Africa Archives - Page 4 of 4 - ETB Travel Photography

Clubbing in Casablanca

Getting to Casablanca

So, our first mistake related to traveling from Marrakesh to Casablanca, was to book a flight rather than take a train. The second mistake we made was to listen to Fernando and get to the airport 2.5 hours early at 6:45am! There were no lines at the check in counter. In addition, the security for domestic travel was simply at the ONE gate used to fly domestically!

Fortunately, there was one coffee shop in the entrance area of the airport. Here, we purchased our breakfast and waited for two hours before we decided to enter the gate area. The man who operated the security at the gate thought for sure us tourists were in the wrong place and waved us to the international area. We showed him our boarding pass, and though surprised, he let us pass through.

GO CLUBBING!

Off Roading Through the Asni Ouirgane Valley

Asni Ouirgane Valley

So today we took a 4×4 tour to the Asni Ouirgane Valley. Suman, Brien, Nina and I climbed into a large SUV and our driver took us toward the mountains. We followed the same highway we took to hike in the High Atlas Mountains. We made stops at a few overlooks for views of the farmland and surrounding mountains, until eventually we turned off onto a dirt road.

GO FOR A DRIVE

Excellent Visit to Essaouira

On the Way to Essaouira

Today we boarded the bus for a day trip to Essaouira, once Morocco’s main trading port and a stronghold of the Jewish culture. I really loved this side trip, and I would highly recommend visiting this windy port town. Home to a picturesque fishing harbor, a medina, a beach with surf, and the world famous Gnaoua Music Festival which takes place in June, Essaouira is a wonderful place to visit in Morocco.

EXPLORE!

Maneuvering Marrakesh

Morocco Dreamtrip in Marrakesh

So today we began our vacation club’s Morocco Dreamtrip in Marrakesh. My friend Suman and I loaded the bus at 8:30am with our new-found friends, Jimmi and Margit from Sweden and Nina and Brien, Americans who live in South Korea, among others.

EXPLORE!

Another Day, Another Summit…Tizi Oudite

Final Day in the High Atlas Mountains

Today is our third and final day in the High Atlas Mountains. We slept up until breakfast was ready and Omar’s knock on our door awakened us. Mohammed prepared boiled egg, bread and spreads. Of course, the spreads included jam and honey, and the mint tea was available with sugar. I think Morocco would be a dentist’s dream. It’s all about sugar here. Salt on the other hand is hard to come by. We have yet to have any offered for our eggs at breakfast.

SEE THE SUMMIT

Summiting Tizi Mzik in the High Atlas Mountains!

On our second day in the high atlas mountains, we devoured a breakfast of eggs and bread with lots of spreads including jams, butter, and honey. Oh, I almost forgot, also tea (and coffee). I’ve decided it would be very hard to be gluten free here. Bread is served with every meal. While I’m not gluten free, bread is not allowed in my food elimination diet. With a long day ahead of us, however, both of us needed to eat more than a few eggs, so we dug into the basket.

TAKE A HIKE!

Hiking in the High Atlas Mountains!

We began our morning with a nice breakfast at Riad Karmela. We found a table in the corner of the courtyard and picked our favorite foods from the buffet which included a variety of breads, jams, fruits, juices, vegetables, cheese, meats and eggs.

GO HIKING!

The Amazing Medina in Marrakesh, Morocco

Getting to Marrakesh

Despite not so good food on the plane, we enjoyed timely and unventful travels to Marrakesh, Morocco. With multiple connections and checked bags, I’m always grateful for smooth travels. For those who want to skip the layovers entirely, a private jet charter can arrange direct flights into Marrakesh Menara Airport.

Our biggest delay occurred after our arrival at the very nice new terminal. Our driver was not there to pick us up and take us to our riad in the Marrakesh medina!

EXPLORE!