Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 195

Day 4 - it was Saturday, so a "day of rest" for us. But with the Souks so close by, we had a great time wandering around, knowing that we couldn't buy anything (see explanation on day3). We had bought tickets to the Marrakech Museum and the Medersa on Friday, so we spent the morning visiting these very interesting places. Definitely not to be missed. Back to Mrs. Peretz for lunch, and then another walk around the Jemma El Fna, this time during the day. There were a few snake-charmers around, but not so many - maybe because it was November, and there weren't many tourists? Saturday evening, we had booked tickets to Ali's Fantazia. Again, everyone was very accommodating - the owner of our Riad had very decently driven over on Friday to book a ... read more

Day 6 - today we were supposed to have a whole day in Marrakech, leaving the hotel at around 17:00, to catch our flight out at 19:10. But, as I told you on day 5 - Iberia screwed us again, and we had to leave our hotel at 12:00, so basically the whole day was shot. We wanted to make the best of it anyway, and enjoy the atmosphere and smells till the last second. So, we made an early start, to see the sights that we had not seen on Friday (remember? we went into the Souks and almost never left?) - so that meant the Saadian Tombs, El Bahia palace, and Palais Dar Si Said. We left the Riad, and looked for a taxi, but there were none to be had. Now, do you ... read more

Day 2 - Jeep trip from Marrakech to the Tizi-N-Tichka pass, Telouet, Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, and back .... Off we went on our jeep trip into the Atlas mountains. We discovered quite early on that sitting in the back of a 7-seater jeep, travelling at 80 kph, is not a huge lot of fun, so we had quite a lot of stops for changing places, and for getting rid of our breakfast, snack, lunch, etc. .... As I say, this trip is not for the faint-hearted. The views are amazing, and if you are into narrow trails on the edge of a ravine, with two-way traffic - then this is JUST what you want to do for a day or two :-) We were told that this trail is part of the Paris-Dakar race, and now ... read more

We are nearing the one month mark of our return from Morocco, and so we turn to these: images that keep us close to an experience that is quickly fading from our daily reality. We still sometimes say "shokran" instead of "thankyou," and will occassionally burst into giggles while saying "Scuse me" and recalling the sweet way Tahara insistently repeated her five-word English vocabulary. But it is difficult to keep a daily vigil of remembrance of Morocco when we are immersed in a completely different context, where characters like Omar or patterns of daily life (like waking up to the dawn call of prayer) are entirely absent. So we get along with our lives, waiting for an invitation to Siham's wedding or any other excuse to go back, turning to these in the meantime. Photos of ... read more

The first day of our trip consisted of waking up at 3 am. I dont want to ever wake up that early again. We made it safely to Girona and had only been out of the bus station maybe 2 minutes when we needed to cross the street. I was the last one of the four of walking when BAM!!! All of a sudden I am on all fours in the middle of the cross walk and cant get up because my pack was starting to fall over my head. Talk about starting the trip off on the right foot, I couldnt even stay on my feet. Then as soon as I get up this woman rushes over and speaks rapidly in Catalon and I cant understand a word she is saying so I muster the ... read more