Andros Island -Greece

So plans are meant for breaking and the last few days that I had in the Canary islands proved this when I suddenly found out I had the photography gig that I had applied for in Tanzania - with the catch that I must start asap. So there went my Spain, Portugal and Lebanon plans but for a very good cause. I was able to book some cheap flights with Turkish Air to Nairobi departing from Athens so that I could dump my things at my cousins home.

So arriving on a Friday afternoon into Athens, my cousin decided its time I explore the Greek Islands since I always seem to visit Zakynthos and Athens only. So 5am Saturday morning we are up in the car on our way to Rafina port to catch the ferry that takes 2 hours to get to Andros - part of the Cyclades group of islands. We had the most beautiful sunrise from deck and I found myself enjoying the fresh air on deck listening to some of my soul soothing Bollywood tunes - it was perfect!

We arrived in Andros before lunch and was greeted by my cousins friend who has a home on the island. We piled into the 4wd and drove through the hilly seaside towns - picture perfect! Little white homes built into the hillside and of course what would an island be without tavernas, gorgeous beach coves and boat ports.

We stopped to buy some fresh fish (which thankfully I didnt have to gut) and had a delicious lunch at the friends home. Then it was down to serious business and off to an isloated beach. Europe is plagued with sunbed and umbrella mafia who you have to pay anywhere between 3 - 20 Euro to enjoy the decent part of the beach. It seemed we were in luck and scored a mafia free beach with the beds and umbrellas free! So we spread out and it took us seconds to strip off and get into the flat crystal clear water and caves - water tempurature was perfect and with the snorkels on I saw great fish and huge sea cliffs dropping off into the depths of the ocean.

Paddle ball is all the rage in Greece - as it is with the South Americans on the beaches of Sydney. You ended up fighting for sand and if you are not playing then you learn the emergency brace position to duck from flying balls. We enjoyed delicious souvlakia and beer on the beach mmmmmmmmm meat! One little bit of trivia that I would like to complain about.... in Greece souvlakia is either chicken or pork - mostly the latter. In Australia, the Greeks use lamb, which is just delicious, so I raised this point with my cousins and they all shrugged and said no we prefer pork - crazy!!!

That nite we watched the football - Spain progressing further of course and to watch the game we took the tv outside under the tree where we drank and enjoyed the cool summer breeze. Feeling exhausted that night I retreated to bed whilst the others went to a paniyiri (festival) in the village which we could hear just over the mountain. It seems that huge amounts of tsipuro were consumed that night as I heard one of the boys be violently ill from the top bunk onto the tile floor, trapping one of the other guys onto his bed - it was hilarious - well for me at least.

The next day we decide its time to go to another beach and end up in this amazing cove where you can walk out in waist length water for a few hundred meters. Everyone is starting to drink again but Im here to worship the sun and sea so disappear way out at sea and end up swimming around the corner to a group of rocks beneath a cliff. One rock seemed to be like a sun bed half emerged in water so I climbed up and lay there listening to the water lap and enjoying the amazing sun that dosent burn like in Australia. Before I know it I fall fast asleep and awake to the sounds of my cousins friends calling out my name as they apparently begin to get concerned they have lost me. Lying on that rock was brilliant, there was something special there or maybe I just needed a good day chilling out by the sea - I could have happily stayed there forever.

We had a massive feast that nite - pork again! But this time pork steaks that remind me of brontosaurs from The Flinstones! We have just enough time to pack up and clean the house before heading down for the 9pm ferry. Whilst waiting to leave I find some amazing sweet and bakery stores and now spew that I didnt buy anything after devouring some of the sweets my cousin made. Thats the funny thing about Greece (and perhaps in other European countries)each group of islands has their own special sweet or cheese that you can only buy there, so you are forever seeing Greeks with kilos of cheese and sweets going home.

My first Cyclades island and I love it! Andros down and a few more hundred islands to go!

Next stop Istanbul to Nairobi and onwards to Arusha, Tanzania......

Canary Islands...

A few months ago and over a facebook chat my Italian cousin and I proposed a plan to meet somewhere in Europe to catch up since it had been 6 years since we had seen each other last. Through his "connections" a friend of his located in the Canary Islands invited us to go stay with him for a while, so we booked the tickets and waited.

Getting a flight after a few days together in Barcelona we arrived on the island of Gran Canaria and were greeted by his very sweet parents, whom we would later see just how hospitable and gracious hosts they were too us.

From the air I was a little suprised just how big this "island" was - I was thinking it was like my fathers island Zakynthos... you can drive around it in a day. Somehow I think you would need to drive really fast to do this on Gran Canaria. One thing that is really striking about this island is the vast differences in landscape all within a 10 minute drive. From desert sand dunes, to riviera looking beach villages, amazing gran canyon style mountains and barcelona street facades. I like what I saw!

So because my cousins friend was away with work for a couple more days we were luckily given their family beach bungalow in an area called Masopalamas which is about a 10 min walk to the beach and has a brilliant water reserve for animals by the beach, sand dunes like that of the Sahara and a strip of upmarket resorts for the abundance of German and English tourists.

It was nice after so long to actually be able to cook for myself and clean-up (yes I know what person on holiday would want this) but when you are on a long term holiday you crave weird things that remind you of routine and stability - one of which I loathe in reality.

The ocean in this area was a little rocky at low tide, but it was amazing how much sand the waves would dump over the rocks at high tide, it became a different beach.
My cousin had been driving me mad on the plane talking about his friends kite and finally I got to watch whilst in hysterics as he cursed the kite he was having trouble keeping afloat amongst the sanddune. Its one of those parachuting ones that you operate with both hands and since the winds are perfect here IF you know what you are doing like the guys later showed us you can have fun. I just nearly killed my cousin by bomb diving it a couple of times, so decided that perhaps ill stick to dancing and only consider this sport if they add this as a new weapon in the military that I can operate!

