After a picnic lunch in an oasis we travelled on dirt roads to an "Auberge"...hotel in the desert at a place called Merzouga, which we found out later is only 70 kms from the Algerian border. Here we packed our small backpacks for our camel trek and overnight stay in the Sahara.

We rode the camels for 2 hours into the desert...arrived with stiff legs and sore bums to our nomad tents in the sand........we trekked around a bit...had another tagine on a carpet spread on the sand...washed it down with some wine we had brought with us...and slept in our clothes....woke at dawn to watch the sun rise and rode back to the hotel....The Sahara is breathtakingly beautiful in its isolation and never ending scenery...an unforgetable experience ( except for the sore bum)......washed at the auberge and set off for our Berber guest house....more soon

High Atlas Mountains

We crossed through the High Atlas mountains travelling south to our desert camp in the Sahara. Our guide, Samir, changed his clothing today to his native Berber attire. He says we will be more accepted if he dresses this way and as a Berber he is expected to dress this way when he is in his home region. We are seeing our first "oasis" now. It is amazing that the surrounding hills can be so bare and the valleys so lush with crops and date palms. We called into a regional town and went to the market to buy our picnic lunch. we purchased beautiful crisp baked bread and canned tuna and some fruit.....Sharon couldn't resist a walk thru the meat section...she would have bought a goats head but had no where to cook it !!!! next stop the Sahara

Morocco #4...Midelt

Some photos of around Midelt....very small town in a very non vegetated area between the the 2 sets of Atlas mountains. Scattered around in the rolling hills you can see lonely nomad Berber shepherd families living in quite large tents made of home woven wool and goat hair..sewn together .they all live in one tent and cook in small stone ovens that they contruct each time they move on.

Morocco #5...Midelt

After we crossed the Mid Atlas mountains the sky cleared to a brilliant blue...the wind is still very cold......we are driving to Midelt...just out of town is a gorge which we visit and climb along the ridges for about an hour.....we come across a sheperd with his sheep and goats....and then descend to a little village of Berbers....the original people of Morocco.....before the Arabs arrived. The village is very small and made up of mud brick dwellings and narrow alleyways....the kids are coming home from school....so we spend 15 minutes with them...luckily the Canadian couple speak french as the kids speak French as well....in fact Samir, our guide, helps them with their homework and they ask us to write our names and where we come from so they can show their teacher .....much hilarity and picture taking...I will post some more of this encounter later....we are staying in a Kasbah tonight (pictured)....the other photo is taken from our room window, looking towards the High Atlas.....which we are to cross tomorrow

Morocco #3...Fez to Midelt

Today we leave the excitement and bussle of Fez and drive south across the Mid Atlas mountains to Midelt...a small market town situated between the Mid Atlas mountains and the Hight Atlas mountains....the weather is very cold and windy....what we did not plan was the snow!!!!. As we drove higher it got colder and colder...We entered a small town which looked like a Swiss mountain village...apparently all the rich from Fez and beyond have winter houses here where they go skiing and also come in summer to avoid the heat of Fez and Casablanca. We enjoyed a welcome coffee stop and briefly looked around town....but we are not equiped clothes wise for the cold.....after leaving town we drive even higher....it is now snowing heavily and the driving is a little scarey...but our driver.....Abdu.....is very capable and cautious...we got out to enjoy the snow.....briefly...very briefly...great for us as we have not seen snow falling before....

Morocco #2...Fez

Fez.... we are staying in the Medina (Walled city...original & very old)
Pictures are from the market. The photo of the pits is a leather treating operation. the white pits are full of pidgeon poop which strips and cures the leather...the coloured pits are the various colours. The smell is something we will never forget...puts you off buying leather!!!!

Aerial shot is looking down into the medina from a hill...our hotel is in there somewhere....

As you can see, you can buy any type and size of tagine known to man.

