Gorillas in the mist

Whilst the culmination of our Africa trip may of only lasted an hour, it was still by far one of the greatest experiences we have ever encountered. Four a.m. our alarm went off, getting up in the dark and in a daze, we wearily threw ourselves into a van and headed off to the jungle. After a bumpy two hour drive, one hour lecture on encounter etiquette and another hour drive we were ready to set off for our gorilla trek. Due to the endangered status and wild nature of these majestic animals we were only permitted to approach the animals in a small group (8 people), on foot, trek one family and watch with them for one hour only. Fortunately for us our permits were authorized to follow the largest group in the park consisting of up to 23 gorillas, so our spirits were high.

As we set off our guide and two armed (with AK47's) assistants informed us that these are wild creatures and that whilst finding them is 99.999% certain, the trekking time may vary from 10 minute to a 10 hour round trip. Having done no exercise since South America, this worried us a little - particularly since we were in the middle of the Ugandan jungle and this was to be proper trekking, no paths, no steps just a guy with a machete to cut our way through. Approximately 20 minutes into our trek, with sweat already dripping from our brows, we heard the crackle of the radio, we all anxiously awaited the news from our lead trackers, who had left hours earlier to go find our family. Once their conversation was over our guide turned back to us and with the most unreadable expression calmly informed us that the trackers had found the group and we only had another 1.5 hours to go. This was a huge relief to all of us and after a quick breather we set off again.

From then on the hike seemed to go reasonably quick, with everyone excited to see what we came for. In fact we were doing so well that after only 45 minutes we reached our lead trackers and the location of gorilla family. So after another quick briefing, we stripped off our day packs and armed with just cameras we made the last short stroll in total silence yet intense excitement. As we approached in single file you could hear the rustling of the leaves as two of the gorillas snacked away high above us. Thinking this was it, everyone instantly fired off rapid amounts of photos in hope of capturing at least one shot of the black mass high off in the distance. But after a minute or so our guide ushered us along to what we were told was a better vantage point. So we carefully continued on, following the freshly cut track, to a spot where not only did we have full eye to eye view of a gorilla but infact the whole family as they chilled out over breakfast. We were told later that we were very lucky as not only did we get to see over 16 gorillas but catching them while they are resting is also fortunate.

Needless to say upon reaching this point everyone had their fingers on the trigger and other than the constant clicking of numerous shutters firing away, the only other sound that could be heard was the groaning trumpets from the gorillas as they passed their post breakfast wind. We each took turns at different vantage points to get that perfect shot and as the gorillas got more use to our presence our guides cut away and inched us forward, so we could get better views of the 2 silverbacks and 2 babies. Explaining the feeling you get when watching these creatures that are 96% genetically associated with humans is impossible, sorry you will just have to go yourself. But just like the rest of our travels I got plenty of amazing picks for you all to enjoy.

Another great experience we had whilst in Uganda was our village and orphanage tour. Expecting much like the tour we did in Malawi, we prepared ourselves for the onslaught of excited kid wanting to play. The first stop on they tour took us to a house where a local couple in their 70's had been living their whole lives. Upon meeting the old woman, she kindly introduced herself in the local language as Frida, before promptly inspecting the males for appropriate length of beards and female for adequate cup size. This was both uncomfortably awkward yet incredibly funny. So after getting much closer to Frida than we expected, she then showed us how she grinds sorghum for making porridge and weaves banana leaves for sugar bowls. Both her and her husband were marvelously friendly but sadly we had to leave and move on down to the orphanage - 'Little Angles Orphanage' set up by a very driven 25 year old local, who's mission is to 'provide inclusion to local children with special needs'. Arriving at the school we all split up and entered a different class room where we were treated to song by the class and even got to participate in the daily lesson. After about an hour of school work, it was then play time, so we all headed out into the play ground and enjoyed some free time with the kids, playing soccer, throwing balls, singing, dancing and for some getting their hair braided. We had such a great time there none of us wanted to leave.

