Hotel Hyatt Regency Casablanca

... the price of a Coach leather bag…that’s how I’m justifying it. He also took us to a spices store which had a lot of saffron and many different spices, lotions, and oils. The store owner literally had us try every single lotion and oil in the store and then sniff these different spices which are suppose to cure everything that could ever go wrong with you.  Marcie and Matt--I wanted to get spices to send to you wonderful chefs, but
 
we aren ...

... the least. 2) Smoking inside buildings: I knew I'd have to expect this, since it is the norm in Europe and China. But still, it's hard to be sitting somewhere talking to someone in a meeting or eating and smoke is in your face. I have never smoked, and being in the presence of it too much can make me feel light headed. Americans aren't always the brightest, and we can be pretty ignorant, but ...

... growth has wiped away most of its romantic image-it's bound to disappoint most visitors. Now basically a big commercial and industrial city, it is home to most of Morocco's major corporations and banks. However, its traditional markets pale in comparison with those of Fez or Marrakesh. If you're into nightlife, you'll want to stay a night or two; Casablanca is reputed to have the best homegrown club scene in the country. Otherwise, you'll probably be content to see ...

... to have a family. They change rather frequently and are chosen based on there ability to interpret the Quran. Some of the rugs in the prayer room cost over 10,000 US dollars because they are wool on wool. Below the prayer room is the wash room with forty one marble bath sinks to wash in. There are separate rooms for women and men. There also was a traditional Middle Eastern hamam and a Turkish hamam. A hamam is a social area where people can come to ...

... but that didn't stop my Dad and I from attempting to hike up a 300 meter sand dune to watch the sun rise. Dad made it higher than me (a tad embarrassing, but I'll get over it), and I got some amazing photos of him on top of the dune. We ate a simple breakfast of bread, jam, cheese, and warmed milk, and headed back to the edge of the dunes to start our journey back. On the way back, after spending another night (this time quiet) in Ouarzazette we stopped to see some ...

... time once we are again home; but time will tell.As the landscape changed, so did the method of marking property boundaries; rocks giving way to prickly-pear. That said, occasionally you would see a paddock full of prickly-pear; demonstrating it can get out of control here as well!As we got closer to Casablanca the landscape was becoming hillier. No longer the large flat rock filled plains with the Atlas mountains dominating the horizon, but more rolling ...

... lot of palm trees (it was originally an oasis, after all). We saw a camel caravan (I'll have to go back and look at the picture to see if it was locals or tourists), a police security checkpoint where we went between spikes in the road, and a very modern section before we really got in to the center. Getting off the bus, we were hurried through several city streets to the Bahia Palace. One word comes to mind about the experience of walking through these ...

... the TV and happily discovered the English movie channel where Pirates of the Caribbean was playing... i settled in for a movie arvo - felt like i was at home on a rainy Saturday on the couch...! It was time to head out later for food so i picked somewhere close and walked around the corner to the Taverne du Dauphin. The menu was all in French but I recognised the word calamari and tomato and thats what i got ...

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 ...

... dinner - fish in some grub with pasta. I guess it tasted allright, but it looked absolutely horrible, sort of like vomit.<br><br>Once landed, I got out of the plane and the first thing I see are the gorgeous, shiny patterns of mosaic tiles covering the entire airport, with some insane-looking piece of art... a golden cone starting in the ceiling downwards and some glass decoration above. And there was a very pretty fountain with lights. I thought it was all very ...