Morocco

After a relaxing week in the Canary Islands, it was then time to travel back to the African continent to join another bus tour, this time around Morocco.  This African country gained independence, from the French, in 1956.  Throughout the country, they speak Arabic, French, Berber, and a bit of English if you are lucky.

A quick mention about the Berbers, indigenous people of Morocco, as their history, and lifestyle, is recounted to us throughout the trip in first person with our tour guide, Aziz, a Berber himself.  There are still a few of them who live a nomadic lifestyle but most of them are now permanent residents in an area of Morocco and have maintained their villages in the Atlas mountains (major mountain range extending for about 2 500km through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).  They separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert.

Their language, completely different from Arabic, is now being taught in schools, as they hold onto that important part of their heritage. Pic of Berber school below.  They have two sessions for 6 days of the week.  Sundays off.  7:30 - 12pm then 2-5pm

The starting destination of our tour was Marakeech, the fourth largest city in Morocco, that has many historical sites and bustling markets.  Our first visit was to the beautiful Majorelle Gardens, designed by French artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and 1930s.  Since 1980 it has been owned by Yves Saint Laurent, which is also the name of Grant’s aftershave!

That afternoon, in the searing 40 degrees + heat, we had a guided walk around the medina which is the old, walled quarter of the city.  Around the winding streets and alleys we went finding out all sort of interesting things about what life was like for Moroccan families years ago.  In the heart of the medina is Djemaa El Fna and towering over it, the famous Koutoubia Mosque, the tallest building in the city.

The next morning, we travelled over the plains of haouz, started climbing the High Atlas Mountains, stopped for lunch at Tizi n Tichka, and then into the valleys to Ait Benhaddou.

This ancient kasbah is a well-preserved medieval city which has famously featured in many blockbuster movies such as Gladiator 1 and 2, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones and more recently The Odyssey.

After exploring this very interesting place, we then continued south onto Ouarzazate, another place used by many film makers and tv shows.

The next day, before we reached the Sahara Desert, we travelled through the Rose Valley, stopping to sample the many products produced by this magnificent flower, and yes Rosie bought some rose smelling product.

We then reached the towering vertical limestone cliffs of the Todra Gorge, which the locals call  Morocco’s Grand Canyon. 

Not only is this a great place to spend a hot day splashing around in the river but you can go rock climbing on these 1000ft cliffs!

Back in the van again, we soon reached Merzhouga, our base to prepare for the camel trek across the Sahara Desert, whilst the sun was going down, before spending the night in a remote Berber Camp. I thoroughly enjoyed riding on a camel although the humans in the group were soon complaining of sore bottoms!

Maybe we should have chosen another form of transport?

After a delicious Moroccan meal of fresh salad, chicken tagine and fruit for dessert, we were treated to some Moroccan music by some young, local men by a campfire.

Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to have a good look at the stars above but we did have some comfortable accommodation considering where we were.  A bit like glamping!

It was up early the next morning to do the return trek, this time during sunrise.

After freshening up, it was back in the van for a very long drive north to the third largest city, Fes.  To break the trip up, we stopped at a couple of interesting places.  Did you know that this area of Morocco used to be under the sea?  Very hard to believe, about a million years ago, and this is proven by the amount of fossils they have found of sea creatures and shells.  We stopped to have a look at some of them.

Later on, it was to a cedar forest to see some cheeky barbary macaque monkeys, who did not like me at all.  I just got flicked away by mother monkey but baby monkey held my hand!

Would you believe that this African country, also has a region that they call Moroccan Switzerland because it is likened to a Swiss Alpine resort?  We stopped in Ifrane for a quick mint tea, to say hello to the Atlas lion (regarded as luck to touch him) before heading the rest of the way to Fes, the oldest of the four Imperial cities in Morocco.

Fes is regarded the oldest and largest medieval city in the world.  We went on a tour of Fes el Bali – a fascinating medina with a rabbit warren of 9500 alleys that often finish with a dead end.

