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Selcuk to Fethiye

June 11, 2012 by obeseferret

10th June 2012

Start the day off with a bit of a laugh . The ‘bargain’ T-shirt from the previous day turned out to be no such thing as I could hardly get the ‘large’ size over my shoulders and it became a sleeveless t-shirt in no time at all. The colour apparently still suits me so all I can hope for now is that lurking among The Salvation Army’s customers in Bussleton there is a pygmy who shares my taste for bright green tops!
Say our fond farewells to the wonderful staff of Hotel Akay and catch a small Dolmus bus for the 1 hour journey from Selcuk to Aydin where we change to a larger Kamil Koc coach. This company has gained an excellent reputation for service and safety and the 4 hour journey to Fethiye could not be faulted.
Unexpectedly, there was a courtesy car waiting to take us to the Yacht Classic Hotel overlooking the marina. When we mentioned that we might want to rent a car on the next day the guy from Kamil Koc immediately contacted a mate who met the courtesy car on the way to the hotel to hand us a leaflet on his car rentals.
The trip from Selcuk to Fethiye went through some superb hilly scenery with the road coming down to Marmaris particularly speccy.
Fethiye is in a beautiful setting, surrounded by mountains although at this time of year it would appear that the UK must be empty!
Our arrival at the hotel was the event of the day as no sooner had we checked in than we were hastily moved outside as a 6,1 earth tremor hit , with it’s epicenter at Olu Deniz about 15 kms away. It certainly put the wind up all of us and the minor aftershocks did nothing to calm our nerves.
Seriously considered sleeping with a parachute on ( we are on the 4th floor) but sanity prevailed and we sleep instead in the stairwell. Nude sleeping definitely not on the agenda tonight and Gail is actually sleeping with her suitcase just to be ready.
Just had another aftershock while writing this blog so forgive me if my muse is now hiding in the bathroom.
Lovely dinner on waterfront while watching Spain and Italy play out a 1-1 draw.
Early start tomorrow as we set off on a long drive to Antalye in a rental car and yes our quick-off-the -mark rental man sealed the deal.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Selcuk/Ephesus

June 9, 2012 by obeseferret

Saturday 9th June 2012
Cross Roads Travel arrive on time for us to join about 12 other tourists for a tour of Ephesus and other monuments in the area.
Before the main course we have for a starter a visit to the 14th century Isa Bey Mosque which inevitably suffers by comparison with such as the Blue Mosque and that of Suleymaniye the Magnificent.
Ephesus is all that we had hoped for and although crowded, not unbearably so. Amongst so many impressive ruins the Library of Celsus is a real stand-out and is reminiscent of the Treasury at Petra.
Difficult to imagine that so long this city was home to over 250,000 people, using the 10 to 1 ratio applied at that time against the capacity of the theatre of 25000.
After a 2+ hour walking tour of Ephesus on Avery hot day we all retire to a standard local eatery frequented by all of the tour groups.
There is supposedly strong evidence that the Virgin Mary spent her later years in this area and her house is in a beautiful, tranquil location high up in the hills above Bergama. The home has now become a chapel which pleasingly has none of the opulence of so many other catholic places of worship.
Back in Bergama we have to run the gauntlet of vendors at a carpet and leather clothing factory. Although we encountered none of the aggression of our ‘friend’ in Morocco we could all have done without this futile ritual.
A very informative and enjoyable day is rounded off by visits to the excellent Bergama Museum and what remains of the Artemis Temple ( one of the original seven Ancient Wonders of the World )

The hotel swimming pool beckons so a quick dip then a leisurely stroll around the town,during which I buy a T-shirt for $ 6 ( a bargain, I think !) and we stock up on a half kg bag of nuts for the long bus trip the next day ( at $12 probably a rip-off but we are both too tired to negotiate too much )
Dinner at hotel , minus the green pepper, and watch Germany beat Portugal 1-0 in Euro 2012.