Sadly Uganda was our last country on our epic tour around the world. However I don't think we could have picked a better place to finish up our trip, as this Pearl of Africa gave us the most friendly, unforgettable and awe expiring conclusion.

 

- Ryan -

 

Baby elephants and giraffe kissing

Our first stay in Kenya was a short stay in Nairobi, to drop off half of our group who were not trekking gorillas. After saying our sad goodbyes we organised a day tour with the remainder of the group to see the baby elephant orphanage - the David Sheldrick elephant centre and the giraffe centre. The elephant centre started with the first group of young elephants, who ran out with enthusiasm, as they were introduced to us with a quick explanation on how they came to be orphaned. They then continued to bring the groups out depending on their age and the amount they were fed, after this we were allowed to get a close up picture and a quick pat if you were feeling game. Next up we went to the giraffe centre which aims to protect and promote the endangered Rothschild giraffe. The centre starts with an up close and personal feeding of the giraffe before entering the learning centre to discover more about these beautiful animals and how the centre is trying to increase their numbers. Much to my disgust (or jealousy?) Ryan decided he wanted to give the giraffe a kiss, so as instructed he put the food between his lips and waited for the giraffe to take it with his incredible long tongue - gross!

On our way to Uganda from Nairobi we stayed the night near Lake Nakuru for some rhino spotting, as it has one of the largest populations in Africa. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to spot and large group of white rhinos and one extremely skittish black rhino (very rarely spotted). The game drive through the national park was excellent as recent rain had driven all the animals to higher group, we we lucky to spot buffalo, flamingos, water buck, hyenas, giraffe and elephants. We also managed to see countless baboons with seemingly endless energy - eating, fighting, climbing, stealing food, fighting and fornicating.

As our driver was Kenyan, we had a short stop at his home on the way back into Nairobi after Uganda. He first introduced to his friendly mother (while dropping off groceries) before getting a quick tour of his house. The local children seemed very delighted by this and were all curiously watching and waving as we walked through the little lane that they all lived on. While just a short stop it was great to see how people lived in the surrounding areas of Nairobi.

While we only had a short stay in Kenya we loved seeing the animal and meeting the friendly people in this beautiful country.

- Louise -

 

Tanzania

In terms of unforgettable experiences you can't pass up Tanzania and as we were spending a majority of our tour here, we got to experience a majority of what this amazing country has to offer. After crossing the boarder and a few long days of driving we arrived at the major port town of Dar es Salaam, our gateway to Zanzibar. As it so happened the day we arrived into Dar was also our 1st year anniversary, so being the true romantic that I am I shouted my beautiful wife a cocktail in celebration.

After nearly 2 weeks on the road everyone was really looking forward to Zanzibar, as it not only meant 3 days of relaxing but also 3 nights in a real bed. Our first day in Stone Town was jam packed full of history and cultural experiences. Our morning was spent wandering through the Arabic style alleyways trying not to get lost, before being shown around a spice farm and the original slave market where people were sold up until 1876. Next we travelled up to the northern beaches of the island for some sun, sand and fun. The crystal clear water made for some great snorkeling and the sun beds on the beach were great for catching some rays. However, I thought the best part of the stay was the boat cruise, after been told that the boat had never been drunk out of alcohol before the challenge was instantly initiated. So as the 15 of us, the husbands leaving their wives behind, boarded the very piratey looking vessel, we all took to the task of setting a new record and after 2 hours of cruising the Zanzibar coast we returned triumphantly, yet a little sea legged.

