Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 239

We started the day with the standard breakfast of bread and jam before meandering our way through the medina, finding shade where possible as it was once again a spectacularly hot day without a cloud in the sky. The url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293735-d3567270-Reviews-El_Hedim_Square-Meknes_Meknes_Tafilalet_Region.htmlPlace el Hedim is a large square that marks the entrance to the souq. It is bordered by shops selling the usual Moroccan fare of carpets, tagines and jewellery and made a nice spot for a morning coffee as we watched the world go by. We were visited several times by stray cats hanging around looking for food scraps and several more times by some local youths looking for the same thing. The Souq in Meknes is made up of narrow cobblestone and dirt streets that struggle to hold the flow of humanity that rely on it ... read more

After a reasonable nights sleep we awoke at 0730 and unanimously decided against having a shower in the toilet. At 0845 we walked back down the hill to the port area, found a small cafe and ordered breakfast. Actually, ordered may be giving ourselves a little too much credit - we held up 3 fingers to the waiter and pointed to some pastries that may or may not have been bread and smiled politely. I also pointed to a coffee that a local punter was enjoying and again raised three fingers. Within a few minutes the food was presented on our table with sides of jams and butter. The breads ranged from a thin pancake style (although not sweet) to a thicker cookie like substance. For the first time in two weeks I also enjoyed a ... read more

Jimi Hendrix really has nothing to do with my experience in the lovely, lovely Essaouira, but a lot of Essaouirians(?) kept telling me that he, along with tother celebs like the Beatles and Bob Marley, hung out and made music there back in the olden days so obviously it's a big deal to them. It has been a bit of a hub for those in the arts community, with Orson Welles shooting 'Othello' there and more recently Ridley Scott shooting 'Kingdom of Heaven.' Though I was relaxed everywhere in Morocco, Essaouira was a lot more chilled out than the other places I went and there was a really happy vibe about town. I was smiling also because the sun was out, the sky was blue and my body got to feel fresh air on my skin ... read more

Leaving Tingdad Cara and I were drained. I felt crabby and snapped at the first Moroccan who followed us. Usually I wait until they throw a few comments at us before I react but that morning I didn’t have one drop of tolerance left. It was one of those “you know you have been in Morocco too long when” moments. I actually looked around for rocks to throw at the guy. Kids here throw rocks a lot and it is one of the things we joke about when we talk about getting harassed. Maybe wanting to throw rocks means I have adapted, but I think it’s more along the lines of losing sanity. The last day of training I went on an Elvis Costello binge and went through everybody’s computers and ipods listening to all ... read more

It was all happening in the centre of town in Marrakech.. Snake charmers, street plays, food stalls, souks (markets) selling everything from shisha to colourful handmade carpets, hand made Moroccan ceramics, people approaching you from every angle to eat their seafood, drink their freshly squeezed orange juice.....complete madness! Louise, Sarah and l commenced a 9 day intrepid tour by arriving into Marrakech one day earlier to soak up the Morrocan culture before the tour began. We spent 3 days trekking the tallest mountain in Northern Africa - The Atlas Mountains. The views from the mountains were incredible. l've never seen such beauty - snow capped mountains on one side and dry, green mountains on another. We stayed in little villages in the middle of the mountains, no hot water, little heating, home cooked Moroccan tagines and ... read more