Sign In
Page 4 of Meg and Rob Travel Blog Posts
October 21st 2011
Day 7 Today was a day of leisure at Les Jardins de Skoura. The building is an old one made in the traditional style of the area using clay and straw. The walls are very thick and the windows small meaning that it stays cool in summer and warm in winter. There are lots of nooks and crannies where you can while away the time, including two roof terraces and tented areas in the garden, where we have had our meals. Rob found the hammocks very comfortable! Caroline, the French lady who owns Les Jardins, makes everyone feel very welcome and her two dogs and cat add to the homely feel. There is not much to do in the near area, with the exception of some ruined Kasbahs to visit and we decided against that today. ... read more
October 21st 2011
Day 6 We got up at 5.30am and quickly dressed and went outside where it was already semi-light and our young guide and two camels awaited us. Rob was given the grumpier and slightly smaller of the two. Mine was lovely and, like most animals, enjoyed being scratched behind the ears. It was a short journey up to the top of the dunes and the camels made light work of it. Despite the slow pace, if we had walked it would have taken twice as long: just completing the last 20 yards or so on foot really made us pant – it is not easy walking uphill on sand. However, the view from the top made it more than worthwhile. We waited in silence for the sun to appear and finally there it was and it ... read more
October 21st 2011
Day 5 Today we drove (or rather Abdul drove us) south east to the Sahara. We crossed the middle Atlas Mountains, stopping for coffee at Ifrane, called the Switzerland of Morocco because of its architecture. There is a ski resort nearby... hand s up who knew you could ski in Morocco – we certainly didn’t! Ifrene is also known for the only private university in Morocco (all education including university is free). The university was established by the kings of Saudi Arabia and Morocco and is attended by students from around the world. After passing through some magnificent scenery, we stopped for lunch at a place called Midelt, conveniently midway between our starting point of Fez and Erfoud, although the name has an entirely different meaning. Midelt is famous for its apples of all things. The ... read more
October 18th 2011
A full day in Fez today, we were again awoken by the call to dawn prayer at 5:00am but we were both off to sleep again with no problem only to be woken again at 7:00 by the cockerels. A nice relaxing day with a leisurely breakfast in the garden of our Riad, before starting on our tour of Fez with a guide, walking through the medina and souks. Within the medina, which is a UNESCO world heritage site there are lots of cooperatives selling various things like carpets and leather goods. Our guide took us to one of these where first we visited the roof for a fantastic view of the medina, looking down into the mosque, before sitting down and being served tea. Once you are relaxed they start getting the carpets out to ... read more
October 17th 2011
Well this is only our second full day here but it seems like more as we have done so much. Today we had our early morning call at 5:00 am when the Imans call the faithful to prayer, we then left Rabat at 9:00am for the journey to Meknes, one of the imperial cites of Morocco. Our package included the guide for a walking tour around the city and visits to the old fortification and grain stores. The tour of the local market is all that you can imagine, from spices and olives to pastries covered with bees and rabbits and chickens being sold whole (and alive) or jointed if you wish, we didn’t question the extent of the service, but unlike the fish market in Casablanca, it wasn’t smelly. We then moved on to Voloubilis, ... read more
October 16th 2011
Last night’s dinner at the Novotel Casa was an unusual experience. The food was delicious and the staff were attentive. However, the colour changing lights, which provided such a wonderful ambience in the bar area, made having a meal rather interesting. When they were on green the tomatoes were black and when red everything was rather dark and the lettuce was a funny brown colour. All this was accompanied by an ‘easy listening’ compilation of some of your favourite songs. Imagine Smoke on the Water, Wonderwall and Stairway to Heaven done in a soft-shuffle jazz... nice! This morning we visited the Hassan II mosque. This is a fantastic place to visit and one of the very few mosques in Morocco that non Muslims can enter. It is built out over the Atlantic Ocean – a beautiful ... read more
October 15th 2011
So we have finally arrived after a long day travelling, an awful lot of which was queuing up to get through passport control in Casablanca. We have met our driver Abdul who will be accompanying us on our adventure around Morocco. Contrary to the supplied information, our driver speaks excellent English. He has promised to teach us some Arabic with a test at the end of the holiday. Once we had checked in, we toured the local medina this afternoon with its markets. Hot weather and local produce led to some interesting aromas, particularly in the fish district, but the many families of cats in the vicinitydidn’t seem to mind. Despite Rob's fear of being persistently hassled to "come into my shop" or "buy this" it was ok really and we were left alone to wander ... read more
July 31st 2010
As we stayed in “The Last Word” (Bishopscourt) and I know I can’t match it I am calling this the final word! So what can I say about our holiday in South Africa, the simple answer it that is was the best holiday ever. I have wanted to come to Southern Africa since I was a teenager when I started reading Wilbur Smith books. I am not naive and I would not have wanted to come before the end of apartheid and I know it still has its problems, some of the poverty we have seen in only driving past some of the shanty towns is terrible and it needs resolving. Housing is an issue here high on the political agenda, as it should be, but I do not want to dwell on the negative. In ... read more
Day twelve and final morning
Published: July 31st 2010Africa » South Africa » Eastern Cape » Paterson
July 31st 2010
Our final full day here, a drive this morning again to the south of the reserve and again a spectacular trip: leopards again, copulating this time. Our guide didn’t believe how lucky we were, as he had never seen it before. Many visitors don’t get the chance to see leopards at all. He was so excited that he took us back there. We also saw black rhino, sightings of which are also very rare. In addition we saw lots of other animals and birds. Another drive in the afternoon now the “big five” had been seen our ranger got into more detail, hippos, plants, birds, tracking and all of the other animals. Now another highlight: a night drive. As soon as we left the camp we saw the most amazing stars. Jacques claimed not to know ... read more
July 31st 2010
Well today was our first full day on safari, an early start with a 6.30 call for breakfast at 7am. We left for the game drive at about 8am. First order of the day was the hunt for lions. Obviously they are not that common in the reserve so they took some finding but eventually we tracked them down. It's easy to lose track of all of the animals, birds, and plant life that we have seen, but Shamwari provide a little booklet to check off all the various animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plant life you have seen. It makes a nice keepsake at the end of your stay. Our guide Jacques is very knowledgeable and would give Ray Mears a run for his money. The highlight of the morning was leaving the vehicle and ... read more
Options
Blogged From
TravelBlog Awards
Top Photos
Tot: 0.153s; Tpl: 0.007s; cc: 11; qc: 80; dbt: 0.0523s; 1; s:apollo w:www (50.28.60.10); sld: 2; ; mem: 6.5mb
© 2013 TravelBlog.org & Bloggers