Another strange thing I notice on the island is the taxis.... ive been used to fat old guys, battered old taxis but here on Gran Canaria there are female drivers, everyones very presentable and they are pretty much all brand new mercedes in Masopalams and new cars in las palmas.

When I was booking my ticket to meet my cousin in Barcelona so we could come to Gran Canaria together I didnt realise that the Canary Islands are in fact closer to Morrocco than Spain - 60kn infact! But I later learnt they like to keep themselves very seperate so there are no connections by air or sea between the two.

When our host Yeray had finished work he came to take us to another beach where the main sand dunes are - it looked awesome but sucked to walk up and down to go for a swim. My cousin and I resorted to commando rolls for a bit of fun and I of course found half the sand dunes in the shower that night from our adventures. This beach was infact a nudist beach and the guys found it perhaps amusing that I was so disturbed by the whole scene. We obviously kept our clothes on (could you imagine flying a kite naked??!) but there was one old guy who insited on taking photos of the kite flying whilst he stood there naked and his jewels dangled in the wind. I really really was disturbed and had to keep walking away as it appeared that all the old guys were loving the "free ball" sensation!

We had lunch at the infamou "Pepe Chiringos" (i know i have the name slightlt wrong) its like a McDonalds for the island and has sliced pork (my cousins favourite), and every other kind of dead animal. I resorted for the mixed "dead animal" and didnt have the enthusiasm for it as my cousin who apparently frequented the joint last time he was here. Whilst we were waiting for be served was Australia playing their first game for the world cup on tv - without realising I jump for joy as they score a goal much to my own embarressment so I then decide its time to be invisible for the rest of lunch. (who says im not patriotic to australia)

We went for a drive to some beautiful seaside towns that were so pretty I could have stayed there forever. The water in their ports was crystal clear and alive with little fish - theres no doubt the waters here are healthy and alive. We went snorkelling one day I think in a place called Sardina (?)and it was nice to snorkel and not think about damn sharks for a change!!! The coral was not alive but there were little fish everywhere - made me really appreciate how lucky we are to have the great barrier reef so close to home.

We also managed to have our first ever diving lesson - I dove a big 3 meters!! ha ha but it was good to experience and see if I think I could handle getting my liscense since Ive always been too scared in Australia. I definately felt the preassure on my chest and a couple of times felt pain in my ears but I guess slowly I will get used to it, but its deftinately not my last dive!

We ate at some delicious restaurants including one near these beautiful oceans with the infamous "Gods finger" rock formation that crashed into the ocean many years ago. The food was tapas of course but fresh seafood and the best fish I´ve had in a while. I have a new favourite dressing for food... moho just think garlic breath for the next 10 days!!! Its delicious and you have it on mini potatoes, everything you want I guess. It looks like its the Canary Islands answer to tomatoe sauce.

Eventually we moved up to stay with his family in an area called Las Palmas which is the main city and again with pretty building facades and streets planned out in grids (which one night I manage to get lost on 5 min from the house - i know me lost??!!) I have never experienced such hospitality from complete strangers, I dont know if its a Spanish thing or we were just very lucky but we were treated like family (perhaps even better) and feed like kings! One morning we experienced churros which is like a long coil donut that you dip into chocolate for breakfast - delicious! The crossiants on the island were the best Ive EVER eaten - they could teach something to the French. Then there was my other new favourite Tortillas with potatoes or Spanish omelette - oh I could eat this from the packet day and night! And then I was super lucky enough to be the student whilst his mum showed me how to make paella mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. She only spoke Spanish but somehow we managed to communicate and understand each other through gestures and sometimes a bit of Italian and Spanish combined. I was a little disturbed watching the lobster get killed - i know i know but it was brutal and I just kept thinking of that episode of The Simpsons where Homer has a pet lobster and he dies in the hot water so Homer eats him (yes mum I know im too old for The Simpsons). It was delicious though and I am now all for killing lobsters :)

I was very excited to double on the Ducati to go up the mountain to see an old volcano crater - it was too dark to see it in detail but it looked awesome and to see the city on fire from the San Juan festival was brilliant too.

I think my favourite days of this trip was the day at the nudist beach and the last day for the San Juan festival where traditionally you burn all rubbish on this day so the island has little bonfires everywhere are you choke a little on smoke. But they apparently used to write out their wishes and throw them into the fire and jump over it - a pagan festival but that is no longer allowed so they just do the bonfires and everyone heads to the beach just before midnight for the fireworks and a swim. I wasnt quiet sure what to expect but when we arrived to thousands on people on the beach and in the water and brilliant fireworks I felt like I was on Copacabana beach in Rio! It was kind of like NYE at Sydney Harbour and a nite where the police turn a blind eye to all the young revellers (us included) carrying coke bottles filled with rum around. Everyone had a brilliant night with their friends swimming, dancing, playing instruments on the beach. I would just like to complain that they failed to put those portable toilets along the beachfront so as a woman (unlike the men pee-ing anywhere) I was forced to walk 1km to a bar and beg I mean literally beg to use the bathroom before the biatch finally agreed. The festival was clearly organised by a man - thank you!

3am came and my cousin was keen to go home and pack for our 9am flight, I conspired with the others to change the times on their phones/watches - unfortunately I forgot to keep his camera from him so he saw the time but we grovelled for him to stay out.
Eventually at something like 6.30am (i think) we found our way home so I could pack and be at the airport....needless to say after so much rum I felt quiet ill on the plane and all the next day but felt I had done what the locals do and enjoyed the festival in true Canarian style :)

So thank you to loving hosts we had a wonderful time and are indebited to you all when you want a holiday in Australia :)

On another note.... this is a RyanAir announcement... think twice before booking such a shit airline...if you think you are getting a bargain be warned they will slog you for everything!!! You only get 15kg for the first bag you buy then its another 35 euro for your 2nd, THEN if you like us fail to check in online and print out your boarding pass, expect to pay 40 Euro to the cow behind the counter because she cant move her finger to hit print!!! Then the pilot will make sure the landing is as scary and bouncy as possible oh and not to mention they will try and sell you everything on board and drive you crazy with announcments - smoke free cigarettes for example and 3 euro for a mini bottle of water. This was my second and LAST experience with Ryanair - i would rather swim in shark infested waters next time! OH and they cancelled my cousins barcelona to italy flight an hour prior leaving him to pay 70 euro for a hotel that nite... nice. So Ryan Air you are shite and you got the blog your crap ass service deserves - the worlds worst airline for 2010!

