Thursday March 12. Tunis, Tunisia to Casablanca, Morocco. 

After a few hiccups with our airport transfer, we are now there and waiting for our Royal Air Moroc flight to Casablanca, Morocco.

Our flight path to Casablanca took us right over Granada. This was the closest we’ve been to the Spanish family for a while. 

The announcements on Air Maroc were only in Arabic and French, so we had no idea what was was going on. 

We were picked up at the airport by Mahdi, who was to be our driver for the trip. 

He has a rather spacious black Mercedes van, which should be comfortable on our adventure around Morocco. 

Another  stuff-up of the day happened when we went to put my phone on and get the eSIM working, it wouldn’t.

Thea then spent over two hours on the phone, trying to sort it out and eventually got it going. 

Where would I be without a techhead?

The hotel didn’t serve dinner and all that was available was from a large shopping plaza next door. 

The only offering there was takeaway. McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, and all that sort of crap.

So we asked reception where could we go and they gave us a few choices. 

One of them seemed reasonably good, so we went there. It turned out to be very, very posh.

What we chose was a French restaurant in Le Royal Mansour Hotel, which seemed rather fitting for Casablanca. 

The food was excellent and very French.

I had Beef Tartar with French Fries, which were excellent, as they should be in a French restaurant.

However it probably cost more than we’ve spent, in total for dinners, over the last three or four nights. 

Catching a taxi here is rather complicated, as there are three types of Taxis in Casablanca, two red ones, called a petite and a white one.

The Petite Taxi seems to be able to pick up people and drop them off along the way, even though you were the one that ordered it.

The one we caught back to our hotel was also a Petite Taxi, but we said we wanted the meter on and no extra passages. However he wanted to charge more, because he wasn’t picking up extra people. 

I guess that’s fair. 

This is not our first time in Morocco, in fact we were here in 1974.

We travelled in our VW Camper Van from Manchester, to the south of England then over the channel into Portugal and then onto Spain. 

We then came down to Algeciras on the Spain coast and crossed into Morocco. We drove across the southern Mediterranean then to Fez. 

It was a fabulous experience then, as it will be now.

 

Friday March 13. Casablanca. 

Breakfast was a limited choice but the Croissants were excellent and the coffee wasn’t that bad. 

Even though it was from a machine.

Mahdi was our driver and as it turned out our guide (well sort of) for our first day. 

The city of Casablanca seems well serviced with a freeway tunnel, beneath the city and a full tram system.

Our first stop was in the old part of town. This was built by the French in the 1930’s and has some wonderful Art Deco architecture. 

There is also some Art Novo architecture around as well and that’s still evident in some of the more modern apartment blocks.

We then went to the Hassan II Mosque, the largest mosque in the country and one of the largest mosques in the world.

Here our entry fee included a group tour of the Mosque. 

The tours were in many languages. Apart from English, there were German, French and Italian speaking guides. 

Built entirely with Moroccan materials, except the chandeliers, which are Italian. It has heated floor and a sliding roof, weighing 550 tons on each side, so worshippers can pray under the sun, or the stars. 

It can accommodate 25,000 men inside and 80,000 outside, plus 5,000 women on the balconies. 

The associated Mosque Museum was included in the tour but not nearly as spectacular as the Mosque itself. 

It was cold when we first got up in the morning and I thought I’d better put my coat on. By the time we came out of the mosque and had been into the museum, the weather had certainly warmed up.

As a result of ‘Dumb Donald‘s’ Middle Eastern war,  petrol has risen around the world.

Here it was about A$1.90 a litre. Who knows how much it will be back home.

We then continued onto Ain Diab Corniche, which was along the waterfront. There we got a great view of the Mosque from a different perspective. 

Our next stop was Mohammed V Square in the city centre. This is the home to thousands of pigeons.

It was spring, so they were getting rather excited.

We then drove to lunch, through the city centre and the Medina.

Lunch was at Rick’s Café.

The café, developed by Kathy Kriger, a former American diplomat in Morocco, was designed to recreate the bar made famous by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 movie classic Casablanca.

This is the movie we watched on the flight coming over.

The food was excellent, but I got really excited when I looked at the menu and saw that they had craft beer.

Unfortunately, they’d run out.

The place was very popular, and I guess a lot of that popularity has risen from the fact that they actually serve booze. 

After lunch, we thought we were heading back to the hotel but that wasn’t the case. In fact, we were taken down to the old part of the city, the Sukh, or market area, to have a wander around.

Then it was back to the hotel.

The streets were now crowded and the car horns were blowing.

Driving in Casablanca, as it was in Tunis, is a bit like a Formula One Grand Prix. Everyone goes as fast as they can and no one gives away to anybody. This even includes pedestrians, who have no safety whatsoever, even on pedestrian crossings.

Honking your horn is the way you either get right-of-way or ask someone to give you right-of-way.

However I have never worked out how honking your horn can ever move the traffic jammed up in front of you.

It’s still Ramadan here in Morocco and like Tunis no cafés are open anywhere in the city during the day. Even Dominos and KFC are shut.

The Moroccan flag is everywhere.

It’s red with a green star in the centre and nowhere near as unique as the Tunisian one. You know what they say about red and green should never be seen….

This is a very good case of not following that rule because, viewed at a distance the two colours merge and aren’t decipherable.

As we had a good lunch and the hotel doesn’t serve dinner, we are going next door to the Tachfine Centre, which is a rather large shopping Mall to buy a snack. 

We headed into the mall at around 7:30pm, only to be turned away at the door and told it didn’t open until 8:00pm. 

When we returned, we went straight into the Marjane Supermarket and it was huge. We grabbed a French Camembert and a small Baguette. 

I also got three pairs of extra sox, as I just wasn’t able to get the ones I had washed and dried on a daily basis. 

The bread and pastries have been great in Morocco. I guess that’s another leftover of the French colonisation. 

It was the same in Tunisia. 

I haven’t eaten so many Croissants in a long time. 

Relax Hotel Casa Voyageurs, our hotel in Casablanca, has issues. They don’t serve an evening meal and there are very few places around that you can get a good dinner. 

Our room had very few amenities and only had one bag of tea and no coffee. Also, there was a lot of noise from the floor above, both in the evening and during the night. 

If you are forced to get take away, there is no crockery, cutlery or even napkins to make your dinner more pleasant and easier to consume. 

It’s called the Relax Hotel, well ‘relax’ is about all you can do, as there is bugger all else to occupy you. 

About its only saving grace was the shower, Thea gave it a nine out of ten. 

 

Saturday March 14. Casablanca to Imlil. 

Today we start our road trip of Morocco and head south to Imlil. 

It will be the first night of four consecutive ones on the road and a long day of driving, as the first leg is over 300km. 

The first part of our journey, out of Casablanca, was on a very good freeway with 120 km speed limit. Even the footbridges over the freeways had disability ramps, as well as stairs.

The surrounding scenery was acres and acres of open pastures and farmland, with flocks of sheep and cattle grazing by the side of the road.

It was cloudy when we left Casablanca and then, as we passed through Marrakesh, it started to clear up but then hazed over again after leaving Marrakesh. As we climbed higher, the haze began to clear and the sky got bluer.

Imlil is Berber village, surrounded by the High Atlas Mountains. These are dominated by the Djebel Toubkal, the highest summit in North Africa at 4167m.

Berbers are the indigenous, and originally nomadic people of North Africa. They inhabited the area from Egypt, in the east, to Sahel, in the far west.

The word ‘Berber’ came from the Greek word ‘Barbaros’ and means ‘Barbarian’. The term was initially used to describe anyone who didn’t speak Greek.

In Imill we are staying at the Riad Oussagou Hotel, however it’s not what we expected. It’s more a guesthouse than a hotel and I’m not really sure they were expecting us. 

However when we got to our rooms we were pleasantly surprised. They had everything you need and the hot water worked. There was even traditional Berber dressing gowns. 

We are in a mountain village and surrounded by them. 

After settling in we walked down to the village – that was the easy part – getting back up was a challenge. 

On the way down we popped into a restaurant complex next to our hotel. 

It was crammed with hikers, of all ages and accents. 

We did have the option to do a hike in the mountains this afternoon, but declined. 

I’m glad we did, as getting down and back up from the village was enough. 

Back at the hotel we went up to the roof to get a bit of sun. There we met Alex and Russ a couple of Americans academics, who were here hiking. 

We hit it off straight away, when we discovered that none of us thought much of Trump. 

Dinner was up on the roof and we were accompanied by the two Americans, we met earlier, as well as two Belgian girls.

The conversation was lively but we did finish up having an early night.

Even though we had air-conditioning, it didn’t work that well and the room was very, very cold. The best place to be was in bed, rugged up as well as we possibly could.

We had a very civilised start today, departing at 9:00am, however tomorrow we are off at 7:00am. 

Not looking forward to that. 

 

Sunday March 15. Imlil to Ait Ben Haddou and then Dades. 

Starting the day at 7:00am, meant breakfast at 6:30am and then be ready to depart as soon as we were finished.

We were joined at the end of breakfast by Alex the American we met last night. She was anxious to find out about our travels, as she was a great traveller herself and was trying to talk her partner into doing more.

We ended up giving her links to our our websites so she could see what we’ve done over the last few years.

It was a long drive back down the mountain to the valleys below.

All along the way there were Berber villages perched precariously on the side of the mountains. 

Our drive took us back into the outskirts of Marrakesh, then we turned east. All along the way there were acres and acres of housing estates, many of them fenced off. There was so much construction happening in all of these areas.

When we left the lower plains, we climbed back into the mountains again and they were very rugged. There was evidence, all along the way, of landslides over the road.

There were also many man-made channels around the rocks, diverting the water away from the cliffside. They were there to try and stop the erosion that was causing the landslides. 

Café Restaurant Imouzar Tichka was our coffee stop. Here we had a Double Espresso each, it was ok. 

Thea found a packet of Date Pillows to have with our coffee and they were great. 

Then we stopped at Tizi Tishka for a panoramic view of the valley below. This was followed by our last climb to the summit of Tichka at 2,260 metres. 

What has surprised us so far on this trip, is the bus loads of tourists, they are everywhere. Most of them are young and I think a lot of them are hiking around these mountains.

Next was the Argan Oil shop, where Thea got some oil for her hair. 

Argan Oil is her favourite. 

The shop, like everywhere else, was full of tourists. 

The villages that are built into the mountain side are all the same colour as the mountain rock. I guess that’s what they’re made from. Plus the pottery in the stalls, that are also everywhere, all have the same colour as well.

Our first designated tourist stop was the Fortress of Ait Ben Haddou. The village is a great example of earthen clay architecture. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

Over time many movies have been shot here, such as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Gladiator (2000) and even parts of the James Bond movie, Spectre (2015).

We had to cross the River Asif Ounita, on a rather unstable wooden foot bridge. 

Then we climbed. 

The history of the Kasbah was rather interesting, as it was built in a number of stages.

The fort at the top was built in the 9th century while the village below was started in the 11th century. It was inhabited by Jews in the 15th century and today there are only two remaining people. 

However, there is still a Synagogue, as well as a Mosque.

Getting lunch with rather difficult as everyone wanted to serve us large buffets and of course charge for them as well.

We eventually did find a spot, the Restaurant Kasbah, which was à la carte and we got a couple of typical Moroccan salads, which was perfect. 

I had an espresso after lunch and like this morning’s it was rather strong. 

Still, it was a coffee and they are easier to get than a beer, especially during Ramadan. 

The morning was freezing cold but after lunch, it had really warmed up, our jumpers and coats were off.

Our next stop is Dades, where we will spend the night.

The one thing we discovered today is that we actually don’t have a driver and a guide, we only have a driver.

We get a guide, that is paid for, when our driver feels we need one. 

In a way, it’s a better system, as you don’t have someone, sitting in the front seat, on the long, long journeys doing absolutely nothing, except falling asleep, as we had experienced in Tunisia.

