http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Morocco en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:58:11 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:58:11 UTC It's the end of November two days after Thanksgiving. What herein follows is a much delayed and succinct transcription of travels since last updatingAfter arriving in America I floundered about in the Northwest a bit before tying my shoes and hitching Eastward to New York City. Here I ended up living for a year in BedStuy Brooklyn surrounded by a great number of even greater people. I http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Souss-Massa-Dra-/blog-349722.html Wellthanksgiving in Morocco...I was sad to be spending the holiday away from my family for the first time ever..but honestly this turned out to be one of my favorite thanksgivings ever.we had a dinner with basically all of the American students and staff as well as some Moroccan guestsof course.The food was great..and we had a mulitidenominational blessing..which included a bit from the Imam http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-349708.html Hi Everyone The winds of travel blew me down in to Morocco for the last 3 weeks. It was a great adventure. A college friend of mine was traveling through Europe and got to Tarfia just a day after I got to my sister's house. It took very little convincing to talk me into going with him. I apologized to my sister and promised to come back in no more than 10 days She dropped us off at the ferry ter http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Mekn-s-Tafilalet/Azrou/blog-349574.html So I've had a few more Moroccan adventures on which to comment...After spending the last weekend sick in bed with an unidentified ailment well..basically a 24 hour flu bug..eww I was anxious to get out and about..I missed a class field trip to Volubilis on the 15th because of that illness so on the 18th meMarybethKelly and Erica decided to celebrate Moroccan Independence day by visiting Volub http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-348487.html When Alison and Sue asked me to go to Marrakech for a few days I could not help but remember my last visit. I went with Alan when Bruce was about 18 months old. Everywhere we went the local people were besotted with this beautiful little blond boy trying to pull him out of his pushchair and giving him things. Not to mention one stall holder grabbing one arm and alan the other while I was like http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-348461.html MoroccoWow. What a weekThere were so many eventsdramaother factors that lead up to this trip all of which caused the adventure to start way before we even left Paris Where should I starthellipAs some of you know the French Universities were on strike for six weeks starting on the latter part of November 2007. This meant that the students from the first semester were still trying to finis http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-347574.html 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 s http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-347442.html Morocco is not a place ideal for diabetics. Drink of choice is 'berberwhiskey' or mint tea a drink which contains about as much sugar as tea bydefault. The moroccans use a solid aubergine or marrow sized block andchip away with a hammer and often the lump has trouble fitting into theneck of the teapot. So the opportunity rarely comes around to see just howmuch sugar goes in. Today at the bus http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Souss/Taroudannt/blog-347432.html 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 sa http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Souss-Massa-Dra-/Agadir/blog-346675.html Le jour tant attendu de l'acquisition de notre Renault 4L est arriv le 14 novembre 2008. Un moment d'excitation et de joie qui reprsente la concrtisation de notre projet.Les premiers essais n'ont fait qu'accrotre notre motivation et laissent envisager un raid en toute srnit. cette heure la voiture affiche 99 000KM au compteur alors qu'elle date de 1989.Notre 4L est prte partir elle http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-346583.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Essaouira/blog-345986.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Essaouira/blog-345983.html Already 3 week spent in Morroco time flies My favourite places areChefchaouen This cute little town in surrounded by mountains and canabis farms The vatmosphere is very friendly and most walls inside the medina old town are painted in blue.Merzouga Very touristy but still enjoyable that's the place with the highest sand dunes in morroco up to 300 meters. Riding a camel for hours is http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Tangier-T-touan/Chefchaouen/blog-345546.html So have you been to morocco beforeSarah 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 ta http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-345379.html I've got no issues with communal toilets in the hostel. What I have issues with is when people are waiting for you outside the toilet after you've done a big smelly one. http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-345098.html Another quick entry gotta get out in the square here in Marrakech So far it is already crazy snake charmers monkeys and people fighting over you trying to drag you into their restaurant i almost got pulled in two last night.Here are a