After three nights and four days of relaxation, great food, working out at the gym and shopping, Tom and I are prepairing to board a overnight train South to the base of the Nile at Aswan.
We booked into the Fairmont Towers Hotel, in the affluent Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, on Christmas Eve in order to take our minds off of being so far away from home. From mince pies, to Guinness, to Tom's favorite Monte Cristo cigars, and a buffet turkey dinner, this hotel had everything.
We even ventured out to the City Stars Mall yesterday. Costing $800 Million to build it includes two hotels, numerous restaurants and 250 shops. We even enjoyed a Second Cup coffee! Don't know how it came to be in Egypt, but the barristas were even wearing polos with the Egyptian and Canadian Flags. It was nice to see a bit of home on the other side of the world.
I think I am going to have to drag Tom out of the hotel tonight (he is now calling it home) because we did spend the crazy $120 US (all tickets are sold in US dollars, strange I know) to book this 12 hour train ride.
Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and that no one was stuck in an airport at any time!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
A Look at our Egyptian Experience so far
Sakkara...there is a sandstorm going on, hence the stance
Taking it all in 
Us in Giza
Commonwealth Cemetary at El Alamain
Tom at the El Alamain and Alexandria museums
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Egypt - Week One
Hello from Cairo and Happy Holidays to all. We flew into Cairo last Monday, arriving close to midnight. After a day in what has to be the busiest city I have ever been in, we headed NorthWest by train to Alexandria, in order to get used to Egypt and the madness of the traffic. As well, Tom's interest in the North African campain of WWII made El Alamain a major destination for us.
We found, thanks to Lonely Plant, a great hotel, The Union, over looking the harbour with satelite TV for a little more than $20US. With not much in the way of nightlife, other than shopping such great establishments as Demi Moore, Tommy XXL, Fabulous, and Dangerous Fashion (yes, those are the names, and the English labels written on peoples clothing are sometimes abolutely hilarious and make no sense whatsoever - such as something like Motorscooter and Fitch, or Pillow head lover) the variety of English movies was great. So, we spent four nights eating devine baklava from this 1920s relic called Delices and trying Egyptian wine, which seems for the most part to come from Lebanon to be bottled in Egypt.
We spent the days taking in the sights, trying the local food and sheesha. The Alexandria Library, located next to the University was truly a modern architectural work of art. Little of the great city built by Alexander the Great remains, however, the city's museum does give a hint to the past from the Roman Period, through the Islamic and also the time spent by more recent Europeans begining with Napoleon's stay. A walk through the streets of the city centre past the fine architecture gives more of an idea how important this city was to Europeans during the 1880s and early 1900s. The coffee and croissants (although I have to say I am now quite sick of croissants) from the cafés were a serious treat.
The food, I have to say is far better than Morocco, although the gauking men are far worse. The seafood in Alexandria was amazing. One place we tried had us choose from the catch of the day, and then while we waited for it to be cooked, served us salads and tahini with pita. We also found a great sheesha place where 50cents gets you an apple sheesha, and the drinks were around a euro or less. Very relaxing yet authentic.
Our trip to El Alamain prooved a great sucess. We booked a tour with a guide (who really didn't do much but it was a package deal) and drive to take us an hour and a half out of the city. The museum to our surprise was pretty well put together, and is frequently visited by veterens of the campaign. The loot of military leftovers found out in the desert was truly amazing. They included a Canadian transport truck found in the Libyan desert in 1997, countaining suplies, as well as the bodies of two soldiers. Uniforms, implements, weapons, vehicles, etc., from the allies as well as the Germans and Italians are on desplay.
We were also taken to the Commonwealth cemetary. A very well maintained plot, where every November 4th veterans gather to celebrate the victory and remember the fallen.
It was a bit hard for me to leave the more relaxed atmosphere of Alex behind, but we still hadn't seen the pyramids or go through the great Egyptian Museum. So we caught the train back and this time book into the very central Canadian Hostel. They arranged a trip to the pyramids for us, as well as doing our laundry for a small fee.
So, yesterday I walked away from the visit to the Pyramids with mixed emotion. They are truly a sight to see, being of course the remaining wonder of the ancient world, but the hassle was a bit much. I wish I could say you get used to being bothered to buy this, take rides, etc., but I have to say it still drives me nuts, especially when the guy who is trying to get you to take a camel ride, is following you down the road and getting angry at you, while you (Tom, because I am just a lowly foreign woman, and they usually just talk to him) are politely refusing. The other thing that struck me was the garbage. It is everywhere, especially around Kheops, the largest and finest of the great pyramids. The Giza area is a must see, but I have to say those things made my trip less pleasing.