Cops with speed cameras are everywhere and the drivers warn each other that they are there, by flashing their headlights.

We arrived at the Xaluca Dades Hotel and were pleasantly surprised.

It was a luxury establishment with restaurants, bars and everything that you would need – including beer. 

We hadn’t seen this in a number of days and were starting to think that all the hotels on our Moroccan trip were going to be rather boring and dry. 

The interior design was fantastic and totally original. Everywhere there were sculptures on the walls in the halls. 

Everything was very African.

After a great day of touring and sightseeing, I got a rather shock when I went to start my Olympus Camera and found that it wouldn’t work. I changed the batteries and did all sorts of things but it still wouldn’t work.

I’ve had a camera failures on another holidays – now it’s happened again.

Fortunately, I have my small Sony camera, so not all is lost.

The one benefit is, the small camera weighs nothing near what the big one does.

Once we’ve settled into our room, we decided to have a wander around the hotel. We found the rooftop bar and decided to have a drink.

We had a wonderful view of Dades and it was very relaxing. 

We went in for dinner and it was a buffet. There was total pandemonium inside, as it was only 7:10 and everyone was just rushing to try and fill their plates.

And there were aliens again, even though we weren’t in Tunisia.

Half the fun of eating in a place like this is watching all the people and what they do, how they act, how they choose their meals and what they look like.

We also watch the staff and we were rather amazed how well trained they are.

The training they get could sometimes be used in Australia.

We were in the minority over dinner, with only a table for two. Everywhere else the tables had groups.

After the frantic rush by everyone to get dinner at 7 o’clock, come 8:20 and the place was almost empty.

So they were only really here for tea not dinner.

In Spain, the restaurants wouldn’t even be open yet.

 

Monday March 16. Dades to Tinghir then Rissani and Merzouga. 

A civilised start to the day at 9:00am and then a quick breakfast from the buffet. Actually there wasn’t much to choose from, well at least breakfast things that we enjoy. 

Then we were off to Merzouga for another night of ‘Glamping’. What a contrast from a Five Star Hotel to a tent.  

But before that, we have a few stops, with the first on the outskirts of Tinghir. 

There, from a viewpoint on the side of the road, we looked down part of a 40km oasis, which boasts one of the largest palm groves in the country.

It was huge and as we were driving out of town, it just kept on going.

The next stop is at the Toudgha Gorge, a 300m wall, carved deep into the High Atlas Mountains. 

It was here that I first missed my wide angle lens.

There is a huge amount of urban development in Morocco. Outside many towns are acres and acres of homes being built. These housing estates, have hundreds of homes, all with a similar design and style.

Many of these villages seem rather well off.

There is good infrastructure, like schools, playgrounds and even bridges with a wide road and footpaths, with free standing lighting, on both sides. 

After the Toudgha Gorge we headed east into the desert, which was surrounded by foothills and a landscape that was rather barren and very dry.

However, there was the odd oasis with filtered water and palm groves.

It was time to sit back and relax, as we had over a three hour journey to get to our destination.

We stopped for coffee somewhere on the N17, in the middle of nowhere. And would you believe it, they had an espresso machine and the coffee wasn’t too bad at all.

Two coffees and two bottles of water was only A$4.50. 

Just near the espresso bar was a poster showing some of the local animals. One that stood out was an Oryx. Unfortunately there were none around. In fact we have seen no wildlife at all, apart from birds. 

As far as I’m concerned cats, dogs, donkeys and camels don’t count. 

The road we were travelling on wasn’t too bad, except when we passed areas where the water flowed over – then it got very rough.

We then had a stop at Rissani and were escorted around the Casbah. This was an ‘Opportunity to buy’ if ever we have had one. We were taken into store and shown a very fine array of carpets. 

The shop was owned by a relative of our driver. 

However we did learn something and that is that the camel is held in very high religious esteem by Muslims. Apparently it’s almost like Adam and descended from God.

The Casbah, built in the 17th Century, is occupied by a mixture Jewish, Arabic and Berber residents. 

Our final stop was Merzouga, our ‘Glamping’ spot for tonight. We are staying in the Sahara Sky Luxury Desert Camp. 

The entire area was set up for the tourist with quad bikes, dune buggies and camels.

At the end of the day, getting to new accommodation is always a stressful time. In most cases you just don’t know what’s waiting for you.

Today was even more so. 

Our driver drove us out of Merzouga and dropped us at a car park. There waiting for us was a driver in his 4X4. 

We drove out into the desert and the 4×4 was certainly getting a good workout over the sand dunes.

Suddenly we came across a herd of tourists on camels and the driver stopped. We got the feeling that they wanted us to ride a camel to the hotel. We weren’t about to do that, as we have ridden camels in the past, both in Egypt and Australia and we didn’t need to do it tonight.

Our driver then, reluctantly, took us to the camp. Where we waited for quite a while for someone to turn up and book us in. 

At least we were offered tea and nibbles while we waited. 

This is meant to be a luxury campsite, but it’s in no way a match to the one we had in Tunisia.

There were no glasses and only one power point in the room. 

I get the feeling there aren’t many people here, so dinner will be a quiet affair.

Dinner isn’t until 7:30pm, so time to relax and enjoy the clear desert air. 

The camp is set in an oasis of Date Palms and it’s very quiet. I was right, as there were only six people for dinner, including us.

Two were French and the other couple, one was Dutch and the other German and they lived in the Caribbean. 

After dinner the staff put on a musical performance around an open fire. 

We also had to participate by playing the drums and dancing round and round in circles.

 

Tuesday March 17. Merzouga to Erfoud then Nekob and Ouarzazate. 

It was an early start, well at least for us.

After breakfast we had to be driven from the camp, back to the car park, to meet up with our driver. 

It was a 30 minute bounce across the desert. 

Back on the main road we came across a column of eight Land Cruises, all with tourists on board. Over a matter of a few kilometres, we managed to pass them all.

We are now heading west and seem to be out of the desert area. There are lot more Date palm plantations now. However, these aren’t anywhere near as well cultivated as they were in Tunisia. It is similar, with the olive oil industry, both of them don’t seem to be as well developed as we have seen. 

One of the big attractions along the way are stalls selling fossils.

We stopped for a coffee at Kiosque Slyat d alay, on the N17. This was where we had a coffee yesterday.

It’s surprising how many places have espresso machines. Just having an espresso coffee is sometimes the best way to go when you’re travelling, as trying to explain how you want your ‘Long Black’ is far too difficult.

Many of the men in this area wore traditional Muslim/Moroccan wardrobe, as do most of the women.

Later on, down the road, we were passed by thirteen bikers from Slovakia.

It does appear that the majority of vehicles on the road are carrying tourists.

We are suffering a bit from a driver who doesn’t have very good English. We also found that a number of destinations, that were listed on our itinerary, we’ve just not visited and we’re wondering why.

The scenery along the road was spectacular. We were surrounded by high mountains that were topped by dramatic, knife edged cliffs.

We stopped at Agdz café restaurant for lunch and just had a salad, which is much better than the huge meals we have been eating.

At the end of the meal I had another espresso and again It wasn’t too bad. All in all, it was a good choice and only cost A$11.20 for the meal and coffee. 

Now we are back on the road to our final destination, Ouarzazate, where we will spend the night. 

The road there took us back over of the Atlas Mountains.

When we arrived in Ouarzazate, we got a guide to take us around the Casbah and then the Old Town. This didn’t seem to be planned, but it was on our itinerary, so upon our insistence, our driver found a guide, and paid for him, who joined us at the car.

Ouarzazate, or in English ‘Quiet City’ has several areas. The Casbah, the Old Town and the New Town. 

The Casbah is under renovation and unoccupied at the moment and was mainly where the Berbers lived. There was an 7.3 earthquake here in 2023 and a lot of damaged was done. The old town has Arab, Jewish and Berber people, all living together.

A tour of the Casbah took us through a number of houses, built for different size families. It was very interesting to see how the Berber families lived. 

What was also very surprising, was how low the doors were. Our guide was constantly telling us to watch our heads, as did a guide in another tour group, that was in the house. 

Banging your head must really be a problem. 

We visited the old town, which I must admit was rather disappointing. There really weren’t many photo opportunities there. However one of the highlights was seeing storks on top of the various towers and minarets that were around.

After a long day, we finally got to our accommodation, the Dar Amoudou Hotel. It’s very quaint but certainly not a tourist hotel. Therefore no bar or booze, just a fridge full of soft drinks. 

I am going to mention this fact to our tour operator, as we do like to have a drink at the end of a long day touring. 

And we aren’t Muslim. 

Over dinner, we met an English couple that were in Morocco and doing quite a similar trip to ours.

Inevitably, the conversation turned to Donald Trump and they, like us, thought very little of him.

However, what was also very interesting about this English couple, was what their son did for a job.

He’d recently been in Melbourne for the Grand Prix, as his job was to be a minder of Oscar Piastri, the Australian Formula One driver.

Dinner was much like we have become accustomed to. It consisted of Soup, a Chicken Casserole and a dessert and again, it didn’t have much flavour. 

The Tunisian food was much tastier. 

 

Wednesday March 18. Ouarzazatet to Marrakech. 

Breakfast has always been a meal that I like to choose myself.

Whenever I travel I usually have the lunch and dinner that’s on offer and what’s local. For me, breakfast is something I like to be familiar with. However sometimes, like today, that doesn’t happen. We took what we were given and it was rather interesting.

But not something I want to repeat.

After breakfast we headed to the Atlas Film studios, where some of the most famous desert landscapes were and are still being filmed.

We were with a tour group, that was mainly Russians and we all travelled from set to set.

In one we were in Greece, another in Egypt and then we were suddenly in Italy.

This is an area totally devoted to fakes and facades. Everything is built with fibreglass and backed with timber frames.

One Russian woman was constantly seeking attention – it was all about Ben ‘Her’. 

The studio was founded in 1983 by entrepreneur, Mohamed Belghmi and has continued to expand. This is due to the favourable climate and the introduction of guided tours, like we were experiencing.

The details on the sets, especially the Egyptian ones, were fantastic. They didn’t just paint the walls but actually used relief sculpture to highlight the outlines.

Many films were made here, or in the surrounding area, including Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Gladiator (2000), Jewel of the Nile (1985), The Mummy (1999) and Season 3 of Game of Thrones. 

I get the feeling that both Tunisia and Morocco have benefit greatly from Hollywood.

If Donald knew that, I’m sure he would try to impose one of his taxes on them.

The big question remains, how long will places like this last, once AI takes over?

After the studios, it was then off on a three hour drive to Marrakesh. Again we were going across the Atlas Mountains. It was an amazing winding road, with many passing lanes. which was great.

We stopped for coffee at Café Nature Toufliht, that was back on the N9. Unfortunately we had to sit inside, as it was too cold out on the balcony. 

But what a view we had. 

Cops are everywhere, which is the same as as it was in Tunisia. Occasionally, we got pulled over, but they don’t do much, even when they did. 

We are now on the rain shadow side of the Atlas Mountains and naturally they are much greener than they are on the other side. 

Before we got to our hotel, we stopped at an area outside of Marrakesh called Menara, which is like a shopping centre. There Mahdi, our driver, took us into a tech shop to see if they could work out what was wrong with my Olympus camera.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t.

Then we headed to our accommodation for the next two nights, the Kech Boutique Hotel and Spa. 

We were back into a tourist destination, complete with restaurant, lounge areas, pool, spa and a bar. 

After we settled into the hotel, in the mid afternoon, we decided to go to a local mall, that was relatively close by. 

The Almazar Centre Commercial was largish and also very busy. 

I hadn’t brought enough hankies on the trip and thought it would be good to have a few more. 

Hankies are hard to find at home and we had the same problem here. 

No one uses ‘snot rags’ anymore. 

