Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 251

So I believe I was telling you about my trip to Spain before I got distracted with the history lesson. Codoba was wonderful and I had a great time exploring and meeting people at the hostel. The mosque there is incredable, it was built in the 10th century when Cordoba was the capital of Islamic Spain. Its HUGE, a giant square with a forest of columns and double arches on the inside. Unforutantely the center was cut out and a cathedral inserted in the middle by the chrisitian kings in the 17th century. The cathedral - done in the ugliset Spanish Baroque with trumpeting angles, big fat babies and bald-headed monks flying everywhere - both ruins the mosque and show by comparison just how much more ingenious and tastefull the much-older mosque is in its simple ... read more

Ahlan W'sahlaan sadeequatee Wa asdequa. I'm still in Fez A humdulilah. Private Arabic lessons, I've decided, are the way to go. Mustapha comes to my house at 9 and makes me talk for 3 hours straight non-stop, no mistakes tolerated. I don't have to commute, I get more attention and learn faster, and its cheaper than school too. I'll still probably go back to the school in January for one more 6 week course if only to be part of the social scene there, then its private lessons exclusively until I feel like I can take the final class and get my diploma or certificate, or whatever they give here. Arabic, I've decided, is not impossible to learn, though some have told me otherwise. There are however some major difficulties involved (those who have no need ... read more

I am now in Marrakesh. I am not spending long here because I've got my Mauritanian Visa. The Visa is for one month from the day that it is issued. So, I need to make for the border. The Visa was issued yesterday. I was at the consulate at 8.30am. They said to come back at 3pm. I did, but they kept everyone waiting outside the Consulate for 1.5 hours! After getting the visa I did a bit of shopping including buying a new pair of Chino's for 100 Dirhams, from a shop which had everything for a 100 Dh offer on. I needed to replace my only pair of trousers as I had noticed they were developing an embarrassing hole! This morning I caught the 9.30 train from the Casa Voyageurs Station, which is about ... read more

Got up early this morning to get a Taxi to the Mauritanian Embassy in Rabat. Only to find a note pinned to the wall saying that they don't issue Visas! Serves me right for believing the Lonely Planet and not checking! The note said that Visa's are issued at 382 Route d'El Jadeda, Bequsejour, Casablanca. As a result I'm now in Casa. I'll be at the Consulate in Casa first thing in the morning! I visited the Hassan II Mosque this afternoon in Casa. It is the world's 3rd largest religious building. It can hold over 20,000 people and another 80,000 in the surrounding courtyards. Casablanca is a very Cosmopolitan City - it hardly feels like I am in Africa. Wide Boulevards, designer sunglasses, and not many veiled women. It could be any port city in ... read more

Today I visited the Roman remains of the City of Volubus which is 33 km from Meknes. I switched hotels from the cheap hotel to a more expensive hotel, this morning. The room in last nights hotel was only just big enough for the bed. It was probably 8 foot by 7, it had a sink but no electric sockets. The hotel had one shared squat toilet and one shared shower for the whole hotel. After changing hotels I made full use of the facilities - including using their bathroom sink to wash my clothes. At about 11am I walked from the new hotel to the Grande Taxi rank. Basically the Grande Taxi's are shared Taxi's that go from point to point. They all seem to be battered old Mercs. The driver waits till the car ... read more