Cheers
The Obese Ferret

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Pergamum

June 9, 2012 by obeseferret

Collected from the excellent Anil hotel by Crossroads Travel and together two American guys, Dan and Jerry, we head off to the spectacular acropolis of Pergamum which is perched above Bergama and which we had been able to see clearly from our hotel room.
Our guide, Pinar, was LAN attractive young lady but fell short of the standard which had been set by Murat at Gallipoli.
Nevertheless, with a fair amount of self-help we were able to glean plenty of information on what is one of the post dramatic sites in Turkey.
Our next port of call was Asklepion, which was the first medical and healing centre in history,
Fascinating to see that so many of the principals applied so many centuries earlier are still very much part of modern-day medicine.
More than adequate served at local restaurant then the 3 hour drive to Selcuk, home of the world-famous Ephesus ruined city.
The Akay Hotel in Selcuk is one of the best of our trip with two girls at reception, Ria and Elis,who speak excellent English.
Decide to freshen up with a swim in the pool before a fine meal in the hotel restaurant. Quite apart from the quality of the food the evening was memorable for another of this blogger’s ‘ spicy food moments’. My nephew, Andy has often taken delight in my discomfort with very hot dishes but on this occasion it was Gail’s turn to be entertained when I swallowed whole a very hot green pepper which I had mistaken for a green bean! At first I think she assumed that the tears streaming down my cheeks were due to my emotional response to such a romantic dinner but when I couldn’t get any words out from my scorched throat she just cracked up. She would probably have put the fire out but had no idea of the Turkish word for fire extinguisher.
Off to bed having spent time memorizing the Turkish for ‘ very spicy’ and ‘ green pepper’

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Canakkale to Bergama

June 8, 2012 by obeseferret

Thursday 7th June 2012

One of our less eventful days as we leave Canakkale 12.30 to travel by coach to Bergama, the site of the acropolis of Pergamum. Pleasant enough scenery along the coast and through rolling hills but we are again reminded of how blessed we are with our Australian beaches.
Dinner at a traditional Turkish restaurant and the game of charades to order sparkling mineral water and not-too-spicy food. Stroll around the very attractive town of Bergama where every second business seems to be a barber’s shop.
Tomorrow Pergamum awaits and the drive down the coast to Ephesus.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Gallipoli

June 7, 2012 by obeseferret

Wednesday 6th June 2012
8.30 am pick-up from the office of the excellent Hassel-Free Tours to travel south to Troy.

Whilst there is no disputing the authenticity of the ruins from the various centuries the site has taken on the character of a theme park complete with wooden replica of the famous horse.
However, our incredibly knowledgeable guide,Murat made the tour both entertaining and educational.
We did not linger too long at Troy were happy to get back to Canakkale in the early afternoon for the short ferry trip over to Gallipoli . The next few hours were taken up by a very thought-provoking tour of the many war sites and cemeteries throughout the peninsular. Regardless of whether one has any direct connection with the Gallipoli campaign it is impossible not to come away with a deeper sense of the futility of war and the young age of so many of the fallen only serves to heighten this sense.

It is certainly a markedly quieter group of tourists that gets back on the coach for our return to Canakkale in the early evening.

Pleasant dinner with Brian and Gillian whom we had met earlier in the day.

The Obese Ferret

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Istanbul to Canakkale

June 7, 2012 by obeseferret

Tuesday 5th June

Something of a whistle-stop visit to the amazing Grand Bazaar,the oldest shopping mall in the world ( 1453 ). Far more orderly and less confronting than expected with the vendors pushy but affable.
Collected from hotel to the Kenkapi Wharf, from where we take a ferry to Bandirma on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara.
Meet up with very friendly couple Atilla( no Hun jokes please ) and his wife Halime. Halime lives in Frankfurt and Atilla works in the travel business in Antalje on the Turkish Mediterranean .
They both make life much easier for us as we take the the ferry and later the bus from Bandirma to Canakkale. In fact, on arrival in Canakkale a friend of Halime, there to meet her kindly drives us to the bus terminal and makes sure we are safely on our way.

Canakkale is a pleasant town whose main claim to fame is as the port from which the ferries leave for the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Our evening dinner at a seafront restaurant introduces us to a problem which we had not really anticipated. I have never been one to expect all other nationalities to speak good English but nothing had prepared both of us for waiters in high profile tourist restaurants to understand not a word of English. As my Turkish consists of ” hello, goodbye,thank you and please”. ( not the basis for a deep conversation ) and my French , German and Italian were met with stunned looks we had a very difficult couple of hours.
This was to be repeated frequently over the coming days and I have at various times been called upon to moo like a cow to explain the need for milk in my coffee, do an impersonation of a CFA member to ascertain whether the food was hot( as in spicy) and have tried to replicate the Pohutu geyser to stress that I wanted SPARKLING mineral water, not still.

