Riad Al Mamoune Marrakech

Situé en plein coeur de la médina, à quelques pas du port et de la plage, le Riad Chakir Mogador est le lieu privilégié de votre escale à Essaouira.


Cette maison d'hôtes, entièrement restaurée dans le pur respect des traditions et de l'architecture ...

... t sure of. Ended up being interesting old ruins
that possibly were to do with water. But the second thing was the Quaranic
school. We couldn’t go into the mosque but the school nearby was open and –
again – full of tourists. It was an amazing place though with lots of tiny
rooms for learning and praying, and big breezy halls and courtyards. Again lots
of intricate wooden panelling and lovely tiles. I was very happy after seeing
all this and both ...

From the fun flats of Marrakech...we made our way to the High Atlas mountains for well...mountains of magnificent hiking and views.

Jebel Toubkal stands at 4200m above sea level and at that is the highest most point in northern Africa and also a bit of a mission! We made it up the mighty mountain in a few days and did some sleeping, sun burning and Scrabble in there as well. An absolutely incredible adventure!

Back down and all set to embark on a road trip to Fez!

XXX

... magnificent mazes of Marakesh. After the events of my manic few months back in Britain, i was up for a few days of down time but the city soon sucked me in.

Between BIG sleeps and snuggles with the resident cats, camp land lord and lovely courtyard at our hotel, we wound our way amongst the amazing stalls, scenery and scents of an awesome place.

It ...

... Yesterday (and today) were 47C degree days; even the locals complained.

The best time to sightsee is in the morning when it’s coolest. We had another wonderful breakfast beside the cold pool this morning at 9am – lots of small dishes and breads, some hot, some cold. The fresh-squeezed orange juice is to die for, as is the big carafe of French press coffee.

Our destination was the large Jardins ...

... incredibly helpful with everything - especially in patient lessons on how to find your way back to the riad, since it was very well hidden. The only downside was the frequent shisha smoking, which is just tobacco, but of course I am not a smoker and I am asthmatic so I really shouldn't be touching the stuff! But it is so nice... oh well, when in Rome and all.

I shall get into more detail of my actual activities in my next entry!

... the square is clearly filled with con artists and pickpockets. (McElaney's -$300) When we got back to our Riad, I tried in broken French to explain to the one staff person what had happened. He is about 50 years old and speaks no English. However, he quickly figured out what I was saying and he and I set off back to the restaurant. I double-checked and the camera was still nowhere to be found. On the walk back he was looking around at all ...

Um grupo de desconhecidos encontram-se na Portela as 7.00 da manhã de
25 de Abril, apresentam-se e aqui nasce uma amizade. Uma amizade que
foi ficando muito coesa durante esses curtos 8 dias de aventura que
passamos. Momentos difíceis. Momentos divertidos, muitos momentos muito
divertidos, alias a maior parte deles.
Um pais com uma cor fantástica, com uma cultura estranha, mas muito viva e marcada, resumindo um pais que me fascinou.
Marrakech ...

... here, this is hardly the journey. The train only get us to where that can begin. *** Now, I have made it to the terminal-- also, not necessarily easy. At the airport I was disappointed to discover that a "lady's handbag" now counted as a person's single carry-on, and realized that I would be allowed no liquids/gels in my carry-on-- the rules relax tomorrow-- not today. Which made the handbag issue less of a problem, as I'd now have to check my bag anyway. Too many liquids ...