Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 223

From the moment we stepped off the plane, Marrakech was one of those cities where we were transported in time, culture, spirituality, where we lost all sense of the outside world, where we were absolutely charmed by strangers. Marrakesh was founded by the Berber leader, Youssef BEN TACHFINE who came from the desert with his tribe, Sanhaja. Marrakesh is a dramatic contrast: The modern city is surrounded with beautiful gardens and the Medina, old part of the city, is one of the most fascinating sites in Morocco, albeit a little chaotic in parts! Day one we spent exploring the sights, souks (markets), smells and sounds of Marrakech in the swealtering African sun. Marrakech is famous for its spices and potions. The photo of Alison, myself and the spice man is good example of the array of ... read more

al salir de marrakech, con 70 kilos de burgales de menos y unas nubes bastante feas no se me ocurrio cosa mas feten que meterme en una pista desde telouet hasta ait benhaddou. la cosa iba bien hasta que cayo la noche _segun dice fer aqui cae deprisa deprisa_ pueblo al fondo, luz en la escuela, soyez bienvenue y voila! ya tengo colchoneta, agujero en el suelo y como no, tv satelite. Al dia siguiente la cosa se pone negra; caen chuzos de punta y no hay quien se menee... lo que parecia una noche improvisada se convierte en mi chozo por tres noches y cuatro dias en los que basicamente he seguido el ritmo marroqui de levantarse, tomar el te, pasar el rato, otro te, comer un tajine,estirar las patas, mirar al cielo, menear la ... read more

Ed: ... read more

When my parents announced to me that they had bought plane tickets for Morocco and really would be visiting me here I asked them what they wanted to see while they were here. I had grand ideas about trips up to Fez and Sefrou or across the Atlas to the Sahara so they could see Ait Ben Haddou or ride camels across the dunes to spend the night in nomadic Berber tents. When pressed as to whether they would prefer camping in the dunes or hiking in the Atlas my parents replied they really just wanted to see me. Given how my parents have spoiled and doted on me for the past 25 years that answer shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did. I decided I wanted them to see my town, then I ... read more

...another trip. We took a long weekend trip to Morocco with our friend Sandra. You can actually see the Rif Mountains in the northern region of Morocco from across the Mediterranean while standing in Spain. They are quite impressive. We decided to go on this adventure with a small tour group based out of Sevilla. It was mainly a bunch of lame, whiny American college students that were doing a month or so abroad. The three of us had a blast despite them:) Our bus took us to Algeciras where we boarded a ferry to Cueta which is an enclave of Spain, located in Africa. After going through customs at the border, we boarded the bus and began the drive through the countryside. The first town we visited was Chefchaouen. It is located in the mountains. ... read more