Next blog....last days in Barcelona

Fez World Sacred Music Festival 4-15 June 2010

A few years ago I read a book called "A House is Fez" and it in this Australian journalist talks about a beautiful festival in Fez every year held outdoors in the castles and riad gardens of Fez. At the time I had started to learn about Sufism which I stumbled across after being asked to dance at a DVD launch called Dances of Ecstacy in Sydney. I loved the whirling dervishes and trance dance of the Moroccan Sufi´s and then decided that I had to get there. A girlfriend and I had spoken about Spain and Morocco for an adventure, but she got pregnant and that never eventuated. So nearly 3/4 years later I made the decision that my round the world trip would definately have to include the World Sacred Music festival and in 2010 here I am!

Running from the 4-15 June in 2010 a season pass sets you back approx 240 Euro per person - yes ouch but that gives you A reserve seats to all day and evening shows at the various venues across town. This year the big draw card was meant to be Ben Harper but on the Saturday night, we were greeted at the door with a typed note supposedly from Ben himself saying that he had a "skateboard accident" and was devastated that he couldnt make the festival. My partner pointed out that it was nthe program never actually confirmed Ben in the first place. As it turns out the replacement group for Ben Harper were in my opinion the highlight of the festival and the best show we saw.

Through the agent who booked our riad we paid an additional $30 and she purchased and collected our tickets for us. We arrived to an evelope at the riad with two booklets of vouchers looking like a cheque book. So for each show we take a voucher and opening night we head up the street to the main venue Bab Makina - a beautiful old open air castle I guess you could call it. The streets were barracaded and a crowd of locals gathered across the street - we later discovered the princess was at the opening night so everyone wanted to catch a glimpse.

The security guards are at the venues everyday and night and I commented that they dressed in black suits and ties and very so professional. They were the face of the festival for me, always helpful and happy. Mind you the security at Bab Makina that scanned my bag, failed to see my pocket knife on the night of the princess and every night there after.

I think that those security screens throughout Morocco are a joke as I even got my pocket knife on a plane between Fez and Casablanca and I constantly set off those security doorways with my beeps and no one ever checks!

Back to the festival... so the red carpet was rolled out and seats in the various sections. The opening night was the Royal Cambodian Ballet, which those of you who know I fell in love with Cambodia last year and in particular the dancing. But I have to say that it was a bad decision on the festival organisers part to but such a thing on opening night. It was just to mellow and anti-climax for an opening night w hich should really have gone off with a bang and perhaps used the African band Bamakao Connection instead. It was beautiful for sure, but I felt this would have been better later in the week and something more upbeat even perhaps a song per festival performer on opening night so that people can see whose show they would like to go to that week.

The poor programming continued throughout the festival with singers scheduled in the evenings for the large venue and fantastic groups who go the crowd rocking at the afternoon events. It regularly seemed that they needed to switch the two around and have the relaxing artists in the afternoon garden instead. Additionally we found that some of the performers at the free concerts for the locals were better than ours - that was a little frustrating and again that was purely because they placed the chilled artists in the evening rather than in the afternoon.

Although the festival originally attracted French tourists and locals, there is definately a large contingent of english speaking only guests attending now. So it was very disappointing each night to turn up and at the door they continued to only provide information about that evenings performance in French. Furthermore there was no English introductions to the groups in the afternoons or an information desk at the festival which seemed insane - we hunted the whole festival for a program in English and only finally found it on the last day of the festival - typical!

So that was my rant - the festival needs just a few tweaks to be perfect and if they advertised in places like Australia, USA and England and even Asia their numbers would dramatically increase as it is a fantastic initiative!

As I mentioned the Bamako Connection on the Saturday night were one of my favourites... there was clearly the crowd there that was originally for Ben Harper so once they started with the African beats people got up in their seats and started dancing. Then they managed to get down to the front and the crowds swelled as everyone wanted to dance. This was a true festival scene!

Other highlights of the festival for me included.....

Burundi drummers... of course I love these guys and was so excited to see them on the program. My refugee family I work with in Australia is from Burundi, so I had seen them before and knew how exciting and loud their performance could be.

Rajab Sulieman Trio from Tanzania did an afternoon performance in the Batha Museum gardens which was amazing! Rajab is a very talented Qanoun player which is like a harp that lies on your lap and its so Middle Eastern with its tunes. The music they (qanun, tabla, ciello and singer)played is reminiscent from Zanzibar and it truly was a beautiful afternoon to hear such an amazing group in such beautiful surroundings.

The Sufi´s from Tanzania were perfect with their choreography and beautiful voices. They were different to other Sufi´s that I had seen, these were more like gospel singers. I was really happy with a photo I managed to take of a couple of them one evening. I´ll post it on the side bar of this blog.

Ustad Gholam Hassain and ensemble from India made me cry. The singers voice and the humblness of the group as they spoke in English to the crowd saying how excited they were to be there and for once it was genuine. They had two Indian tablas and an electric Sitar on stage - the Sitar player was brilliant with his compositions and fusion of traditional indian and electric guitar style. They also had two dancers with the classical Indian Kathak dance style bells on their ankles. The tabla player would play a rythm and they would play it back - it truly was brilliant.

The Luxor Musicians from the Nile of Egypt were fantastic with their Mizmar, nei and tabla. They played the saidi tunes of Egypt and even had the famous whirling sufis of Egypt. I really struggled to not get up and dance with these guys.

Dhafer Youssef Quartet from Tunisia ROCKED! There was an oud player, fantastic piano and drummer - the tunes they belted out were brilliant and another real favourite due to not only their tunes but their crowd pleasing personalities too.