Gallipoli tomorrow.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Istanbul

June 7, 2012 by obeseferret

Thursday 7th June 2012.

Another bright sunny day and it’s off to Topkapi Palace, built in the 1450’s by Mehmet the 2nd.
This enormous complex is obscenely opulent and it is easy to tire of viewing gold-encrusted cradles, crowns etc. However, It was good to see the Topkapi Dagger made famous in Peter Ustinov’s film of the same name.
The only other notable moment during our visit was to come across some photos of royalty and statesmen who had lunched at the restaurant in the grounds. One featured a certain Hosni Mubarak so presumably they will shortly be adding a third panel for convicted war criminals!

Leg-weary but determined to make the most of our Itanbul visit we take the long trek to Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, rivaling in size and splendor the Blue Mosque.

At first sight G and I were totally underwhelmed by the interior of the mosque but after 15 minutes wondering what all the fuss was about we realized that we were in the wrong mosque! The real one about 500 meters away was suitably impressive.

Another long trek down to the Eminonu jetty to take the ferry over to Kadikoy in Asian Istanbul.
Fascinating to see a far less obviously Islamic culture and there was a real buzz about the town.
One hour stay than return ferry back to Karakoy on the northern side of the Galata Bridge over the stretch of water called the Golden Horn. Visit the famous Taksim Square,scene of so many protests and walk back down the main pedestrian street Istiklal Street, over othe Galata Bridge.Arrive back for late dinner on hotel 5th floor served again by the friendly Junus who asked us to say nice things about the hotel and restaurant on Trip Advisor. Happy to oblige!

Go to bed happy in the knowledge that we only have the famous Grand Bazaar to check out the following day before leaving this incredible city.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

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Instabul

June 7, 2012 by obeseferret

Sunday 3rd June 2012

Too jaded from travel the previous evening to realize what a great location this hotel has but we open the blinds to a magnificent view of the Haghia Sofia ( church, mosque of museum? ).
Breakfast passable but hotel overall of the highest order.
Head off towards Hagia Sofia but in view of lengthy queues decide to visit first the Basilica Understand Cistern, built in 532 during the time of Justinian to mainly satisfy the needs of the Royal Palace. All in all a beautiful piece of Byzantine engineering.
On to the Haghia Sofiats, built 537 under Emperor Justinian, and considered one the greatest places of worship in the world.
There really aren’t enough superlatives to describe this building and the first sight of the nave is just awe-inspiring. Probably that’s what inspired the term ” sitting,contemplating your nave “!

Really take some time to fully appreciate this masterpiece which stands out even in this city of so many memorable sights.
Move on to the world-famous Blue Mosque, Sultan Ahmet’s 17th century ” up yours” response to the Haghia Sofia. Were it not for the HS it would be Istanbul’ s most spectacular building.

Next stop is the Hippodrome, originally a Roman chariot race- track stadium capable of holding 100,000 spectators. Now an open rectangular area connecting the HG with the Blue Mosque.
There are 3 obelisks in the square, the largest being that of Constantine, the slightly smaller Egyptian and finally the very small Serpent Column , the top of which was knocked off by a drunken Polish nobleman in the 18th century ( maybe the sight of the Phalllic symbols had brought on him a moment of frustration and inadequacy! )
Our final port of call for the day is the Istanbul Archaelogical Museum, which exceeds all expectations, the only disappointment is our being shunted out of the building just after 6.30 although the official closing time is 7.00. Highlight of the visit is seeing parts of the 13th century BC Kadesh Treaty, the first written peace treaty in world history.

Retire to Hotel Celal Sultan for a lovely dinner on the fifth floor with an unforgettable view of the floodlit Haghia and Blue Mosque.
Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Fes to Casablanca

June 4, 2012 by obeseferret

Saturday 2nd june 2012.

