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

Nach der bislang längsten Fahrtstrecke, die wir aber mit Hilfe von der "Schule der magischen Tiere" und "Benjamin Blümchen"-Hörbüchern gut rumbekommen haben, erreichen wir am späten Nachmittag Oualidia, einen kleinen im Ausland recht unbekannten Strandort an der Atlantikküste. Der ziemlich unspektakuläre Ort punktet mit seiner Lage an einer riesigen Lagune, die zum Baden einlädt, weil sie die rauhen Atlantikwellen so sehr zähmt, dass Baden mit Kindern hier problemlos möglich ist. Daher kommen in der Hauptsaison hier auch hunderttausende Marrokkaner im Jahr zum Badeurlaub, jetzt in der Nebensaison soll es allerdings angenehm ruhig sein. Außer den vielen einheimischen Touristen kommen auch sehr viele Spezies an Zugvögeln hier her und Flamingos soll es auch ab und an in der Lagune geben. Ob das Wetter zum Baden aber wirklich warm genug sein wird, daran haben wir Zweifel, aber zumindest ... read more

After a very short visit to Canada to celebrate mom, Aunt Emmy and Heather's birthdays, I headed out for my trip. The bus from London to Toronto airport was uneventful, other than a very smelly (BO) bus driver that I had the misfortune of sitting behind. I tried putting some of my coconut lipbalm above my upper lip to mask the smell, but it didn't help. The bus got me to Terminal 1 almost 3 hours before my flight. Plenty of time to get to terminal 3, clear security and wait for my flight. The flight departed 10:30pm on Oct 3, so I knew I wouldn't be getting much sleep. I tried to nap on the plane, but didn't have much luck. My first flight was to Gatwick, in London. I needed to clear immigration (it ... read more

SAT, 21 MAY 2022 – “Day 15: Marrakech - Your adventure tour ends after breakfast. (Breakfast included).” Our tour group was quite diverse and included many experienced world-wide travelers who lived in the U.S. (5), Canada (3), England (2), and Germany (1). One person had fallen ill and had to miss the trip. My roommate was born in Bangladesh but was moved to London by his parents at age 6 months. He has an interesting philosophy and believes much knowledge about life’s lessons can be learned from travel. He is the most experienced traveler in the group, by far, and has been to North Korea and Iran. Several others have been to Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean and have piqued my interest in each of those locales. Our tour group was quite diverse and included ... read more

Today we have the whole day to explore and enjoy the sights and activities of Essaouira. There is an opportunity to do some optional activities. Overnight La Perle de Mogador, Essaouira, Morocco (Breakfast included).”... read more

TOUR 1 – Morocco Encompassed– 15 Days; Nomadic Tours; SAT, 7 MAY 2022 – SAT, 21 MAY 2022 My first accompanied, group tour is a 15-day trek that begins and ends in Marrakech, Morocco. This is the only tour that is the same tour as I had planned in 2020, with the exception that I had planned to pick up the full tour on Day 2 in Casablanca, Morocco. After the folks from Nomadic Tours had cancelled the tour and then learned of my isolated plight, they remained in contact with me to assure my welfare up until the time I reached London, England. Even though my tour money had been promptly refunded (vs. a ”voucher for future travel”), this “above and beyond” concern for my welfare during my crisis generated a sense of loyalty to ... read more