Having climbed a few mountains already this trip we thought we would skip this one and save it for a return visit. But since we were in the area I'd thought it best to get a pre climb photo of Africa's largest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Possibly one of the highlights of the Africa trip so far, the Serengeti was just one of those awe inspiring places that had my camera working overtime. Our first day was spent game driving through the vast plains, spotting animals left and right - Lions, hippos, zebras, cheetahs, buffalo and many more. When we thought it couldn't get any better we arrived at our camp site which literally was in the heart of the Serengeti completely open for everything to roam around our tents as we slept. The next day had us busy again with more animal spotting, but we did manage to find time to sneak in a cheeky beer along the way, because hey you have to have a Serengeti in the Serengeti. That night was again spent out in the wilderness, this time upon the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, and whilst we did manage some sleep, the elephant strolling through the camp site did try its best to trample through our tents. For our last day we toured through the crater floor, famous for been described as 'one of the world's most unchanged wildlife sanctuaries.' Within minutes of hitting the crater floor we were treated to lions stalking their pray and a little further down the track a family of elephants wandering through the bushes. The whole three days turned out to be an incredibly unforgettable experience, problem being we now want to go back for migration...

- Ryan -

Malawi

Our next stop, Kande beach pronounced Candy beach, conjured images of powered sugar sand, fairy floss trees and waves of melted chocolate. While this was not quite the case, this beach on lake Malawi was certainly not disappointing, with beautiful white sand and refreshing calm water.

During our stay at Kande beach our guide, Darlington, organised a much anticipated party night, consisting of a pig on a spit. As a group we chipped in and complemented this sensational meal with an old uni favourite of an alcoholic 'punch.' While our years of jungle juice are long behind us, we were determined to not feel our age and caved into the peer pressure, despite a mix of strange alcohol called cane. I can comfortable say neither of us where keen to try the cane again (ever), we had an excellent night even though we didn't quite manage to stay up as late as the 'young ones' on our tour.

And the famous Kande beach slogan speaks for itself - The bits you remember, you'll never forget!

The major highlight while staying in Malawi was a village tour we were taken on by a local man called Roger, and a massive group of local men 'practicing their english.' We started out visiting Roger's house, with a hearty wave from his mother, doing the landry in the yard. While giving us a tour of the house he explain the local customs, how men find a wife, how malaria is affecting the community and the issues surrounding HIV. Roger then took us to visit the local clinic, where we met the community midwife and a beautiful baby born the night before. Next up we went to the local school where we were explained the local education system with a request of a small donation. While sitting through this explanation we notice large crowds of children gathering outside and much to our delight they practically tackled us as we came out side. Each guy in our group ended up with one or two children hanging per arm, and maybe one or two around the neck or clinging to their back. Fortunately, as the girls were not quite as strong it was a child holding each hand. After lots of photos, as the children loved seeing their picture on the screen, we began to head back to the campsite with our entourage of children and local men. The local men where actually great at this point, explaining to us that the children would proudly tell their parents that they got to hold our hands and also making sure each child went home rather then getting lost by going back to the campsite with us. Once the children had dispersed and we were back at our campsite our new local 'friends' brought out the things they were selling, which was a great opportunity to see the local wood work and 'art' before making a purchase or two.

After our stay on Kande beach we had one more night at another beach in the north of Malawi before crossing (slowly) the boarder into Tanzania.

- Louise -

Zambia

Having only been to South Africa previously we were not sure what to expect when we touched down in Lusaka - the capital of Zambia. First up we had to wait in the HUGE line that move at a snail's pace to pass immigration, something we soon learn was standard at most Africa immigration points. Nevertheless, once through we headed straight to our backpackers and booked our bus ticket to Livingston to join our tour with Acacia overland. After a short but lengthy bus ride, due to the conditions of the road we arrived in Livingston and kicked off our tour. The first full day of the tour was in Livingston where we headed out to see Victoria falls and enjoy some of the activities offered. After walking through the park lands, catching a baboon having a refreshment and admiring the impressive falls (despite dry season) we headed over to the bridge joining Zambia and Zimbabwe for some extreme sport.

