After a 3 hour flight, I was glad to relax over mint tea in the Riad Agdem right in the heart of the Medina. The little hotel has only been open 6 months so the traditional Moroccan style is brand new! The cinnamon and chocolate colors are cooling after the 30° heat outdoors. I think I’m in the harem suite. Staying in the heart of the Medina is great because you can go outside and immediately get lost. Really, really lost. I knew I needed a strategy or I’d miss my home cooked dinner at the hotel and they’d find me years later looking like this: I decided to take pictures of my route as I went along so I could consult my gallery and find my way back. It sort of worked. I was quickly transfixed by shop after shop with jewelry, djellabas, tea sets, pottery, sandals, dates and many, many herbal-essence cures. There was so much to peruse. Contrary to my expectations, I was not given a hard sell and was left more or less in peace to wander. My photo series helped a little in getting back but what really helped was showing a picture of a … Continue reading →

Monday October 1 Although not one of those people who insist on seeing the bright side of every miserable event, in the end my sore ankle gave me a magnificent night under the Sahara stars. I didn’t know that of course when I signed up for a three night four day excursion run by Ando Travel to Morocco’s two main desert gateways: Zagora and Merzougaa. I chose it because it included two nights in two separate desert encampments separated by one night in a hotel. Because the excursion covered about 1500 kilometers, I figured I’d be spending much more time in the minibus than on my feet. After a quick doctor’s visit, some ointment, pills and a cane I was good to go. One by one my group assembled early Monday morning and by 9am we were heading out of Marrakech in a minibus. About an hour out we were climbing and winding our way up the High Atlas to an altitude of 2200m at the col de tizi n’tichka. Villages were sparse and there was little cultivation. Great views from Ait Barka: As we climbed higher in the Atlas mountains vegetation was sparse: After stopping a few times so … Continue reading →

October 6, 2013 In Fez I shed my tourist trappings and lived like a resident, thanks to my friend M who generously placed her restored Riad at my disposal during my stay. Unfortunately M was tied up with work and couldn’t join me but she corralled two locals to help me out. I needed it! The Fez train station where I met my young guide was the last bit of modernity I saw during my four-day stay. We took a taxi to the entrance of the medina where I was led through an impenetrable maze of streets to my Riad. M had already explained that I would have to walk behind my guide as he was not an “official” guide. What? Apparently Fez authorities had enough of the local kids claiming to be guides and pestering (or worse) hapless tourists. For several years it has been a crime (!) for a local to walk with a tourist. I tried to memorize each turn along the narrow streets but it was hopeless. We arrived at the Riad and when he opened the door I couldn’t believe I was actually going to stay there. It was fit for the legendary Almoravid queen, … Continue reading →