Thankfully we had a local who guided us around several parts that included a tannery where they make leather products, a ceramic making place to show us the remarkable process of creating mosaic pieces by hand, and another area devoted to the art of weaving.  It was there that Rosie did some magnificent haggling and managed to get about 75% off the original price for some handmade cushion covers.

In amongst all that were visits to an old fortress where we could see a bird’s eye view of the medina (look closely and you can see parts of the wall)

the oldest university in the world, another mosque but we weren’t allowed in there as we aren’t Muslim, and an old school where young males would learn to become an Imam (priest).

A busy day that was capped off with Hammam for Rosie – treatment with local products finished off with a relaxing massage.

Then onto Rabat, the capital of Morocco, via the roman ruins of Volubilis.  There we had a guided tour where we learnt loads about the Romans' time in Northern Africa.  Here I am in front of the administration building of the Roman town.

The Moroccan capital, Rabat, is looking really good.  They have put in some great work tidying up this seaside city.  There is lots of greenery, modern buildings and some flash new football stadiums as they prepare for the African Cup later in the year and then in 2030, the World Football Cup.  Below is the Mohammed VI Tower, 250m, which hasn't officially opened yet.  FYI Mohammed VI is the current King of Morocco.

We also visited the Hasan Mosque, which was intended to be the largest mosque, but was never finished after he died.  Instead there is now a mausoleum that he is buried along with King Mohammed V.  

After a quick look at the current King’s Summer Palace, we enjoyed visiting the fortress overlooking the Atlantic Ocean which was used for defensive purposes back in the past.

What a great view of their twin city Sale, and where the River Bou Regreg meets the Atlantic.

It was just a quick overnight visit as we then ventured to Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, where we were allowed to go into the Hassan II Mosque, third largest in the world, and the only one that allows non-Muslims to visit.  The architecture and artwork in there was magnificent, so Rosie and Grant told me, as vegetables weren’t allowed in there.

And that is the end of our Moroccan adventure, back in Marrakech, after covering over 2000km of this fascinating country.  The only thing I would say is that even though they are quite modern, and they are doing a good job of maintaining their history, and have some great cuisine,

the role of the woman in their society still needs a lot of work.  Moroccan women are encouraged to be independent and run their own businesses etc but it is still very male orientated (Rosie added this bit in).

 

Canary Islands - Tenerife

Who can put their hand up and say they know where to locate the Canary Islands?  Probably not many of you.  We definitely couldn’t before we started planning this trip, but we needed to find somewhere to chill out in between tours.  Located off the coast of northwestern Africa, the Canary Islands are the southernmost region of Spain.  There are 7 rugged volcanic isles with the biggest one named Tenerife.  That is where we flew into and have not regretted our decision (apart from a couple of days of not feeling well with mild doses of traveler's diarrhoea)

If you like the hot weather, cheap eating and drinking, the ocean with its many water activities, along with an interest in volcanoes then one of the Canary Islands is for you.  As they are so far away from New Zealand, not many Kiwis venture this way and yet again, we are a near extinct species on a tropical island.  If you don’t count the many people here from the UK, who speak English but still can’t understand them, LOL! we still haven’t found any other tourists from the Southern Hemisphere.

For over a week we have been spoilt with warm temperatures (thankfully not nearly as hot as Egypt), a pool to cool down in, several beaches nearby, countless restaurants and bars to eat in and numerous shops to browse in.

In the middle of Tenerife is Mt Teide, whose summit is the highest in Spain at 3 715m, and third highest volcano in the world.  It last erupted in 1909 and is the most visited natural wonder of Spain.

Travelling on a bus, we didn’t get quite to the summit but close enough to see where many films and tv series have been shot eg:  The Rings of Power, a prequel series to the Lord of the Rings.  The hot, sandy and vast environment was the perfect backdrop for Rhun, in Middle Earth.

During that bus tour we also stopped at Vilaflor, and had a delicious lunch at Icod de los Vinos, were we got to see the famous 800-1000 year old “Drago” Tree.