Ryan had long been anticipating the bungy jump over the falls, which I fail to understand after seeing this clip - http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=igt_PTi7EUM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Digt_PTi7EUM - However despite the potential outcome we both signed up to jump. As we headed over to the jump point the clouds rolled over and made the drop over the river even more intimidating. Due to the impending rain they were eager to hurry us through, gearing Ryan up and jumping with a 'small' scream / yell. After one other between us it was my turn as the clouds started to spit and therefore increasing their rush to have us jump, I only managed to stand on the edge before a sharp shove pushed me off. The 'help' off the edge was surprisingly welcome as there was no time to be intimidated, however, hanging upside down while they hauled you up was not particularly pleasent in the pouring rain.

Next up on our itinerary was the Kafue river, where we jumped on a river cruise to a little campsite on the river bed. That evening we were treated to a traditional drumming and dancing by some local boys before settling into our camp under a beautiful starry sky. The next morning we were back on the boat to visit a local community, where we were taken on a tour through their village by the chief. We were interested to see the development in the village building, the water bore and the agriculture experiments the local university were performing with the help of the village.

On our way towards Malawi we stopped in again at Lusaka for the night and stayed at a great campsite called Eureka, where we patiently had to wait for the 'lawn mowing' to be completed - for the zebras to finish eating the grass. As the zebras were reasonably use to having the company of humans Ryan enjoyed the opportunity to snap a few close ups, with me gentler warning him as the zebras got too close enough to him, in case they camped down on his toes thinking it was grass.

Slowly getting used to travelling in our truck, Tati, and our new home for 36 days - tent 608, we loved the beginning of our tour in Zambia.

- Louise -

UAE . . . Possibly the closest place to home

On our way to Africa we decided to have a week in Dubai to stay with Ryan's sister Erin. Not knowing much about Dubai or the United Arab Emrites, we were interested in what life was like for Erin who move to Dubai around the same time we started our trip.

Keen to learn about the culture we looked up the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding and looked into what sessions they had available while we (and mum and dad) were in Dubai. Fortunately they had a lunch which we happily booked into. Lunch started with everyone sitting down in a traditional dining area for the emirates with a large selection of food stretched out in front of us. We were then served local coffee (which was prepared using green bean and hence more like a tea) and a date before been offered the main meal. The traditional food consisted of chicken and fish biryani and a chicken and vegetable stew saloona followed by ligamat a desert which resembled a small donut ball. While maybe not the most inspiring meal of our trip it was enjoyable, and throughout the meal we were giving ongoing explanation into the Muslim and emirate culture and plenty of encouragement to ask questions. If you ever find yourself in Dubai, even just a short stop over, we highly recommend looking up the centre and booking in for a session.

After a quick tour through the gold and spice souks in the old town we then moved into the new part of town to see what Dubai is really famous for - SHOPPING. Straight to the mall of Dubai we were astounded at the sheer size and selection of shops, it was like all the best shops from all over the world had moved in - Victoria Secret, Bloomingdales (with a small magnolia's bakery cafe), the Cheesecake Factory, Hermes, Mui Mui, Chanel, Zara, Top Shop, Kate Spade, Coach just to name a few! Not only is there an amazing array of shops but the mall also has an impressive fountain and aquarium, in case you need a break. Understandably, we soon lost track of time and it quickly turned into night time without us noticing, which meant it was time to wander outside and watch the fountain display out the front of the Burj, one of the highest buildings in the world at 830m high.

One place we were keen to try out was the Cheesecake Factory where Penny works in the TV show The Big Bang Theory. While we didn't see Penny we did enjoy a delicious Pulled Pork Burger, a 'small' salad with chicken, avocado and onion rings and of course a snickers cheesecake. After all this I also came across Magnolia's bakery in Bloomingdales, so I thought a take home selection of a red velvet cupcake and a spiced pumpkin whoopie were in order!