We did also see Sakkara, the ancient city where the first step pyramid of Zoser is located. Today we discovered online that Egyptolists have found more to the city than was origionally believed. So, the men with hardhats we saw around the site yesterday were making a huge discovery.
The final place on our tour of Pharonic Egypt was the ancient city of Memphis, the capital during most of this period. Its former glory is long gone, but there is a museum containing a huge statue of King Ramses II, as well as numerous other statues.
We finised yesterday off with a fine meal of Egyptian food at Farfela, a Cairo institution, which has appeared in Gormet Magazine, but has also served the likes of Jimmy Carter. All I have to say is that the food is superb, my favorite being the felafel, or for Egyptians, ta'amiyya.
Today we spent numerous hours in the Egyptian Museum. With over 100,000 artifacts on display it is really hard to see everything, but using the Cairo Lonely Planet as our guide, we saw all of the highlights. Most impressive were the royal mummy rooms, mostly becase I recently saw a documentary detailing how they discovered the mummy of Queen Hatchepsut using modern technology, as well as the King Tut exhibit.
Tomorrow we are off to the Fairmont outside of town to enjoy a Christmas there. We're both feeling a bit homesick at the moment. Tom is pretty sick of me wishing I could find a candycane and looking everywhere.
So, from us, Happy Holidays, Merry/Happy Christmas!
We found, thanks to Lonely Plant, a great hotel, The Union, over looking the harbour with satelite TV for a little more than $20US. With not much in the way of nightlife, other than shopping such great establishments as Demi Moore, Tommy XXL, Fabulous, and Dangerous Fashion (yes, those are the names, and the English labels written on peoples clothing are sometimes abolutely hilarious and make no sense whatsoever - such as something like Motorscooter and Fitch, or Pillow head lover) the variety of English movies was great. So, we spent four nights eating devine baklava from this 1920s relic called Delices and trying Egyptian wine, which seems for the most part to come from Lebanon to be bottled in Egypt.
We spent the days taking in the sights, trying the local food and sheesha. The Alexandria Library, located next to the University was truly a modern architectural work of art. Little of the great city built by Alexander the Great remains, however, the city's museum does give a hint to the past from the Roman Period, through the Islamic and also the time spent by more recent Europeans begining with Napoleon's stay. A walk through the streets of the city centre past the fine architecture gives more of an idea how important this city was to Europeans during the 1880s and early 1900s. The coffee and croissants (although I have to say I am now quite sick of croissants) from the cafés were a serious treat.
The food, I have to say is far better than Morocco, although the gauking men are far worse. The seafood in Alexandria was amazing. One place we tried had us choose from the catch of the day, and then while we waited for it to be cooked, served us salads and tahini with pita. We also found a great sheesha place where 50cents gets you an apple sheesha, and the drinks were around a euro or less. Very relaxing yet authentic.
Our trip to El Alamain prooved a great sucess. We booked a tour with a guide (who really didn't do much but it was a package deal) and drive to take us an hour and a half out of the city. The museum to our surprise was pretty well put together, and is frequently visited by veterens of the campaign. The loot of military leftovers found out in the desert was truly amazing. They included a Canadian transport truck found in the Libyan desert in 1997, countaining suplies, as well as the bodies of two soldiers. Uniforms, implements, weapons, vehicles, etc., from the allies as well as the Germans and Italians are on desplay.
We were also taken to the Commonwealth cemetary. A very well maintained plot, where every November 4th veterans gather to celebrate the victory and remember the fallen.
It was a bit hard for me to leave the more relaxed atmosphere of Alex behind, but we still hadn't seen the pyramids or go through the great Egyptian Museum. So we caught the train back and this time book into the very central Canadian Hostel. They arranged a trip to the pyramids for us, as well as doing our laundry for a small fee.