We then just chilled in our room before going to the bar for a pre dinner beverage. 

What a luxury. 

Unfortunately the service was disappointing. There appears to be just one barman running the inside bar, pool bar and I think he is also doing room service, as he was constantly disappearing.

When I finally got a beer, it tasted very good. – it’s been a dry few days.

There seem to be very few guests in the hotel, as there has been over the last few nights in our other hotels. 

As it turned out, the restaurant was closed and the only food that was available for dinner was tapas at the bar.

On the table next to us was Carlton, an American, who we got chatting with. He was a very interesting guy who was a birdwatcher, or, as we call it in Australia, a ‘Twitter’.

We got talking about all sorts of things, including politics and as it turned out, and not surprisingly, he was also anti Trump.

We ended the night on very good terms. 

 

Thursday March 19. Marrakech. 

Unlike last night’s dinner, breakfast was a buffet and there was far too much food for the amount of people who turned up.

Fatima will be our guide today and take us around the sights of Marrakesh. 

Our first stop was to the Kotoubia Mosque, built in the 11th Century. It’s the largest in Marrakech and one of the oldest in the world. It was completed under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199)

The Imam would ride a donkey to the top of the tower to call all to prayer. This was because it was too far for him to climb up the staircase five times a day.

On the top of all mosques are three balls which represent the three different religions in the world. Muslim, Judaism and Christianity.

This is an interpretation that’s very much open to opinion.

It was then to the exquisite Les Jardins Majorelle. An amazing display of bamboo, bougainvillea and cacti, formerly owned by Yves Saint-Laurent (1936-2008).

This French fashion designer was an icon of the industry and in 2002 was made a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.

Within the area was the Musée Berbére, featuring regional Berber costumes, jewellery and carpets that inspired his life and work.

Another exhibit was the Yves Saint Laurent Love Gallery, where posters were displayed, starting in the early days of his career. 

Next was Yves Saint Laurent Museum, where no photos or even talking was allowed. 

It was rather small, very crowded and quiet. 

There was a film at the end that showed the history of Yves Saint Laurent. 

It went through the start of his career, designing costumes for the theatre and then continued on to where he started designing women’s fashion and exhibiting it all around the world.

The number of tourists you have in an area can determine how things operate.

In our hotel, there are hardly any guests, so things aren’t like they should be. The restaurant doesn’t operate in the evening and the staff were minimal.

However, as soon as you get into tourist areas, that are overcrowded, you get the same old problem of too many people taking too many selfies.

They are constantly getting in the way of people taking real photos.

After the Yves Saint Laurent experience we then wandered around the Medina or old town. 

This was followed by a visit to the Muslim school, or Médersa Ben Youssef, that was built in the 16th Century. 

The school’s primary objective was to train young boys to become Imams.

The local kids went home at night, while those who lived out of Marrakech boarded there. Two were in each of the bedrooms, which were rather small. They were locked in at night and a guard had to unlock the door to let them out if they needed to go to the loo.

This school no longer exists and is now just a tourist site. 

And there were plenty of them – tourists that is. 

Next was another ‘opportunity to buy’ at the herb and oil shop, Herboriste La Sagesse. 

The girl who served us was very well aware that Australians can’t take herbs and spices back into the country. So she wasn’t surprised when we didn’t buy a thing.

Lunch followed and was at Chez Sarghini, which was almost next door to the herb shop. 

We kept it simple and shared a salad and a Tanjia. This is a typical Moroccan dish cooked in a clay pot in the coals of a fire. 

Next was the Souq, or market and here we visited both the leather and metal areas. 

Our final destination was Jemaa el Fna Square, or the central square, which is the hub of activity in Marrakesh. The square was next to the Kotoubia Mosque, where we started our tour. 

So, by the end of the day we had done a complete circle around the old areas of Marrakesh. 

They are obviously more guests in the hotel tonight because dinner is now being served in the bistro.

One benefit of more tourists.

However, not enough guests to have a full-time barman, as he still kept on disappearing.

At dinner, we met Carlton again, this time we sat and ate with him. He was telling us that he’s planning on doing a trip to Australia at the end of the year. He will be coming to Melbourne, so who knows, we might catch up with him again.

He seems to travel the world ‘Twittering’. 

We have a long drive tomorrow to Fez, which means an early start.

Our driver wants us to meet him at seven, however breakfast doesn’t even start until then, so we have asked for one to be made and for us to eat it in the foyer area.

Who knows how that’ll work out.

 

Friday March 20. Marrakech to Beni Mellal then Ifrane and Fes. 

With an early start to the day, we ate our breakfast in the room, as it came in a brown paper bag. Which wasn’t what we had asked for the previous night.

It will be a long day in the car as we’re driving to Fes. 

Today Ramadan ends, so it will be interesting to see how things change. It’s also a public holiday in Morocco.

As we were driving along the N9, leaving the city, the streets were full of people in traditional outfits. 

Even the kids were dressed up.

Apparently, everyone had just been to the mosque and were now going to feast. This is the celebration of Eid, the end of Ramadan. 

We are heading into a couple of Alpine areas on our way through to Fez. The first is Beni Mellal and then Ifrane. 

Nearly three hours into our drive we stopped for coffee at Café Agropole on the N8. It was a good strong coffee and helped to wake us up.

Even our diver, Mahdi, had one – well Ramadan is over. 

As we were driving through Beni-Mellal, we noticed that all the coffee shops were now open, with most of them full of men and very few women in sight. 

It was then up to the lookout at Ain Asserdoun, where we had a great view over the city of Beni-Mellal. 

Even up here, at the Lookout, people were still wearing traditional clothes.

Along the road from Beni-Mellal, the area was very fertile. There were oranges, lemons, vegetables and strawberries all growing by the side of the road.

Plus, the ever present, olive groves. 

Then it was on to Ifrane. 

On the way we stopped at the Oum Er’rabi River View point. It was a pity about the power lines going straight through the middle of the view. This is a common problem in Morocco, as they are everywhere.

We stopped for a quick lunch at Rahou Rania in Khénifra. It wasn’t full but those who were there were certainly enjoying eating again. 

Our driver was also having lunch, however he wasn’t sitting with us. He was getting stuck into a very large plate of chicken chips and rice and loving it. 

Everyone else in the restaurant was also eating large meals and they all had a big smile on their faces.

I guess all the local restaurants are back to making money again.

We passed many small towns along the way that were beautifully laid out with wide streets, parks and gardens.

Ifrane is a town famous for its Alpine climate and European-style houses. 

White houses, with high pitched terracotta roofs are everywhere. We could have been in France or Germany or even Switzerland.

It certainly didn’t feel, or look like, Morocco.

There is a statue of a lion near the centre of the town, which is regarded as being quite a mystery.

It seems to be very popular with both the tourists and the locals, everyone comes to get a selfie with the lion. 

“The creator of the Ifrane Lion remains a mystery, with theories ranging from Italian and German prisoners to a French sculptor, Henri Jean Moreau. Despite various claims, research points to Moreau as the most likely sculptor, who worked on the lion around 1930.” (https://en.yabiladi.com)

The town sits at an altitude of 1665m and experiences snow during winter months with a cool climate during summer.

Ifrane is also the place where the lowest temperature was ever recorded in Africa, -24 °C in 1935.

Now we’re off, on the final leg of our very long journey, to Fez. 

As usual, there was anxiety involved in finding the hotel and seeing what it was like. When we arrived at the one that was listed in our itinerary, we both freaked.

It looked empty and not very good.

After some questioning, we found that we’d been given the wrong name and the wrong hotel. Once that was sorted, we went and found the place we were meant to stay at.

It’s not great, but it certainly was better than the first one.

We were here for three nights and unfortunately it didn’t have a bar. 

This means we’ll have to go to an international hotel to have dinner, with a drink.

But even that wasn’t easy. 

The first hotel we went to was Ramada by Wyndham Fes and there bar was closed. 

We then went to Hôtel L’Escale and they were serving alcohol with the meals but they had no beer. 

Bugger. 

Also to add to our traumas, it was raining. 

The dinner was pretty good. Thea had à la carte and I had a choice from the buffet.

The staff were fantastic. Thea managed to splash some of her Tagine onto her jumper and they were there, in an instant, with hot water, to mop it up.

However at the end of the night they would only accept cash. 

Apparently their card reader “wasn’t working” – now that’s one of the oldest tricks in the book. 

Over dinner we met a Romanian couple, Dan and Elizabeth.

Dan only spoke French while Elizabeth had very good English – better than she thought.

 

Saturday March 21. Fes. 

It was a 10:00am start today, a big contrast to yesterday’s 7:00am. 

Our first priority is getting the laundry done. After that was sorted, we got to breakfast at about nine and almost everything had gone. And what was there, was pretty pathetic anyway.

Today we have a guide to explore Fez. 

It is the oldest of Morocco’s 4 imperial capitals and the most complete medieval city in the Islamic world.

Fez means Axe, but why the city is named after that I have no idea. 

Our guide was Fahed, a well educated Moroccan, who speaks many languages.

The gate of the palace was our first stop, then the Jewish Quarter, both old and new. 

We then drove up to Borj Sud. This is a viewpoint over the city, attached to a 16th Century fortress. 

The Fes Medina is the biggest in the world. It has over forty mosques and more than 9,000 streets. 

A lot of the Medina stalls were closed, as it’s a public holiday for the end of Ramadan. This is really a shopping area for the locals, as there was not much for the tourists.

I was hoping to buy a T-shirt, as a memento of Morocco, but didn’t see one in the whole Medina.

We then visited the Art D’Argil, an art school.

Art D’Argile is a family owned ceramics and pottery workshop that has been around for four generations. Everything is hand made and a lot is available to buy.

The Medina is divided into two halves by a river, that is now under the road. Tunisian architecture is on one side and Spanish on the other.

Lunch was at Ryad Nejjarine, which was set in an amazing house that’s been converted into the restaurant. 

It was huge and extended over at least four levels and was rather expensive. 

After lunch we wandered around the Al Attarine Madrasa, which is one of the most important spiritual centres in Fez and also one of the most visited landmarks.

Within the the Madrassa is the 9th Century Karaouine Mosque, which claims, along with the Al Azhar in Cairo, to be the oldest continually functioning university in the world. 

Unfortunately it was prayer time and we could not get in. 

Next was an opportunity to buy in a converted Carravanserie and then the Tannery, another opportunity to buy. Well this is how many guides make extra money.

After a failed attempt to find somewhere different have dinner tonight, we finished up going back to the same hotel L’Escale, in its Restaurant Panoramique. 

Tonight I did get to the bottom of why they didn’t have any beer last night and still don’t have any tonight.

Apparently, beer production was stopped for Ramadan and it hasn’t started being delivered again. There is currently a four day holiday and nothing happens during that time, so the beer won’t be delivered until after the holiday is over, which is next Tuesday.

Again, we caught up with the Romanian couple. This was their last night in Fes and again we had another good, but limited, chat.

Elizabeth had a great sense of humour and could find a joke in any situation.

They decided that if we were having a bottle of wine for dinner, they could as well, so they also got one.

 

Sunday March 22. Fes to Volubilis then to Meknes and back to Fez. 

We had another late start this morning but lost an hour overnight due to a time change.

This was yet another outcome of Ramadan.

Today we are travelling into the countryside to see a few of the surrounding towns. 

First we head to Volubilis, to see the Roman ruins. This is regarded as one of the furthest outposts of the Roman empire and now a very well preserved UNESCO World Heritage site.

Then we drove to Meknes a large regional town. 

We thought we would be having guides in both of these stopovers, however we only had them for the Roman ruins in Volubilis. 

Stork nests are everywhere. Communication towers, mosque minarets, light posts, anywhere that’s up high you’ll find a nest, with chicks. Only very occasionally will you see them in a tree.

On the drive to Volubilis, we were pulled over by the cops, yet again. 