Needless to say Dubai was absolutely nothing like Australia, but it made us feel the closest to home for a long time as we were able to get things that were hard to get in other places in the world, have some home cooked meals, shop in places more like what we have at home and laze around with family. We even manage to get some Vegemite - sent over by Sharon and Rodney.

- Louise -

Marra-krazy

Marrakech is loud, crazy, dirty, hectic, scary, hassling, frantic and down right mad. But in saying that it has its own mystical charm, that looking back, makes you feel like you have stepped into the land of Aladdin. Its medina is a maze of never ending souvenir, spice, carpet and clothing markets, where if the shop keepers don't hassle you the motor bikes and push bikes surly will. Getting lost amongst the numerous back alleys is almost a must and just when you thought you have found your way out, you turn the corner only to find more more shops with the same thing but apparently at a cheaper price. When you eventually find your way out of the human ant farm, usually when the sun is setting, you may stumble across Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakech's main square. This football field sized area is great to people watch any time of the day, but it's at dusk when the fun begins. As the sun goes down crowds of locals, tourists and even some animals flock to the square to watch their favorite busker, snake charmer, story teller, magician, monkey handler, acrobat, fortune teller or musician. The main affair in the evening is the market restaurants that set up in the square, Ryan and I went back repeatedly and took mum and dad back to our favourite. We dined on various dishes from lambs head, meat skewers, fig tagine, meat ball kefta tagine, all delicious and inspirations for new meals to make when we get home. Another great cafe we found while in marrakech was the henna cafe, a project to help local women learn English, it had excellent lunch food, such as lamb Kefta sandwich and salads, definelty go their if you are ever in Marrakech to enjoy the delicious food while supporting a great cause.

But Marrakech isn't all just hassle and bustle, and if you find yourself a little drained from saying 'la shukran' all day, there are peaceful places you can go to recharge the batteries. One of the nicest we found was Jardin Majorelle, located just outside the median this tranquil garden is not only home to over 1500 species of cacti but beautifully laid out and a great place to escape the Moroccan midday heat. On another day we walked to the Saadian Tombs, which have been traced back to the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur and the rediscovered and stored in 1917. While there was an abundance of stray cats, the Italian marble graves and gardens are a nice spot to escape this crazy city.

- Ryan & Louise -

Desert Safari

Having spent over six weeks in Morocco its a little hard to pinpoint our favourite place, as they were all amazing and different in their own way. But if we had to choose, without a doubt our desert safari trip from Essouira to Fez would definitely be the standout. For 7 days Louise, her parents and I were treated to an incredible and unforgettable adventure through ever changing landscapes where we learnt a lot about their traditional lifestyle and even got to participate in an Islam holiday. Without going into too much detail here is a short summary of our trip:

Day 1:

After a confusing game of 'find our driver', we eventually met up with Siad, who not only spoke perfect English but was also a great driver and always happy to answer any of our questions. Having driven past numerous Argan trees in our journey, we were really interested in stopping at one of the cooperatives where the local woman produce and sell Argan products. As interesting as Argan oil production is however, what really caught our attention was one of the methods used to collect the nut. For any of you who have never seen an Argan tree, it is a small evergreen style shrub, which grown a little over 2m and has many sharp thorns throughout its hard branches. So rather than climbing the tree themselves, risking painful scratches resulting in numerous spongbob square pants band aids, the ingenious Moroccons let the goats do it. That's right goats, I must admit I was a little confused at first when I saw a tree full of goats and had to get Louise to confirm that goats DO NOT grow on trees. But infact this is just the norm in Argan country as we continued our drive from Essouira to Taroudant we soon got use to seeing the goats hard at work.