Taxi arrives on time at 5.00 and the pleasant guy in a late model vehicle is in marked contrast to the grumpy old ragbag who had collected us from the station two days earlier. He had hassled us into submission on that occasion and in the space of no more than 10 minutes had taken off at a rate of knots, hurled abuse at any number of drivers, almost attacked a young urchin who had climbed on the back of the car and finally dropped us off some way short of our hotel. A young fellow who had seemingly been alerted to our arrival grabbed our cases and set off at a very brisk pace, with us in tow down any number of the lanes with which we were to become familiar during our stay in Fes.
Anyway no such problems for our departure and Fes has been a fantastic ‘ warts and all’ experience. Certainly confronting on occasions but bursting with character and ambience.

Quick snack at station cafe then on to the train bound for Humphrey Bogart’s old stamping ground. Express train. Only half an hour late arriving in Casa ( that’s what we local Moroccans call it! )
Plenty of time to spare at airport and experienced one of the more bizarre episodes of our trip.
In an effort to get rid of the remaining coins in Moroccan dirham I went to buy a chocolate bar in a shop. I was met with ” sorry, sir but we can’t accept dirhams!” . Now I know that I had previously been unable to change some Aus $ into dirham but I never expected to find Moroccans unwilling to accept their own currency. This country is full of surprises.

2.30 pm flight on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul very comfortable and TA worthy of their recently acquired higher rating.

Arrive after 9 and met by hotel courtesy car for very quick trip to Celan Sultan hotel in old part of Istanbul. Welcomed with cup of tea and then off to bed feeling the effects of the very early start to the day.
Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Fes

June 3, 2012 by obeseferret

Great brekkie on terrace overlooking the old part of Fes.
Our guide Abdel arrives at 10.00 to take us on a walking tour through the famous Medina area of the city. Fes is something of an assault on the senses, especially the food market area. As Gail knows I have always had a problem with eating a whole fish as the eyes always seem to look accusingly at me. This time a sheep’s head seemed to give me the evil eye long after I headed off down one of the many narrow alleyways which make up the Medina.
Perhaps the most memorable experience from the Medina was a visit to the largest tannery in Africa where,in spite of much pushing for Gail to buy a leather jacket ( probably to be used once a year in WA ) we came away with 2 pairs of slippers and a wallet for $60.

Afternoon spent relaxing but Gail does have a hamman at the hotel and comes back suitably scrubbed and smooth.

Pleasant dinner at hotel then early to bed to prepare for taxi at 5,00 next morning,

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Marrakesh to Fes

June 2, 2012 by obeseferret

Thursday 31st May 2012

Very sad to be leaving the Duckers after 3 great days . They have been superb hosts and we wish them all the best with their various ventures, Lin with her farm and Malc with his Speedtwin aircraft project ( Malc has been working on producing and marketing a small aircraft for reconnaissance and similar activities). With all of the hard work they deserve success.
Final photo session made decidedly more entertaining by Jake, their old dog , attacking the crotch of the photographer ( your blogger) . Jake has been greeting me in this manner every morning so I should have been prepared.

They take us in to the main station and the train leaves on time at 11 .00 am.

The first class compartments are not exactly luxurious but acceptable for the long 7 hour journey to Fes and Aziza has provided us with huge packed lunches to help us on our way so we will certainly not go hungry.
For much of the journey the scenery is unremarkable and by the time we get to Casablanca we are almost 2 hours late, mainly due to work on the line. Toilets on train reminiscent of those on way from Hanoi to Sapa in Vietnam ( that’s not a glowing endorsement!)

Land far more fertile as we travel from Casa to Fes and evidence of far more agricultural machinery being used.
Eventually arrive in Fes about 9.00 pm and take cab to Riad Said, a lovely small ‘traditional hotel’ only open for one year . Immediately appreciate the vast difference between Fes and the towns in the south of the country.
Too late for dinner but gratefully accept the offer of a cup of herbal tea and some cakes/ biscuits for supper.
More on Fes tomorrow.

The Obese Ferret.

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Marrakesh

June 1, 2012 by obeseferret

Wednesday 30 th May

Beautiful day again.

Spend early morning relaxing and leave about 11.00 to head over L and M’s farm situated about 35 kms from Marrakesh in very pleasant rural area.

We then move on to the site of Clare and Tarik’s soon to be completed new home and then to view L and M’s new home ( in the early stages of construction ). Lin’s plan is to create a bio-dynamic farm in the area adjacent to the new home so that she might pursue her interest in nutrition in which she has a degree. Both of the homes have wonderful views of the surrounding mountains.