A wee siesta on the bus before stopping at Garachico, known as the ‘prettiest’ town in Spain.  It also had these awesome rock pools for swimming in.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for a dip as I would have liked to have shown them how to do a proper Kiwi manu!

Before travelling even higher into the mountains to the wee village of Masca. 

I would just like to point out what a terrific job the bus driver did of navigating one of the most notoriously dangerous roads in Spain.  If you think the Crown Range has some tight turns, they aren’t compared to some of the ones on this road where he had to do some 3 point turns to get around them, and the cars coming the other way had to do some reversing back to let the bus through! Spectacular views that I did not miss!

A definite highlight of the week was a 5-hour sailing excursion along the coast to see the spectacular cliffs of Los Gigantes, have a dip in the sea in Masca Bay, all the time looking out for some dolphins and whales, which did make an appearance.

The nightlife in Tenerife is a busy one.  After a delicious Spanish meal at one of the many restaurants eg:  seafood paella,

you don’t have to venture far before you find either a comedy show, karaoke or any variety of music.  It is a small world, Mrs Smith’s (Rosie's relief teacher) Aunty was performing as Adele at one of the bars.  She was great but her husband, Paul, encouraged Rosie to get up and sing a Crowded House song on the karaoke.  I’m afraid to say that Neil Finn would not have liked this particular version of ‘Weather With You’. LOL!

And that is another chapter of our journey completed.  If you are planning a trip in this part of the world, definitely visit the Canary Islands.  It has definitely ticked all the boxes for a week's chill out time before the next adventure.

Egypt - Culture and Lifestyle

In between all the visits to temples, tombs and other ancient sites, we were taken to various businesses that are synonymous with Egyptian culture and were able to experience some basic Egyptian traditions and basic lifestyles.

Alabaster – a calcium carbonate stone that has been valued for centuries for its beauty and versatility, particularly in sculpture, architecture and funerary objects.  Too heavy to carry around with us over the next 2 months but definitely makes a lovely piece of homeware.

Jewellery – huge amount of gold and silver jewelry on sale everywhere and everyone wants you to buy it!  Rosie managed to get a couple of pairs of sterling silver earrings after a bit of bargaining.

Papyrus – versatile material made from the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant, used for writing, and everyday objects.  It was crucial for recording history, literature and religious texts.

Perfume and oils – in other words aromatherapy which has been used for thousands of years during ancient Egyptian civilization.  We were treated to many examples of different oils, their smells and healing powers.  It was hard to know which ones to get with all our aches and pains!

Herbs and Spices – every known herb, spice, seed and variations of tea grown in Egypt was introduced to us and their benefits explained.  Apparently if they have an ailment, they don’t go to the doctor, they use some concoction of locally grown herb, spice or tea.

Other things that we have noticed in our couple of weeks in Egypt…

Roads and Driving – I have already mentioned the craziness of the drivers and the little regard for any road rules.  There are no stop or give way signs.  There is the occasional traffic light but no pedestrian crossings.  If you want to cross the road, you just walk out and casually walk across to the other side of the road with an arrogance of  ‘I dare you to run me over!’  In saying that, we didn’t see any crashes or people getting run over.

Transportation – if you don’t want to navigate the crazy driving either in a car or on a motorbike, there is a metro system in Cairo that a huge amount of people use (we didn’t), taxis, Uber, Didi etc, some rickety public bus and/or tram plus a cheap shuttle van service.  If you want to use this, just stand on the side of the road and hail it down as there are no bus or taxi stands/signs.  There will only be about 20 people in the 12 seater van! 

Housing – when we first arrived in Cairo, we thought that there were a lot of unfinished houses.  We were right, they are unfinished, but it is on purpose.  A family would buy a house and as the family grew, they would build on top to accommodate extended families so it would be like a floor each for individual families. Eg: mum and dad on the bottom, next floor their son and his family, next floor the next son and his family etc etc.

