Category: Africa

I am a rain god. I’ve suspected it for many years – most of my hikes are in the wet, the Australian drought broke temporarily whenever I came home and it’s been raining half the time since I moved back. But I wasn’t really sure until it rained on my first day in the Sahara.… Continue reading Wet Desert

I’m back from 3 days in the Sahara and have found the locals here to be very pushy. I’m staying in an auberge 4km out of town so I’m at the mercy of the owner. I’m trying to book a bus back to the west tomorrow so that I can relax for the last few… Continue reading Pushy Moroccans

I’ve decided on the desert, but stayed one more day in Marakesh with the young couple I’ve been travelling with so far. While checking out bus times, we met ‘the fat man’ in Berber gear and allowed him to convince us to take a drive into the Ourika valley to see the Berber villages. When… Continue reading Ourika Valley

I forgot to mention the youth hostel I stayed in at Casablanca. It was also all in clay, with clay tones throughout. It was obviously built for summer with a single high roof over the whole complex. It was strange to sleep in a room with walls about 3 times as high as the breadth,… Continue reading Clay hotel

I’ve just had dinner at the markets in the main square of Marakesh. I chose a chicken couscous, but without a guide I refrained from trying to eat it local style – with fingers. It was challenging enough to work out that the dish of chilli was for dipping the bread. I had wondered if… Continue reading Night Markets in Marakesh

A few hours into the bus ride, we neared tall mountains that seemed to be snow right to their base. These were the Atlas mountains and I certainly hadn’t brought clothes for that climate. It’s now the desert or the sea. Near the base of the mountains sits a massive collection of clay buildings, mostly… Continue reading Clay City

It’s going to be tough to keep up to date on this trip. I have little incentive to waste time in an internet cafe when the life outside is so vibrant. I met an Australian couple at breakfast this morning who were heading to Marakesh, which is as far as I’ve got with my plans.… Continue reading Clay Villas

I met a Japanese couple on the train from the airport in Morocco who were just here for the day. This evening they catch a plane to Guinea where they’ll take a course in drumming (him) and dancing (her). We got ripped off by the taxi driver who wanted 50 dirhams ($10) for the trip… Continue reading Moroccan Whiskey

When I lived in Belgium, I was disappointed at the way every crime seemed to be blamed on the Moroccon immigrants. The gangs were always Moroccan, thefts were by Moroccons, shootings were done by Moroccons. I’m keen to see these people on their home turf. By Tuesday I’ll be in the country getting first hand… Continue reading Heading to Morocco