Morocco

Medinas, Mazes, Mud, Visa Waits, Bush Camps, and the Absence of Technology….

Morocco seems to always be the hottest tourist destination for just about any person that travels to the North African Countries.  From the combination of the vast treeless deserts, to the rugged Riff and Atlas Mountains, to the densely forested areas surrounding Rabat , to the beautiful seaside towns of the Atlantic Coastline, this country pretty much has anything for any type of person.

In the major cities, the maze of medinas will keep you busy for hours on end as people wander through the streets in amazement with tightly packed food and souvenir stalls. There is something for every person from all walks of life to be found in these places.

We ended up going to Chefchauan, Fes, Vollobulus (Roman Ruins), Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Ait Benhaddou ( where many Hollywood Films like Alexander, The Living Daylights, Prince of Persia, Time Bandits, The Jewel of the Nile, Mummy, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Prince of Persia, and Babel were filmed), we then ventured into Todra Gorge followed by the majestic seaside town of Essaouira.

Along the way we slept in very cold and windy weather, some days were even rainy and cold while we bush camped. Cooking our own breakfasts, lunch and dinners, we ate an assortment of food ranging from soups, stews, stir fry, burgers, veggie sandwiches, veggie scrambles, and sausages just to name a few. We always cooked over and open fire so collecting firewood and getting a good fire started was essential to eating and heating up water to cook. It takes a total team effort of all 21 people in order to make this work!!!

I was very impressed with the Moroccan food and the way they cooked things!!!! I fell in love with Fes and the rolling Medina all along the city. Marrakesh which is a famous tourist destination for all people failed to impress me as it reminds me of a scaled down version of Istanbul with people annoying tourists and wanting money for the simplest things like taking pictures. Casablanca once portrayed in a popular Hollywood film, is nothing more than an overpopulated city with condos and hotels lining the streets….

Todra Gorge with its endless rugged rust colored mountains remains as one of the most picturesque sites in Morocco. Seeing how the Berber people live and how simple they enjoy their life is probably one of the most important lessons I have learned thus far, which makes me wonder in amazement. Essaouira with its beautiful medina and rugged coastline is a popular tourist attraction and the seafood will not disappoint. Cat Stevens even resides there for most of the year as he is their most popular resident.

[Show slideshow]

• To what extent do people need material things in order to be happy?
• Is the simple way of life a better way of life for all humanity?
• Why do us from first world countries yearn to have all material items (myself included)?
• How would a more simple way of life change the world for the better or worse?
• How does the absence of technology change the way people interact with each other?

As the trip continues hopefully all of us on this expedition can try to understand these questions and share with other people……

As the expedition continues to parts unknown we hope to get more insights into life and the way people live and function…..

Life around Campsites and Bush Camping

How does cooking, cleaning, and being around a fire, bring people together?

With the rapid takeoff the last 15 years of internet and mobile phones, we have lost the time honored tradition of speaking to each other when we eat.

With a lot of families this was a time where everyone got together and discussed the current days events and happenings.

Being around a campfire while cooking meals and enjoying beers on this trip aims to do just that.

We are divided into cooking groups of 3-4 people, given a budget, going to a local market and purchasing foods to cook for that lunch, evening, and breakfast. Communicating is essential in cooking as many people have their own ways of doing things.

While the cook groups cook, people enjoying anything from tea, coffee, beer, wine or spirts while sharing stories around the fire usually about traveling around the world or talking about the many walks of life we all come from.

The campfire is the source of life for people on this trip….As the fire dies each night, so do the stories people share as they slowly move to their tents in anticipation for the next days events…..and then more stories to follow……

[Show slideshow]

1 2 3 ►

Western Sahara

Country, Plot of Land, or Territory?

If you look at any map, Western Sahara appears to be a country.  Is it really a country though?

The country is administered by Morocco with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic claiming it as its own, but Morocco runs a large part of it.  Spain gave up its claim to it in the 1970’s.

A few of us debated this time and time again.  It is a very sparsely populated place with only about 600000 inhabitants.  It appears to look like something out of a futuristic apocalyptic movie like Mad Max with endless sand, trash, and a few littered shanty towns.

The coastline is very beautiful in this country, however with high cliffs and no real beaches, it will never attract any tourists.  With not a lot of infrastructure we bush camped all of the nights here next to high sand dunes, where the wood was scarce and we had to watch what we burned.

[Show slideshow]

And our adventure continues to the next country…..