Author archive
29 March 2007
Above: View of ruined kasbahs and palmerie at sunset from outside my pension. Unpleasant finish I have the morning free before moving to Todra Gorge. It made sense to explore the beauty of the Sahara again with short walks in the sand. When the time came to pay my accommodation bill, I was presented with an […]
28 March 2007
My bus from Fes arrived at Erfoud around 0630 instead of 0500. From the bus I saw the sun rise over the sandy horizon. It kinda made up for the night trip. My accommodation, the Auberge du Sud, had arranged a pick by a nice Land Cruiser. The kasbah was a lovely mud/straw building on […]
27 March 2007
Massage? I have a night bus from Fes to Erfoud tonight, meaning that I have lots of time to kill in Fes today. I started off with a further exploration of the old city, with an intent of getting a better photo of the tannery in better light. The weather so far hadn’t been the […]
26 March 2007
Setting off Today, I make a daytrip to another imperial city, Meknes and the surrounding sights of Moulay Idris and Volubilis. I started by walking downhill to the taxi station after breakfast. I asked, in Arabic, if I could be dropped off close to the Volubilis taxi. Wow! The driver understood me. Great! The ride to […]
25 March 2007
Getting to Fes After breakfast I took a petit taxi to Casa Voyageurs station and bought a ticket to Fes (or Fez). I shared a train compartment for around 4h30 with a nice family who spoke standard Arabic. I appreciated the chats with them because people on the streets here don’t understand me. Arriving, I took […]
24 March 2007
King Hassan II Mosque This morning I started my exploration of “The White House” (Casablanca, Al Dar Al Beydha) with a visit to King Hassan II mosque. This impressive building is the third largest mosque in the world after the ones in Makkah and Madinah (formerly Mecca and Medina). It accommodates 2,500 worshippers and the […]
23 March 2007
Above: View from my room, of the port. Leaving Dubai Today I fly from Dubai to Casablanca at 0750. It was an early start from the hotel. Despite having checked-in online last night, processing at the airport was slow even with just the bag-drop counter. I had access to the lounge here at Dubai so […]
22 March 2007
Leaving Yemen Today I fly to Dubai for a nightstop before continuing to Morocco tomorrow. Mohammad, the school driver knocked on my door at 0650 rather than the agreed 0730. I hadn’t been awake very long and hurriedly prepared myself. We left at 0700 and was at the airport some twenty minutes later for check-in. […]
21 March 2007
It’s my last full day in Sana’a. It’s sad to say goodbye to Yemen again. It was a social day with some teachers taking students out for lunch at the fish souq. There was Fabian, and then Omar from Kuala Lumpur. Talking to Omar, I think he might have been a bit naughty for his […]
19 March 2007
Above: At my local baker which makes Kudam (Kidem, Kidim, Kedem, كدم), a delicious crusty bread when fresh. In fact, I often slice my tomatoes before running down to the bakery to get it fresh. If left for half a day, they’re like rock. Some of you will remember my first impressions of the Arabic […]