Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 203

This was our second day in Morocco. We went back to the market for the morning. Same things, just as great the second time. Only now we knew what was coming, and we were veterans at bargaining. I got all my gifts today for everyone back home. I’m shocked all over again at where I am. This is amazing. After some shopping, me Ryan and Jamie sit down at a café and have some more mint tea. This time it has full mint leaves in them. It is so good. I can’t wait to bring some home for my Mudd Puddlers  We have a long drive today, and are heading more inland. I’m not sure exactly where we’re going, but it’s far. At least six hours of traveling. The roads are on the sides of ... read more

Next stop on the list is Ait Benhaddou, site of one of the most photographed Kasbahs in the world. It's been seen in such films as Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and Jewel of the Nile among many others. We only spent a couple hours here, but it was a worthwhile photo op. Much of it looks like ancient ruins until you find out that people still live in the Kasbah. We spent the night at a campsite just outside of town and prepared for the drive over the High Atlas mountains to Marrakech.... read more

It was a beautiful drive from Rabat to Todra Gorge, it took us just under two days of driving to get there. We saw monkeys on the side of the road, and villiages in places you wouldn't expect to see villiages. In a seemingly endless expanse of nothingness would emerge villages made of mud bricks surrounded by palm trees and corn fields. Irrigation is amazing. When we arrived in Todra Gorge we started in the incredibly touristy portion along with hoards of French and Spanish tour busses. It was a pretty cool view from the centre of the gorge, but for us, the fun was only starting. We camped further up the gorge at a small hotel away from the crowds. For the first time on the trip we were away from city lights and campground ... read more

Rock The Kasbah Our final bit of Morocco involved a ton more driving. It seems that you can’t get anywhere in Morocco without driving a long way. The roads are definitely better than many parts of the world but the drivers are exactly the same. You start to wonder, after traveling this long, if most of the world’s population learns to drive by playing video games. Aggressive is an incredible understatement for the average day’s drive. While we successfully made it from point A to point B and, eventually, point C, there were many times it felt like the outcome was in doubt as we dodged oncoming traffic and sped around trucks, buses and cars. All in a days fun I guess! Our first stop out of Marrakech was Ait Benhaddou in the eastern part ... read more

Volubulis dates back to 2nd or 3rd century AD. All that remain are ruins, which some have been reconstructed by the french, to give us an idea of what it may have looked like way back then. There are also still some beautiful mosaics, which unfortunately are fading fast in the heat of the sun. Some people think that Volubulis was abanded because too many people were dying from lead poisoning. The water pipes were made out of lead. Here are a few neat pictures, again the truck kitty paid for a guide. Unfortunately the guide was not very enthusiatic due to the heat, and the lack of food and water (Ramadan). The tour lasted no more than an hour.... read more