norman328

After my exploration of the southern running Talaa Seghira in the Medina the previous day, I thought it best to try the main northern passage, the Talaa Keriba. To begin with this route seemed much more food orientated, the street being lined with meat in many forms including cow's legs dangling from vendor's stores, many live chickens clucking away and the odd rabbit. The Medersa el-Attrariane offered brief respite from the Medina madness, as well as allowing for the gratuitous use of close up photography focusing on the wonderfully detailed architecture. Having previously politely declined shop vendor's rather forceful suggestions that I come to look at their wares, I though it was time to see what they had on offer. This turned out to be a particularly terrible idea, especially in the case of the carpet ... read more

My first full day in Rabat kicked off with mint tea and croissant for breakfast, followed by a long walk up to the Roman ruins of Chelah on the outskirts of Rabat. The crumbling ruins made for intriguing exploration, accompanied by the soundtrack of clacking from the hundreds of storks that have come to nestle in there. Here I met a chap called Dan from near Gothenburg, Sweden, who was passing through Rabat on an epic journey south into Western Africa. He seemed unperturbed by the minefield he'd be encountering in the Western Sahara, and had another two months to go as far south as possible. With the crashing waves of the Atlantic on my doorstep, I decided to take my first ever surfing lesson at the Oudayas Surf Club. Given the instructors basic grasp of ... read more

During my first time wandering the Medina, the touts and faux guides were becoming increasingly annoying, and frequent. It became apparent that Marrakech is not a place you can discover at your own pace, the second you stop to look at something, get out a guide or map, you get hounded. People try and steer you towards shops and hotels where they will doubtless get commission, or hassle you to engage their services as a guide (which is illegal, and bloody annoying). Whether you ignore them or politely decline, the reaction is often unpleasant, and many times I was followed by unpleasant people who were very difficult to get rid of. I might sound like I'm being a bit pathetic, but trust me, when you're there and the hassle is constant, it gets too much. Despite ... read more