Morocco

Hi All ... I apologise in advance for the spelling but am blaming the keyboard as it is not the same Qwerty keyboard as home  ... yes, Qwerty took me some time to spell as I had to find the letters!  We have had only very limited internet facilities until now so the post has been somewhat delayed...

6 days ago we boarded a ferry from Spain for the 1 hr journey (which apparently always takes 1 hr 20 mins) to Tangier ~ a typical port city, a bit rough around the edges.  We were all pretty tired after a long day aboard our bus ~ thankfully we have two seats each so we are all comfortable.  There was a noticeable change in the temperature once we arrived on the African continent and yesterday it reached 45 degrees in the main square in Marrakesh if not more because of the concrete.

Fez was disappointing as there was nothing worthwhile to shop for ~ although we did see the leather vats that the old medina is famous for ~~ OH&S concerns have not been heard of here!

We spent 2 nights in Marrakesh and I think everyone is sick of tagines except for me as I have not even had a mouthful of Moroccan food ~~ not my cup of tea I'm afraid!  The square was filled with an odd assortment of tourists, Berbers and the poor trying to take tourists for every cent they could.  We walked past snake charmers, lizards and chameleons being kept in small cages in stinking hot heat, monkeys which you can hold for a fee (not that any of us did) and we were glad to escape back to the hotel for some air conditioned comfort which was shortlived as we went out for a group dinner and were entertained by bored dancers, musicians and a belly dancer ~~ gee I long for some colder weather!!!

We are now in Rabat and tomorrow have to get up at 5am in order to be at Tangier at midday for our ferry ride back into Spain and the drive north to Seville where we are staying for 2 nights before 5 nights in Portugal.  I am glad to have visited here but doubt I would again if the shopping does not improve!!! Ahh well, I know some people (read my Mum) will be happy about that!!!

The place is safe ~~ noone has had any drana's to date (anywhere on the trip).  Noone has really been sick either so that has been a Godsend.  There are 16 of us in total on the trip for 3 weeks through Spain, Portugal and Morocco and we all get along so that is good.  I miss the exercise classes from home but have tried to accomodate with some photo's of me using the band in the bus etc and have posted these on Facebook.

Tiles in one of the many mosques

I did not find anything to buy here except some foot cream so that has been disappointing ~~ the Turkish style cushions I wanted were woolen but nowhere near as nice or as big as the 4 Ialready have and the one's I saw here were 220 Euro's each!  I can buy original imported ones at home cheaper than those they tried to sell me here.

I am posting a few photo's for your perusal ~~ for now it is ciao from me

Helen 

The wonderful Allambra

Restful pools at the World Heritage listed Allambra ~~ a magnificent old city with very well preserved ruins in Granada, Spain

More jamon anyone??  (ham thinly sliced and salted ~ like prosciutto)

Couldn't resist taking a photo of these for my S.I.L. friends

Volublis (old Roman ruins) in Meknez, Morocco 

The women on the tour (bar one who was off taking photo's) ~ we all stood under the arch which was the only shade to be found whilst the men stood talking in the blazing hot sun ... need I say anymore ???

Moroccan tagines  

Tea ceremony whilst out for a group dinner

Bab something or other (Bab means a gate)

The chemical vats in Fez ~ note the very limited protective clothing ~ in this area skins are dipped in chemicals to make them soft and commence the process of removing the animal hair from the skins.  They are then dipped in the brown vats (see next picture), which contain the dyes to transform them into coloured leathers ready for handbags, coats, shoes, wallets etc.

The various dyes used in the vats in Fez ~ very stinky, very hot!

More tagines

Spices in the medina in Marrakesh