The market is made up of a maze of narrow streets..no cars or motor bikes...only donkeys and mules to cart things around.....the place is a maze.....you need a guide or you will get lost in around 5 minutes...you can buy.....vegies...fish...meat....camel heads still dripping with blood...goats heads...goats feet....and of course...TAGINES of every kind...more from Fez soon...stay tuned

Morocco #1

May 9th.....Arrived in Casablanca after 2 hour flight from Madrid.....Casablanca is not what you think...looks quite unkept and very third world....not our visions of Morocco. Our hotel is very standard. After settling into the hotel we ventured for a walk around our area......eventually found a bar that was rockin.......after much sign language we thought we ordered 2 beers and 2 glasses of white wine. what arrived was a bottle of white wine and four glasses.....wine was passable.....next arrived a plate of olives followed by a plate of salad...very nice....all for the cost of a bottle of wine (cheap). after finishing this we went back to our hotel for a meeting with our new travelling companions and the tour guide. Our group consists of 2 Canadians, 2 Kiwis, 1 American....the rest aussies...all around our age....except for Judith (76 yrs) to be later called "The petite Gazelle" and Peter the young American doctor....

The first thing our guide , Samir, tells us is not to eat the salad.....oops.... we have already done this but fortunatley no effect health wise....We went back to same area as bar for dinner with the group...a drawn out affair.....and our first of many tagines.....good meal but not memorable.

Had a goods nights sleep apart from Sharon not having sheets on her bed....the silk sleeping bag liner came in handy....next day after breakfast, boarded the bus for a look around Casablanca to the new mosque (third largest in the world)...wow what a building....then proceeded to travel to Rabat the capital of Morocco.....nice lunch on the way....had sardines grilled in tomato sauce...then on to Rabat....toured the royal palace (a city in itself) and on to our hotel......this is in my opinion the worst hotel I have ever stayed in.....best forgotten except to say one of our group had the bathroom tap come off and flooded their room and the corrider...lots of excitement in the morning. We dined in a nice restaurant in the Medina (walled city) wall ...a very nice meal. now on to Fez........

GRAND PALACE....SUPPOSEDLY 2500 ROOMS VERY IMPRESSIVE.

The restaurant we visited... speciality was roast baby pig and roast lamb...had to be meat lover especially seeing the small pigs hanging up waited to be roasted in the big wood fired oven....we are seeking therapy for Sharon...

Hi All....Arrived Madrid Friday night after a long 26 hour journey which startted in Bali at 11pm Thursday...flew to Singapore (2 hours duration)...stopover for approx 1 hour whilst they took on board more passengers. Next stop Doha, capital of Qatar...very impressive terminal and service....3 hour layover in luxurious surroundings...then on to Paris which was quite cool...another 3 hours...then on to Madrid with Easyjet...no Qatar airways service this time...very budget airline ..but very efficient and nice aircraft.

Madrid.....met with my sister ,Sandra and BIL ,Frank at the hotel and went out for delicious tapas and sangria...fell into bed at midnight.

Next morning saw breakfast in a little bakery near hotel...then off to explore...we are staying in the old area of Madrid...no cars allowed...had to walk the bags to the hotel.....this area of Madrid is made up of a large number of plazas and squares that are joined by various narrow cute streets. Very easy to get lost but oh so easy on the eye......had lunch at the oldest restaurant in the world....est 17th century...still going......speciality roast baby pig and lamb, roasted in clay dishes in a very large woodfired oven...have to love meat to enjoy this one.

Then after lunch visited various museums and finally the Grand Palace which was very impressive....then on to dinner...tapas again...this time seafood...boiled marinated octupus, razor clams (both delicious), calamari, grilled small green peppers (slightly spicey) and grilled poatoes in a very yummy spicey tomato sauce wash down with copious servings of sagria...off to Morocco at lunch...enjoy photos

Bali 6th June

Tigers #2 of Taman Safari Park ....Bali

More tigers on the roam in the cool of the evening

Tigers of Taman Safari Park ...Bali

In the cool of the evening we travelled though the park. As we passed through the tiger area the tigers were swimming in the river...what a wonderful sight to see these magnificent animals. We can only imagine what Bali was like when these animal roamed free in the forests and jungles. Sumatra is definently on my list of places to visit

Lions #2 Taman Safari Park...Bali

I could have watched these guys for hours. I did not realize how big they are in real life..yet so so majestic