Back to their home for lunch and Malc than takes us into the city to despatch a parcel back to Aus and also to book our train tickets for the trip next day from Marra to Fes.

Finish the day looking at various photos and enjoying our last dinner get-together with the usual mirth and story-telling.

The Obese Ferret.

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Marrakesh

June 1, 2012 by obeseferret

Tuesday 29th May

Up fairly early to be greeted by a lovely breakfast prepared by Aziza, L and M’s delightful maid.

The four of us then drive into centre of Marrakesh where L and G have their hair respectively colored and cut at the very plush Mamounia Hotel. Malc and I just have coffee to keep the budget surplus intact!
Meet up with girls again at the Cafe Arabe for a lunch which proved to be very disappointing.
Take a walk through the Souks to the famous Jemaa El Fna Square, scene of a suicide bombing in May 2011.

Enjoy coffee on terrace overlooking square before heading back to L and M’s for a game of croquet on their back lawn. The hitherto unbeaten champion, Malc, then had to suffer the indignity of being beaten by his daughter and yours truly.

Another superb dinner to round off the day.

The Obese Ferret

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Dades to Marrekesh

June 1, 2012 by obeseferret

Monday 28th May

Forgot to mention that we had managed to remember Craig’s birthday and, miracle of all miracles, we had managed to get through to him on the phone. Craig’s response to my comment that I wish we were with him in WA for his special day was ” No you don’t!” and he was right of course.

Try to get away early from the Kasbah de la Vallee hotel for long drive back to Marrakesh, stopping along the way at the important regional town of Ouarzazate, known for its roses and rose by-products. Lunch overlooking the obligatory large Kasbah then on towards to the famed Tichka Pass, this time traveling on a road not covered on our way south.
The road over the pass is even more breathtaking this time around and apart from a short stretch when he takes on the guise of a Moroccan Vettel Yahya is his usual , excellent self as he negotiates this remarkable road.
As promised to the ladies on the way south we return to purchase some argan oil products from a women’s cooperative, which is one of many set up to help the women in these poorer rural areas.

Finally arrive at the house of our friends Lin and Malcolm Ducker about 5.00 and say goodbye to our fantastic driver, guide and all round good bloke, Yahya.

Great to see L and M after 3 years and also to find them both looking well, notwithstanding the fact that Lin is still recovering from a fairly severe dose of the flu.

The lovely house is in a very quiet location about 20 kms from Marrakesh and is set in a large garden with plenty of room for their 4 dogs to roam.

Meet up with L and M’s daughter ,Clare her Moroccan husband Tarik and their 9 month old daughter, Buthayna.
Settle in for our 3 night stay and not surprisingly spend our first evening over dinner swapping info on our respective lives during the previous 3 years. As always, much laughter as Malc entertains us with his unique brand of humour.

Off to bed with many very happy memories of a fantastic trip to the south.

The Obese Ferret

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Todra to Dades Gorge.

June 1, 2012 by obeseferret

Sunday 27th May- Craig’s 36th Birthday!

Breakfast then walking tour of gorge with guide from hotel, Mohamed, who provides us with much useful info on not only the gorge but the nomadic peoples of the area. Only sour note is a visit to another carpet cooperative where the owner, another Mohamed, after greeting us warmly, keeps saying ” welcome, welcome, no push” and then proceeds to push for all he is worth. On the realization that we have no intention of buying he becomes decidedly unpleasant and only just stops short of asking us to regurgitate the herbal tea which he had offered us earlier.

Lunch at hotel and then off on the 90 kms drive to Dades Gorge,via the town of Boumalne.
Dades is less popular than Todra with tourists, mainly due to the more testing approach drive through some very speccy scenery. Rather than check into the hotel first we drive into the gorge itself and the switchback road to the cafeteria overlooking the precipitous gorge is another engineering marvel at which the Moroccans seem to excel. Yahya leaves us to take a quick stroll into the gorge proper, after which we return to the hotel for dinner, which is mercifully free of the ubiquitous ‘tagine ‘ dish.