The inflated festival ticket prices allow the organisers to put on free concerts for the locals to attend - in theory I like this as I think its a beautiful idea but I think there needs to be a credit to the tourists as we do spend alot of money to be there in the first place and a simple banner or thank you from the organisers to let the locals know that this is the situation is something that would be nice I think. Perhaps they do this but we are not aware, it just did not seem that the locals knew that the entertainment was a result of this.

One thing that I started to love doing during the festival was to walk over to the free concert that the locals attended - mainly for the people watching, the atmosphere and the great "sandwich nazi". Picture lots of stall in the open air with many of their carts built on an old pram. Our favourite was the panini guy who had the most skilled ability to peel a potatoe and egg in two seconds. The most delicious sandwhich with egg, creme cheese, olives, tomatoes and then some other yummies all for 60c a sandwhich!!!!!

Oh and the OJ guy - he had premade stuff in a bottle but as I was worried he mixed tap water I asked him to squeeze some fresh juice. 8cents a glass!!!!!!

The buzz in the air of the festival, the fantastic venues, amazing artists and yummy food make this a must do festival even if for only once in your life!

Next blog.... Day trip to Meknes, Voubilis and Moulay Idriss

Arriving in Fez, Morrocco June 2010

Catching a train between Marrakesh and Fez was a simple enough procedure but just painful as we had no AC for 7 hours meaning that the tiny opening from the window above was barely enough to survive comfortably. I like to think that it was so hot in our cabin from the other 4 passengers in our cabin who talked the entire trip and took all the oxygen :)

One thing we noticed and later discussed is also something that I noticed in India. Travelling by train in these countries complete strangers have long winded conversations for hours on end together and we both agree that generally this just doesn't happen in Australia. We really are quiet conservative. I know many of you may not agree, but you really need to see how it unfolds... strangers take a seat next to each other, greet then start in heated debates and talk for hours like they are long lost friends. They share food even if the portion for themselves is little, they help each other with bags. Its something that I think on planes and trains in Australia we just don't see so much of anymore - if you have a chatterbox next to you people tend to read or plug in their earphones and pretend there is no one around them.

Anyway that was our 7 hours to Fez. Arriving in Fez we were greeted to a very modern and extremely clean train station with all the traditional Moroccan architecture and artisan work from the wood work in the ceilings, the zelij mosaic tile work on the poles and marble floors - I was really impressed. For the first time this trip we were met as had been arranged by a driver at the station. To book this part of the trip we decided to enlist the help of Helen Ranger who is an agent for many of the Riads in Fez and whom I found thanks to the Suzanna Clarke book "A house in Fez". Again we find ourselves piling into a tank Mercedes for the 10 minute drive to the Riad in an area called Batha. Straight away I am impressed by the scenery in the streets - generally clean, traffic lights that people actually follow, road rules, police cars - I know it all sounds normal but remember the places that I have been travelling people rarely obey such advanced technology.

I am told Baksheesh (bribes) are still a common daily occurrence throughout Morocco and as a result we see people in the front of the cars wearing seat belts to avoid 600 Dirham fines or having to slip 100 dirham into their license as they hand it over to the police.

One unique scene throughout Fez is the water fountains - they are obsessed and it seems every neighbourhood has one and it often taps into a natural spring. Surprisingly you don't find people bringing buckets down to take the water as you might in other parts of Africa!

The car pulls up in a cudlesac and some young teenagers come to see if they can make a few dirhams taking our bags to our riad but our driver shoo´s them away. Again we find ourselves towing our luggage down yet another windy lane way to get to the riad. We arrive at a large old wooden door and are greeted by Abdul who is our humble maitre de for the 8 nights we will stay. He´s very quiet spoken and I find it very strange that as an Arab man this is so and that he appears to be either very shy or lack confidence - its really strange in such a culture, but he is the perfect host and nothing is ever too much trouble for him.

Inside the riad is absolutely amazing. It has been restored over a few years by a French woman who up until the purchase thought she could renovate the riad from abroad. She said that after 6 months of seeing no progress, she realised that she would have to move here to see the renovation complete and now she lives here full time. There is a photo album on the coffee table which show photos of the riad before and during the renovation and I have to say I am a junkie for such things! The whole riad is 3 or 4 floors with the home built as a square and a centre open air area for relaxing and where they serve breakfast and dinner. The clever thing about this riad is that they have an automatic roof that they use to close the open air area in the event of rain and yes I didn't believe it possible but it did rain whilst we were there!

Breakfast each morning is served whatever time we arrive - so we take the opportunity to finally get some decent sleep in a huge comfy bed with the shutter windows closed so its pitch black still at 10.30am :) We arrive downstairs and our host Abdul madly begins to scatter around serving us coffee, juice, dates, Moroccan sponge bread, something that looks like a crumpet cross pancake, yogurt and my favourite that I devour for the two of us - pastries mmmmmm.

So Fez has the little red "petite taxi" and unlike Marrakesh where we find ourselves tire of bargaining with the extreme rates they charge for a few KM´s, we are pleasantly surprised when we hope in and say our destinations (me in my most convincing French accent) and the meter kicks off. No trip was ever more than 10 dirham!!! Most of the time the trips are 6 or 7 dirham and we don't even bother to wait for change - seriously we are talking 60c!

The city of Fez has the main wall still standing around the city and its really a case of just throwing yourself in rather than reading a book as the book confused the hell out of me. One thing we did learn from Lonely Planet though is that the government in Fez have realised that tourists tend to get lost maneuvering around the medina, so they have placed coloured signs around the windy medina lanes that you can follow according to whether you would would like to go through the artisan area, copper smiths, museums etc. Sounds easy enough but a couple of times we did a massive circle following the signs so we resorted to hiring a guide for our last day there to make sure we didn't miss anything. All we really missed were a few great painting shops which we ended up cleaning one out nearly of his stock!