I have no idea what they wanted this time. However, I do believe our driver may have been picked up for speeding.

We stopped at the viewpoint, overlooking Lake Sidi Chahede, for a photo opportunity.

There was also a number of stalls, a café and a very, very rudimentary toilet at the viewpoint.

We had another un-scheduled stop, which I think it was a delaying tactic, because the guide hadn’t turned up at Volubilis. 

When we arrived Mohammed, our guide, was waiting for us. 

The city is named after the flower Morning Glory, that opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. 

The Romans came here mainly for the olive oil.

Archaeologist have been coming to the site since 1915 and they’re still coming to this day.

It was a good tour, of just over an hour and we saw a lot.

The site here must have covered many years of Roman history, as there were Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns.

Our guide showed us a leaf that is believed to be the inspiration for Corinthian Columns. 

It is known as the Acanthus.

The Acanthus is one of the most common plant forms used for making ornamental decoration and emanated from both the Greek and Roman cultures.

Lunch was at the restaurant, Roman City, that was just outside the ruins – which was very fitting.

Then it was off to Meknes. 

Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), before it was relocated to Marrakech. 

It was originally founded as a military city in the 11th Century.

As parking was an issue outside, we were dropped at the gate and let go.

We wondered around really not knowing what to see but did visit a fair bit of the centre of the town.

Coffee shops are everywhere in Morocco, even coffee vans. And now that Ramadan is over, they’re all open and full. 

We have noticed over the last couple of days there’s been a gradual leak in our hotel bathroom, under the sink. It’s actually got worse and this morning I went and reported it to reception.

We came back tonight and water was still everywhere, it hadn’t been repaired.

I went down to reception and reported it, yet again, and they said they were going to send a technician up to fix it. 

Who knows if that will happen.

After failing to find somewhere different to have dinner last night, we decided to just repeat that tonight and returned to Hotel L’Escale. 

We are becoming regulars there.

When we arrived and ordered our wine, we were surprised to find an English couple at a nearby table, who didn’t even know they served wine here.

And they were staying here.

Compared to the last two nights, the place was empty an obvious sign that there’s not that many guests here.

It also means that the buffet wasn’t on, so it’s all à la Carte. 

 

Monday March 23. Fes to Chefchaouen. 

This morning we both woke up with stiff backs, a result of the very rough roads we encountered yesterday.

On our drive north this morning, the roads were rather bad again, so it certainly won’t help our backs. And it won’t help the suspension of the van either, which is already shot.

Nothing happened about fixing the leak under the sink in the bathroom, so we reported it yet again.

The guy looked blankly me and said he will get it repaired. I said fine but believe me you will not get a good review for this hotel.

Again, he looked blankly at me and then my words sank in and then he looked worried. 

It’s just under four hours to Chefchaouen and I don’t think we’re doing anything on the way there, except to get a coffee at a roadside van.

We think we love our coffee in Australia, well the Moroccans are just as mad about it.

They can’t drink alcohol, but they can certainly drink coffee.

Even though we got our coffees from a coffee van, they did give it to us in real cups, not paper ones.

We stopped for a photo opportunity on the N 13. There was even a small waterfall there, which was rather lovely. 

We had two more photo opportunities on the way to Chefchaouen, one was the gate of the town and the other, a view over the town, which is very blue and white.

I counted seven ‘cop stops’ on our way up north. Fortunately Mahdi didn’t get booked along the way, as he did yesterday.

We got into the town and after a bit of research decided that very few restaurants, if any, serve alcohol.

So we went in search of a store that might sell it, we even drew a blank there.

It looks like a dry couple of days.

We are staying at the Puerta Azul Hotel. 

It looks ok on the surface but it’s a bit shabby when you look closer and it’s also located in rather poor part of town.

Chefchaouen, is known as the ‘Blue Pearl’ of Morocco. This due to its striking blue and white Medina. 

The town was founded in 1471 by Ali Ben Rashid, as a small Kasbah. This was to defend against a Portugese invasion of northern Morocco.

After the fall of Granada in 1492, many Muslims were expelled by King Philip III of Spain and immigrated to Chefchaouen.

After we checked into the hotel, we went for a wander around the town.

It was very hilly.

We didn’t do too much, as we have an excursion tomorrow morning, with a guide – we think. 

Blue and white is everywhere, including the street lamps which are blue and also have a blue light on top. 

Even the taxis are blue and white.

Dinner was at the Blue Escape, which was just around the corner from our hotel. With a restaurant name like that, I guess we’re keeping with the theme of the town.

We chose to eat downstairs, rather than in the Restaurant area upstairs on the roof.

It was just too cold up there.

Downstairs we could barely hear ourselves think. What with the sound of the TV blasting out football and the kitchen staff squabbling amongst themselves.

We’ve never been served by a waitress in Morocco. I guess it is in keeping with their very Islamic culture, where the man dominates everything.

Another interesting fact is you rarely see girls and boys together. It’s normally only just boys on their own or girls on their own.

For dinner, we shared a pizza and a salad and it wasn’t too bad.

The amazing thing was it only cost about AU$16.

 

Tuesday March 24. Chefchaouen. 

Breakfast was a strange affair. 

Firstly it was a kind of buffet but they insisted of serving us. 

It was limited to bread, pancakes and croissants, chocolate ones. 

Yuk. 

You could have eggs if desired. 

And, to top it all off, the coffee was not espresso but brewed and sitting in a pot, stewing. 

Yuk again. 

The positive thing is there are plenty of espresso coffee shops around town, so we won’t be caught short getting one.

This morning we thought that we had a guide to take us around the city.

This wasn’t the case, as we were just picked up from the hotel, taken to the central part of town and dropped off, then told we had two hours to wander around.

So the first thing was to find a coffee. 

This wasn’t as easy as we thought. We were in the tourist area and just kept on getting hassled by people offering services. 

We were coaxed into a coffee shop in one of the main squares and all they had on offer was Nescafe. Not wanting to have a bar of that, we wandered off and went into the more local area and sure enough, found a coffee shop with an espresso machine and got one there.

And it was good.

We then went walking around town, which is very interesting and in a spectacular location.

Just near the coffee shop was the Kasbah Chefchaouen, built by Moulay Ali Ben Rashid. It had a number of areas built around a beautiful garden. 

There was a museum, a tower and even a small gallery, with an exhibition of painted umbrellas. 

After that we wondered around town again. Up hills, down hills, around through shopping areas and everything was quite amazing.

This part of the city is much more interesting, compared to where we are staying. It’s a pity that the Moroccan agent didn’t book us into somewhere like here. 

Everywhere we’ve been in the market areas of Morocco, I’ve been welcomed with the greeting of “Hey Moustache”

I’ve actually got quite used to it.

On our wanderings we only found one shop that’s sold Tees. Unfortunately all he had was white ones, or extra large and small in black.

However, Thea did buy a traditional dress for Aida and surprisingly, the guy accepted a card for the payment. 

We stopped at the Ali Baba Restaurant for lunch, which was in one of the main squares. Which is quite ironic, as my hairdresser, in Hampton, has exactly the same name.

Chefchaouen reminds us so much of Granada, which is not surprising considering that Granada was so influenced by this area.

After lunch, we returned to the coffee shop we went to this morning and I had another coffee.

It was so good and probably the best Double Espresso we’ve had so far.

We had the afternoon off, so by the time we finished lunch and the coffee, it was time to go back to the hotel.

Tonight we will probably return to the Blue Escape, the same place as last night. 

After our lunch, we won’t need much and they were friendly people who made us feel very welcome. 

Tonight we decided to eat upstairs, on the terrace, and what a view there was. 

But it was chilly, well we are in the Rif Mountains. 

 

Wednesday March 25. Chefchaouen to Tangier. 

As the breakfast coffee was so poor at the hotel, that we went to a cafe, that was just over the road, and had one there.

The coffee at Les Féres wasn’t bad but we were spoilt by our double experience from yesterday. 

As we’ve been touring Morocco, over the last two weeks, we have realised just how much more Muslim the society is, especially compared to Tunisia.

Not only are the women treated more strictly but the men are also more conservative.

Today we are driving north to Tangier, on the Mediterranean, for our last few days in Morocco.

We stopped to get a view of Lake Martil, which in fact is a dam.

As we approached Tangier, we noticed that there were many wind farms on the hills surrounding the city.

The only renewable energy we’ve seen so far were solar panels. 

We arrived at the hotel, but were a couple of hours early to check in. So we went for a walk down to the Medina.

I was still in need of a Tee, so we went wandering around and then I found one. 

The store owner was great and we chatted for quite some time. We told each other the stories of our lives.

Then we went in search of a small lunch and found the Gran Café Central, on the Petit Socco. 

We shared a Seafood Salad and had one of our favourite drinks a Citron, which basically is a bitter lemon. 

I ended my meal with an Espresso and it was rather good. 

Will be back in this area tomorrow, hopefully with a guide, so we didn’t want to do too much more now.

So we meandered back to our accommodation but did come across the old market area on the way. 

We are staying in the centrally located Rembrandt Hotel.

Why a Moroccan hotel is named after a 17th Century Dutch painter, I have no idea.

Before dinner, we went for a drink in the bar, yes, they have a bar and the bar has alcohol.

This will be my first beer in five days.

However there were negatives.  

They didn’t serve wine by the glass, only in bottles. Their menu said they had draft beer, but they didn’t and the menu also said that they had small bottles of white wine, but, again, they didn’t.

Also, the beer I had was a Casablanca, which I’ve had many times before. However, this one was only in a 25cl bottle, when they have always been in 33cl. 

It’s barely a sip – but it did taste good.

The Rembrandt Hotel, so far, has proved to be below standard. We couldn’t even charge our meal or our drinks to the room.

Who knows what breakfast holds.

 

Thursday March 26. Tangier. 

Breakfast wasn’t too bad, there was fresh fruit and real Croissants, not ‘Americano Croissants’.

The ones with chocolate that is.

Today we’re off, with our driver and hopefully a guide, to explore Tangier.

The sun is shining, which is great, because this is our last day in Morocco.

So much of the hotels technology is old and doesn’t work. The lift is ancient, the air-conditioning just didn’t go warm and the toilet didn’t flush and the water doesn’t get away in the shower. 

The list goes on.

I think I know now why they call it the Rembrandt Hotel, because it’s actually from the 17th century.

Our guide is Mostafa, yes we had one and he was waiting with our driver outside the hotel. 

We visited everything around the city and it was all seen on foot.

First was the French Quarter. 

The French have had so much influence in Morocco and you can see it here in Tangier. It’s evident in architecture, street names and especially in the cafes and food. 

Bakeries are also everywhere.

Then it was the market again, followed by the Tangier American Legation. 

The legation was established in 1821, following decades of good relations between Morocco and the United States. Also Morocco was one of the first counties to recognise US independence from Great Britain in 1777.

The legation building was gifted to the US by the Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah. It remained a US diplomatic post for 140 years.

After the legation visit we returned to the Petit Socco or Small Market, where we were yesterday and went back to Gran Café Central in the Petit Socco for a coffee. 

We continued on towards the Kasbar, but then came across the summer residence of Barbara Hutton, the famous American actress. 

Next was the Kasbar Museum, which is housed in a 17th Century Palace. The museum covered Neanderthal through Bronze Age to Roman artefacts and up to the Islamic era. It also featured work from the Portuguese occupation.

It was a very small museum, but it spanned a great deal of time.

We passed through the Spanish quarter, where the influence of their settlement can be seen in the architecture.

We returned to the Big Market Square, after three and a half hours of excellent sightseeing. 

When we look back on what we’ve seen, we realise that our hotel was in a very good location.

We did cover a fair bit of it yesterday but it was great to do it with a guide and have everything explained to us.

Mostafa was a good guide, who explained it all very well. He also took his time, so it was a slow pace as we wandered around town.