So, yesterday I walked away from the visit to the Pyramids with mixed emotion. They are truly a sight to see, being of course the remaining wonder of the ancient world, but the hassle was a bit much. I wish I could say you get used to being bothered to buy this, take rides, etc., but I have to say it still drives me nuts, especially when the guy who is trying to get you to take a camel ride, is following you down the road and getting angry at you, while you (Tom, because I am just a lowly foreign woman, and they usually just talk to him) are politely refusing. The other thing that struck me was the garbage. It is everywhere, especially around Kheops, the largest and finest of the great pyramids. The Giza area is a must see, but I have to say those things made my trip less pleasing.
We did also see Sakkara, the ancient city where the first step pyramid of Zoser is located. Today we discovered online that Egyptolists have found more to the city than was origionally believed. So, the men with hardhats we saw around the site yesterday were making a huge discovery.
The final place on our tour of Pharonic Egypt was the ancient city of Memphis, the capital during most of this period. Its former glory is long gone, but there is a museum containing a huge statue of King Ramses II, as well as numerous other statues.
We finised yesterday off with a fine meal of Egyptian food at Farfela, a Cairo institution, which has appeared in Gormet Magazine, but has also served the likes of Jimmy Carter. All I have to say is that the food is superb, my favorite being the felafel, or for Egyptians, ta'amiyya.
Today we spent numerous hours in the Egyptian Museum. With over 100,000 artifacts on display it is really hard to see everything, but using the Cairo Lonely Planet as our guide, we saw all of the highlights. Most impressive were the royal mummy rooms, mostly becase I recently saw a documentary detailing how they discovered the mummy of Queen Hatchepsut using modern technology, as well as the King Tut exhibit.
Tomorrow we are off to the Fairmont outside of town to enjoy a Christmas there. We're both feeling a bit homesick at the moment. Tom is pretty sick of me wishing I could find a candycane and looking everywhere.
So, from us, Happy Holidays, Merry/Happy Christmas!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
A Few of the Last Days in Morocco
Doorways in Essaouira Tom at Rick's Café
Inside the Mosque
Tiny Katie outside of the Doorway to the Hassan II Mosque
Inside the MosqueSunday, December 14, 2008
From Casablanca to Cairo
We're on our last day in Morocco. Six weeks have gone by rather quickly, however filled with what seems like a years worth of adventures.
We came to Casablanca without expectations, which I think is the best way to approach country's biggest and busiest city. Other than the Hassan II mosque, third biggest in the world after Mecca and Medina, there are not many other attractions for the traveler other than the more western shopping district, including shops such as Benetton, Zara, Masimo Dutti and La Senza. The French Art Deco architecture is also quite interesting to see. The French made Casa what it is today. When they arrived all that was there was a small fishing village, tiny Medina. They left a metriopolis a behind.
After visiting the very impressive mosque (half a billion dollars US raised to build, beginning in 1986 an completed in 1993) on the first day we were left without much to do in a cold hotel room without at TV. On top of it all, Tom was sick and feeling horrible. So...after the second night at Hotel Galia, a decent budget choice, we moved to the Ramada. Very pleased are we with the decision because it has meant baths with hot water for me and a great bed for Tom, as well as satellite TV. We'll be clean and well rested, no longer sick and excited for more adventures once we reach Cairo tomorrow evening.
One more comment on the cuisine of the North African country. We did eat at Rick's Café and thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance. The food was alright. Nice hot wholemeal roll to start and of course Casablanca beer. Tom enjoyed his chili con carne with guacamole and chips, while my chicken curry with rice, chutney and rhita was ok (rice undercooked for me, but I'm picky). We topped that today though with a lovely meal at the Lonely Planet recommended Café Maure. Set among the garden and ochre coloured walls of the sqala, a bastion finished in 1769, this restaurant has the best food I have tasted in Morocco. Fresh bread, chili and tomato sauces, along with garlicky fresh olives and a selection of four tropical juices started off our meals. Tom then had grilled shrimp with roasted veggies, while I chose an assortment of five salads served on a long blue wooden tray in green and yellow bowls. Gorgeous and garlicky each one, from a simple carrot and coriander, octopus with lemon and parsley, lentils in a olive oil sauce, goats cheese one greens with grapefruit dressing and finally green beans cooked perfectly in a tomato sauce: delish.
Looking forward to comparing it to the salad portion of the Middle Eastern spread or mezze.
Hoping everyone is getting ready for the holiday season. It seems a million miles away from here. We did get a little bit of a Christmas feeling yesterday at the 'mall' downtown when they played some carols and Santa came around (although we did miss Santa). Hoping for a Christmas tree at our hotel in Cairo.
