Pension Casa Hassan Chefchaouen

... LOL!

O.k. so what can I say? This place is idyllic. Picture little houses/shops clinging to the mountainside - all washed in vivid blue. Narrow, winding (I pride myself on getting lost on a regular basis!) cobblstone streets. Everything is up/downhill. The PERFECT place to mend a sprained knee! ;)

But seriously, I'm doing just great but awfully glad I brought the cane.

This morning I stumbled upon preparations for a wedding, simply by ...

... and my view was somewhat shielded from my umbrella, I adored soaking in the gorgeous place.  The people were very friendly and our guide had a sense of tranquility to him that I'd never encountered in anyone before.  I hope you all enjoy these pics as much as I enjoyed taking them.  

... amused by the local dives where the cook personally greets you and the waitstaff kiss you on both cheeks upon departure. We even splurged a bit and went to the "fancy" 'restaurant (and the only one with heat in town) to see if we could get some really delicious takes on local fare with fair results. The Moroccans have no tradition of eating out and even their famous couscous dish is reserved for special occasions and is typically eaten only at home. We ...

... wise there. Spent some time wondering the square. Bought a blanket for 60DH (about 4 quid) in the hope of keeping a little warmer at night. Also got postcards. Went back to camp for lunch - salad, goats cheese, olives then boarded Sponge Bob the truck and got on our way at 12.45. Was really pretty scenery. Very green - you could have been in England ...

... town called Chefchouin. We are off to Tangier tomorrow to catch the ferry to Spain and onto Seville in the one day. We have also booked a ticket to India from Egypt, which is cutting about 3 months off our trip in the middle east and puts us away for 10 months total. From there we will be heading home via Singapore at the end of Feburary so we should be back in March. Morocco has been really good, the people are generally ...

... mosque isn't anything special - you only go up here for the views - and to get offered pot. I kindly declined and sat down for a bit to enjoy the scenery - the mountain behind the town is called Jebel El-Kelaa and it soars just over 1600m - all rock and it looks quite dominating. I made my way down again - past all the poppies in bloom and watched the washer woman for a little (I need some laundry done!) before making my way back ...

... a close geneological association with the common cinnamon doughnut, with evidence mounting that it may in fact represent an extant precursor. The behavioural habits of Sfenj are at best random. Reports of purely nocturnal activity have been subjugated by documented evidence of daytime sightings, as the images accompanying this exposè validate. More likely the concentration of Sfenj fabrication and consumption are ...

... in our guide book as "excellent", so I dread to think what lies ahead of us in the rest of Morocco!). The toilet is the Turkish/squat style, without a flush, just a bucket and tap to do it yourself. The sink is a trough full of dirt and grime. The shower has no showerhead, so it's like standing under a tap. There's nowhere to put your clothes, so they get soaked and you have to fight off the insects. Something positive is that there is one shower that has hot water.

ferry log: 3 hours tariffa to tangier bus log: 3 hours tangier to Chefchaouen 3 hours Chefchaouen to Asila 5 hours Asila to Fes Boarding the ferry from Tariffa, Spain, I instantly noticed I was in for quite a different cultural experience. Most on board seemed to be native Moroccans; all others seemed to be just doing the one day 'morroccan experience'. Despite my desperate attempts, I was unable to find other backpackers on board, and couldn't decide whether ...

... night in Benidorm - the logic being there would be plenty of cheap beds and none of the hassle of a big city. My God! Where to start with this place, and what to write what has probably already been slandered so fully. I am sure one of the devils trick questions is whether you would like to spend eternity in a Mediterraneran country, on the coast all day in the sunshine. What he neglects to tell you is that place is Benidorm, whereby you wish you had chosen eternal ...