, which has a beautiful trail running through a lush, fertile area, where there are some crops planted. After the walk through, we went to a cooperative, where locsl women make rugs. We were shown the steps of preparing the fleece and spinning it into wool, which is then woven into rugs. They were intricate ans lovely, but nobody in our group had the money or the space to carry around a rug with them. More driving, then a lunch stop, then more driving. We finally reached the edge of the desert around 4:30. We had a bit of time to relax, charge electronics, use the bathrooms etc, before heading out on camel. ... read more
IMG-20221008-WA0060
IMG-20221008-WA0061
IMG-20221008-WA0045

Africa » Morocco October 6th 2022

We had an early start today, with our pick up scheduled for 7am. The van was a little late, and then went to another spot to pick up more people, where we ended up waiting for over an hour. Finally we collected up our group of 18 (about half from Portugal, then Italians, French, Americans and us Canadians) and headed out. We had a long day of driving. We made a couple of photo stops as we traveled through the Atlas mountains, and then our main stop was an area known as the African Hollywood, as many movies are filmed there. We had a mediocre lunch, and then went to tour the area, called AĂŻt Benhaddou. It's a beautiful Berber castle built over 1000 years ago, and was also a main area for trading at the ... read more
20221006_155343
20221006_153845
20221006_153729

Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz October 5th 2022

After a very short visit to Canada to celebrate mom, Aunt Emmy and Heather's birthdays, I headed out for my trip. The bus from London to Toronto airport was uneventful, other than a very smelly (BO) bus driver that I had the misfortune of sitting behind. I tried putting some of my coconut lipbalm above my upper lip to mask the smell, but it didn't help. The bus got me to Terminal 1 almost 3 hours before my flight. Plenty of time to get to terminal 3, clear security and wait for my flight. The flight departed 10:30pm on Oct 3, so I knew I wouldn't be getting much sleep. I tried to nap on the plane, but didn't have much luck. My first flight was to Gatwick, in London. I needed to clear immigration (it ... read more
20221004_164542
20221004_164437
20221004_173433

Africa » Morocco » Tangier-TĂ©touan » Tangier August 3rd 2022

Occupying the northwest shoulder of the African continent, url=https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fl.mail.tripsavvy.com%2Frts%2Fgo2.aspx%3Fh%3D18555288%26tp%3Di-1NGB-9U-3Qtx-1eGVjDw-Hv-3ToHu-1c-1eGVtFL-l7oty5W2oj-xqVZ6%26x%3Da05a6c1f823f1a17a5fb2d91803907faad125be3%257c818397%257c20220802%257c080222%257c818397%257c93689532252&data=05%7C01%7C%7C0dd6863ff3bf49f8eb3c08da74ca99fd%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637950710772695770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4wuBTyJFrS7dXSrHg43HFbNkqok8JsUAlhJbxoXsARU%3D&reserved=0Morocco is rich with history and full of color. For some, its essence can be found in the bustling souks and walled medinas of Imperial Cities like url=https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fl.mail.tripsavvy.com%2Frts%2Fgo2... read more
Tangiers camel races
The famous medina

Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » Aroumd June 27th 2022

Arrival My students are safely returned home, I'm standing in the passport control line at the Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, and my vacation is about to begin. I'm next in line when I'm tapped on the shoulder. In the next line over is Steven, my martial arts instructor. He's wearing a white fedora that makes him look like a Miami mobster from the 1960s. Months ago we conceived the idea of meeting in Morocco. Given the unpredictability of modern travel and our fluctuating itineraries-- he coming through Barcelona and me Munich-- the probability that we'd ever meet seemed remote. But unpredictability is a two-way street. Sometimes it can work in your favor. The next morning we're on the Marrakech Express. I try to remember how the song goes: Travelling the train through clear Moroccan skies ... read more
Marrakech 3
Marrakech 2
Marrakech 4


SAT, 21 MAY 2022 – “Day 15: Marrakech - Your adventure tour ends after breakfast. (Breakfast included).” Our tour group was quite diverse and included many experienced world-wide travelers who lived in the U.S. (5), Canada (3), England (2), and Germany (1). One person had fallen ill and had to miss the trip. My roommate was born in Bangladesh but was moved to London by his parents at age 6 months. He has an interesting philosophy and believes much knowledge about life’s lessons can be learned from travel. He is the most experienced traveler in the group, by far, and has been to North Korea and Iran. Several others have been to Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean and have piqued my interest in each of those locales. Our tour group was quite diverse and included ... read more


THU, 19 MAY 2022 – Day 13: Marrakech - "We leave Essaouira this morning and return to Marrakech to explore the final one of Morocco’s four Imperial cities we visit on this tour. Marrakech is set against the snow-capped Atlas Mountains; Its great pride and landmark are the Koutoubia Tower, sister to the Tower of Hassan in Rabat and the Giralda Tower in Sevilla. It is said that after the third of these was completed, the sultan had the eyes of his architect put out, lest he should build another more beautiful tower elsewhere. No visit to the city is complete without a visit to the city’s UNESCO-listed medina & Djemâa-el-Fna, an extraordinary gathering and marketplace. Overnight Marrakech. (Breakfast included).” FRI, 20 MAY 2022 – “Day 14: Marrakech - This morning, why not book our optional ... read more
Returning to Marrakech for the Grand Finale
Returning to Marrakech for the Grand Finale
Returning to Marrakech for the Grand Finale




Tot: 0.134s; Tpl: 0.008s; cc: 12; qc: 71; dbt: 0.0602s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.3mb