Kembara Dunia: March 2013

Monday 18 March 2013

Magical Morocco .....Part 3

The last destination in our itinerary …..Marrakesh. This city is by far much more lively and attractive compared to Casablanca and Ouarzazate. With the surrounding snow peaked mountains, Marrakesh was full with tourist especially the Europeans who wished to escape their last cold winter months into this wonderful sunny and breezy Mediterranean climate.

We reached at our hotel after a long 5 hours drive from Ouarzazate. After a few hours rest, we walked to one of the major attractions in Marrakesh – Djemaa El Fna (Square of the Dead). This large town square is the centre for local performers – cultural musicians & dancers, snake charmers, story tellers, henna tattooists etc. By night, half of the area will be taken over by food stalls selling local cuisines including tagines, kebabs, thick vegetable soup & rich sheep’s head soup etc….last but not least boiled snails!! …the atmosphere was similar to our “pasar malam” back home.

Djemaa El Fna

I have read a lot of traveler’s comments with regards to this place in the internet. Some people may enjoy the pulsating liveliness that it created but some may hate it for the annoyance and pushy locals trying to sell their things etc. I personally enjoyed it a lot!!! We sampled the food at the square but not as good as the one we tasted earlier at other places. Don’t miss the freshly squeezed orange juice priced at MAD4.00 which was very refreshing after a few rounds in the square. We spent a few hours in the square looking at the cultural performances but avoided the snakes & monkeys owners as you can be charged hefty charges for taking photos with them.

Refreshing freshly squeezed orange juice!

Dried fruits & nuts

Sweet Moroccan desserts

Boiled snails!!

Boiled snails for MAD5.00 per small bowl....

Plenty of choice to choose from....

The old Medina in Marrakesh which is surrounded by the walls is much larger than the one found in Casablanca. In order to have the sense of directions and bearings in Marrakesh, I always looked-up for the minaret of Koutoubia Mosque. As you can easily get lost in the labyrinth of streets and alleys in the old medina, this tall landmark will always guide you through…..

Koutoubia Mosque

In total, there are 19 gates that will lead you into the old Medina in Marrakesh but one could not missed this Bab Agnaou gate. Built in the 12^th century, this intricately decorated gate was the entrance into the Royal Kasbah – the home for El-Mansouria mosque, the El Badi Palace and the Saadian Tombs.

Bab Agnaou Gate

El Mansouria Mosque

Entrance into Saadian Tombs

El Mansouria Mosque

Spice Market

Entrance into El Badi Palace

In total, we have experienced 9 magical and wonderful days in Morocco. Perhaps in future, we will visit here again and City of Fes will definitely be in our list of destinations……..

Sunday 10 March 2013

Magical Morocco....Part 2

Ouarzazate.....the gates to the desert....

Our second destination in Morocco - Ouarzazate, the gate into the desert. From Casablanca, we took the train service direct to Marrakesh from Gare de Casa Voyageurs. Costing MAD140.00 for first class coach, it took us 4 hours to arrive at Marrakesh ultra modern new train station. From here, we took a taxi towards the Marrakesh airport and pick-up our rented car.

Excellent train service from Casablanca to Marrakesh

Not as busy as Casablanca, Marrakesh is one of the top tourist destinations in Morocco. We headed our way towards Ouarzazate and drove carefully as there were many motorcycles and bicycles along with pedestrian walking along the road out of the city. The road headed towards the Atlas Mountain Range where we could see snow-capped mountains far at the horizon.

Snow peaked Atlas Mountain Range

Even though Ouarzazate is only 190km away from Marrakesh, it took us 5 hours to reach here. With a few quick pit-stops, winding roads with hair-pin bends going uphill and downhill, the experience was similar when driving at the French & Swiss Alps or Dolomites Mountain Range passing through the Passes. This roller coaster ride that lasted for a few hours made me fully awake all the way as we drove carefully through the narrow roads. Along the route, there were many small cafes and shops selling local handicrafts. We stopped at one of these shops and bought some souvenirs which cost much cheaper compared to the one being sold in Casablanca. We reached our hotel at night and went to bed after a long and hectic day.

Winding & hair-pin bends along the way to Ouarzazate

Small shops along the way selling souvenirs

Local Moroccan souvenirs

Colorful quartz rocks

Beautiful fossil rocks

Roller coaster ride all the way....

Next morning after breakfast, we quickly got ready and drove around 30 km away from Ouarzazate. We were heading towards the Ounila Valley for Ait Ben Haddou, one of the must-see attractions in Morocco. Being recognized as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ait Ben Haddou was a good example of Southern Moroccan architecture. The Kasbah consists of a group of buildings surrounded by defensive walls with distinctive tall angle towers. These earthen buildings stood at the foothill by a shallow river that runs at the bottom of the hill.

Ait Ben Haddou

We were charged MAD10.00 per person as admission into the Kasbah. Within the complex, we were told that there are 6 families still living inside until today. Here, you can find living quarters, a public square, a mosque and rows of shops along the narrow steps and alleys. As you walked up the stairs to higher ground, it resembled as you walked back in time some hundreds of years ago…. This site was also the location where a few blockbuster movies were shot , among others “Gladiator” starring Russell Crowe.

Stairways up the hill

...the angled towers

wall plastered with mud & straws...

the angled towers...

shops within the complex...

The view of the kasbah from far.....

shops selling Moroccan gifts....

Vegetable tagine & chicken cous-cous meal...

We spent a few hours here and enjoyed our lunch in a local restaurant that served delicious chicken and vegetable couscous meals. There are other Kasbahs located in Ouarzazate area such as Kasbah Taourirt and Kasbah Tifaltoute which are quite impressive as well.

Kasbah Taourirt

Entrance into Kasbah Taourirt

Kasbah Taourirt

Kasbah Tifaltoute

Your visit to Ouarzazate is not complete without a visit to one of the films studios in Ouarzazate…..the Atlas Studio. This studio has been the attraction for many film makers for movies. Among others, The Way Back, Kundun, Mummy Returns, Ben Hur , Prince of Persia etc. Some of the sets are still in good condition but some are already started to fallen apart as these sets are exposed to the harsh desert condition for many years.

Set inside Atlas Studio

Set for "Kingdom of Heaven" starring Orlando Bloom

Set for "Mummy Returns" starring Brendan Fraser

Set for "Cleopatra"....

Set for "Kundun".....