Day 2:

Our second day was mostly a travel day, driving from Taroudant to Fint, a small oasis just outside of Ouarzazate. Along the way we stopped at a few different gorges to sample the local produce. The most notable stop was in a town called Taliouine, which is predominately known for its saffron. As Siad was going home for the holiday he decided to stop in and pick up a few grams for the family and after seeing the high quality and ridiculously low price of $4 per gram we all also decided to buy some. With the sun close to setting, our last stop for the day was at one of the most famous kasbahs in Morocco, Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. Featured in numerous Hollywood blockbusters, like Gladiator, Prince of Persia, Indiana Jones and more recently Game of Thrones, the UNESCO listed site today is still home to 4 families who maintain the original structures just as they were 200 years ago.

Day 3:

Exploring the oasis with our local guide in the morning we then took a short drive back into Ouarzazate to go meet the owners of the tour company. After a quick meet and greet over a pot of mint tea, we were then back on the road, but this time it was only a half day of driving to our nights accommodation in Agdz. Along the way Siad pointed out numerous filming locations of some of the recent Hollywood flix, including the pass where Cate Blanchett was shot in Babel and the quite spooking looking petrol station from The Hills Have Eyes. Arriving in Agdz we were unfortunately informed that we would not be staying in a 17th century kasbah, but Siad did manage to organize for us to have lunch there.

Day 4:

Day four was a fairly busy day as we had a lot of ground to cover and plenty to see along the way. Our first stop took us to Dades gorge where we got to stretch our legs and follow the crystal clear water of Dra'a River all the way to its source. Next we passed through the valley of roses, and although it wasn't the right season to see them all blooming we did manage to stop in at a local cooperative and sample the large variety of rose products. Leaving the main highway we entered the old caravan route in search of some cave dwelling nomads. After about an hour of searching we came across one family who kindly invited us in for a mint tea and to show us around their home. It was extremely interesting to see how these people still manage to survive off the land considering how desolate it is.

Day 5:

Leaving the gorges, we continued our journey west out into the amazing Sahara desert. Along the way we passed some amazing wells that are stragically dug by each family running for over 10km and connected forming an underground aqua duct back to the town. Some of the channels had dried up long ago so we managed a short tour through the underground tunnels to get a first hand glimps of this amazing feat. After this we passed through Erfoud and Rissani, which is where the kings family originates before finally arriving at the edge of the Sahara. With the camels already prepared we all mounted up (Janice included) and headed out into the dunes for a spot of sand boarding and watching the sunset. Feeling pretty pooped from the long days drive and having to trudge up the sand dunes we were all extremely happy to find full size beds in our very plush Berber tents.

Day 6:

During the planning stages for this trip we got a lot of unfortunate rejections as our dates happen to fall over Eid ul-Adha, one of the biggest Muslim holidays. So when we finally got around to booking a trip we inquired about the possibility of being invited to Eid ul-Adha and luckily for us Siad's house happened to be along the route and he was more than happy to invite us to the party. Eid ul-Adha, for those who don't know, is similar to our Christmas where by the whole family gets together to celebrate the holiday. But unlike us where presents are exchanged and everyone eats and drinks too much, the Islam family gather together to sacrifice an animal, preferably male sheep, and feast on the liver and front right leg. Naturally this custom was a little strange to us, but Siad and his family were very welcoming and more than happy to share their sheep with us.

Day 7:

Our last day we woke up and said goodbye to one of the nicest hotels we stayed at during our tour. With the roads really quite due to the holiday, we made excellent time and were soon at our first stop Moroccon Switzerland. After all the barrenness of the desert it was quite a shock to see a place with rolling green hills, pine trees and European style houses that would not look out of place on the Swiss Alps. A little further down the road we also came across another unexpected sight, wild monkeys. Again this was something I didn't expect to see as I was under the assumption Morocco was all about tagine, camels and sand. After snapping a few quick shots of the cheeky monkeys we were back on our way again to our final destination, Fez.

Like I mentioned in the beginning, the desert safari was definitely one of the major standouts of our time in Morocco. The team at Desert Majesty put together great tours and are very easy and friendly to deal with. Our accommodation was first class and the meals were always traditional and tasty. We also could not have asked for a better guide and driver, Siad was extremely informative, professional and ever friendly. For anyone out there thinking of doing a trip do not pass up these guys as you will have an incredible time.