We came to Casablanca without expectations, which I think is the best way to approach country's biggest and busiest city. Other than the Hassan II mosque, third biggest in the world after Mecca and Medina, there are not many other attractions for the traveler other than the more western shopping district, including shops such as Benetton, Zara, Masimo Dutti and La Senza. The French Art Deco architecture is also quite interesting to see. The French made Casa what it is today. When they arrived all that was there was a small fishing village, tiny Medina. They left a metriopolis a behind.
After visiting the very impressive mosque (half a billion dollars US raised to build, beginning in 1986 an completed in 1993) on the first day we were left without much to do in a cold hotel room without at TV. On top of it all, Tom was sick and feeling horrible. So...after the second night at Hotel Galia, a decent budget choice, we moved to the Ramada. Very pleased are we with the decision because it has meant baths with hot water for me and a great bed for Tom, as well as satellite TV. We'll be clean and well rested, no longer sick and excited for more adventures once we reach Cairo tomorrow evening.
One more comment on the cuisine of the North African country. We did eat at Rick's Café and thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance. The food was alright. Nice hot wholemeal roll to start and of course Casablanca beer. Tom enjoyed his chili con carne with guacamole and chips, while my chicken curry with rice, chutney and rhita was ok (rice undercooked for me, but I'm picky). We topped that today though with a lovely meal at the Lonely Planet recommended Café Maure. Set among the garden and ochre coloured walls of the sqala, a bastion finished in 1769, this restaurant has the best food I have tasted in Morocco. Fresh bread, chili and tomato sauces, along with garlicky fresh olives and a selection of four tropical juices started off our meals. Tom then had grilled shrimp with roasted veggies, while I chose an assortment of five salads served on a long blue wooden tray in green and yellow bowls. Gorgeous and garlicky each one, from a simple carrot and coriander, octopus with lemon and parsley, lentils in a olive oil sauce, goats cheese one greens with grapefruit dressing and finally green beans cooked perfectly in a tomato sauce: delish.
Looking forward to comparing it to the salad portion of the Middle Eastern spread or mezze.
Hoping everyone is getting ready for the holiday season. It seems a million miles away from here. We did get a little bit of a Christmas feeling yesterday at the 'mall' downtown when they played some carols and Santa came around (although we did miss Santa). Hoping for a Christmas tree at our hotel in Cairo.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
On Moroccan Food
Essaouira's Medina from the portTom got to dig into the first steak of our Moroccan adventure last night; a gorgeous cut of meat adorned with fresh black pepper sauce and creamy mashed potatoes. Not a very Moroccan dish, but then Essaouira's flavour is more European. It's fortified Medina wall was constructed by the French architect, Théodore Cornut, who while imprisoned in the town was ordered by the sultan of the time to do so.
The food in this town has been quite a delight all round. From our first meal around the table at Dar Afram, to the extravagance of last night at the hip After 5, we have enjoyed all of the flavours.
Arriving from Spain, we came with expectations of Moroccan food. Spanish cuisine, as I have learned from travels through the North and now the South, leaves much to be desired. It tends to generally be greasy and a bit bland - there are of course exceptions, tapas in San Sebastian is one - not very exciting overall.
Tangier, although not the most exciting of cities for the traveller, left us pleasantly surprised in the food department. Our first meal, a chicken pizza at Oslo was freshly made and superb. The shawarma, the last we'd have until arrival in Essaouira, almost as good as any in Ottawa. We also tried out first tarte au citron at a plush seafood restaurant, a treat that would be repeated at Marrakesh's Café des Lives. The French influence does live on in Morocco in such deserts, as well as in the morning croissants, pain au chocolat, baguette, and café au lait. Mint tea is of course unmistakeably from the Arab world. Tea so sweet it leaves your teeth screaming, is how it is usually served. Tangier had a great assortment of colonial tea houses, including the Café de Paris, a gorgeous spot equipped with chandeliers and a fountain in the centre. The French colonials did live a good life in Morocco.
Our first taste of true Moroccan food was pretty awful, as I mentioned in my post on Chefcaouen. Fès impressed us with camel burger's at Café Clock, delicious tagines and great street food, including the soft and fresh macaroons sold for 1 Durham, or 10cent. Of course there was also the expensive and disappointing palace meal; which left us un-tempted to put down that much money for one in Marrakesh, although I am sure we missed out on a magical experience (we'll have to return some day in the future for a short holiday to take in the extravagance Marrakesh has to offer).
