Hotel du Parc Settat

Our first problem was before we had even left the hostel this time because the lock we had used to lock our bikes together had corroded and was impossible to unlock. Me and Alex left Olly to deal with the situation whilst we explored Cassablanca in search of food. Cassablancca is by far the biggest city we have seen in Morocco. It seems so out of place with its posh hotels and high rise buildings. We had to go on an absolute mission in order to find a shop ...

... station after a 4 hour train trip, to spot the Hotel Ibis which looked particularly attractive after our Moroccan bathroom experiences so far, but we had booked into Hotel Central where James had stayed a few weeks earlier. This was on the edge of the Medina and on a square where the end of a Ramadan day was warming up. Jen could have done with a good western style bathroom, particularly after her experiences with a 2nd ...

... this portion of the declining empire in the 5th century. The Arabs invaded circa 685, bringing Islam. The Berbers joined them in invading Spain in 711, but then they revolted against the Arabs, resenting their secondary status. In 1086, Berbers took control of large areas of Moorish Spain until they were expelled in the 13th century. The land was rarely unified and was usually ruled by small tribal states. Conflicts between Berbers and Arabs were chronic. Portugal ...

The area of Morocco that Casablanca is in has been conquered by many people over the years and even recently was rocked by suicide bombers. We had to go through Casablanca on our way out of the country and we had a 5 hour wait till our connecting bus so...we went to see the world´s 3rd largest mosque and the biggest we have ever seen. Built in 1993, they spent 1/2 a billion on ...

... an amazing country. All the best for your marriage to Yasseen in February. It was a pleasure meeting your family, local friends and soon to be husband Yasseen. We arrived in Marakesh on Friday afternoon. Our accommodation is Hotel La Menara in a very central location close to the main square and Souk (market). The beauty of the hotel is that it has yet another pool to laze around which I did this afternoon. The tan is returning! On Friday evening, we had ...

I didn't sleep well last night, tossoing and turning until well after 2 a.m. I really do think I'm trying to get sick. They don't have any drug stores here, but if I'm still sick by tonight I think I'll try one of these crazy looking witch doctors they have laying around. They've got to coolest looking rams skulls and petrified lizards in their shops so they have to have something for a sore throat, right? In the mean time I'm ...

I have had 2 days now to settle into life in casablanca (the 'new york of morrocco'). Although I was expecting culture shock, it is nothing like i anticipated here- rather than cosmopolitan and exotic, it is tumble down dirty and smelly. the french influence is obvious in the street layout and architecture, but everything is rundown ...

It has happened: the part of the trip where I'm so busy taking in information that I seem unable to have time (or talent) to send out information. Add to that the complication of a keyboard in either Arabic or French .... We've been to Casablanca, Essaoura, Marrakesh, Ourzazate, and are currently in Zagoura. I can't seem to manage that on the map, but you get the idea. SO much to tell you; where to start? That the food is fantastic? 'Goes ...

Flying into Casablanca from Spain, we immediately got on a train to Marrakech. Yes, the name "Casablanca" brings to mind the romance of the classic Bogart movie, but in reality, it is an ugly concrete city with little to draw a visitor. Interestingly, the film crew for the movie "Casablanca" never set foot on Moroccan soil: it was all filmed on a Hollywood sound stage! Marrakech, in contrast, was immediately intriguing with its maze of "souks" - traditional market in the ...

What a place to start travels in. A serious culture shock! Catch the ferry from Algeciras in Spain and in just over 2 hours you reach Tangiers. Immediately you are hastled by numorous taxi drivers trying to get you business. Walking along the streets every local, with little exception, kept staring at me. Have they never seen a blonde white boy before? This takes some getting ...