End of the line for Morocco. Here I am in Marrakech, the fabled and legendary city where hopes and dreams are made… wait a second, I think I’m describing Hollywood. But, actually, that’s not a bad description. The Ville Nouvelle…
Hippies and kite surfers
Lazy day in Essa today, as I luxuriously slept in until nearly ten AM. For the first time, it felt like a real vacation! The sleep-in was especially appreciated, since I stayed up last night to watch the Habs’ game…
Windy City
I used to think that Chicago was the Windy City. That was before I got to Essaouira. This coastal city is known for kite surfing for a reason, let’s just put it that way. After a day of walking around,…
On the coast
What goes up must come down. The day started with a trek downhill, back to Imlil to pick up our packs and get back into the van one last time for our drive out of the mountains. Unfortunately, I seem…
Ain’t no mountain high enough
Mostly a driving day today, as we left the desert landscape and drove into the mountains. The road was windy and precarious, but Omar, our driver, did a great job navigating it as we climbed higher and higher. We hooked…
Morocco’s Hollywood
We started the day by reluctantly saying goodbye to the Todra Gorge hotel, which had come to feel like home after only two days, and driving back into the nearby town of Tinghir. Monday is Market Day in Tinghir, where…
Vacation from the vacation
Today was a much-needed break from the hectic pace of the trip. We started with a well-appreciated sleep-in. In fact, I nearly slept in too late; I hit my alarm when it went off at the decadent hour of nine,…
Not the Grand Canyon
Most of us woke up with the sun. We hiked up the sand dunes again – this time sticking to the hard-packed ridges, sensibly – to watch the sunrise. It was a bit overcast and therefore hard to see, but…
Camels and sand
A camel trek in the Sahara is the ultimate Moroccan made-for-tourists experience. Despite that, it’s well worth it. The day was mostly a driving day. We headed up into the mountains on a windy road, accompanied by “DJ Yo” spinning…
Into the Middle Atlas
Hello from the Middle Atlas Mountains. Specifically, from a small guesthouse just outside the town of Midelt. We spent the day today making our way slowly from Fes to Midelt, winding through the hills. The landscape looked sort of how…