Food – we have tried all sorts of local cuisine.  There is a huge variety of types of bread, and they have that with all their meals along with Baba ghanoush (like hummus but made out of eggplant) and tahini. A lot of seafood with the most delicious piece of sea bass from the Red Sea, eaten in Cairo.  There is a lot of grilled meat served in a variety of ways eg: sizzling koftas.

The most delicious meat dish was kebab halal, slow cooked lamb in an onion gravy served in a clay pot. Pastries for dessert along with plenty of fresh fruit, especially mango, guava, strawberry and watermelon.  These fruits can also be freshly squeezed into a delicious drink.

Religion – predominantly Muslim, with Islam as the state religion.  There are mosques everywhere and at prayer time, you will hear the wail over very loudspeakers giving them time to get to the mosque to pray.

Hasslers – are everywhere, all ages.  Every tourist spot will have local people trying to sell you their merchandise, but we had word that it isn’t very good quality ie:  Temu most likely!  As much as we wanted to support their local economy, no room in the suitcase for unnecessary knickknacks!  They even tried to capture our attention whilst the cruise ship was passing through the lock on the River Nile.  It was a part of our trip that we didn’t enjoy, constantly being hassled to buy their cheap products. Rosie did manage to negotiate a good price for some bracelets.

Tipping – a huge part of Egyptian culture.  Part of our tour package included a tipping kitty that the tour guide would give to them, so we didn’t have to worry about finding smaller notes to dish out.  We were pleased it was done this way as we were not used to the tipping way, nor how much to give them.  We had it explained to us that it is the money from tipping that supplements their low wage and makes the cost of living more comfortable.  Just like in New Zealand, the cost of living has affected Egypt as well.

Weather - I don’t think we saw a cloud in the sky.  Just blue sky the whole time and hot temperatures that ranged from 28 to 48 degrees the more we travelled into the desert.  I think the best way to describe the heat is me being roasted in the oven on fanbake.  The wind really picked up in Aswan so imagine being in an oven, the heat been blown around, that’s what it was like.  You definitely needed sunglasses on as you could feel your eyeballs shriveling up!

Hospitality – the Egyptians couldn’t do enough for us.  No matter where we went the service was 10/10 but was at a cost with the tipping which was worth not having to carry our heavy bags!

Security – we are quite early in the trip, but I have now lost count of how many metal detectors I have been in.  Every temple and every hotel has one along with the bomb detection dog that checks out all the vehicles that enter onto hotel properties.  There is police, with guns, everywhere as the Egyptians are very conscious of keeping tourists safe in today’s climate.

Egypt, we can now tick you off.  Definitely a country worth visiting due to its ancient history and unique culture which we learnt a lot thanks to our awesome tour guide, Ahmed, who had an extensive knowledge of Egyptology.

Egypt - Cruise on the River Nile

One of the must dos of our mammoth trip was to take a cruise on the River Nile.  Fortunately, our Egyptian tour package included that.  Leaving from Luxor we sailed for a couple of days at a leisurely pace towards Aswan, in the south of Egypt.  We docked a couple of times at Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo before the final destination.

As it is quiet season for tourism in Egypt there are only 7-10 other people on the boat, so it actually feels like we have a super yacht to ourselves, and we believe there are more staff on board than guests!  We are getting special treatment, sometimes it is over the top and then other times we can’t find anyone!

We frequently made visits to the pool mainly to cool down as the temperature has reached the high 40s at some parts of the day.  The further south we travelled, the hotter it gets, and you can see from the clip, the locals like to go cruising on the Nile as well.

We have also been fed very well.  For each meal breakfast, lunch and dinner, there are about 5 courses.  If Rosie and Grant aren’t careful, they will end up being as round as I am!

Guess what we looked at whilst we were docked?  You guessed it, temples.  The thing is that they are quite varied, and all have a different story.  The Kom Ombo one is divided into two parts – one dedicated to Sobek (who had a crocodile head) and one to Horus the Elder (falcon).  Depending on what you believed in would be what entrance you would use.

