Archive for February, 2007
Saturday, February 17th, 2007
A trip to the hammam
| Friedel’s Account | Andrew’s Account |
|---|---|
| Just inside the main door of the hammam I stood naked and slightly cold as a breeze blew in from the street. A few minutes earlier my guide, a small elderly lady, told me to strip to my birthday suit as she took my clothes and wrapped them in my towel. The stuffed towel was placed behind a desk and I waited while she prepared herself for the hammam. Nothing like hanging around nude in a room, with several people sneaking glances at the pale-skinned visitor, to make you feel self conscious. I was glad when we started to move into the bathing rooms, but my brief relief at getting on with the bath turned to embarassment when I realised I was the only person there not wearing underwear. |  Having envisioned something similar to our experience in a Japanese Onsen, I was surpised to see no baths or any major changes in the room temperatures. The initial room allowed a place to change to your underwear, which thankfully I had, since the pair offered from behind the desk looked like it needed a good clean itself. Walking via the other two rooms, which were virtually empty, I was led to the last room, the warmest. I was told to sit on the tile floor and await my massusse’s return. |
No Comments » - Posted in Morocco, Random Ramblings by friedel
Friday, February 16th, 2007
High Atlas Video
Here is the latest video we’ve uploaded, a few minutes of unedited shots after we crossed the High Atlas mountains, about 30km outside the town of Midelt. We tried to make it shorter but in the end decided it was nice to share a few minutes of beautiful scenery.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5866756222308109128No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Morocco, Video by friedel
Wednesday, February 14th, 2007
Back into the desert
In all our travels, even before this trip, we have seldom felt the need to return somewhere, seeking instead new adventures and landscapes. There was, however, never any question that we would return on our bikes to Morocco and in particular the magical world of the desert. There was still so much more to learn here. Time is short when you travel by bike so for this trip we went not by foot but by 4×4, first through the kasbahs of the Valley du Draa, where families tend large gardens and fight against the encroaching sand. As a changing climate means more sand in the earth and saltier water, these areas face an uncertain future over the coming decades. For now they are still filled with squares of green: wheat, carrots, beets and onions are all common crops. We carried on towards our campsite for the night, cradled in the dunes of Chegaga.
You can see a video of our first day in the desert with Brahim:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8271691537388584371
No Comments » - Posted in Morocco, Random Ramblings, Video by andrew
Sunday, February 11th, 2007
Rissani and Midelt Videos
With a few days in Zagora, we have again been able to upload a couple videos to share with you. At the moment we are the best customers of the internet cafe! At least at 3.50dh, or roughly 20 pence, an hour it isn’t breaking the bank. On the other hand, maybe the cost is in being forced to endless CDs of Celine Dion singing sappy love songs as we surf. Ahhhhhh, the horror!
The first video is of the road coming into Midelt (see the post from that day) – between the Middle and High Atlas mountains — and the other was taken as we entered the oasis town of Rissani, near Merzouga (see the post from that day), including our encounter with a small child asking for pens and money. They are persistent by times!
With a little luck, inshallah (God willing, as they say here in Morocco), we will soon have a couple more videos on the site: views coming down from the High Atlas pass and also of the weekly souk in Zagora.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4769291592148299904 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8788501803684353450No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Morocco, Video by friedel
Friday, February 9th, 2007
The Morocco Radio Show
Today on a sunny terrace in Morocco (no need to feel jealous, all of you in snowy Canada and the chilly UK — we had a drink for you) we finally managed to put together another radio show, all about our travels over the last three weeks. Even though it is our third time in Morocco, we keep on discovering new things and it is a great country for cycle touring, despite doing the daily race against the local kids! We also review our shortwave radio and share two interviews with other cyclists we met on the road.