- Ryan -

Fes

Fes the ancient imperial city of Morocco has a long history as a place for trade and excellent shopping, particularly for leather, as it houses the largest tanneries in the world. Other then leather (ottomans, shouts, jackets, bags etc) the markets are overflowing clothing, fabric, rugs, jewelry and knick knacks. As Fes was one of our last stops in Morocco we managed to shop up and storm while exploring the more modern new part of town and the endless rabbit warren markets in they old city. The old city was extremely pretty with endless roof top terraces and numerous mosques regularly belting out the call to prayer.

One thing that despite how unpleasant it is, must be done in Fes is a visit to the famous tanneries. Yes, they stunk to high hell and yes it almost makes you feel unwell but where else in the world can you see anything like it? Equipped with our mint leaves we walked up the many levels of a surrounding leather shop to the roof top terrace that overlooked the neighboring tannery. As it was just after Eid ul-Adha the tannery was bustling with workers treating sheep skins, which were piled up as they cut off the wool, covered the skins and then dunked them in pool of pidgeon droppings before hanging them out to dry.

After doing a little research on restaurants in Fes we decided to go to the Clock cafe, named after a famous water clock near by. We had read that they served excellent food and were certianly not disappointed on our first visit, or second or third. Having traditional dishes like couscous bouhaloo and felafel both delicous, they also had their famous camel burger which was huge and extremely tasty. Much to my delight they served excellent desserts like orange blossom and fig tarts and chocolate pudding and smoothies flavored with almonds and dates. They also sold a cook book which mum picked up as a Christmas present - so we can try to recreate some of the meals at home!

- Louise -

Searching for the Slave army

After researching places in Morocco one beach town stood out as an interesting place to visit - Essasouria. Known for its windsurfing, surfing, camel riding and Jimi Hendricks castle in the sand, it is also quite famous for the scene in Game of Thrones where Dany buys the slave army in Astapor. Essasouria turned out to be much more then we expected with a white washed walled city, fresh fish stalls overlooking the water and a wide sandy beach with beautiful sun sets.

As we had decided to stay in Essasouria for six days, and spending a few days enjoying the shopping, mum and I decided to book in for a well reviewed cooking lesson to test out our tagine skills. We first made mixed seafood briwaittes, followed by a pidgeon pastilla and a sardine ball tagine, all ingredients fresh from the market that morning.

After our six days relaxing by the ocean and learning how to play bridge, we were ready for our desert sarfari.


- Louise -

Casablanca

The largest, and perhaps one of the most famous cities in Morocco is the port city of Casablanca, known as an escape route during the war in the famous movie starring Humphrey Bogart. Most of the reviews we had heard of the city were to land here and leave as there isn't much to do. However, as we had a fair amount of time in Morocco we decided to stay a couple of days at the beginning and end of our trip. While we agree that there isn't a lot to do in Casablanca, we immensely enjoyed our short stays in the city by heading to the central market for massive, freshly shucked oysters and crab, heading to the new medina and meeting the locals (notably more friendly then many other parts of Morocco). We also managed to find a highly recommended patisserie called Bennis and a camel butcher with the head of his produce on display (I sat back with a pained look on my face while Ryan photographed, much to the butchers amusement).

The Hassan II Mosque is one of the few Mosques that welcome tourist to see inside the decadently decorated structure built on a rocky outcrop of reclaimed land. Been the 3rd largest Mosque in the world approximately 25 000 worshippers inside and an additional 80 000 in the surrounding courtyards. The tour we took pointed out the titanium doors, hidden microphones, the places where the roof can be opened to the sky, the bathing chambers to prepare for prey and the Moroccan baths below. Admiring the amazing building made us imagine how special it would be inside this building when the roof was opened and 25 000 people were praying, apparently a large number of people convert prior to Ramadan - maybe to enjoy this experience (according to our guide on our desert surfari)?