The painting shop was quiet interesting. I was convinced we should play good and bad cop with the bargaining for one particular beautiful person, but my partner in crime decided to tell me out loud in front of the store owner -"yes i definitely want this one" not something you want the owner to hear when you are about to bargain - kind of like buying a house you play it cool like you really don't care. Too funny! In the end this young guy showed us he was a prick and wouldn't budge even slightly and on principal as he didn't want to play ball we went to another guy a few doors up and started with a painting each and walked out with 9 paintings in total!! ummm we need a house first perhaps?!

Eating became an sometimes chore in Fez - after Marrakesh and being held hostage to eat dessert which turned out to be my birthday cake! One thing we were realising we needed to start saying was that we didn't want dessert a) we weren't really into the crunchy wafer pancakes and b)we were over the set menu 5 courses!! We had dinner the first night at our riad which was lovely but again too much food - wine was great though! Then we resorted to Lonely Planet for restaurant recommendations.

We really struggled to follow the map to the restaurants so settled on a little place with versace looking tablecloths on the first day - service for food was at least 40 min but definitely the best preserved lemon chicken tajine in Fez. When we went to pay the bill we learnt that Morocco was playing football (soccer for the aussies out there) hence why inside was packed with men and no staff gave a crap about their starving customers. Dinner was delicious though and only around $10-15 for the two of us. The area was ate is in the middle of the Medina with rows of little eateries and their chairs facing the passing foot traffic - reminding me of that in Paris minus the gorgeous men and women of course.

Lonely Planet mentioned a place called Clock Cafe and we decided to check it out as it was highly recommended. We were at the point of giving up when suddenly I got my second wind and saw a street sign and worked it out in a second as I spun around and saw a sign on the inside lane way directing us to the cafe. Its an old riad converted into a multi level cafe with rooms and balcony seating overlooking the downstairs kitchen area. Its owned by an English guy but managed by an Aussie and we both agree the staff were all fantastic and appeared to be like a happy family. One thing I really like about this place is the fact that they offer bellydance, cooking, calligraphy and live music nights. We actually did a cooking class there which was brilliant and I would highly recommend the head chef there who teaches you -Souad. She was a wealth of information and so friendly. We learnt to cook traditional chicken and preserved lemon tajine, eggplant salad, harrira soup and a desert kind of like the baklava nut rolls we make in Greece.

The cooking lesson took us into the fresh food market and Souad cheekily took me to the chicken butcher - he has a room filled with white chickens which he picks up and plonks one on his ancient scales so you pay by the kilo. With a serious face she looked at me and said now it is traditional that you must kill the chicken. I wasn't sure if she was serious but when he handed me the chicken to hold by the wings I realised that she was serious! At first I thought well I have to do this sooner or later don't I, then as it squirmed in my hands I thought this is not going to happen to asked if we could wait till my partner is back as he´d love to do it! She started laughing and the butcher too - obviously I realised this is a common prank she plays with all her clients!

Not only did we buy produce for the meals we were to cook that day, but she also walked through explaining about the traditions of the Moroccan people, the local natural beauty guy who sells the black soap for the hammam and henna for the hair and skin of the women, the water guy who every spring uses some ancient technology to evaporate the juices for rosewater, oregano etc which they offer as cool drinks for guests, to wash babies and as digestive aids. There was even a camel butcher who one night I looked to my right and there was a camel head just hanging from a hook! Strangely enough he looked peaceful with his eye and lips closed and I couldn't get over the long eyelashes! We both tried the camel burgers at Clock Cafe and they were ok, nothing to rave about but heaps better than crocodile or kangaroo.

There was even a lady in the market and her job all day is to make filo pastry and all the locals and restaurants come to place their order with her for the day!

Some customs and beliefs she told us about included:
*In Islam you can have as many wives as long as you can treat them all fairly, which she said is impossible so its really a catch 22 and not really happening anymore.
*children in Morocco are fed separately from their parents until they are 8 years, its considered very rude if your children eat at the table with guests before this age as generally they have not learnt the proper manners and etiquette.
*they don't have bellydancers at their weddings instead they dance themselves and have musicians.
*weddings now days go for 2 days - day 1 for the henna patterns that are applied to the women's hands and feet and day 2 for the actual wedding.
*women keep their surnames in Morocco (as does most of Europe now - come on Australia!!)
*all names for children must have a meaning or you are told to choose from a government list of names.

We were lucky enough one afternoon to see the start of a wedding celebration. I did a stake out for a good hour determined to get good photos and perhaps even an invite to their wedding since that particular day I had dressed like the women in their traditional dress. but alas my dress did not help my cause and we only got to see the start of the celebration as the family were very protective as too many tourists rocked up for photos so they headed inside instead of parading them around the street. The women is carried in an epitaph chair and the man rides a white horse that I will mention got the crap kicked out of it for playing up before the wedding started.

One sight that never ceased to amaze me in not just Fez but all over Morocco is cats. Even as I sat waiting for my flight to check in at Casablanca international airport, a cat strolled on past me inside the airport! Every sight you visit, every restaurant you eat at...cats! And I must say that they are fat healthy cats as the locals and tourists feed them well. There´s a line up of cats out the front of the butcher stalls (I say stalls as all meat is exposed in the open air) every morning they sit patiently waiting for a feed!

Next blog the World Sacred Music Festival in Fez 2010.........

Marrakesh from above...

So after a nice break in Eassouria it was back to Marrakesh for a last three days before moving on. Importantly I was able to spend my birthday in Marrakesh and was spoilt with the lovely suprise of a early morning hot air balloon ride over the countryside just outside Marrakesh! This of course meant an early morning start and we were greeted by our guide and hot air balloon owner Hamid - who proudly informed me that he knew where Brisbane was as he drove there from Sydney when he recently visited Australia with his wife - which is a rareity as the majority of Morroccans just cannot afford such and expensive trip. There were 6 other people from the UK also coming along for the ride that day and they were quiet lovely. To make sure we were all awake as we are driving through this sand dune area hamid says let me wake you up - the jeep is still in motion as he jumps at and runs to the back of the car and opens the door where we are sitting on the bench seats and says "Are you awake now?" as he is running behind the jeep that is still in motion - it was the craziest thing I have ever seen but hysterical!

