Golden Tulip Farah Casablanca

... who lives in Casa. I think this is a great way to end my time here! Yesterday we visited two rotary clubs here in Casablanca. We also got to see a library along the coast and got a small tour. Amiri, our tour guide and a cataloger at the library, was gracious enough to show us around. This library was built in 1985, but ...

... i mean "foreign to me; and therefore i fear it"). a heads-up to those letters that slip through -- Q sometimes mean A, ? sometimes mean M, and : often means . . Those of you that frequent the Cryptoquip section of the newspaper should have a leg up. if you've read and signed off on all of the above, prepare to be blogged!!! p.s. those of you that may have received this email twice or even 3 times, credit it to me liking you more than the others

... walked through Parc de la Ligue Arabe where I was accosted by a gypsy girl who kissed my sleeve - yuck!  So to make up for it, I bought some more french pastries.  Will miss that part of Morocco.   We found the Hotel Lincoln on Mohammed V Boulevard, but it was in a terrible state and half hidden due to reconstruction. We walked back to our hotel in a sandstorm, which ...

... in town.  The Mosque is gorgeous and set right on the ocean.  We sat on the sea wall for quite a while watching the locals boogie boarding and trying not to get splashed be the waves.  We walked through the plaza, but didn't approach the mosque since they generally don't welcome non-Muslims.  (We found out later we could have toured it - and seen the glass floor that overlooks the ocean, bummer!)  But just walking by the structure ...

... the trip also were Woody's wife Suzanne, Lynn, and the sisters Helen and Jane. Marrakesh is 160 miles from Casablanca (Incidentally, Casablanca is not at all like in the movie and never has been but is a large industrial city and, of course, a major port). So if you want to see real Morocco, the advice is to go to Fez or Marrakesh. We had a local guide, Mariam, whose English was impeccable, and Muhammed, a Berber, was our driver. Getting out of Casablanca took ...

... enough for them to have a basic conversation with you. Most of the time they would start with ``where are you from'' followed by ``welcome to Morocco'', tips on good places to visit; then ``you can help my my friend''. This would happen as you try to walk along and move on your way. If people are walking in groups they target an individual based on the group dynamics. At one point (not far from the hotel) Shellie was approached by a young man (who hand not grasped any alternative ...

... dollars.   Walking away with our Schwarma style seasoned chicken wraps served with french fries in a twist of paper (the French not only left their language in Morocco, they also left the fries, with everything! always with the fries!)  and wandered for awhile longer enjoying the spiced chicken on our tongues and the noise and colour of the medina on our eyes and ears.   Tomorrow we are off to Marrakesh, wish us luck. All our best from Morocco Dan and Ga

... but then again this is Morocco...of course the road was dangerous. In this square abounds acrobats, jugglers, fortune tellers, snake chalmers and others all eager to make a living......it has rows of food stalls serving quick but very tasty food. Since I was here the area has canged dramatically. Old buildings surrounding the square have ben demolished or atleast dramatically refitted......modern structures blend in.....rather too well.....in a rather planned ...

... of us with cameras....Udo is to thank for finding dung beetles at work! Herds of goats and sheep were a ...

I got ripped off in the taxi from Casablanca train station to the youth hostel. Not by much but it was enough to leave a bitter taste in my mouth while I was in Casablanca. I had agreed to a higher than normal price when I got in to the taxi but when I got to the youth hostel the driver wanted more. I HATE RIP OFF TAXI DRIVERS! Anyway, Casablanca has seen better days. The Medina has not got the charm of the ...