Also he didn’t race ahead, like so many guides do.

After dropping Mostafa off, we drove to Cape Spartel, the meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

This is a real tourist destination, a place of many selfies.

Then we drove a bit further on down the Atlantic coast and found Hercules Cave. This was nothing spectacular, so we didn’t stay long.

However we did stay long enough to have an ice cream and that turned out to be our lunch.

After that we drove back to the hotel. It was the end of our time here in Tangier. 

We had walked about 5 km around the town centre. 

Our driver, Mahdi, had borrowed 500 Dirham from us earlier in the trip, as his card wouldn’t work in Chefchaouen. Now he wanted to return back to the hotel, in an hour, to pay us off.

We had decided that this money could be his tip, so told him not to bother about returning. 

He was very grateful.

We have a very, very, early start in the morning at 3:30 am. Therefore we’ll try and get everything sorted out and packed up tonight, before we go out for dinner.

Tomorrow we fly from Tangier to Malaga in Spain, then we get a bus to Granada.

We did go down for dinner early and the restaurant was absolutely empty. I ordered a beer and asked if they had anything bigger than 25cl. 

The answer was no.

 

Friday March 27. Tangier to Malaga, Spain. 

It was a 3:30 am when we jumped into the van and headed to the airport.

We said goodbye to our driver, Mahdi and then checked the time. It was then about a three hour wait before our departure.

I think we could have got up later. 

It was only a 30 minute flight to Malaga and I think I slept through the entire time.

We had breakfast at the Malaga airport and waited for our bus.

It was then over two hours to get to Granada.

We have spent many hours sitting today. Sitting, waiting for the plane, sitting on the plane. Then sitting waiting for the bus and then sitting in the bus to Granada.

I’ve never been a fan of Ryanair and today was just another example of how cheap they really are.

The seats on the bus to Granada and the bus itself, was far more comfortable and in better condition than the aircraft. 

We are now settled into our room at the Hotel Gala Placida 1923, in Granada and have been upgraded to the suite on the roof. It has a lovely balcony and seats in the sun.

And, so ends our North African adventure.

It’s been a wonderful four weeks of culture and experiences.

Also, having our trip during Ramadan, was both restrictive and also very interesting. 

However, one fact stood out, in both Tunisia and Morocco. The people there believe there is a great relationship between cultures and religions. Muslims, Jews and Christians could all get on together and they did. 

We had spent over 40 hours sitting in the van and covered over 2,500km. 

What an adventure.

Wednesday February 25 and 26. Melbourne to Tunis, Tunisia. 

Today we are off to Tunisia, for the start of our next adventure.

We are flying with Etihad, with a short stop over in Abu Dhabi. 

It’s been a hectic few weeks leading up to today, culminating with a short trip to Castlemaine for Ronan’s 2nd birthday. 

I had a Stone and Wood Pacific Ale at the airport and wondered how long it would be before my next good brew. 

This trip is broken into a number of parts. 

Firstly Tunisia and then Morocco in North Africa. 

We then head to Granada, Spain and spend about a month with the Spanish family. 

Then it’s a few days with our friends Denis and Martine from Switzerland.

Our plan is to travel to Salamanca, a place none of us have visited. 

And after that, about a week in Spain’s north west, travelling to the ‘End of the Earth’

More about that later. 

On the second leg of our flight from Abu Dhabi to Tunis we decided to watch the old classic movie, Casablanca. 

Made in 1942, staring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, it’s set in the city of Casablanca, Morocco, during the Second World War. 

It seemed appropriate to watch it as we will be visiting the city when we travel around Morocco. 

Casablanca is our first stop there. 

We arrived very early in Tunis and went straight to our hotel, the Belvedere Fourati. 

After a refreshing shower and a light breakfast we headed out for a walk, as we had the rest of the day free. 

Our first stop was the Belvedere Gardens.

This was a great opportunity for me to muck around with my old OM-D Olympus camera. 

I had decided to grab it back from Ev and use it again, figuring there would be so much to shoot on a trip like this. 

It weighs about 8 kilograms and gets a bit heavy by the end of a long tourist day. The Olympus comes with 3 lenses, which gives it the bulk. 

Opposite the gardens and next to the Zoo entrance was the Belvedere Park. 

Unfortunately the Belvedere Gardens and Park were looking a little worse for wear. So was the Belvedere Zoo, from what we could see through the fence. 

All of these places needed money spent on them. 

That night we opted to get a drink and early dinner at the hotel as it had been a long day and night.

Our pre dinner drink was at the hotel’s Point Bar and at 18.00 hrs, it was empty. 

I don’t think there are many guests yet at the hotel. 

I had a Larger from Celtia, a local Tunisian brewery that was started in 1951. Thea also had a local white wine, a Muscat from Tunisia. 

It’s Ramadan at the moment and even if we had wanted to eat out, most of the restaurants were closed until dusk. 

Therefore nothing is open during daylight hours. 

Unfortunately it will be Ramadan for our entire stay in Tunisia, which will make our trip a bit restricted. 

 

Friday February 27. Tunis in Tunisia. 

Even at breakfast the place was empty. 

It could be Ramadan or maybe the tourist season just hasn’t started yet. 

This will be our first full day of touring with our driver and guide. 

The Bardo Museum was our first stop and the visit took about two and a half hours but it was certainly worth it.  

Our guide, Nidhal Kacem, studied history and certainly knew his stuff. 

Within the museum were some of the best mosaics that I have seen. It’s no wonder, as it houses one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world.

The Bardo Museum was first proposed in the 1860s and opened in 1888. It is the second largest museum in Africa, after the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

It is set within a 15th Century Hafsid palace, located in the suburbs of Tunis.

As we drove towards our lunch spot, after the museum visit, we noticed that most of the local restaurants were closed.

I guess we’ll be eating at the hotel again tonight. 

Lunch was at Al Majlis, under the Victoria Hotel, which used to be the British Embassy. 

The restaurant was a tourist spot, so open but no alcohol was being served. 

We then toured around the various Medinas, or market streets in Tunis and then Nidhal left us to entertain ourselves for the rest of the afternoon.

After a bit more touring the Medinas we came back to the square where we had had lunch.

It was in the area of the Bab al-Bhar Gate. This historic city gate was originally constructed in the 10th Century but demolished in 1848 and then rebuilt in 1860.

Once in the square we just sat and watch people go by.

After that it was a slow walk back into the main town area to get our ride back to the hotel. 

At the end of all this tourist adventuring we were exhausted. We had done over 6 kilometres of tramping around Tunis. 

It was almost time for a pre dinner beverage. 

Even though we looked around our local restaurant, nothing was either open or looked worth visiting, so, as predicted, we were back at our hotel again. 

 

Saturday February 28. Tunis to Carthage then to Side Bou Said and back to Tunis. 

Another 9:30 start to the day, so not too stressful. 

There will be a lot more driving today as we are heading east to Carthage, on the coast.

This is a Punic city, once ruled by Hannibal, and destroyed by the Roman general Scipio in 149 BC, at the end of the third Punic war.

The day was very hazy, which made everything monochromatic, except for the yellow taxis and there were many of them. 

We first visited Carthage Archeological Park and then Cathedral Saint Louis de Carthage, which was built between 1884 and 1890. 

After that we went to The Park of the Antoninian Baths and then the Punic Ports of Carthage. 

Then it was into La Galette, a fishing village, for lunch at Restaurant La Victorie. 

The food was great, however the four course meal was a bit too much for us.

Achraf, our driver, has more work to do today but even more once we leave Tunis. 

Our original schedule had us doing Carthage second however it got turned around. 

As Nidhal felt that the sites there might be closed due to Ramadan. 

So our second adventure of the day was Side Bou Said, a well preserved coastal town. 

It is named after the 13th Century holy figure Sidi Bou Said. He was a Muslim saint who is still celebrated today with an annual festival held in his honour.

When we first arrived, we drove to the top of the town, which is on a hillside, then we walked down. 

I could have sworn we were in Greece, as all the houses are painted white with blue doors and trimmings. 

The blue doors were fascinating, so I grabbed a number of shots. 

However, not all the doors were blue, some were red, some were green and some of them were yellow. 

This went back to the past, where doors of different colours represented where the people who lived in those houses came from. 

Blue doors were for Israeli’s, yellow doors were for Turks and green doors were for Muslims. 

During our travels we visited several viewpoints and, despite the haze, managed to get some great views. 

One of the last stop offs for the day was at Le Beys family house. This was the residence of a powerful noble family who were in power from 1705 till 1957. 

Then it was one more viewpoint and then the drive back to Tunis. 

That evening we ate, yet again, at the hotel. 

After our huge lunch we really didn’t need much. 

The hotel has been good, however there have been frustrations. 

The lift issue was a pain, as we had to change lifts to get to our floor but the most annoying issue was that the staff were over attentive. This came from the fact that there were more staff than guests and they needed to keep busy. 

Tomorrow we start our travels around Tunisia. The schedule is tight and we are constantly on the move. 

 

Sunday March 01. Tunis to Testour and then Dougga and Kairouan. 

We drove south towards our first stop at Tesdour, though very fertile farmland. There were olive groves, wheat crops and grazing animals along the way. 

Prickly pear is everywhere and considering its origins, in South America, it’s come a long way to be here now.

Tesdour was a very colourful town with a mosque tower that had a clock that was back to front. This was designed as a symbolic gesture, to turn back time and express nostalgia for a lost homeland in Andalusia.

There is a very strong Andalusian influence in the mosque’s architecture and design. 

An interesting stop was at the house of Habiba Msika. 

She was a performing artist during the 1920s who managed to con a local money lender into building and decorating a house for her.

This was on the condition that she would marry him when it was completed. However the more he did for her the more she wanted. 

They never married and in the end, out of frustration, he killed her and then ended his own life. 

Lunch was at the Hotel Thugga and again we were offered a three course meal.

I have never been one to leave food on the plate but now that’s different. 

I just can’t eat it all. 

Next was the Roman ruins at Dougga, our first UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

They were amazing and in very good condition. 

Dougga can trace its history back to the Berber and Punic times, pre-dating the Romans.

We then had a two hour drive to Kairouan, where we will stay the night. 

As we drive through the country roads I had the feeling of being in Spain, as there were olive groves everywhere. 

However the countryside changed as we headed south to Kairouan and became much drier. 

There certainly wasn’t the same amount of agriculture here. 

Kairouan is the 4th holiest city after Mecca and another UNESCO World Heritage site. It was founded by the Umayyads in the 7th century and went on to become an important centre for Sunni and Quranic learning. 

Tunisia seems to be a bit of a Police State, with cops on every road in the country area, and even in the tourist car parks. 

However, the roads aren’t bad and there is lots of excellent signage everywhere.

Particularly dangerous corners are well illuminated with solar lighting. 

After a long drive we reached Kairouan and settled into our room at the Kasbah Hotel. 

The hotel was in an old building, probably a citadel or fortress. This reminded us of staying in the Spanish Paradores or Posadas in Portugal. 

It was very posh, with waiters in bow ties and very classical rooms.

However there were issues with the service especially of the booze. 

The wine and beer was on a sideboard waiting for you to choose what you wanted. However that’s where it came from when you had made your choice, the sideboard, not the fridge.

Another thing that reminded us of Spain, in particular Granada, was the tiles, they were everywhere. 

 

Monday March 02. Kairouan to Tozeur. 

With all the news about the US, Iran conflict, we have suddenly realised how lucky we are to have got away. 

The big question now is, will we be able to get home?

In the morning, when we left the hotel, the streets were full of school kids heading towards another day of learning. 

They were yelling, laughing and I felt that a lot of the comments were aimed at us. 

However I have no idea what they were saying. 

Today we have a rather long drive, of nearly five hours, to Tozeur. 

Lots of sight seeing from the car I think. 

But before we hit the road, we have a couple of side trips. 