You do hit a certain point when you are looking for something other than bread (not toast, just bread and sometimes not so fresh) for breakfast and tagine for dinner. Pizza, as we discovered this past summer in Cuba, and now again, is always a good option. Yet, the lack of heat left Tom and I searching for hot sauce at the grocery store. We were looking for something different once we arrived back to the coast.
The meals I cooked in Taghazout were a welcome change. Mostly veggie and minus the bread. The produce available in Morocco is always fresh and due to the expense of pesticides, always organic.
Now, in Essaouira we are discovering more delectable dishes than in any other city. The proximity to the sea bring in, fresh fish daily, and the local argan oil is served on everything from salads to as a topping, known as amlou, mixed with crushed almonds and honey on warm Moroccan crèpes.
Casablanca will most likely bring us back to the worldly cuisine of Marrakesh again. I have to say though, we are looking forward to a nice American breakfast at Rick's Café (unfortunately not THE one from the movie, as it was filmed on a Hollywood sound studio), as promised in the guidebook.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Loving the Coast
We left Taghazout with the early-morning commuters to Agadir. Direct to the bus station and two and one half hours by windy road (a few tossed cookies on the way - not on our part though) we made it to Essaouira.
We have found a nice Dar, or a traditional Moroccan townhouse in the Medina, though nothing beats our appartment view and price from Taghazout. Last night we ate, at a communal table with the other guest staying at the hotel - a mix of westerners, a gorgeous meal of soup, salad, fried fish and fruit. Alcohol is readily available at most restaurants, so we have also enjoyed a few polite beverages.
Essaouira is a laidback artsy sort of place. We've found less bother here than in either Marrakesh or Fès and have actually made a few pottery purchses to be sent back to Belfast. Today, we had a surprizingly good experience at a fixed-price pottery shop that also serves as a seller of the local women's argan oil (a local nut) cooperative. Chez Makki not only had a great selection, but the guy there made us gorgeous herbal tea and gave us extra gifts after we had chosen our purchases; all with no need to bargain.
The Medina has reminded us a bit of Cuba with its Spanish-style and decorative doors. Check out the movies, Kingdom of Heaven or the French production staring Jeremy Irons, And Now...Ladies and Gentleman, to see the town in action. Also, it was Orson Wells who first brought attention to this fishing village back in the 50s when he filmed parts of his version of Othello here. The town dedicated a park to him in 1992; however, it is not taken care of and parts of relief image of him have been distroyed.
We have found a nice Dar, or a traditional Moroccan townhouse in the Medina, though nothing beats our appartment view and price from Taghazout. Last night we ate, at a communal table with the other guest staying at the hotel - a mix of westerners, a gorgeous meal of soup, salad, fried fish and fruit. Alcohol is readily available at most restaurants, so we have also enjoyed a few polite beverages.
Essaouira is a laidback artsy sort of place. We've found less bother here than in either Marrakesh or Fès and have actually made a few pottery purchses to be sent back to Belfast. Today, we had a surprizingly good experience at a fixed-price pottery shop that also serves as a seller of the local women's argan oil (a local nut) cooperative. Chez Makki not only had a great selection, but the guy there made us gorgeous herbal tea and gave us extra gifts after we had chosen our purchases; all with no need to bargain.
The Medina has reminded us a bit of Cuba with its Spanish-style and decorative doors. Check out the movies, Kingdom of Heaven or the French production staring Jeremy Irons, And Now...Ladies and Gentleman, to see the town in action. Also, it was Orson Wells who first brought attention to this fishing village back in the 50s when he filmed parts of his version of Othello here. The town dedicated a park to him in 1992; however, it is not taken care of and parts of relief image of him have been distroyed.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Saharan Dunes
Climbing the dunes
oops a bit blurry
Dromedere riding with Karen and Annie
Enjoying the fire as our guide, Ibrahim plays some tunes
The caravanTwelve Days Later
Apologies for the silence on our end. After making the big decisions of my previous post we felt breathed a sigh of relief, de-stressed and then went on a bit of an adventure.