The Obese Ferret

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Erg Chigaga to Todra Gorge

June 1, 2012 by obeseferret

Saturday 25th May

Windy but hot day and we awake to see that the camp is gradually disappearing before our eyes and all that remains is our own tent, the breakfast tent, the one where we have enjoyed lounging about in the heat of the day and of course the kitchen tent so that we ocean be kept fed and watered right up to the last minute.

Take one final photo of the camp team and much to their amusement we have them lined up like a football team defending a penalty. The only one missing is the chef who is deaf and prefers to stay in the background. I could make the comment that all our complaints on the food seem to fall on d..f ears but that would be politically incorrect. Come what may he does a magnificent job serving up food of the highest order under what must be very often very trying circumstances.

Before leaving the camp for the trip north have time to think back on the memorable moments of our stay and can’t really go past our camel ride with Ali when he stopped to answer his mobile phone in the middle of the dunes. When I mentioned to him the irony of this he said ” phones everywhere but no water in sight”. Couldn’t have said it better myself!

Finally set off about 10.00 for drive north to Todra Gorge. First section through desert to M’hamid, Yahya’s home town. Not far north of M’hamid we arrive at the the Draa Valley. The Draa River,at 1200 kms,is the longest river in Moroccco and the valley is a really a very long oasis.
We continue north to the pottery town of Zagore, which seems to be expanding at a remarkable rate and has become an administrative centre for this region. We leave the Draa Valley and head north-west towards towards Tazzarine where two incidents remind us that Morocco is full of surprises. Firstly, in the centre of Tazzarine, we come across two Muslim ladies,who totally oblivious to any danger, stop in the middle of the busy main road, put down their suitcases, give each other a warm embrace and exchange kisses and stop for a chat!
Just outside of Tazzarine we were amazed to see a car in front of us, also traveling north suddenly veer over to the opposite side of the road and drive headlong towards a truck coming towards us, seemingly bent on suicide. Only at the last minute did he slow down and facing the truck the drivers had what was presumably a pre-arranged rendezvous! They certainly put the fear of God into the 3 people in our car for a while.
Finally turn due north at Alnif and on to the town of Tinerhir, gateway to the Todra Gorge.
Superb scenery on drive into the gorge and Hotel Darayour Hotel in a great position overlooking the river downstream from the gorge itself.
Take early evening stroll into gorge which is truly magnificent, especially in the late afternoon light.
Sadly, the tourists and locals alike seem to take no pride in this Moroccan gem and the level of garbage strewn everywhere is of mind-numbing proportions.
More than adequate dinner at hotel and relatively early night.

The Obese Ferret.

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Kasbah Ellouze to Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp

May 30, 2012 by obeseferret

Thursday 24th May
Yet another beaut day and after superb breakfast we set off a short 4 Kms drive to Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah , the setting for a number of films including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.

ABH is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and the location and the building itself certainly live up to this reputation. Sadly, as with all kasbahs this one is in a state of disrepair but work is continually underway to return it to its former glory.

Continuing towards the south-east we eventually meet the main Ouarzazate to Marrakesh road and for the next couple of hours travel through increasingly rugged scenery before stopping for lunch at a cafe where a very tasty omelette and kebab is served ( after having been cooked at the roadside. )Head east for a very short time before going off-road for the start of a rough but memorable 3.5 hour drive through the desert to Erg Chigaga Desert Camp. Yahya’s driving continues to impress during what is marathon stint of over 9 hours.
The Desert Camp quite clearly lives up to all of the hype as seen on the website and Trip Advisor comments and to describe our accommodation as a tent does no justice to the quality of our home for the next two nights.

After being welcomed with a cold drink our first priority is to take a short walk to the top of the nearby dunes to view a splendid sunset, followed by the usual huge 3 course dinner, served outside in a truly memorable setting.

The camp was supposed to close before now but the owner, Nick ( friend of our hosts in Marrakesh, Lin and Malcolm ) has kindly left it open to accommodate just two Aussie nomads. BTW the camp is closed from May until September to avoid the temperatures which can reach up to 50!

Friday 25th May.

Great night’s sleep so up and refreshed for great breakfast with the temperature already in high 30’s.

