Blogs from Marrakech, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Morocco, Africa - page 20

El Maghreb This trip was so cool for so many reasons! - It gave me the opportunity to land on the continent of Africa, thus covering all continents in my travels (apart from Antartica); - It was the first time I organise to meet up with someone that I had met while travelling - I planned this trip with Yau who I had met in 2010 while travelling in Turkey and whom I had stayed in touch with; - I finally got to see Morocco, a country I had always been intrigued about and a country which joined my list of 3 places that really exceeded my expectations in terms of natural beauty, kindness of the people, good food and general great place for travel :) I booked a flight with Qatar Airways from Beirut to ... read more

Our first trip to the African continent started with an airport transfer... to the wrong hotel! There are two royal mirage hotels in Marrakech and of course we got delivered to the wrong one. And the reception said that our booking had been cancelled. Nice. So after a few dramas (finding a taxi, negotiating a price, etc) we ended up in the right place with our proper booking. Whew! So the first thing we did was head into town and check out the markets. A total tourist trap of course, but still full of hustle and bustle and tonnes of locals doing their shopping too. The main square boasts everything from snake charmers (with their poisonous looking cobras!) to food stalls, stalls selling freshly squeezed juice, people selling knick knacks, kids selling biscuits, and everything inbetween. ... read more

Unfortunately they didn't feed us again until 1 hr before landing and as Jules had slept through the first meal she was about to bite someone's arm off. Breakfast was huge, ham, cheese, croissant, yoghurt, juice, coffee, a roll, fruit. Landed about 50 mins early, seemed like we'd taxid for eons, took eons to get through immigration and same to find the Sheraton. 7am, no room until 9, bummer, we are here until nearly 4. Checked in, dropped our bags and went for a walk, nothing open, back to hotel lobby - the Aussie Open was on in the bar so we went in and ordered 2 coffees, worst since Cunamulla in '09! I went to reception at 7:20 to get the passcode for the wifi and they now have a room, awesome. Sleep, couldn't, got ... read more

Morocco is a country that a lot of people don’t know a lot about; it can be a hidden jewel for some or a total disaster for others. It can be a lot of fun or it can be a real pain. I’ve been twice and for me it was very fun both times. Casablanca isn’t for tourists, although the Hassan II Mosque is worth seeing. Marrakech is the place to go, they have mounted camel gun shows, snake charmers, monkeys, and for a fee, and you must be really stupid to do but you can have your teeth pulled with pliers. But the activities, tours, and sightseeing are not what I will be blogging about today. Food however, is more up my alley. If you may or may not know, Morocco is a Muslim country ... read more

Returning to Marrakech after a two year absence was akin to feeling the embrace of a missed companion. This is a place that enchants the visitor with its veritable feast for the senses, from the music of the snake charmers to the aromas of the nightly food market in the main square. Whilst there is a large modern district, typified by long tree lined avenues, the real heart and soul of Marrakech lies with the walls that surround the Medina. The winding alleys of this Medina are juxtaposed with the expansive Jemaa el Fna square. During daylight hours this area is inhabited by palm readers, mystics, cobras swaying to Arabic scales, fruit sellers, monkey handlers and countless curious onlookers. Once night falls, this scene is replaced by another, consisting entirely of food stalls cooking up Moroccan ... read more