pummel
Alex Brown Joined: January 29th 2006
Logged in: September 18th 2010
Logged in: September 18th 2010
Travel Blog Posts
Trying to negotiate a taxi to go a very specific route across a mountain pass is not easy. For a start, literacy is very low so writing Taroudannt » Tizi N Test » Marrakech, 1 pax, 9h30 isnt as clear as you may hope or think. Also once you finally get the message across not many drivers are willing to take it, so there is not much room for establishing a fair price. No busses run the route, so there are no real alternatives. I eventually got a driver to agree to do the route, and while im sure I paid over the odds it was still a dirt cheap trip in terms of experience, and in terms of what the journey would have cost me back home. The Tiz N Test is a mountain pass ... read more
Morocco is not a place ideal for diabetics. Drink of choice is 'berber whiskey' or mint tea, a drink which contains about as much sugar as tea by default. The moroccans use a solid aubergine or marrow sized block and chip away with a hammer, and often the lump has trouble fitting into the neck of the teapot. So the opportunity rarely comes around to see just how much sugar goes in. Today at the bus station waiting to go to taroudannt I got my answer. I was given 9 cubes for what in the uk would be a single cup of tea (moroccan tea cups are a lot smaller). The unfortunate thing is that I am now so used to this particular tea being so sickly sweet that it just doesn't taste right if you ... read more
Good intentions. The road to hell is paved with good intentions (whereas the road to southend is paved with bitumen...). I never did make the essaoiria dawn, although for a holiday 730 am isn't bad as a start. Iwent down for breakfast then set off for a final stroll around this citythat I have to say I have really taken to. Its such a relaxed place and just existing here is nice. I can't really say I've done a ton the last few days but I've loved it. I think three days in marrakech doing nothing much would have driven me to drink, which is not particularly easy in this country! Friendship is a funny thing. I returned to my friends at the spice souk. While willing to offer me all sorts of narcotics for free ... read more
The annoying thing about Riads which also makes them fantastic is the amount of light coming down into them. One one hand if you so choose you can sleep all day and all night, but on the other hand if you are relying on natural light to wake you, you may end up oversleeping. My plans to wake at dawn were retrospectively ambitious alarm clock or otherwise, but regardless dawn was well done by the time I awoke. Despite the Riad being very nice its shower is little more than a lukewarm dribble, so I decided to get a proper wash by going to a Hammam. I found 3 which were all women only in the day (and men in the evening) so I booked a slot and went to get a shave. Ive never had ... read more
I decided that it was time to leave Marrakech. I knew that I was coming back, so it wasnt leaving out of spite in a huffy strop, I just thought that was the best way to do things... After breakfast I headed off the the bus station to head to Essaouira. I knew that I would be hassled by touts, and I knew I would pay a markup if i used their services but time was so tight that I decided to do so just to make sure I caught the bus. I overpaid by about 20 DH... quite a lot on the cost of the ticket but when converted back into the pound, however weak, it was worth saving a 2 hour wait in the bus station. I found myself sat next to a very ... read more
"So have you been to morocco before?" Sarah it turned out was on her way to the final weekend of a hen week in Marrakech, flying out for literally 24 hours in Morocco. An honourable effort indeed. And seeing the place that they had booked I think it must have been worth it. You never know your luck on a flight and I did alright, with a spare seat for legrooms and someone with which to share a taxi. i shared a ride into the centre of the medina with Felicity (bride to be who had lived in Morocoo for a year aged 17), Sarah and Kirsty, and they invited me to their riad for tea and travel trips. It was a beautiful 3 story Riad which was like something straight out of an arabian nights ... read more
Waterways
Waiting for my taxi (sorry Anne, LIFT, for which I am eternally grateful) to dinner and then the airport as I write this. Spent the day wandering around the city getting hot, sweaty and exhausted. It was nice tho, although for the second time I tunrned up at the royal palace too late to actual go in! I could really live in Bangkok, and hopefully Ill get an opportunity to spend some more time here in the coming years. Its been a great 5 months. Ive met some wonderful people, seen some beautiful places, eaten some delicious food and got a pretty crap tan. All in all an experience to remember. Hopefully the friends I've made will be friends into the future, and hopefully the next trip will be not too far away. I was planning ... read more
A global brand...
I spent today with Anne, who I met on a flight in March from Tokyo to Sydney. We went for a walk around bustling China Town (Sam Peng) in the morning before heading over the the very floral flower market. Then we went to the Old Siam Plaza (reputadly called old because of its clientele as well as the face that its old!). We had lunch in the uber trendy Thong Lor street where I sampled the dish "Meng Kham" for the first time. This is a build-it-yourself style meal where lime, onion, ginger, lime, chilli, peanuts and dried shrimp are wrapped in a beetle nut leaf (which is actually a natural opiate!). In the evening we went to a few bars on the RCA (Royal City Avenue) before hitting the Bed Supper Club. Then we ... read more
Reclining Buddah
I met up with Charmy (who I met in Vientienne) and she showed me various sights around town, from the famous reclining budda at Wat Pho, to Wat Aruns towering pinnacles as well as the very western modernity around Siam Squares many upmarket department stores. I love the variety that Bangkok has to offer - some areas have a small town feel, other really make it feel like the big city it is. Some areas seem to be pure chaos, while other are far more relaxed. I am certainly getting a much better feel about Bangkok than last time I was here, and have no regrets about avoiding the Khoa San Road! Grandmothers please don't read the next bit (well only if your my grandmother, grandmothers in general are allowed to) The real eye opener of ... read more
A refund? Never... As I was walking around the streets of Vientienne I happened to pass the travel agent who had sold me a VIP priced ticket for a local bus. I couldnt resist going in to say something, even though I knew it could do no good. No-one believes in service in this corner of the globe, so whos going to care about a few dollars for a random tourist. Well how wrong could I have been! I got a sincere apology and a refund of the difference. This must be a 1 in a Million! The last supper For my last meal in Laos I decided to have Laap one last time, so went to a suitably lao looking restaurant. How wrong could I be? This place didnt serve sticky rice. Now those who ... read more