We arrived at a flat site in the countryside where Hamid and his team unloaded the hot air balloon in pieces off the back of a trailor, which I will admit at this point was a little scary to not see it all together when we arrived. BUT, it was really interesting to watch them pull it together and we got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise whilst snacking on chocolate croissants and tea. When the time came to go up I couldn't beleive the noise from the flame above us - not to mention the heat! No wonder Hamid was bald - I was suprised that any of us had eyebrows left after this trip. When the flame wasn't blowing it was really peaceful to just be floating over the villages. Talk about a birds eye view - we were told about the holes that we could see in the dry ground below and how these are all attempts by the Berbers to dig wells and look for water. It's crazy there are whole towns and just a tiny well to support them! We were up there for around 45 min and it was just amazing and something that I hope to do again.

As we were looking for a landing site as it goes according to the wind, Hamid calmly tells us that we need to go up as the wind was blowing us towards some power lines - lovely Hamid couldn't you have just sorted that out without telling me???
The group before us that came down had a tiny crash landing with the basket dragging along the dirt ground, so I was bracing myself for the same kind of landing. Instead
Mr Hamid decided to give us a perfect YouTube moment and land the hot air balloon right onto the back of the trailer on the track from which they were to load the balloon back onto!!! I thought he was joking, but them I realised he was deadset serious and he did it perfect I couldnt beleive it! It was really interesting to see that with the landing he has his crew on the ground driving and trying to work out where he will land.

We asked how do local land owners feel that he lands on their property and he said they are usually ok, sometimes you have to pay them for some damage to their crops but when he started the business he took all the local families up for a ride and to get them onside and it appears to have worked a treat. It was really beautiful when we floated over one village and a mum was outside with her son pointing at our balloon and waving - it was a sweet interaction from a different perspective with the locals.

At the end of the trip we were taken to a local Berber village that belongs to the crew that have worked for him for the last for years. It's a massive collection of mud brick homes - very simple dwellings where they use bamboo in the roof for "Berber air conditioning". The Berber fridge is a basket hanging in the shadiest and coolest room of the mudbrick homes and this is where they will place their milk, butter, yoghurts, cheese and meats to keep them cool and clear of animals and flies. They showed us the old kitchen versus the new kitchen that the community uses as a result of the women cooking lunch for the tourists who do the tour like us - I still cant work out where they cooked.

Electricity is something very new for this community and Hamid told us that when they first got the solar panels on the roof which the government gives them, the grandmother was so excited about eletricity that she stood there flicking the light switch on and off to show the tourists how it works, not realising that this is something we take for granted in our countries.
The toilet was suprisingly clean - a tiled hole in the ground in the middle of a room and outside is a massive terracotta pot filled with water, which you take a small bucket and dip in to take water into the toilet with you to flush - luckily Berber Belly wasnt playing up that day! :)

After our tour of the village someone had cheekily told Hamid it was my birthday so next thing I know there is a huge cake, decorations and even my age printed on the cake. Hamid had even made a whole CD of birthday songs in both English and Arabic which they blared out of the 4WD parked next to us for the next 30 minutes!!! I think Im mentally scarred by that song for life!!! We were then taken for a camel ride which was randomly placed in a parking lot in the middle of no where and the old mercedes taxis of Morocco would pull up with tourists who would pay a fortune Im guessing to walking around this palm tree parking lot in the midday heat on a camel for 10 minutes.

The next day we took another tour with Morocco Explored this time up to the Atlas Mountains, Ait Ben Haddou and Ouzazzarete. Thankfully we were in a comfortable Toyota Prado as we drove up the windy Atlas roads from 8.30am until 1pm where we were able to visit these sites then drive back at 2.30pm to arrive at 7pm - it was a really hard drive for me as I felt motion sickness the whole time and migraines threatening to ruin the trip.

Ait Ben Haddou was an amazing site that is now UNESCO heritage listed and currently being conserved - its an old mud brick kasbah that has been used in movies such as the Gladiator & The Mummy - it's absolutely beautiful and a real exotic oasis only fitting for a magical childrens story. The drive was truly beautiful and the mountains so amazing I couldn't beleive they weren't paintings. Our driver was very lovely and understood that Im a little snap Jap happy when it comes to taking photos, so would constantly stop the car for perfect photos.

The riad we stayed at for this second visit to Marrakesh was beautifully renovated riad run by a French guy and had a resident turtle that just strolls around the roof terrace. The cheeky guy even nibbled on my toe at one point, thinking that I was food - yes it hurt! He was so cute I wanted to buy one from the markets and sneak him on holidays with me - why cant we have these kind of turtles in Australia??

For the last night in Marrakesh, I decided I wanted to go and check out the newly revamped La Mamounia hotel, which is the location they shot the recently launched Sex in the City 2 movie. I didn't think I would be that into it, but I must say I was truly excited as we took a horse and carriage to the hotel which was the perfect way to arrive and once inside it was the most gorgeous hotel ever!!! Next visit to Marrakesh I need to stay there! The ambience and decoration from the gardens, the foyer, the pool and piano bar was stunning and of course I ordered a Cosmopolitan as this is something the girls would have done right? I could really see the spots that I guessed they must have shot some scenes, so Im looking forward to actually seeing the movie so that I can see if I was right. There was no more perfect way to end the stay in Marrakesh!

Next blog... Fez and the Scared World Music Festival.

Morrocco's beachside town Eassouria

So far Morrocco was as I had expected, if not better but it was time to put Marrakech on hold for a couple of days and go check out the much spoken about Eassouria on the West coast of Morocco.