Meet up with Ali, our camel driver, who takes usAin a 1.5 hours ride among the high Erg Chigaga dunes. He speaks only French so a good chance to put my very rusty French to the test. We both seem to cope well although I don’t expect either of us to be called up for any future re-make of Lawrence of Arabia.
A few years ago a motor cycle rider, the late Barry Sheen, was asked by a female reporter what it really felt like riding in motorcycle Grand Prix and Barry came up with the memorable line ” well, can’t you imagine having 1000cc’s of throbbing metal between your legs!

The camel ride obviously can’t compare with that but it certainly puts the ‘glutes’, thighs and backside to the test.

Back at the camp we finally meet up with Yahya’s brother Bobo who is the manager of the camp and seemingly Nick’s 2 I/C.

The by now familiar lavish lunch is served in a tent, out of the swirling winds which have come up along with a rise in temp to the mid 40’s.
non
Next few hours spent just relaxing before heading off by 4 WD to an oasis and then to a high point of the dunes to watch the sunset from a different vantage point from the previous evening.

It will be interesting to follow the progress of the Erg Chigaga Camp over the next few years as the word spreads and its well-deserved reputation for a very high quality desert experience is more widely publicized. It already seems likely that there will an increase in guests who arrive either by plane or helicopter to avoid the long off-road drive ( not everyone’s cup of tea although we loved it ) Hopefully, it’s growth will not be at the expense of the traditional Berber aspect of the camp.

VERY hot now so time to sign off and find a cool hole to crawl into.

The Obese Ferret ( If we eat many more of these meals I will have to come up with another nickname)

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Monet’s Garden

May 23, 2012 by obeseferret

Monday 21st May

Weather even worse than before but our last chance to visit Monet’s Garden at Giverny.

Train from St Lazare station at 10.30 and the gloomy Paris suburbs are at their very worst in the increasingly heavy rain.
After arriving at the small town of Vernon we take shuttle bus along with hordes of other very hardy tourists. The garden and house live up to expectations and the weather takes little away from the 4 hour stay.
Back at the B and B two very wet Aussies are greeted by a highly amused M and Mme Pierrot who had obviously been watching the leaden skies from the comfort of their cosy lounge.
Mona Pierrot’s Belgian mother who is almost 94 is a real object lesson in how to make the most of life, still driving around London and traveling to Paris to see her daughter. All of this after 7 children and 2 husbands !

Dine at a new restaurant called Le Zimmer so the owner is obviously a poor linguist or just confused.
Gail’s initial fears that we had come to a sort of slightly upmarket Macca’s allayed when a high quality meal arrives very quickly, although the restaurant is packed. Another one to add to the list fine Paris eateries.
Early to bed to prepare for flight to Morocco the next day. Yes I know I said we were leaving for Marrakesh on 21st But I never said I was Michael Palin.

The Obese Ferret.

Tuesday 22nd May.

Say our fond farewell to the Pierrots and take cab to airport. Easy jet flight one hour late leaving but we arrive in Marrakesh only 45 mins after scheduled time. No cause for complaint on any aspect of the Easyjet service.

Courtesy car to meet us at airport, only glitch being that the bureau de change does not accept Aus dollars. Resist the temptation to tell that our currency is worth far more than their pathetic little dirham but the prospect of sharia law overrides my first instinct.
Hotel Des Deux Tours on outskirts of Marrakesh superb and we have been upgraded for no apparent reason other than the fact that we probably look like two elderly codgers in need of much loving kindness.
Dinner at hotel restaurant fine although very slow in arriving.
The suite we have been given is huge and the bed enough to sleep a ‘ménage a quatre’. In fact I lost track of Gail more than once.

Wednesday 23rd May.

Superb breakfast in keeping with everything else about this hotel. Breakfast room full of Brits eager to escape the UK weather but dismayed to hear that the temp in London has gone up to high 20’s after months of terrible weather.

Our driver and guide for the next 6 days, Yahya, duly arrives at 10.00 am in his Toyota Land Cruiser and we head off to the south -east, destination Kasbah Ellouze at Ait Ben Haddou, where some of Lawrence of Arabia was filmed.
Nothing could have prepared us for the magnificence of the scenery along the way as we cross the Atlas mountains via the incredible Tichka Pass ( 2200 ) meters above sea level. The road is a marvel of engineering and Yahya’s superb driving provides even this chronic vertigo-sufferer with a very comfortable drive.
Lunch at Kasbah Telouet where a guide shows around the runs of a once-great Kasbah regaling us stories that he is from the desert and since his father died he has had to do this work to keep his family. Not sure about the story but he spoke very good English and looked fairly impressive in his Arab garb.
Arrive at Kasbah Ellouze at 5.30 and after swim in pool have dinner in hotel restaurant. Very impressive Kasbah and can’t wait for next day’s visit to the famous Kasbah at Ait Ben Haddou.

