Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 210

url='/Videos/3566.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/3566.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'Djemaa el Fnaaurl='/Videos/3842.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/3842.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'drums The train ride from Meknes to Marrakech was interesting in that for a good distance the terrain was vitually barren with some sparse vegation scraping out an existance among stretches of hills covered in various hues of sand from grey to red. Occasionally there would be a river or small train station to break up the monotany of the last few hours of the trip. The train got in in the early afternoon and I got a bed at Hotel Ali in the converted crawl space/storage room/dorm right above the kitchen. The ceilings of the dorm were barely high enough for me to stand up in and though there were air conditioners they looked like they hadn't worked in years.... read more

We decided we couldn’t make it to Chicago in one day and my Dad doesn’t have a Ferrari that she could convince me to “borrow,” but we still had a fun day in the big city. Maryam’s husband Hichem volunteered to spend the day with Salma (who got her first two teeth this week and is now walking!) and the two of us took off for the day. I’ve wanted a day in the city with her for a long time and we decided to do all the tourist stuff she’s never done. She usually gets to go to Marrakech when they have something to do there, like a doctor visit. The only touristy thing she’s ever visited is Jma Lfna. We started out at Madrasa Ben Youssef. She had seen other historic madrasas before, but ... read more

What can I say about Choauen? I'd have to say that I like the place and the laid back vibe. All the hash slingers can get annoying at times especially when they follow you around for awile and then magically show up again when you least expect them. I stayed in the medina at Pension Souika and had a decent room for 40 dirhams a night. The place was mostly tile so you could hear every little sound as it reverberated off the floors and walls. I spent three full days or so in Choauen and most of the time it was overcast until the afternoon when it would clear up and the sun would burn it's way through. The medina is built mostly on the side of a hill and it was a decent ... read more

Despite having a good map it wasn’t until my third day in Marrakesh that I managed to navigate my way purposefully and accurately through the maze of alleys in the souks to reach everyone’s primary and ultimate destination the Jemaa el Fna square. But of course that’s the point of the souks - to lose your sense of order as well as direction, to give yourself up to the claustrophobic sensuality and vibrancy of the markets. If you really want to know where you are, the map does give you some idea of the layout, but the minute you open it to re-establish your position, a young boy will be insisting he leads you to “la place”, as the Jemaa is simply known. Better just to drift and head for any glimpse of daylight from ... read more

We met up with a private bus at our hotel at 12:30 and took it out to Essaouira, a coastal town that had a gorgeous beach. While conservative dress is worn off the beach, bikinis are acceptable for while you're on the beach. However, we still saw plenty of women in full Muslim dress including the headscarf. When you leave the beach you're supposed to cover back up or risk dirty looks, comments, hissing, and possibly even pinching. We hung out on the beach for a few hours and found a group of camels further down. The highlight of the day was definitely the hour ride that we took on the beach and through the sand dunes on the camels! We each got our own camel and had such a good time. My camel's name ... read more