It's known as the windiest city in North Africa and I promise you this is no word of a lie - tourists get sick of the wind its that strong and ever present. To get from Marrakech to Eassouria is an approximate 3 hour bus ride with a company called Supra Tours, who seem to have the Morroccan domestic market wrapped up along with their competitior CTM. One thing to note is that the seats are totally cramped - as in I think they snuck in an extra row at the comfort of the passengers as I'm glad I've down yoga to help me get comfy in the seat! It wasn't too scenic a drive, more countryside harvesting olives and wheat and a lot of road works happening. The current King Mohammed 6th is known as the King of the people and appears to be upgrading roads across the country in order to better service tourists and locals alike - sounds like a nice guy.

Arriving early afternoon we had no luck contacting the riad who the booking agent told us he does not speak English but just call say your name and supratours and your arrival time and he will understand. So we never reached him so decided yet again (every arranged pick-up so far has never happened) it was time to wing it. As you hop off the bus there are taxi and luggage cart touts all hassling for your business. As usual I insist on ignoring them until most have been taken by the tourists and the less aggressive ones are left behind. In this instance a young boy that wanted my attention from the start patiently waited by my side so I decided to ask if he knew of the riad we had booked and he pointed it out on his very old crumpled map. I asked how much and we agreed on 40 dirham (which is probably too much but he's a student) so in our bags go into his trailer looking luggage cart on two wheels and we follow him through some run down looking gardens and end up at one of the many gate entrances into the walled Medina.

First impressions is that it is a beautiful cobblestone walled city and spectacular ocean views - just the perfect change from the big cities I keep finding myself in. Narrow lane ways with tall stone buildings and hole-in-the-wall shopfronts with their traditional Berber carpets hanging on the walls make the walk colourful. Even in Eassouria we find more cats begging for our food and attention. The locals generally aren't too interested in the tourists unlike the tourists hungry Marrakesh and this too is refreshing.

Through an English site we found a little riad and booked out the top floor room with its own private terrace. This was definitely the highlight of this riad for me - there was like an attic ladder that lead to a glass sliding door in our roof which we could climb up and access the rooftop terrace which we could see all around the rooftops of the Medina and beyond the grand old sandstone walls out to the Atlantic ocean. The breeze was very refreshing at first - just a little painful after a day though as your ears start to hurt :( We even had a visitor come through the rooftop door one evening - a resident cat that would meow for love each night... next thing we know its come in to say hi and looking for food. One thing we quickly noticed about Eassouria is the size of their seagulls - damn chickens! As we would sit to eat breakfast on the roof terrace I was always consciously keeping an eye out for these predators thinking, just imagine if they decide to attack for some food!

Eassouria has a main port that each day hundreds of fishing boats bring in their nightly catch for sale at the fish markets. Locals and tourists can buy fresh from the boat and take them to a man who will cook them for you, alternatively there are little stalls lining the main garden of the port displaying fresh seafood which you select and they will cook for you. I have to say that I was a little disappointed in the flavour as they added no herbs or spices to the seafood, which being Morocco I would have expected that they did - but it was the experience and the fact that you could have fresh seafood - fish, calamari, salad, drinks, sea urchins (note to self: never eat them again eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!) and drinks for less than $20!!

Walking through the windy bazaars there was no pressure to buy, just friendly shop sellers who would occasionally greet passersby with a Marhaba (welcome in Moroccan Arabic). It's the perfect weekend away to write postcards and blogs - but in my case I had no Internet access so I just got to enjoy the town instead. I admit that I came to Morocco with the intention to purchase a carpet from here or where I actually thought I would actually find it in Turkey- well I finally bit the bullet in Eassouria and bought a beautiful red, black and white carpet from a young Berber guy who made the bargaining process fun and I felt we both walked away happy with the outcome. On the other hand I did have one rather near nasty shopping experience with a old guy that I bought a jumper from as I was freezing at dinner so thought I would quickly drop in and buy something cheap for the night. We agreed on a price of 150 and I gave him 200 and waited for my change - he said he needed to go and get change - alarm bells slightly rung but he seemed really sweet so I dismissed the thought. When he came back he said I owed him 100 so he could give me change and I was caught off guard actually wondering if I had infact not given him enough. Luckily I knew exactly how many notes were in my purse so I knew he was testing me to see if he could get away with it. I polietly smiled and firmly explained to him that I knew how much I had in my purse and that he was confused and I took a step closer as I was significantly taller than him and that seemed to do the trick as he quickly handed over my change.

On the last day we decided to go do a half day horse riding expedition with Ranch de Diabat who come pick you up and in a cool 70's hippe VW wagon and drive around 10 minutes out to their ranch which reminded me of a Mexican stable. One thing I am in love with is the horses from the Middle East - they are huge and such stunning horses. Every horse at this range had a very healthy coat, mane, tail and perfect weights. I was given Atlas who was a stubborn horse - little did he know about his rider. At one point or should I say twice, just before lunch Atlas started playing up and decided he didn't like the hilly terrain we were walking down so suddenly I looked like I was one of those Spanards riding a horse in a mid air pose with the horse on its two hind legs! Thankfully I had my left hand already holding the saddle and some of his mane and the right holding the reins - as he launched into the air I squeezed my thighs and knees in and held on tight whilst somehow knowing how to control him to get him to co-operate. It was actually quiet dangerous but I loved it at the same time. We took the horses onto the straight beach which was perfect and I kept practising my trot with Atlas, who was more than happy to burst into a mini run. I'm sure it wouldn't have taken much more to make him break into a full blown gallop but he was too big and strong for me to even brave the idea. Our Berber guide took us into the tree groves and unpacked a picnic lunch for us - sardines, rice, tomatoes, bread and coke. Along the walk back we came across many wild camels grazing, but thankfully none looking to fight with Atlas. It was the perfect finish to the days in Eassouria, but my butt was not so grateful for the punishment and for the next 2 days I sulked about my bruised thighs and butt probably from my attempt to be pro and trot for the half day with Atlas.

That afternoon we took the bus back to Eassouria and I just couldn't take the pain in my legs or the constant migraines I have had pretty much everyday going on 4 weeks! So in true backpacker style I found myself lying on the dirty concrete floor in the shade with no shoes on as I waited for the bus to board. I knew I was being looked at in disgust by the locals, but the pain was preceding and I was anxious about the tiny seats for 3.5 hours back to Marrakesh - in the end it was all fine as I just tried to sleep most the way to make it go faster.