The Obese Ferret.

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Paris May 2012

May 23, 2012 by obeseferret

Sat 19 th May ( cont).

Fantastic flight to Paris during which we were totally spoiled by Egyptian flight attendant who found out about our anniv.
Arrived in Paris to very ordinary weather. They appear to have had a summer so far in line with
UK’s with only 1 week of sunny weather in April.
Good to meet up again with Mona and Jean, the owners of the B and B in centre of Paris.

Still a bit jet-lagged so a fairly early dinner at a typical French restaurant very close to B and B.

Paris in the spring is supposed to be when a young man’s fancy turns to ……..

The only problem with that is that the Paris weather is not faintly spring-like and secondly no-one has been able to enlighten me on what the fancy of a decrepit old guy with a titanium knee turns to. Please send your suggestions by email!

Sunday 20 th May

Wake up to leaden skies but still head off on the Metro to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, along with thousands of others. Decide to follow a 2 hour walk through this quartier of Paris , as suggested by
Rick Steve’s guide book. Well worth while and came away far more informed about the checkered history of Montmartre. Sadly some of it is now very seedy but there are still some hidden gems to be found in the less touristy lane ways.

Weather has picked up somewhat so time to sample another bistro in the area.

Tomorrow off to Marakesh so more from Morocco shortly.

The Obese Ferret.

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Melbourne to Abu Dhabi May 2012

May 13, 2012 by obeseferret

We have wanderlust again so I am typing this blog at 32000 feet on the way from Abu Dhabi to Paris. After flying from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi on 16/17 May, we spent our first night at Al Ain, a satellite town about 150 Kms from Abu Dhabi .

As only one day here we visited only 3 sights- Al Ain Palace Museum, Al Jahli Fort and Al Ain National Museum. Of these by far the most impressive is the Palace Museum,which is really a tribute to the ruling Al Nahyan family, especially Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan,the ruler from 1966 until 2004, and the man primarily responsible for the formation of the United Arab Emirates.

He was also responsible for 19 sons and 11 daughters from 6 wives so he led a fairly busy life!

As it was a special day to celebrate, at all the museums we were invited to sample some of the local home-cooked food offered to us by the Muslim ladies in the museum.

Away from the city we took a taxi trip to a mountain area about 10 Kms from the city, called Jebel Hafeet. This is UAE’s highest point and the drive to the peak to view the evening sun and city lights is truly spectacular. Although the view from the top was somewhat spoiled by the haze it was well worth the trip with the Nepalese taxi driver who seemed as nervous as I was on the way up (obviously not a relative of Sherpa Tenzing !)

FRIDAY 18th MAY

Superb breakfast at hotel then taxi from Al Ain to Abu Dhabi. Cristal Hotel in centre a delight.

Again given the time constraints we opt for a Big Bus City tour on an open-decked bus (temp in 40’s). Abu Dhabi a truly magnificent city with a clear goal to become the cultural, arts and ‘Green’ Capital of UAE.

The Grand Mosque in honour of Sheik Zayed is the 3rd largest in the world after Mecca and Medina is an awe-inspiring sight. Equally imposing is the Emirates Palace Hotel , a 7 star establishment with 128 kitchens and guests quite clearly far more well-healed than this blogger!

Works in progress in AD include a Guggenheim Museum, British Museum, an Abu Dhabi Louvre and for the Philistines such as myself, a world-class golf course designed by Gary Player.

Early night after fine buffet meal at hotel to prepare for 6.45 start the next day and 9.00 am flight to Paris.

SATURDAY 19th MAY.
The day of our 39th wedding anniversary! (Gail has also asked me to mention that it is the Champions League Cup Final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich)

Early taxi to airport,courtesy of Etihad and 9.00am flight to Paris

The Obese Ferret

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