Day 4 The Sahara.

 Today we were going into the Sahara. It was along drive hence the early morning start at 4.30 am. I didn't feel great but I either had to get on the minibus or leave the tour and return home. I just couldn't face food but at least I was drinking and not feeling nauseous.

We arrived at the hotel in the middle of the afternoon. We did stop a couple of times enroute and I think I slept as well so the journey wasn't that bad, The hotel was single storey but covered a large area with a couple of swimming pools and was on the edge of the desert. 

The rooms were large and had a patio door opening out onto the desert. 

View from the room.

Camels walking past the hotel.

For a change we had some free time in the afternoon and I went down for a swim which was lovely.

At about 6.30 we met up to get ourselves sorted out for a camel ride to see the sunset.

I really enjoyed the experience although getting on and off needed you to hold on tight.

The clouds gathered in time for the sunset so we didn't get to see a particularly good one. In the evening we sat round a camp fire whilst the camel drivers played varoius folk music on a variety of drums and then we sat back and watched the myriad of stars above.

Day 3

 we would spend today in and around Fez. We started off at a community pottery where young men and women are taught the craft of pottery, hand painting the pots and making mosaics.

 

We were then taken to the Medina. With its 9000 streets it is the largest in Morocco.

Looking down over the Medina.

Our guide for the day (can't remember his name) has a You Tube channel on Moroccan food and cooking. He was recognised on numerous occasions as he was guiding us round the Medina. People asking for selfies etc. Got a bit annoying in the end!

He took us to the oldest parts of the Medina including the leather workshops with the large curing and dieing vats.

As we entered this area we were given sprigs of mint to smell to counteract the overwhelming odours from the curing of the leather.  

A rare quiet street.

The entrance to the oldest university in the world.

The oldest existing and continually operating educational institution in the world is the University of Karueein, founded in 859 AD in Fez, Morocco. The University of Bologna, Italy, was founded in 1088 and is the oldest one in Europe.

'Guinness Book of Records'

This was in an old caravanserai where they were weaving a silk like fabric from the fibres of a large succulent. Many from the group bought scarfs for use in the Sahara, our next stop on the tour.

We stopped for lunch in a pleasant restaurant away from the crowds but still in the medina. I didn't want to eat as the heat was getting to me. Despite drinking frequently, staying in the shade, wearing a damp scarf I got worse as the afternoon wore on. By the time we got back to the minibus I realised I had sunstroke. The group left the minibus to visit somewhere else but I had now starting vomiting. Fortunately for me, one of the other members of the group told the driver to just get me back to the hotel and collect everyone else later.  I was helped up to my room with the air conditioning on full and more damp clothes to bring my body temperature down. I continued being sick but with the help of a nurse who was travelling with us and some anti nausea tablets I began to slowly recover, eventually being able to tolerate liquids (flat coca cola really does help).  Our tour guide Youssef wanted to get a doctor and phoned me every hour through the night. I had a very bad night but had it under control by the time we left for the Sahara at 4.30 the next morning. I was worried that I might have to return home. We were travelling in the early hours of the morning as it was a long drive and we wanted to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Day 2 Morocco

 

The first stop this morning was at Volubilis, a Roman site dating back to the 1st century AD.

 Pomegranate trees were everywhere.

A large Roman bath in the remains of a villa. A bit like the hot tubs of today.

Excellent mosaics showing the trials of Hercules.

An olive press.

For lunch we were taken to a centre run by women who were learning hospitality and cooking skills. The centre is funded by the non profit making organisation, Planeterra, which promotes sustainable tourism benefitting local communities. The travel company I use, G Adventures, is in partnership with Planeterra and wherever possible in the world your tour will include a visit to one of the community projects. I have always been very impressed with the work they do. The meal was huge, so much delicious food.

 A tea ceremony followed the meal. Mint tea is offered to us wherever we go.

We continued our travels to Fez and quickly settled into our hotel there. I am pleased to say that all the hotels we stayed in have excellent air conditioning. In the evening we visited a Riad. AS well as the meal there was entertainment from musicians, belly dancers and an enactment of a wedding which I couldn't work out.

The main course was centred around this meat pie which had a very sweet, sugar coated pastry on it. Not to my taste but interesting to try.

Casablanca

 Now the children are back at school I have some free time to do some travelling on my own. So this week I am in Morocco.  The trip starts in Casablanca and finishes a week later in Marrakech. 

I  am only in Casablanca for a day so before meeting the tour group later in the day I decided to see as much as possible. 

The traders were just beginning to open up their shops in the bazaar.

This man was putting dough into a large oven. Pity I didn't get a photo from the other side.

Morocco has a coastline on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.  At Casablanca it is the Atlantic.

By the coast is the Hassan II Mosque.  It is the 3rd largest in the world after Mecca and Medina.

It was built in the 1980s 

Beneath the Mosque are large rooms for the washing/purification before going into the Mosque to pray

Lots of narrow streets

 

Entrance to a modern shopping centre.

Bougainvillea spilling over onto the street. By now it was midday and the streets were filling with people. On my way back through the bazaar all the shops were open and it was very busy but I didn't see any tourists around and decided not to photograph people. By now the temperature was in the mid 30sC. and I decided to return to the hotel.

Later in the day I met the rest of the tour group. There are 12 of us altogether. People are mainly from Canada and Australia. Just myself from England and one from Scotland and another from Ireland. 

The only problem I think I will have will be the rising temperatures.  Where we are going the forecast is for temperatures in the mid 40s!