Eassouria was the perfect few days away from the hectic Marrakesh and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Marrakesh - even if you only have time to do the Supratours or CTM bus day trips - you will love the photo opportunities of the fishing boats, fish markets, walled Medina and the views over the Atlantic Ocean.

Next blog Marrakesh the last 3 days....

photos

Marrakech - the first two days

Once I settled in it was time to explore Marrakech and see if it lived up to the hype! The main square that I had lunch at during the day (Djemaa el-fna) is abuzz day and night. Snake charmers, Berber doctors and dentists, acrobats and muscians with huge copper castanets that remind me of a more developed version of the woodon ones they use in Rajasthan, India (again see the Gypsy trail). At night old men with lanterns sit and tell stories whilst local crowds gather around to hear their stories - I was so fascinated at their love for story telling. Im not talking about one many doing this - throughout there square there would be 6-10 of these guys with their story telling, sometimes they had a singer or music to accompany their stories - if only I knew what they said!!

Then there was the male cross dressing bellydancers - that you wouldnt realise as they are in full galabia (like a kaftan) and a head and face veil - thanks Lonely Planet for the warning otherwise I might have gotten excited and wanted to join them. Then there was muscians playing the traditional music of the Gnawa - I just cant beleive how much like South African music they sound - I dont know why I was shocked but their rythyms and voices sounded so similar I was really shocked but really excited - I seriously wanted to jump into the middle of the circle and dance, but was a little put off when Im trying to video and within a second on of the band members stands in front with his hat asking for money - couldnt you wait?? no thats the point - no pay, no watch.

I didnt spend as much time in this square day and night as I would have liked to and if I revisit I will ensure I get a guide to interpret the stories for me as they appeared very intriguing.

You read about the Medina's and their winding alley ways and how you will get lost and have to pay a child a few dirham to help get you out - that didnt quiet happen, we just never found what we were looking for!! To find one mosque should have been pretty simple - look up into the sky for the minaret, but the walls tower so high that we must have walked past it a million times over!

We stumbled across the Museum de Marrakech - which is a showcase of old black and white photos, lots of beautiful old kaftans all housed in an old riad with a gorgeous centre courtyard perfect for some mint tea - I think this was my last glass there as I just cant stomach anymore!

The disappointing experience here was there was a lovely curvey old Berber maid there to serve us tea in the courtyard, she would do what they all do and hold the pot in mid air letting the tea pour into the gorgeous Moroccan tea glasses. I thought she would make a perfect photo so asked if she would mind - of course not but for a few Dirham only! It was also all hush hush of course as Im sure her manager would not approve of harassing tourists for such rewards. On this particular day I was struggling with the fact that no Moroccan would pose for photos, unlike in Turkey where everyone would happily pose and not expect a dime in return. Marrakech was proving to be the complete opposite - I was taking an alley way shot of a camel cart and a few people - no close up's, just a street scene and this old man goes off. I checked incase I had taken photos of a veiled woman which is a no-no, but I hadn't and this just kept happening all morning to the point where I gave up on taking photos and cursed at everyone perfect photo opportunity that I was missing - and there were lots!

Walking through the lane way we came across a carpenter who was actually happy to pose for a photo as he took a piece of cedar wood and turned it into a chess piece within a few seconds using his feet, hands and some old tool. Of course, it was a sales tactic and after my photo we had to go into the store and look "only looking" which turned into a purchase - a wooden magic box that you have to push and pull and few things to find the key and open it from the hidden lock - they have way too much time on their hands ;)

One really nice encounter was in a little glass bottle store - you can buy all sizes and shapes of glass bottles set in silver with embossing for use with perfume, oils etc. I decided they were perfect and liked he was away from the tourist trap so expected better prices and that he would probably get a decent cut too. So after a friendly banter of negotiations in French and through the help of a calculator and pen and paper to confirm prices, they were sold. At the time I was wearing my blue kaftan and a white headscarf - mainly to keep the sun off my head but also as we were in a local neighbourhood and I wanted to be respectful covering up. It appeared my efforts did not go unnoticed with this old guy who claimed I looked like a Berber woman!

That evening it was time to test out the Moroccan hammams and enjoy a delicious set menu dinner at La Maison Arabe. The ambience in the hammam could not be faulted - lying on a rubber mat, and steam instead of the hot marble platform could be. I definately didnt enjoy the hammam being private either - it means you are in a tiny room in black marble, heat and its all a little too claustraphobic. The scrub couldnt compare either - imagine taking one of those exfoliating gloves with only water to your skin - well this is what she did and it was not enjoyable at all.

Dinner on the other hand in the same building was brilliant, delicious selections of Morroccan cuisine in an old renovated riad whilst enjoying live oud and Gnawa music.

Obtaining train and bus tickets for our road trip the next day to Essaouria and also to Fez on the 4th June was waaaaay too simple - Im used to the complexities of trains in India and was bracing myself for a painful experience. Instead the taxi driver who spoke no english somehow understood to wait whilst it took less than 5 min to purchase the train and bus tickets!

Language is a kind of a problem from what I've seen so far - everyone speaks French, Moroccan Arabic and Berber Arabic with only a little English. Suddenly I saying Asalaam Alaykoum in Arabic then Merci in French - Im using 3 languages to communicate what I want and when that fails with prices I start getting them to write it down.

The call to prayer is another interesting observation - at first I thought I was hearing a really loud old scooter stuck in gear - then I realised that it was the Muzzazin's call to pray - then they all started as there were several mosques and unfortunately I have to say it really is a call to pray rather than the hypnotic voices of the Turks call to prayer.

In general Marrakech is a little hectic but the mystery of the city overrides the congestion. I'm heading off to the coast next for a few days rest in Essauriou before coming back to Marrakech for 3 days. Next blog coming soon....