Blogs from Morocco, Africa

(Get ready...this one's long!) Today was our first full day in Morocco and many of our group agreed it was the best day yet! Our hotel Diana Park had a wonderful breakfast spread, including watermelon, sliced meats, hard boiled eggs, assorted pastries and croissants, and hot mint tea. While we ate, we all enjoyed watching the male and female peacock with their 3 young ones strutting around the garden. And we looked forward to swimming in the cool blue pool later that afternoon! Mohamed was an exceptional guide throughout the day, always eager to share his love of Morocco, insights into Islam, and information about history or architecture. We started at one of the many palaces where the king and princes stay when they visit Fez. Viewed from the front, we could see all seven golden ... read more

April 30th. As our train to Ronda left at 6:45am, it was an early departure from the apartment. Kelly considerately carried his wheelie bag on the 10 minute walk down to Plaza Nueva as it would have been so noisy on the cobblestones otherwise - and the rest of the neighbourhood was still sleeping. Taxis are at the Plaza 24/7 and the short ride to the train station was a lot cheaper than expected - according to the internet, a premium is charged before 7am. Once at the station, it turned out there actually is NO train service from Granada, so instead we travelled by “rail bus”. An hour after departure we reached the isolated train station of Antequera where anyone heading to Madrid did get a train while the rest of us transferred to another ... read more

It was a bit soggy when we arrived in Tangier. Once again a taxi from the airport was easy to find and the whole journey from Nador to the url=https://www.booking.com/hotel/ma/rembrandt.en.html?aid=1769628&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CAHotel Rembrandt was over in the blink of a bleary eye. Our room wasn't ready though, one of the perils of an early flight, but the cafe opposite had good coffee and croissants, and strong WiFi so we were able to chill for a couple of hours. Once inside the hotel we were pleased with our choice. Yes, there's a lot of faded elegance going on and it's definitely a throwback to the 1970s but it was comfortable enough and the price is great too. Unfortunately, especially for those in need of a siesta after an early flight, there was significant renovation going on somewhere inside the ... read more

Al Houceima is well off the beaten tourist track but coming here gives you first hand insight into Riffian life, as this is the beating heart of the Rif region of Morocco. The bus from Tétouan was supposed to take 8 hours but in the end it was closer to 9. That may sound like a bit of a nightmare but it was reasonably comfortable, not too full, and the driver stopped at appropriate times for toilet breaks! What more could you ask for? The route took us back up to Chefchaouen, but it only skirted the town, then through the dramatic mountains until finally dropping down to the coast. Seeing the sign saying there were only a mere 32km left to go was quite a relief. At Al Houceima the bus station is quite a ... read more

Leaving Spain at the Ceuta border you are greeted by a mass of taxis, but they are not all vying for your business. They seem to have a co-ordinator who takes all the hassle out getting a ride, and there’s no haggling for prices – they are fixed no matter how hard you try! It takes about two hours to travel along the pretty coastline, past Tétouan, and up into the beautiful hills to the blue city of Chefchaouen, all for €50. Not cheap, but we couldn’t be doing with getting a taxi to nearby Fnideq, changing on a bus to Tétouan, and then changing onto another bus to our final destination, all to save a few Euros. We were deposited at the base of the medina where an old man led us up through the ... read more