With two potentially expensive destinations off the list we could say yes to the Sahara proposal by our two new Aussie friends, Karen and Annie. After five nights in Marrakesh, we departed early, heading east, via rental car. Tom drove almost straight for 12 hours, 650km, through the Atlas Mountains to the edge of the Sahara at Erg Chigaga. We arrived a night to a nice meal provided by our hosts at Kasbah Yasmina. Having no idea what the scenery around us would look like, we awoke the following morning surrounded by massive sand dunes and bordering lake created by rainwater during the rains in October - it was awesome.
Tom and I spent the morning running up and down the dunes, exercising our legs after so many cramped hours in the car. Just prior to sun down our camels arrived for our hour long trek through the dunes to the Berber tents, set up by our hotel. Although a touristy way of experiencing Berber life in the desert it was a great time; dinner, some music, a bottle of Moroccan wine (we brought along) and stargazing.
Up for sunrise and back to the hotel to clean up.
The final three days with the car took us through the Dades and Tundra Gorges , as well as to Ouzazarte, home of Atlas Movie Studios. The snow began in the Gorges and stayed with us until we got out of the Altas. Aussie were thrilled, this Canadian, not so much.
In Ouzarzarte we toured the movie lot were such films as, Kundun, Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander, Jewel of the Nile and Cleopatra were filmed. The industry has brought over 9000 jobs to the country.
We also had got to watch the news for the first time in almost two weeks. Picked up BBC just in time to witness the beginning of the attacks in Mumbai.
Back to Marrakesh for the night and early to Agadir, home of The English Pub, among many other tourist friendly establishments. The place frankly made us both angry. I have to say it was pretty hideous, an expanded version of the mall parking lot carnival. With EasyJet flying to the nearby airport, and many international hotels (including Club Med) offering packages, you can only imagine how un-Maroccan it could be. Two nights and we got the heck out.
Here we are, only 18 km from Agadir, in Taghazout, but it feels like a million miles away. We've found a great apartment on the beach for the equivalent of 25euro a night, and I get to cook again. We've rented surfing equipment and despite the cold, have been out enjoying the waves.
A bit sore now after two days in the water, but loving it.
We've also sworn off the baguettes and the Moroccan round loafs for our stay, too many carbs already!
With two potentially expensive destinations off the list we could say yes to the Sahara proposal by our two new Aussie friends, Karen and Annie. After five nights in Marrakesh, we departed early, heading east, via rental car. Tom drove almost straight for 12 hours, 650km, through the Atlas Mountains to the edge of the Sahara at Erg Chigaga. We arrived a night to a nice meal provided by our hosts at Kasbah Yasmina. Having no idea what the scenery around us would look like, we awoke the following morning surrounded by massive sand dunes and bordering lake created by rainwater during the rains in October - it was awesome.
Tom and I spent the morning running up and down the dunes, exercising our legs after so many cramped hours in the car. Just prior to sun down our camels arrived for our hour long trek through the dunes to the Berber tents, set up by our hotel. Although a touristy way of experiencing Berber life in the desert it was a great time; dinner, some music, a bottle of Moroccan wine (we brought along) and stargazing.
Up for sunrise and back to the hotel to clean up.
The final three days with the car took us through the Dades and Tundra Gorges , as well as to Ouzazarte, home of Atlas Movie Studios. The snow began in the Gorges and stayed with us until we got out of the Altas. Aussie were thrilled, this Canadian, not so much.
In Ouzarzarte we toured the movie lot were such films as, Kundun, Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander, Jewel of the Nile and Cleopatra were filmed. The industry has brought over 9000 jobs to the country.
We also had got to watch the news for the first time in almost two weeks. Picked up BBC just in time to witness the beginning of the attacks in Mumbai.
Back to Marrakesh for the night and early to Agadir, home of The English Pub, among many other tourist friendly establishments. The place frankly made us both angry. I have to say it was pretty hideous, an expanded version of the mall parking lot carnival. With EasyJet flying to the nearby airport, and many international hotels (including Club Med) offering packages, you can only imagine how un-Maroccan it could be. Two nights and we got the heck out.
Here we are, only 18 km from Agadir, in Taghazout, but it feels like a million miles away. We've found a great apartment on the beach for the equivalent of 25euro a night, and I get to cook again. We've rented surfing equipment and despite the cold, have been out enjoying the waves.
A bit sore now after two days in the water, but loving it.
We've also sworn off the baguettes and the Moroccan round loafs for our stay, too many carbs already!
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