http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Morocco , Marrakech Tensift El Haouz , Marrakech en-us Fri, 13 Nov 09 07:52:29 +0000 Fri, 13 Nov 09 07:52:29 +0000 Off on travels again looking forward to experiencing the sights of Marrakech. Intend to trek the Atlas mountains and sleep with the locals and I mean sleep. Will be staying in a typical Morrocan House not far from the Madina. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-445601.html Hello again my intredpid friends and welcome once more to the adventures of your favorite traveller Lord Master Ian Michael. I shall pick up where my story so hasitily finished In Marrakech. Secretly just continuting the story right here is a bit of a stretch because I actually went back to Rabat got food poisoning said goodbye to my Desert compatriots and picked up a new group of peeps then http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-441462.html i am planning a trekking holiday in the atlas mountains1520 days.keadventures have a good intenerary.any suggestions http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-441173.html So my mom has been forwarding me my daily readings and I thought that you all might enjoy this one or at least I feel like it is a good one for this blog since I am on a journey not to say I am not always on a journey but a specific journey. This is by Melody Beattie from Journey to the Heart Part 2. 8232 ldquo8232Map your own journey. 8232Go on your own journey. Don't let others h http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-438621.html If you think yoursquore well rehearsed in the choreography required to navigate Oxford Street at rush hour on a Friday night then try any street in the medina of Marrakech. Dropped off by our taxi from the airport we found ourselves wading upstream as cyclists donkey carts the odd car and a multitude of mopeds often carrying whole families of father mother and child all share the same thr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-430725.html In our week long break between retreats we took a ferry over to Morocco North Africa. Arriving in Tanger we had a few hours to spare before our overnight train departed for Marrakech. Our first impressions of Morocco was that was an intense place. In the cities things are nonstop. Market stalls open early and trade late into the night. Everyone wants something from you and will stop at nothin http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-412289.html Last Friday we left for a marathon trip around the South of the country. Many hours in the bus brought us to beautiful hotels vibrant cities and the most diverse yet stunning natural beauty I have ever seen. I appear to be allergic to charging camera batteries because after replacing a lost battery charger before departing I have now lost my camera battery. Thus this post is missing pictures f http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-409600.html Arrived in Marrakech at dusk just in time to see the Djemma elFna the large square in the middle of the market area transform into an explosion of sensoral stimulation dozens of food stands selling cous cous and tajines spice stands mint tea snake charmers monkeys dancers drummers henna painters acrobatics completely and utterly fascinating and overwhelming We then spent the nex http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-406204.html Shopping in Marrakech.We're constantly plagued by thoughts inundating our minds about how we were constantly being ripped off while in Morocco. This is a common theme for us as well as most travelers. And we're not talking about paying more for something compared to a local. We're talking about sellers that start the price off at 10 times a reasonable price then insult you and harshly argue wi http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-402625.html Next destination Marrakech the pulse of Morocco.From Casablanca we purchased two train tickets to Marrakech 168DH21. A few sweaty hours later we arrived and asked a taxi driver to take us to the riad guest house we had booked in advance Riad Abbassia online at . Our taxi driver did not have a meter in his car and thus after negotiating what seemed a good price to us 200DH down t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-402607.html Wow what a couple of nights.I left off in Djemma in Marrakech to hit the hammam. Well as expected it wasnt my cup of tea. I left after about 10 of my cultural experience. In Casablanca I got quite a few 'what are you doing here looks' but it was all good in Marrakech until the hammam. There havent been many moments quite so awkward as being naked and hqving 20 naked men staring at you like yo http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-401420.html We need objects to remind us of the commitments we've made. That carpet from Morocco reminds us of the impulsive freedomloving side of ourselves we're in danger of losing touch with. Beautiful furniture gives us something to live up to. All designed objects are propaganda for a way of life.rdquo Alain de BottonWe arrived in Marrakesh in the late afternoon we have 2 nights here with the tour. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-401327.html Well well its been a bit. Im finding internet much harder to come by and keyboards much more difficult to cope with. My choices here are arabic keyboards or english keyboards where infuriatingly enough every key is in the exqct same place except for about 5. Arrrgh.Anyway my family and I never quite made it up to Venice due to a bum train schedule so we did Florence insteadd. Pretty cool litt http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-400790.html Started the day at 730 am with Scottish John. Went for breakfast soup ldquoBrdquo then checked out a palace. Went to visit Johnrsquos friend Abdullah. They recounted tales of yesteryear when they were both boozehounds. Apparently John did a lot of opium and heroine in the past. Abdullah invited us both to dinner at 3 pm. Spent the rest of the afternoon in Souks bought nothing. John i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-399021.html No sleep last night only during the flight. Arrived in the midmorning after a good flight must endeavour to meet Ryan Air stewardesses in London. Met a Scotsman named John. He knows Morocco. I Found a decent hotel for cheap Hotel Imouzzer. Breakfasted on the main square and then slept until 330pm. I must go buy flipflops and have my first shower in four days Irsquom also looking forw http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-398846.html Signs of culture shock may include dizziness claustrophobia displacement and a slightly glazed over appearance as you realize there ARE no streetsigns.I write again from Marrakesh in something called the cyber park where I am mostly surrounded by other tourists with equally bad french and dressed eerily like myself. I figure I'd take the opportunity to write an entry as internet here is not http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-398341.html A few of us leaving Marrakech later in the day walked to Menara Garden in the morning a popular local hangout. We unknowingly took the less scenic route through the industrial area on the way over but its lagoon and villastyle pavilion offered a peaceful retreat. The view of the snowcapped Atlas Mountains in the background was incredible too bad it was a bit hazy that day.We walked back alon http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-398252.html In the morning we had guided tours of Koutoubia Mosque Saddian Tombs and Bahia Palace. The Moorishstyle mosque dated back to the early 12th century and was a model for the Hassan Tower in Rabat and the Giralda in Seville. If you look carefully the minaret is topped by four orbs instead of three. The extra one was offered by the mother of the Saadian sultan Ahmed el Mansour Edhabi in penance http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-398247.html A short drive today took us to Marrakech. It is one of the four Imperial Cities. It is also known as the Red City because of the terracotta construction of many of its buildings city of gardens for the many gardens. My first impression was not favourable because it was noisy and air was polluted from tailpipe emissions. In the afternoon we walked to Majorelle Gardens the resting place of Yve http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-398245.html Following on from a fantastic wedding we have to say that as it was our own Sally and I embarked on our shortest longishhaul trip ever only 6 days in Morocco Normally we'd have just bought our return flights and worked things out on arrival but as it was our honeymoon we decided to pre book and make the most of the short time we had away.Sally found the most amazing Riad I would have been http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-397717.html