Another key feature of this temple is the Crocodile Museum where there were several mummified crocodiles, all in remembrance of the God Sobek.

We made the decision to make the 3 hour trek through the desert (in an air conditioned van) to where we saw where the greatest operation to salvage the Abu Simbel temples took place.  These two temples were threatened with being permanently submerged after the rising waters of Lake Nasser in 1960.  After many years of painstaking manual work, the Abu Simbel temples were officially reopened in 1968.  Wow, those monuments are remarkable of Rameses II.

The last temple of our Egyptian tour was of another one that was saved from being submerged in water when they made the Aswan Dam.  Philae Temple is one dedicated to Isis, one of the most significant figures of ancient Egyptian religion.  Based on the Island of Philae, there are many chambers, most of them decorated during the reign of Ptolemy II, whose name is the earliest attested with this temple.  There is also quite a Graeco-Roman flavour about the architecture, and you can see some Christianity symbols featuring on the walls.

And so ends our Egyptian tour bar the 13 hour, overnight train ride back to Cairo which is where I am writing this current blog.   The tour guide asked us what we liked and disliked about Egyptian culture.  Will share our answers in the next post.

Egypt - Temples and Tombs

It was great getting a more in-depth insight into Egyptology before venturing further afield to Luxor where there are many temples and other historical sites to visit.

One of the more adventurous forms of transportation would be the overnight train from Cairo to Luxor.  

In a cabin about 1.5m x 1.5m all three of us, plus suitcases fitted in for the night.  Poor
Grant, it just wasn’t long enough for him to stretch out!

We arrived in Luxor (built of the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes) early in the morning then travelled about 1 ½ hours to the Temple of Hathor in Dendera, through some desert roads.  When I say desert roads, it was quite a new motorway!

On this site a few temples have been built on top of each other with the current one built 54 BC.  In there are 24 columns and the ceiling depicts many astronomical scenes and celestial constellations on both sides of the axis.  There are also six worship rooms.  The hieroglyphics on the walls were amazing to look at and with the help of our tour guide, we were able to understand some of the stories they tell.

Later that evening, we were taken to the Luxor Temple and what a magnificent sight at night.  It is one of the best preserved and links to the Karnak Temple by a 3km avenue of sphinxes, with the last 500m still under excavation.  Amenhotep III started building the Luxor Temple 1390-1352BC, finished by Ramesses II, which is why he features a lot, and several other notable kings and queens helped with the design and building of the sphinx avenue.

The Karnak Temple, east bank of River Nile north of Luxor, is the largest manmade temple in the world and represents the combined achievement of many generations of ancient builders, Rameses II and Rameses III to name a couple. There are a remarkable columns, some of them destroyed over the years, but the highlight for us was Queen Hatshepsut’s tallest and heaviest obelisk which was made in Aswan.  How on earth did they a) make it so smooth out of one piece of stone; b) transport it the 300km to Luxor and c) erect it?  See below for some more info on this remarkable woman!

The Valley of the Kings was an incredible place to visit.  We arrived early in the morning (to escape the heat) to see three separate tombs – Rameses IV, Merenptah and Rameses III but you can see from the map that there are many other tombs that have been discovered, and they are still finding more every day.  Instead of building pyramids for the tombs they realized it was better to go underground, which reduced the risk of their tombs being robbed.

We didn’t go into the tomb of Tutankhamen, as we saw most of his treasures at the museum, but the reason why it didn’t get discovered until 1922 was because it was underneath Rameses VI’s tomb.

It was then on to see the awe-inspiring memorial house to Queen Hatshepsut, a ruler for 15 years 1473-1458BC.  She was regarded as one of the great Queens and had a reputation for having a great business brain.  The Egyptian economy was healthy when she was in charge.  

Here is one of her original statues

and I was a bit afraid when I was put up on one of the sacrificial altars!!

Now cruising on the River Nile which is relaxing and peaceful as only 7 guests on board.  Probably more staff on board than passengers but that is great as we are getting waited on very well.

This isn't our boat but a similar one.