First to the Berber Mausoleum, also known as the Mausoleum of Sidi Sahbi and then the Great Mosque.

The mosque is regarded as one of the world’s largest but it really wasn’t that impressive. 

The best attraction was the array of rugs inside. 

We were relatively quick getting through the first two stops so Nidhal decided to add a third.  

This was a government operated rug shop, called the Okba Musee.

It was also an ‘Opportunity to Buy’

At a different stage of our lives we probably would have made some purchases and had them shipped them home. 

As we weren’t purchasing we got to lunch early. This was probably a good thing as we had a long drive this afternoon. 

Lunch was at El Brija Restaurant and as the weather was rather pleasant, we ate on the roof. 

It was another multi course meal and I had to leave at least half of it. 

However, I did order an espresso at the end of the meal and found that their machine was broken, so I got a Turkish coffee instead.

It was excellent.

Then it was off to Tozeur. 

Roadside stalls were ever present on our route south, selling everything from Camel skins to carpets, bananas to pyjamas and even car parts. 

In parts, used blue plastic bags are everywhere, scattered across the countryside.

On the way to Tozeur, we stopped at Oasis Park. This was for a toilet break and a chance for our driver to pray. 

The Muslin faith takes a big toll on your life. What with starving for Ramadan and having to pray five times a day. 

There is also the business side, where many restaurants just don’t open at lunchtime during Ramadan.

But worst of all for us, was not being able to get booze. 

For a lot of the trip there were gumtrees lining both sides of the road. It was a lot like being back home.

There was also a lot of construction and many uninhabited houses.

As I have indicated, the road system in Tunisia is in many respects better than what we have at home.

On long sections of road, the intersections are roundabouts, instead of crossroads. This would certainly decrease the amount of accidents that happen. 

They should do this at home.

We finally arrived in Tozeur and checked into the Ksar Rouge Hotel. 

This is another hotel built in an elegant old building. 

It’s a four star hotel but the management are cheap. 

There was no bottled water in our room and when you can’t drink the local water, they were obliged to give you bottled water. 

The guy at reception said it wasn’t possible and we had to buy it from the bar. 

We kicked up a stink and insisted he talk to a manager. 

We then stormed off and went for a wander around the place. 

Then we discovered the bar and figured we had better buy some water as we would need it. 

No sooner had we done that, than the guy from reception turned up and instructed the barman to give us some water. 

Sometimes it pays to be a grumpy old bugger. 

Dinner was included in our booking but again, we really didn’t feel like much. 

The staff were rather obliging and only served us what we wanted. 

And, unlike the previous night, the beer and white wine came from the fridge, not the sideboard. 

The weirdest part of the entire evening was the fact that we were almost alone in the hotel. 

I think that I only counted about half a dozen other guests. 

 

Tuesday March 03. Tozeur to Chebika, Tamerza, Mides and back to Tozeur. 

The hotel we are staying is empty and that certainly shows in the way we are being treated. 

The breakfast and dinner, which were included in our accommodation, are minimal and you have to go searching to find staff. 

Our previous hotels have had more guests and the choice we had was far better, as was the service. 

More driving today as we head south into the countryside. 

But first we are going to the market to buy food for our lunch. Then it was onto a horse and cart to visit a three level Date plantation. 

Ground level for vegetables and grapes, middle level for fruit trees, like fig and lemon and the top level for the dates. 

It was then back into the horse and cart and off to Eden Palm, a museum plantation. 

This is where we will have lunch, that’s combined with a cooking class, using the products from the market from the start of the day. 

And we were doing the cooking. 

Yes, we were cooking our own meal today. 

Before lunch we wandered around the museum and learnt a lot more about dates. 

The date palm is not a tree but a giant grass, that can grow up to 20 metres tall. There are at least 150 varieties of date, ranging from translucent to black. 

The date palm is very significant and has been represented in both art and religion. Its history goes back the early Egyptian periods and is very closely linked to oasis cultivation. 

The tree not only provides dates but timber from the tree can be used in furniture and the leaves in basket weaving and even fencing. 

The Tunisian economy relies of the farming of dates, with 10% of the population benefiting from them for their livelihood. 

Then we had lunch and it turned out to be another huge meal. 

Vegetables, a salad and even a ‘Brick’, this is a deep fried pastry that’s filled with egg and vegetable. 

This is a very traditional Tunisian dish that we have been served a number of times. 

And we still hadn’t got to the main course of chicken, we helped to cook. 

I do feel a little guilty with all the food we’re eating, especially when we are surrounded by people who can’t eat at all.

As mentioned, all of the ingredients for lunch were purchased at the market that we first visited. 

Our guide through all of this culinary adventure was Nabil Chokmani. 

We finished the meal with a tasting of conserves made from dates.

After lunch we headed off into the countryside, a scene that reminded us very much of what we saw in Egypt in 2012.

The sky was hazy and the ground was desert, which was made even more obvious by the sighting of camels outside our window. 

This part of the journey was in a four-wheel-drive, which was understandable, considering the state of the road. 

Our drive was to the beautiful mountainside oasis village of Chebika, that was once a Roman outpost but later became a mountain refuge for the Berber people.

Then we continue on to a waterfall near Tamerza. 

We were on the road to Tazeur, when we suddenly turned off and started to drive across the desert. 

This was very rough driving and the LandCruiser handed it well, as did our driver. 

It was about as rough as we’ve ever experienced, even in the Kimberley or the Birdsville Track.

After about half an hour driving, we came across another desert camp, known as the Camel’s Head. 

Next was Star Wars set in Tataouine. 

This was the location for the movie Phantom Menace, shot in 1999. 

Again blue plastic bags were everywhere but here, they were being used as markers on the desert track.

We then drove back to our hotel in Tozeur. 

By that time we needed a drink and a small dinner. 

Getting the drink proved to be an issue as we couldn’t locate the barman anywhere – eventually he did turn up. 

Dinner was a buffet, which meant we could have as much or as little as we liked. 

 

Wednesday March 04. Tozeur to Chott El Jerid then to Douz. 

It was a late start to the day and after a rather boring breakfast, where we were the only ones eating. 

Our first stop was the Tozeur Medina or the old town area. 

Before we did that we went in search for a good rooftop viewpoint, to overlook the town. We went to 2 places, both restaurants, but they were closed.

Another product of Ramadan.

We wandered through a maze of alleyways, all done in a unique cream brick. 

I get the feeling the our guide wasn’t sure where to go and what to do next. 

We ended up at our lunch spot but it was far too early to eat, so we had a coffee there first and then went for a walk. 

We walked back down to the market and just wandered around for an hour and took some snaps. 

We did discover that camels aren’t just for riding, you can eat them as well. 

Lunch was at Dar Tozeur, a restaurant within a hotel. 

What was on offer was another multi course meal – this one was three. 

We were given yet another brick, they seem to be a staple of every main meal, be it lunch or dinner. 

Olives and dates were also in the meal – again. 

And again, we were the only people eating. 

There is certainly little chance of us going hungry on this trip, with three meals a day on offer. 

After lunch we were back in the van and heading to Douz, driving over the salt lake, Chott El Jerid.

This lake is the largest in the Saharan salt flats, which was once a part of the Mediterranean Sea. 

It was a two hour drive to Douz, so time to sit back, relax and let the lunch digest. 

At Douz we will be camping in the desert. 

I’m afraid our guide, Nidhal, isn’t the greatest of companions to the driver Achraf, as he constantly falls asleep on long drives. 

In fact more and more, I’m finding him to be not as good as he thinks. 

Yes, he is bright and has a great memory for the history but this is overwritten by his self opinionated arrogance and selfishness. 

Once we passed over the salt lake, we came into a more fertile area, where Date Palms were again growing in abundance.

They are so important to many communities that they even erect monuments in their honour. 

Such was the case in the town of Kous Kebili. 

We finally got to our accommodation for the night, the Dunes Insolites Desert Camp, which is on the edge of the Sahara Desert. 

However it was more glamping than camping. 

We were in a tent but we also had electricity, a toilet, a shower and a plug to charge our phones. 

What more do you need?

Well booze would have been nice but there was none of that, this was a dry camp.

Which is strange, considering this is supposed to be an ‘international tourist’ destination and we have had booze everywhere we have stayed, so far. 

Before dinner, we went for a walk around the campsite, in the hope of seeing a sunset.

However, there was none of that, it was just a sun fade.

We did get to see some of the local camels and managed to get some photos of them as well.

We were offered camel rides and also rides on the Dune Buggies, but having done all that before, so decided against it.

Dinner and the lead up to it, was an interesting affair. 

First a band, then horse riding and acrobatics, a Sand Bread baking demonstration and finally the meal. 

The band played to us and then lead us to the other events. 

The horse and riders were amazing. The horse just ran round in a circle while two riders performed tricks of mounting and dismounting. Sometimes the horse just ran around on his own. 

The horse was the star of the show. 

After that the band played on and we followed them again, this time to the other side of the camp. 

There was a guy with a large fire of palm fronds pounding flat bread. 

He then cleared the coals off the fire and placed the flat bread into the sand, then covered it with coals. 

Ten minutes or so later the bread was baked and served up to the spectators. 

It was very much like Damper. 

We were then led again, this time to the restaurant, where we were served dinner. 

More soup, another Brick and then a stew. 

I’m not certain what was in the stew but I’m a bit wary now that I’ve seen Camel meat for sale in the market. 

 

Thursday March 05. Douz to Matmata then to Chenini. 

After a week in the northern hemisphere my body has finally decided to acclimatise. 

We had an early night last night and I slept like a log. At one point, in a rare waking moment, I heard wind and then rain. But this morning it’s fine, except for the haze. However the sand is everywhere, blown in with the wind. It was even in our room having blown through the closed windows. 

Well we are in the desert and should expect sand. 

Breakfast was very minimal. I had Flat Bread and cheese, which was all that took my fancy. 

Today we are off to Matmata and then to Chenini, our stop for the night. 

This is the most southerly city we visit in Tunisia. 

On our drive to Matmata we passed acres after acres of Date Palm plantations, all of them had large areas of solar panels. This was to power their irrigation systems.

And it was then back out into the desert and along the way we discovered a herd of camels by the side of the road. Then further down the road there were small mobs of sheep and goats. 

We stopped at Portail De Sahara Cafe for a coffee ‘On the edge of the Sahara’. 

The coffee wasn’t too bad and it was interesting, but not surprising, that the Barista spoke, Arabic, French, Spanish and English. 

Well it was a popular tourist coffee spot. 

We arrived in Matmata where the locals have lived in underground troglodyte homes for centuries.

Suddenly we encountered tourist, there were bus loads of them.

It had been trying to rain all day and then suddenly it started, but it was only a drizzle.

We visited the Star Wars Museum and Restaurant, where there were lots of old memories of the Star Wars series.

Star Wars certainly has a history in Tunisia.

As mentioned in Google, George Lucas felt that Tunisia was ideal as a Star Wars location. 

“George Lucas chose Tunisia to film Star Wars (1977) because its dramatic, sun-scorched, and alien-like landscapes perfectly represented the desert planet Tatooine. Locations like Matmata and Tozeur provided ready-made, unique, and otherworldly architecture. Additionally, it offered a budget-friendly, accessible, and exotic location.”

Several Star Wars films used Tunisia as the primary filming location for the desert planet Tatooine, including A New Hope (1977), The Phantom Menace (1999), and Attack of the Clones (2002). Key locations, such as the Lars Homestead in Matmata and the Mos Espa set near Tozeur, were also used for scenes in Revenge of the Sith (2005). 

We continued on the road and it was very very rocky, everywhere you looked. 

Along the way we stopped at the Aïn Anba Viewpoint, the scenery was spectacular.

Lunch was at the Hotel Ksar Hedada, located in the town of the same name. 

This was yet another Star Wars location and also features in the 1999 production of the Phantom Menace. 