few more pics mostly fes but i will try to get some video in the square later dusk it supposed to be the busiest timegotta run http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-344736.html How can I even begin to describe the crazy Moroccan adventure that I just experiencedWell thanks to the Green March we had a holiday on Thursday and Friday which meant super long travel weekendA big group of us 11 to be exact MarybethKellyAmber Meghan Brian Frauke Maryam Khaula Mohammed Adam and I decided to venture down to Merzouga to experience a night in the Sahara.We had no id http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-344703.html Glen Fucking Hoddle The very man was on my flight to gib. Fantastic omen. Other than that gib is a bit soul less its got a massive rock that I walked up in converse and skinny jeans. Chaffage and pain. The monkeys are a devious bunch of bastards. Just ask kate that is one granola bar down and mike who got sucker punched in the stomach by one. Bad times.Now in Morocco of all places. Freezing in t http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Tangier-T-touan/Chefchaouen/blog-344382.html Now in Fes After 2 nights in Chefchaouen am now in Fes. I wanted to do a little exploring on own so i have set out by myself and started exploring the vast medina market it is busy and fun i have a few pics from here and a bunch from Chefchaouen. These keyboards are still making me crazy and i am anxious to get back out there so this will be a short entry. We are staying at some budget http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/F-s-Boulemane/Fes/blog-343999.html Je to prave pet let kdy jsme se v dobe Ramadanu s batohy na zadech a par penezi v kapse vydali do Maroka. Krome spousty zazitku a fotek jsme si hlavne privezli velke pratelstvi peti lidi ktere stale trva Kdysi jsem tyto radky poslala do Koktejlu a za obdrzeny honorar vyrazila do Amsterdamu. Myslim ze po peti letech nastal cas umistit tyto radky i sem do meho virtualniho deniku a pripomenout ta http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-342994.html Francois and I are recovering from a 2 day camel trek in the sand dunes. SAND DUNE CLIBING TIP 241When climbing sand dunes always walk along the ridge of the dune to get to the top. Refer to picture. I nearly missed the sunrise because I thought climbing up the dune face was the way to go later I realised the footprints I saw on the dune face were those of people going down not up. Camel trekki http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-342946.html Alive and well in Tangier. We got in about 430 this afternoon. Interesting place makes the winding streets of Spain look positively organized. I'd heard bad things about Tangier from a few people but I like it well enough. A little aggressive in terms of people trying to sell you things or give you tour guide services you don't want but still pretty okay really.Tree and I met up with a co http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Tangier-T-touan/Tangier/blog-342720.html It's been raining for the last few days and people told us it hasn't rained that much since 1996 Most people are quite happy about it despite the floods since it's good for agriculture.Yesterday we meet two guys from Casablanca. They were spending a few days in Taroudannt as well and we decided to spend the day at a small berber village a few kilometers away. We found a bus that was going th http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-341654.html sometimes I miss the convenience of LJ.msn officiel ChaariZakaria72NASA.gov snowing saysremsn officiel ChaariZakaria72NASA.gov snowing saysI saw ur pic under the snow msn officiel ChaariZakaria72NASA.gov snowing saysso coolBritt sayshahamsn officiel ChaariZakaria72NASA.gov snowing saysAutoMessage Ladies and gentlemen Zak's taking a shower p http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-340984.html Dirty Shoe LacesIreland is in a mall craze. Malls are believed to be key economic boosters in cities. Currently Galway plans to destroy 5 pubs including the one me and Tara work at. The other is one of the oldest pubs in Galway. They also plan to destroy some other really great things like liquor stores a small casino and a music venue. To go in their placehellipa mall Across the stree http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Doukkala-Abda/El-Jadida/blog-340580.html The sqaure at nightfacinating A variety and range of meals that never before have i set eyes on in all of my 30 years oftravelling.The senses will be treated to escargoes sheep brainsheep tonguecamel preserve and a range of dishes to delight and shock the system.An evening of socialing for the young population of Marrakesh.Snake charmers will keep you entertainedsuch vibrance the atmosphe http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-340461.html first pictures of Morroco...Spent a day in the markets of Marrakech.I found a perfect topic for Stuff that white people love ... it's seeing people making things.The best part about the markets was that there are lots of tiny places were people make the goods sold in the markets.Shoes bags lanterns dying fabric sewing tanning leather cutting leather.White people get so excited at seeing http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/blog-340112.html Interesting countryvery difficult to engage with the locals though http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Morocco/Grand-Casablanca/Casablanca/blog-340018.html