On our return to Casablanca we were keen to have dinner at Rick's cafe, a place inspired by the cafe from the movie Casablanca. While waiting for our table we enjoyed a pre dinner drink and watch the movie before heading to the table to a fabulous meal shared with Mum and Dad. It was much fancier then we were used to after our tour through the desert, but it was a great experience.

- Louise -

Feeling blue....

What can I say about the small town of Chefchoune? It's well... BLUE!... Light blue, dark blue, sky blue, baby blue, indigo, sapphire and every other type of blue you can think of. So as you can imagine this was another great place to get the camera out and spend some time taking photos. Before coming here all the reviews stated that Chefchoune was a photographers paradise whether your using an SLR, point and shoot or the much dreaded iPad, well I'll let you all be the judge...

Being a little off the main touristy route it is also a great place to just wander around the typical Moroccan medina, soaking in the culture without the crazy hassle of the touts. In fact we found it so relaxing that our initial six night stay soon turned into eleven, which in turn made it near impossible to leave as we were having such a great time. I would really like to go on and tell you all about the amazing activities we did and all the wonderful experiences we had but unfortunately we didn't have any. During our almost two week stay in what some like to call 'the pettiest town in Morocco' most of our days were spent lazing around, reading, eating some great Moroccan food and writing posts for all you out there to enjoy. Now I know that all this may seem a little boring compared to the previous nine month, but everyone needs a holiday right?

- Ryan -

Portugal

Though we didn't have much time, while in Spain we decided to cross the boarder into Portugal to visit Lisbon and Oporto. As we were in the south we went to the funky capital Lisbon first for 3 nights. We spent the first day seeing the sights including the Columbus monument, the statue of Christ looking back over the city, the water front and a trendy section of town called LX factory. We also made time to sample some delious Portuguese cusine like Iberian pork, rabbit, ocutopus and of course Portugese tarts. While on our long walk (over 16km in one day) we stumbled onto a little place that specialised in Portugese tarts. After seeing such a long line out the front we felt that there must be a reason, and after tasting our tarts we were convinced, these were in fact the best in Portugal!

While in Lisbon we researched good restaurant and found a little place called Xapuri. After being greeted by the friendly Romanian waiter and quizzed on our trip so far - he was very impressed we had just come from Romania - we settled in for salmon capriccio and meat balls from various sausages (chorizo, blood, traditional). Another interesting meal in Portugal was in Oporto, after seeing locals tucking into a gravy covered sandwich we thought that we must give it a try to. Fortunately, we decided to share one, as it was huge, cheesy and DENSE, but still delicous and a great way to prepare for port tastings.

As you may have noticed from our blog posts we have enjoyed seeing some great street art and Portugal certainly had some impressive work. We had a great time just wandering the back streets and discovering the full building displays covering ordinary residential apartments.

Our second and final stop in Portugal was Oporto. Best know for its famous sweet wines, this thriving metropolis is also a great place just to wander and snap away... With the intricately tiled building dominating both the main streets and back alley and the numerous displays of colourful door ways, it was near impossible to save enough room on our data cards to fit in photos for the rest of the trip.

One happy coincidence while staying in Oporto, was the Port festival taking place down by the river. After sampling the ports at some of local houses we hot footed down to the festival and bought our ticket to the festival. The tickets included 5 samples of local ports, a cooking demonstration and a wine tasting session taken by local experts. After enjoying our cooking demonstration with a local Portuguese chef and sampling her chocolate brownie with port toffee and syrup, this left our tummies wanting more. So to satisfy our hunger we perused the massive selection of bite size tapas selecting a few to match our port samples. Feeling quite merry, we were happy for the long stroll back to the hotel to help clear our heads in preparations for the drive back to spain on hand morrow.

- Louise & Ryan -