Blogs from Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Morocco, Africa - page 67

Having found the public transport to be consistently inconsistent during our Moroccan adventure, we were not surprised that out overnight bus did not arrive on time in Marrakech. We were very surprised to be pulling into the bus stop 40 minutes early at 0420. This posed a bit of a problem as we were none-to-keen to be out walking around town in the dark. Fortunately a bakery displayed an opening time of 0500 on the window so we stayed put at the station, eventually passing the time over bread, jam and hot chocolate. It was 0630 when the sun started threatening the dark of night so we hit the streets in search of the main part of town. It was a good 10 minutes before the three of us realised that something was amiss and it ... read more

Jimi Hendrix really has nothing to do with my experience in the lovely, lovely Essaouira, but a lot of Essaouirians(?) kept telling me that he, along with tother celebs like the Beatles and Bob Marley, hung out and made music there back in the olden days so obviously it's a big deal to them. It has been a bit of a hub for those in the arts community, with Orson Welles shooting 'Othello' there and more recently Ridley Scott shooting 'Kingdom of Heaven.' Though I was relaxed everywhere in Morocco, Essaouira was a lot more chilled out than the other places I went and there was a really happy vibe about town. I was smiling also because the sun was out, the sky was blue and my body got to feel fresh air on my skin ... read more

It was all happening in the centre of town in Marrakech.. Snake charmers, street plays, food stalls, souks (markets) selling everything from shisha to colourful handmade carpets, hand made Moroccan ceramics, people approaching you from every angle to eat their seafood, drink their freshly squeezed orange juice.....complete madness! Louise, Sarah and l commenced a 9 day intrepid tour by arriving into Marrakech one day earlier to soak up the Morrocan culture before the tour began. We spent 3 days trekking the tallest mountain in Northern Africa - The Atlas Mountains. The views from the mountains were incredible. l've never seen such beauty - snow capped mountains on one side and dry, green mountains on another. We stayed in little villages in the middle of the mountains, no hot water, little heating, home cooked Moroccan tagines and ... read more

I hadn't planned to go by myself to Essaouira. Yesterday, Elaine dismounted awkwardly from a mule at Imlil, and we had spent the rest of the day in Marrakech getting her treated. Today, she was supposed to be resting at the hotel, and I was on my way to the coast, able to occupy two seats on the bus. ... read more

Since my site is just north of Marrakech I had two options for travel from Immouzzer: I could take a series of busses and grand taxis directly south through Beni Milal, or I could go a fairly roundabout way by taking a grand taxi from Immouzzer to Fès and then the train to Marrakech. Considering that a group of about twelve trainees were going to have to spend the night in Marrakech, I chose the latter. When we got up very early that morning I almost couldn’t believe that I was going to be taking a train to Marrakech. I had to take the Crosby, Stills & Nash CD with me on the train so I could listen to “Marrakech Express.” That’s such a calming album for me, it always reminds me of lazy Sunday mornings ... read more