The lunch was typical of what we have been having. We started with soup, followed by another Brick and then a main dish of Couscous and vegetables. 

We were meant to start the day at about seven this morning, however we didn’t start until nine.

Not our choice but that of Nidhal. 

As we are now having lunch and it’s nearly three o’clock, I get the feeling we should’ve started earlier.

Again there were plenty of tourists about. One particular group had some very loud Italians. 

Naturally they got served first as they made more noise. 

After lunch we were off to Chenini, where we will be spending the night. 

It was only about a thirty minute drive, so not long. 

We were staying at the Maison Azul Guesthouse. Which is obviously not a hotel, but what it is I have no idea. 

But apparently they don’t serve alcohol, so it looks like another ‘dry’ night. 

Our local guide in Old Chenini was Masoud Msaoui, who was a local. He was very enthusiastic and had rather good English. 

We were out with him for over 90 minutes and he took us on an extensive tour of the old town. 

We climb up and down the steep stairways and went in and out of many old buildings. 

The entire adventure was done to the background sound of the Mosque’s Imam calling people to prayer. As it is Ramadan, the last calling to pray, before dusk, was very long. 

Masoud was 21 and studying Economics at the Tataouine University. 

Maison Azul Guesthouse, where we were staying, is free standing but the rooms make you feel like you are in a cave. 

In fact many of the buildings we explored were caves and built into the mountain side. 

Dinner at the guesthouse is at 7:30 and when I asked where are we having it, I was shown a large table with just two cups and two serviettes. 

I get the feeling we are back to eating alone. 

Even though there are more tourists around than we are used to, they are not staying here. 

Dinner was almost a repeat of lunch. 

More soup and another Brick and then a huge plate of roasted meat and vegetables. 

We didn’t even finish the lunch spread, so the dinner was also left with half full plates. 

Also, everything was cold, except for the main dish. 

Again we had an early night and I slept well again. 

 

Friday March 06. Chenini to Djerba. 

It was a strange start to the day. 

To begin with we had no idea what time it was, as there were no windows in our room. 

When we went outside the sun was shining and I got a better look at the guesthouse. It was free standing at the front part but built into the rock face at the rear of the house and that’s where we were. 

Our ‘host’ to put it nicely, was a grumpy old bugger and I got the feeling that he didn’t want to be here, preparing our breakfast. 

It was minimal. 

A boiled egg, bread and some preserves. There was a thermos of black coffee and it wasn’t that bad. 

And, as expected, there were dates.

Come 8:30am we were on the road to Djerba, which is on the coast. 

The plan for the day’s activities was different to what our itinerary had indicated. 

Nidhal was doing what suited him, not us. 

Within 29 minutes of leaving Chenini, he was asleep. 

The sun was shining and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful day, our best so far. This would be excellent for visiting the coast.

As we were driving through the villages. the streets seem rather quiet. Well it was a Friday, which is the Muslim day of rest. 

Unlike the Christian faith, Muslims are allowed to work on their day of rest, yet many choose to take it off.

The road to Djerba passed through some very dry country. There were many villages on the way, many of them with quite luxurious houses.

There must be some wealth in the area.

Olive groves were on both side of the road, but due to the very dry soil, they were spaced well apart. There was no irrigation, so the trees were relying on natural rainfall.

Unfortunately our driver, Achraf, likes Duf Duf music, so that was our soundtrack to Djerba. 

Djerba is an island off the mainland and sitting in the Gulf of Gabes. 

The island is famous as a resort and also for its pottery and a very vibrant Jewish community. 

Our first stop was a pottery workshop. We were shown how they spin the pottery wheel, make the pots and where they glaze them.

But first we were shown where the earth comes from and how they dig it from the ground, crush it and get it ready to make the clay. 

Next we visited the Synagogue of Ghriba. 

Ghriba or ‘The Stanger’ is the oldest one in North Africa and built by Solomon in 586 BC. 

The original Synagogue was destroyed and has been rebuilt over the centuries that followed. 

We had a quick visit to a perfumery but as we weren’t buying we moved on. It was the same story at the olive oil factory. 

We didn’t last too long at either place. 

Over time, many of our tour guides have offered us what’s called ‘An opportunity to buy’. They take you to merchants, they know will always reward them, if you buy something. 

It’s just another way to make an extra dollar or two.

Lunch was at El Hamout, a fish restaurant in the centre of town. 

Even though there was an extensive menu on offer, our offering was preordained. 

We started with, you guessed it, soup. That was followed by a Spring Roll, not a Brick. 

The main course was fish, as we were told to expect. 

It was all very good but again a huge serve. 

One thing we have noticed in the cooking of Tunisian food is the use of spices, they are in everything and they are fantastic.

Cats are everywhere in Tunisia, especially in the cities and towns. They are very evident in restaurants and are always on the scrounge. 

After lunch we went walking in the market area and then down to the Turkish quarter. 

We were then give half an hour free time, which really meant that Nidhal had something he needed to do. 

We finally found a coffee at Cafe Zarah. 

We had been told that you couldn’t get a coffee during the day because of Ramadan. However that wasn’t the case, that’s if you are obviously a tourist and manage to find a cafe that was open. 

It was then into the car again for a short drive to the Old Jewish Quarter. 

This is where the Jews first settled in Djerba and it is really only a tourist attraction, however the head Rabbi still lives in the area. 

The biggest attraction here was the street art, which was great and everywhere. 

The New Jewish Quarter is closer to the centre of town. It’s a walled compound that’s supposed to keep the Jews safe but probably more to keep them in check. 

We then did the final drive of the day to our accommodation for two nights, the Iberostar Selection Eolia Hotel. 

This is a five star, luxury resort, right on the southern Mediterranean coast. 

What a contrast from our last couple of nights, in a tent and then in a cave. 

Still that’s travel, one amazing experience after another. 

When we checked in we were given a bracelet to wear. This, apparently, indicated to the staff what level of guest you are. 

We were turquoise, whatever that was. 

We went down to the very large foyer area and found the bar and got a drink – the first in a couple of nights. 

Thea had a rather large glass of white wine and I had a Larger from Celtia. 

This was the same beer that I first had in Tunis, however this was a draught. 

The hotel foyer was the gathering place for the guests and there were some rather strange looking ones at that. 

I think they may have been left over after the filming of the Star Wars series, as they looked rather alien. That wasn’t just their looks but their wardrobe as well. 

Come 7:45 and the whole area filled up with more aliens. I think another spaceship must have just landed. 

Dinner was a buffet in the largest eating area I have ever seen. 

There was a huge choice and the service was great. 

Strangely I had to pay for my beer and red wine, while Thea was never charged for her white. 

However, the prices aren’t high, in fact they are very low. For a glass of wine and a beer we only paid A$7.50.

But also what is really good, is that the beer and the wine is all from Tunisia.

We are having a day off tomorrow and it will be rather good to get a bit of time to ourselves. 

It’s also fortuitous, as I have work to do for Bravo Tango Bravo.

The biggest challenge tomorrow is getting our washing done. It’s been well over a week since we washed our clothes and we need to get them clean. 

 

Saturday March 07. Djerba. 

Today we get a day off and what better place to spend it, than a seaside resort hotel. 

However, when I got outside, I realised that it really wasn’t warm at all. In fact it was only 18°C. 

That certainly didn’t deter the pool goers, they were all stripped down and trying to get as much sun as they possibly could.

I guess there is no point spending a lot of money on a holiday like this, without going back home with a good tan.

We went for a walk along the beach and found that our hotel was certainly the busiest and the largest.

Most of the tourists had come from Europe and were trying to get away from the last of the winter.

The dress code at the Hotel was shorts and T-shirts and no one was wearing anything other than that – apart from bathers around the pool. 

This is very different to what is worn out in the streets, where everyone is covered up.

Most of that can be attributed to modesty, especially, during Ramadan. 

Last night‘s dinner and breakfast today were all buffets, which is really good, as you get choose what you want. 

At one point I was approached by the hotel photographer, who seemed very impressed by my wide angle lens. He grabbed the camera from me, opened it up and tried to get it working. 

Then he wanted to know the price – strange!

In the middle of the afternoon I got a coffee in the lobby and the aliens were out again. There were a few more humanoids but still a lot from other planets. 

The hotel is certainly set up for kids and there are a lot of them around, both humanoid and alien.

Even the hotel grounds are full of Date Palms, like most of Tunisia.

After a very relaxed day, we are looking forward to pre dinner drink and then a selection from the ‘Grande Buffet’. 

When I ordered our drinks and went to put them on our tab, the barman told me that there was no charge. 

He then told me I had to go to reception and get our bracelets changed from turquoise to red.

Apparently, today we’ve been upgraded from half board to full board.

I have no idea why.

Free booze tonight, I had better be careful. 

It was 6:30pm when we were in the bar and the aliens were gathering, in large numbers, outside the restaurant. 

Strange, as it didn’t open until 7:00pm. 

 

Sunday March 08. Djerba to El Djem then to Sousse. 

Our hotel is huge, so we asked reception how many guests did they have? We were told there are currently 538 guests in the hotel, which has a maximum of 600. 

Today we are heading north, partly on the coast road, back towards Tunis.

It will be a long day in the Peugeot. 

Our trip north took us along a multi lane freeway, the A1, that was in very good condition. We were travelling through quite a sandy environment, that was peppered with olive groves along the way.

To add a bit of drama to our drive, we were pulled over by a group of heavily armed coppers for a license check.

We arrived in El Djem right on 1pm. 

Time for lunch at the Julius Hotel. 

It was a long drive, as we left about 8:30am and only had a couple of short breaks along the way. 

The meal was huge and we were back again, eating on our own.

We felt like a coffee so ordered one from the hotel. It seemed to take forever to come and then we discovered that the coffee machine hadn’t been turned on. It would take a while before it actually did, as it needed to warm up.

Then we realised, Muslims don’t drink coffee during Ramadan, therefore the machine wasn’t on at all.

Our first stop, after lunch, was to the magnificent Colosseum, which is world’s 3rd largest and whose only rival is the one in Rome. 

Then to the archaeological museum, which is another World Heritage Site. 

Again we had the pleasure of viewing countless beautifully preserved mosaics. 

El Djem has one of the finest collections of Roman ruins anywhere in the world and another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

El Djem is the largest colosseum in North Africa, with a huge amphitheatre that could hold up to 35,000 spectators.

After our Roman adventure it was a relatively short drive (45 minutes) to Sousse, our stop for the night. 

But before we checked into the hotel we had a short walk around the Sousse Medina. 

Our hotel was another Iberostar. This one the Iberostar Selection Dar El Andalous Hotel. 

In many ways it was similar to last night’s hotel. However it was older and not as spacious. 

Also the clientele wasn’t as Alien and the Poms were the dominant species. 

Damm it, we got the turquoise wrist bands, not the red, so we are paying for our drinks. 

Once we went to the restaurant for dinner, I realised just how wrong I was about the Aliens. 

They were everywhere. 

The whole tourist experience here is so different to anything we’ve ever seen. Whether it be Bali, Vanuatu or Fiji, this is nothing like it.

Even though we didn’t have the red wrist tags, the waiters kept on filling our glasses up.

There seemed to be no choice of wines, just red or white, or if you wanted, a beer, just what was there.

Apparently any drinks we had over dinner, weren’t charge to our room, we just got them free, well not free, just part of our package. 

 

Monday March 09. Sousse to Monastir then to Hammamet. 

Today will be our last day with Nidhal and Achraf as they will leave us in Hammamet tonight. 

We will then be on our own, apart from another driver to take us to Tunis and then to the airport on Thursday. 

But first we will do some sightseeing in Sousse. 

Unfortunately it was overcast and there was heavy grey cloud everywhere – not favourable to good photography.

As we drove back into the centre of town, I realised that many of the people in Sousse must be quite well off, judging by the number of luxury car showrooms along the way.

