The Many Markets of Morocco

As with previous flights, our flight arrived in Casablanca, Morocco at an ungodly hour, but we made it to our hotel in the city center without incident. It was only after 5 hours of sleep that we were off again, catching the 3 hour train to Marrakech. After meeting our contact Ingrid and a 5 minute taxi ride later, we were at the apartment where our stay was given to us as a wedding gift (thank you Lisa and Seth!)

We would spend the next 10 days using the apartment as our base exploring the splendors of Marrakech. We felt spoiled having such a nice place all to ourselves for our entire stay but we took advantage and made the most of it. There was a nice grocery store within walking distance that we ended up visiting on a daily basis and getting around to other parts of the city was pretty painless with the plethora of cheap petit taxis available.

We visited Djamaa el Fna, the central square of the medina, on several occasions. This is where the snake charmers hang out along with the endless stalls selling fresh squeezed orange juice; and there’s nothing that beats a cold glass on a scorching day.


From the main square we also explored the many tiny alleyways of the different souks (markets) that filled the medina, getting lost on more than one occasion. The souks were some of the best places we’ve seen for shopping and it was difficult not to buy more than our packs could handle. Mixed in with all the shops were the stalls selling spices, fresh meat, fruits and vegetables.


It made for a mind boggling experience that touched on all the senses.

We ended up taking a cooking class one of the days and bought all the ingredients fresh from the market, including the live chicken that would be the basis for our tasty tagine. The medina is also home to some great arab architecture including the Medersa Ben Youssef and the Saddian tombs. We were so inspired by some of the ceramic artwork that we ended up buying a few things for what little space we had.




We felt replenished a bit after our nice stay in Marrakech but before we knew, it was time to pack up again.

Next up on our itinerary was Fes, so we hopped on the train north and 8 hours later we arrived. We no longer had a nice apartment all to ourselves but we did manage to find a great little place in the medina called Dar Houdou. We really felt like we were living in an authentic Moroccan house at this 3 bedroom place. We only had one full day in Fes before our flight to Seville, Spain but we were able to explore most of the medina in the little time we had.

One of the highlights was trying to find our way to the tanneries and once we did, we were in awe of the many pits filled with the different colors used in tanning the leather hides.


Anna also did something she’s wanted to do ever since India, she got a henna tattoo. The lady that did the artwork took us into her house right in the medina which was very interesting to say the least.


We also bought some last minute items as we knew we were heading into Europe and things weren’t going to get any cheaper. Like Marrakech, Fes is a shopper’s paradise, so deciding on what to buy was the hardest part.

The next morning we were off again and caught our 45 minute flight to Seville. We stayed in Seville for 2 nights, just long enough to happily embrace the siestas and sangria. We visited the Alcazar, Plaza de Espana, Cathedral de Sevilla and saw a great flamenco performance.


We were able to walk everywhere but paid the price in the 100 degree weather. We really liked what we saw in Seville and got excited to see more of Spain but first it was time to head into Portugal and up to Lisbon where we would meet up with the Oliver family. So we hopped on the bus and made the 7 hour journey to Lisbon where we were all too happy to finally see some familiar faces!

A Brief History In Egypt

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We were envisioning dreams of pharaohs and kings when we boarded our red-eye flight from Johannesburg to Cairo. Instead, we got a screaming baby five rows in front of us and no sleep. Our hostel sent a driver to pick us up at 6:30am and, for once, he was actually there (unlike in India) complete with our names on a card. The car pulled up in front of a dubious-looking building in downtown Cairo 20 minutes later and we started scratching our heads. There was no sign for the place (Hostel Brothers) to be seen, and the building our driver led us inside seemed quite old and deserted. We followed him into the 1930’s elevator, got off at the 4th floor, and everything was just fine.

Our room wasn’t quite ready so we waited about an hour in the main lobby. Luckily, Mohammed and his crew made us feel at home, and we collapsed on the couch, also taking advantage of the free wi-fi. By the time our room was ready, we were on the verge of passing out, and we spent most of the day asleep. Our one activity was to arrange a dinner cruise on the Nile for that night, complete with a belly-dancing show. The cruise was okay. Usually we don’t go for things like “dinner cruises” but we decided since we were only in Egypt for one week, it was okay to be a typical tourist. We called the dancer a booby-dancer rather than a belly-dancer, shaking her boobs more than her belly, but the guy in the skirt that spun like a never ending top made up for it.



The next morning we headed off to Giza with “Egyptian Bob” (our driver for the day) to see the famous pyramids. Somehow we beat the tour buses and crowds (it wasn’t that early), and welcomed uninterrupted views of the Sphinx. And yes, it’s true – the Sphinx really is a lot smaller than envisioned. Impressive nonetheless.

By the time we strolled up to the Pyramids of Giza, the sun was out in full force, and so were the tourists. Again, impressive but sadly, what got our attention the most, was how badly the site is managed.

We’ve been fortunate enough to see many great historical monuments in our travels thus far, and the pyramids are by far the poorest maintained. It seems to us that the government is more focused on restoration than preservation.

