Home again

Well not quite, i am writing this not the plane as we fly over the Moroccan countryside. We have left in beaming sunshine, and the captain announcing that the temperature back in London was a balmy 5 degrees and raining brought an ironic cheer from the plane. Some things never change I guess.....

Anyway while this tour has only been a week away, I have been suitably immersed in Moroccan culture to make a few observations, which I have summarised below:

Transport

To tackle this, i will deal with transport inside the medina and outside it as they are very different things indeed.

Inside the medina

1. Don't change direction suddenly when walking through the streets of the medina, or you will get wiped out by a moped.

2. You can transport anything on the front of your moped, from sheep to big bails of mint

3. Don't make Sarah walk through "donkey shit", she really doesn't like it

Outside the medina

1. The roads are more spacious, but that does not mean you won't have to avoid moped drivers on the pavement still

2. When crossing the roads, most cars will swerve to avoid you.....

3. If you are not feeling confident though, find an old local woman who wants to cross and follow her lead, there is no shame in this (a trick I learnt in Egypt)

4. Driving is chaotic, and beeping is common, but there is no road rage, they are very chilled out in Morocco.

5. When travelling on a day tour somewhere, ask for Aziz of Marrakech Keys travel, you will not be disappointed.

Dining

1. The tagines here are absolutely gorgeous, but the portions are big enough for two to share. I have permanent stomach ache at the moment as I have eaten a small herd of cattle over the last week.

2. I like omelettes and olives

3. Casablanca is the beer you have to have when in Marrakech, but all beers around Jemaa El-Fna will be double the normal price.

4. Riads don't stock enough alcohol (or we drink too much of it!)

Ahhhh, that sweet amber nectar....i wonder if i can import it??

Amazing the number of  people who wondered where this was - I was NOT one of them

Souks

1. Even a token glance at a shop item is like a tacit agreement to enter the haggling phase....be careful where you look - souk owners see everything!!

2. When haggling, be prepared to walk away and always go in low. Between 25 and 50 percent of the real price, and work your way from there.

3.Souks are usually moped free zones, but don't take that for granted or yo will be wiped out (see above)

Who would want a cushion with a baby's face on??? Odd

Getting through the souks is hard at the best of times without a lorry trying

Jemaa el-Fna

1. The square is a hive of activity during the day with snake charmers and henna tattooists, but in the evening it turns into a large open air restaurant, the smells of which are amazing. as well as this there are performance artists/ Berber storytellers.

2. This is the place to go if you want to buy oranges, but little else

Ouarzazate

1. The kasbah there is more impressive on the outside than the inside

2. The movie studio tour was surprisingly fun, but seemed to specialise in less well known remakes

Aït Benhaddou

1. For an empty ksar, it was full of shops....

2. Like Ouarzazate kasbah, the outside is more impressive than the inside

Atlas Mountains

1. The journey through them is long and windy, but you get to see some amazing countryside and villages along the way.

2. You can't take a good picture at Tizi N'Tichka pass, as the wind and rain up there is too strong.

The Marrakech-Ouarzazate bus for Cows....

From 30 degree heat to windy and chilly snow covered mountains.....

The Riad

1. When staying in Marrakech you really have to do the roads rather than a sanitised Sofitel experience, it just wouldn't be the same as stepping out straight into a market

2. The food in our riad was better by far than anything we had outside it.

Our Tanjia meal was totally lovely. The Urn is full of meat!

Well that just about sums up the tour, it has been a wonderful experience, but time to come home and start saving for the next one. I hope you have enjoyed the blog, and in the words of Arnie, " I'll be back"......