Our first stop was the historic Ribat of Monastir, a fortress overlooking the sea. 

It was originally founded in 796AD and then expanded in 966AD. More was added between the 11th and 19th Centuries.

Next was the Mausoleum of Sousse, home to the body of the first President, 

Habib Bourguiba (1903 – 2000). He was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia  from 1956 to 1957 and then the first President from 1957 till 1987. 

Apart from the president, his entire family are also buried here. 

I get the feeling that our guide Nidhal will appear in a lot of our photographs, as he has the annoying habit of striding ahead of us and is always in the frame of the shot we want to take. 

Now we are off, heading north to Hammamet. 

Our first stop was to visit the International Cultural Centre of Hammamet. 

Within the grounds was Villa Sebastian, home of George Sebastian. 

George Sebastian was a Rumanian Architect and his wife, Flora, was an American artist. 

He was described as a Dandy, which is evident by the number of images of him around the villa, which he designed.

Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have claimed that the Dar Sebastian was the most beautiful house he had ever seen.

Apart from Wright, other dignitaries visited Dar Sebastian, such as Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower.

We then went to the outdoor Amphitheatre, that was built in 1964. 

It’s a public venue but built on land donated by the Sebastian Estate, which is now owned by the government. 

From there we drove to the centre of Hammamat and walked around the Medina. 

It was a labyrinth of small alleyways. 

I purchased a Tee for me and one for Ronan but our guide wasn’t happy. 

I thought he felt that we were paying too much for the Tees, but then we discovered later that it was probably because he wasn’t getting a kick back.

The reason I suspected this is because we kept on walking round and round the Medina and finally came back to the store where we bought the Tees. He went inside and had a chat and I got a feeling he did get his kick back then.

Nidhal couldn’t find us a place to have lunch so we decided to abandon it and just go back to the hotel.

Apparently it had become increasingly difficult to get lunch in town during the day. This was because the President, Kais Saied, had decided that too many restaurants were open outdoors and this was upsetting the locals during Ramadan. 

We then drove to our hotel the Royal Azur and checked in. 

We said goodbye to Nidhal and Achraf and gave them a parting ‘gift’. 

At the hotel we were again ‘branded’ with a wristband and again it was turquoise. This indicated that we were half board and therefore had to pay for our drinks. 

It didn’t work very well last night, as all the drinks we had in the restaurant were free. 

Well, we didn’t pay for them. 

The only ones we paid for were in the bar, before dinner. 

It was only 3:00pm, so time to have a relaxing afternoon. 

Our room had a wonderful view overlooking the pool and the sea beyond. However the room did have a rather interesting approach to the bathroom. There was a window from the bathroom into the main bedroom.

In the hotel last night, there was a similar arrangement, but it was frosted glass and you couldn’t really see people bathing while you were in the bedroom. Our bedroom here is very different. The glass is clear, so everything is on view.

Any personal privacy has literally, gone out the window, so to speak.

I get the feeling that our sightseeing in Sousse this morning was cut a bit short as there seems to be a few things on our original agenda that we haven’t seen.

This makes sense as Nidhal’s family live in Sousse and I’m sure he wanted to get back to them early this afternoon. 

However we did get to see a few sites that weren’t on our agenda. So maybe I’m wrong and everything was above board. 

We will never know. 

Nidhal was good in one respect, as he was always looking to get me a coffee. 

We hit the bar at 6:00 to have a pre dinner drink. 

I had a local draught Larger from Celtia. Whereas the previous night I was drinking Heineken. 

Thea, as usual, had a white. 

Dinner would be in the buffet, which was great as we could eat as little or as much as we wanted. 

Olives are served with everything, which isn’t surprising considering the number of olive groves we have seen on our travels. 

There were a few Aliens at dinner but not as many as we have seen in previous nights. 

I think this was because our hotel wasn’t right on the beach and the weather was rather cool.

Dinner was much the same as the previous nights, however the food wasn’t as good. 

Strangely, we had to pay for booze at the bar but it was gratis in the restaurant. 

Also, the beer came in a very small glass while Thea’s white wine was in a rather large glass?

Why is that?

This was the same as last night. 

Also, what was similar, was that the hotel had an entertainer. Tonight was a guy on an electronic organ, last night was a girl on a Saxophone. 

The performer tonight was just like the crooner, Sam, played by Arthur “Dooley” Wilson (1886 – 1953) from Rick‘s café in the movie Casablanca. 

He was fantastic. 

 

Tuesday March 10. Hammamet. 

We have another day off today, which is great because it’ll give us time to prepare for our next big adventure to Morocco. 

As there really isn’t much to do, I think we’ll just hang around the hotel and chill out.

We had a late breakfast and much the same as last night, none of the food was really up to the standard of our previous hotel.

After breakfast, we had a wander around the hotel, just to get a feeling of what it was really like. What we did discover was there are in fact five swimming pools, including one on the beach that also has a spa.

The beach pool and spa actually uses seawater that’s pumped in, how fantastic.

Then I discovered another pool, this one was for kids. 

That makes six pools in total. 

There is also an indoor pool just in case you don’t want to go outside.

There were a number of people outside, all stripped down trying to attract the sun that wasn’t there.

We felt rather overdressed in our jumpers and long pants, while everyone else didn’t have many clothes on at all. 

The kids pool was about the only sign that they actually welcome children here. This is in real contrast to the hotel we were at in Sousse, which had all sorts of facilities, including a well fitted out playground.

This is very evident when you look around the hotel and see that there are very few children at all.

A mystery solved. 

We wondered why, that on the first day in our hotel in Sousse we had turquoise wristbands but then on our second day were given red ones.

This is because on the second day we were upgraded from half board to full board. 

The same thing happened here today, we were suddenly given new wristbands and found that we were now full board, so everything is included. 

The reason for our upgrade is that our bookings were for two separate nights. 

We arrived late on our first night and therefore couldn’t make use of the facilities. Whereas on the second day we were there all day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner and had everything at our disposal. 

This was an economic decision made by our tour operators. 

Quite smart really. 

The bold red flag of Tunisia is everywhere. The design is so striking, I thought that it must be quite contemporary. 

I was wrong, as the original design was created in 1831 and on 1 June 1959, it was proclaimed the state flag of the Republic of Tunisia. This was just three years after they gained independence in 1956. 

We had a very light lunch at the hotel then headed back to our room to sort a few things out. 

Cam and Fran, the son and his wife of my mate Rob, have suddenly found that they needed some emergency digs and asked if they could use our apartment. 

Their house renovations have been brought forward, so they need to move out. 

This needs a bit of organising, as we really didn’t leave our apartment ready for guests. 

No matter, it was relatively easy. 

I went for another walk late in the day and, would you believe it, I found two more heated pools and a spa. These ones were in a separate building.

Thats eight pools in total. 

This hotel would certainly be no good if you didn’t like swimming.

I didn’t take my camera with me on this last walk, so no snaps of the extra pools. 

Tomorrow we are completing our tour of Tunisia and heading back to Tunis. 

It has been a great and varied adventure covering culture, history and experiences. 

The drinks mystery continues.

We had a pre-dinner drink at the bar and then went in to have dinner at the restaurant. We were then chases by one of the barmen who said; “Oh you have to pay”. We thought our new wristbands would give us free drinks at the bar, but apparently not.

We only get them in the restaurant, which is what happened last night. 

So nothing is really changed, apart from the fact that we could have had lunch, which we really didn’t want.

We did finish off the meal with dates. They are fantastic and they’re everywhere and you never have a problem getting them with a meal.

I guess the country does rely on them.

At the end of the night, we did learn how to beat the system. If we ordered a drink in the restaurant, it was free and then we could take it to the bar and we didn’t have to pay for it.

 

Wednesday March 11. Hammamet to Tunis. 

This is our last full day in Tunisia, as we head to Morocco tomorrow. 

It will be a quiet morning, as we don’t get picked up from the hotel until noon. 

We will then drive back to Tunis for our last night. 

I’ve been using my Olympus camera most of the time on this trip. It’s better quality and has a variety of lenses.

This meant that my small Sony camera hasn’t been used much at all.

I took it out last night, to take a few photos around the foyer of the hotel. But when I went into the bag, I realise the battery was missing. 

I panicked.

We figured that there was about 100% chance of not getting it back. 

However, after breakfast, I did go to reception and asked if anyone had handed it in.

To my surprise, the receptionist smiled, and said yes and then went and found it – how amazing.

Tonight we will be staying at the Dar El Kif Boutique Hotel. 

We have only paid for breakfast tomorrow, so I guess we will need to seek out somewhere for dinner tonight. 

Tunisia, both as a country and a society has been a real eye-opener.

Their government is a liberal democracy and seems to be open to all. 

They produced so much here that I was really surprised. Apart from the wine and the beer, so many other things are also manufactured in this country. 

Apart from vehicles, I didn’t see a ‘Made in the PRC’ anywhere. 

Then theres their road system. Certain parts were not too great but a lot of the time, especially on the highways, it was excellent. 

We could learn a lot from how they do it in Australia.

We arrived at our lodgings at just after 1:00pm and checked into the Dar El Kif Boutique Hotel. 

Our hotel was once a rather grand house owned by the Bey family. 

The Beys family ruled Tunisia from 1613, when the Corsican-origin Muradid dynasty came to power, until independence in 1957.

This is in a seaside town, in Marsa, that’s north, east of Tunis. 

There was time for a walk, so we headed into the centre of town. 

First stop was the market. It was rather small compared to some we have visited but the produce looked great. 

We then had a great coffee at Grignotine and got chatting to a couple of the locals. They were delightful guys who really wanted to have a talk and wanted to know about Australia.

One was the medical student and the other a professor of veterinary science.

We had our coffee inside, because they can’t serve it outside during Ramadan. 

No wonder the cafe was crowded. 

Inside and out, cats were everywhere. 

Street cats seem to have a special place in Tunisia, much the same as they do In Istanbul in Turkey. 

People don’t mind them and even encourage them. 

We discovered the similarity with Turkey in a BBC article entitled; ‘Catstanbul: Inside the city where cats rule the streets.’

We then found a place for dinner and booked a table. This is a resort hotel so should serve booze. 

Our hotel is more a guesthouse house and no dinner was available. 

Then we walked down to the beach area where we came across the Koubet El Haoua (The Dome of the air) this was once was a royal summer residence.

Unfortunately it is now just a ruin. 

This was built by the same Bey family that built the house our hotel is in. 

We also visited a Bey family home in Side Bou Said, back at the start of our journey. 

It was starting to get a little fresh so we returned to hotel and planned how to get back to the Spa Hotel for dinner. 

Dinner was great and we decided to go à la carte, as the fixed menus was only offering things we had done before. 

We have had enough Soup, Bricks and oversized main courses. 

Thea went for the Lamb and I chose the Seafood Spaghetti, as we were very close to the sea and the market seafood looked great. 

This turned out to be one of our most expensive meals. 

At $130 it almost matched what we pay at the pub at Brighton Beach. 

 

Thursday March 12. Tunis, to Casablanca, Morocco. 

Our room in this quaint old home was pleasant enough, however some things just didn’t work well. 

The bathroom, containing a toilet, wash basin and shower that was smaller than many toilets areas that we have had. 

This tiny area was all behind a largish door that could barely open because the room was overcrowded. 

Then there was the hot water this morning. It didn’t work, so no shower today. 

We are off to Morocco today, so Part 1 of our North African adventure is just about over. 

Morocco will be another blog, Part 2. 

However there was still one last hurdle to overcome. 

A driver, organised by the travel agent, was meant to pick us up from the hotel and take us to the airport. 

However he didn’t show, so we got a cab. 

The upside was that it only cost A$9, so it didn’t break the bank. 

This first part of our African adventure had been over 30 hours of driving, with more than 2,000km travelled.