We witnessed guards being bribed so ignorant tour-bus tourists could climb onto parts for that “great” photo (in fact, it’s depressing how many visitors just have no idea of the greatness of these sites) and the parking lot for the big buses is 25 feet away from the pyramids. It’s amazing, but you can see portions of the pyramids affected by exhaust and smog. We’re hopeful that some of these practices will change so future generations will be able to witness one of the great Seven Wonders of the World.


Looking past the negative, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, and, for the first time in our lives, felt as if we were in a true desert slogging through the sand.

Next on the itinerary were the Sakkara pyramids, or step pyramids, which are even older than the Pyramids of Giza. Here you are allowed to go inside one of the pyramids (without an additional charge –amazing!) :

and witness just how claustrophobic the insides are! Some of the hieroglyphics at the Sakkara site were well preserved and it was hard to comprehend that they were done so, so long ago:

After finishing the sites at Sakkara, the heat was unbearable, (remember, we’d travelled from the intense heat of India’s summer, straight to South Africa’s cold dead of winter, and now back to the searing sun of the Middle East – it’s draining), and we were starving. We ate at a pretty well-known place in Cairo called Felfela. A little pricey (for Egyptian standards), but the food was good, except for the extra protein in the form of a bug that made it into Anna’s dish.

Khan Al Khalili, Cairo’s main market and tourist trap, pulled us in the next day. We scoped out what was on offer and got an idea for prices, but didn’t pull the trigger on any purchasing. Instead, we ate lunch and took a cab to the Egyptian Museum.

It seems as though anything and everything from ancient Egypt is in this museum. It’s not particularly huge, just crammed with stuff! Seeing the contents of King Tutankhamen’s tomb was mind-boggling. “How exactly did they make that, how did they fit it into that other thing?” The highlight, however, was the Mummy Room, which of course costs extra. It is a little creepy at first, but very interesting. We’re just sure that’s not how the ancient kings and queens meant for their bodies to end up. After a few hours in the stifling hot museum (we think their A/C may have been broken), it was time to get ready for our train ride.

When we first arrived in Cairo, we had no idea what to do in the short span of one week. We considered diving at the Red Sea, but our budget considered otherwise. In the end, we took Mohammed’s advice to visit Luxor for a few days, and continue our historical sightseeing.

The overnight train ride to Luxor has been the best we’ve had yet, as we had our own compartment complete with towels, soap, and sink. We boarded the train an hour late at around 9pm, were promptly served dinner that was included (think airline food), and then lights out. We were woken at 4:30am, served a horrible breakfast consisting of 5 different dry breads, and by the time we were finished, we were in Luxor.

Again, we were met by a person from our hotel, and jumped into a taxi for the 2 minute ride. We slept okay on the train, but considering it was only 5:30am, we decided to nap for a while before waking up to lunch. We walked around town, stopping in to EgyptAir to re-confirm our flight from Cairo to Casablanca, Morocco, and good thing we did. For whatever reason, even after speaking to representatives twice on the phone, Ryan was not confirmed and had no seat, while Anna was all squared away. This has happened several times with our round-the-world tickets through Star Alliance carriers. Luckily, we’ve always been able to get on our flights, and this proved no exception.

That night we headed out for a drink on the rooftop terrace of Alibaba, where we enjoyed a sheesha session while watching the happenings of the square below, including a loud, musical wedding procession. We woke up in the Nefertiti Hotel to a nice breakfast of juice, coffee, cereal, bread, butter, jam, and an egg – all included in the price of our room. Then we hopped in a van with 3 other tourists, and crossed to the other side of the Nile for some more sightseeing. The first stop – Valley of the Kings, where we saw underground tombs of Ramses IV, Ramses IX, and Horemheb.

Next was the Temple of Hatshepsut, a huge temple built by one of the most powerful women in ancient Egypt.

Lastly was Valley of the Queens, where we saw tombs of Chamuas, Titi, and Amen Khopshef. And of course we made the obligatory stop at an alabaster and papyrus workshop on the way back to the hotel.

That evening we went out to dinner at a restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet guidebook by the name of Chez Omar. The food was tasty and we left filling satisfied, until Anna woke early the next morning with a case of food poisoning. Ryan got off lucky, even though he tasted Anna’s food. Needless to say, Anna spent the entire day in bed trying to rid her body of the evil toxin. She was barely feeling well enough that evening to catch the train back to Cairo, but she pushed through and we made it back to Cairo in one piece.

Our last day in Egypt was mostly spent recuperating while sitting in the Hostel Brothers reception, as Anna was still feeling a bit out of sorts. We did manage to make it back to the market for some last minute bargaining, however. Next thing we knew it was time to catch a taxi to the airport and hightail it out of Egypt and into Morocco, where a luxurious apartment awaited us in Marrakech!

We don’t have a ton of photos from the historical sites as they are not allowed to be taken in the tombs or the museum. You all will just have to go to Egypt to see for yourselves!