travel beyond the obvious
Travel guides, information, photographs, and stories to help you explore Africa and the Middle East, including Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa.
Often overlooked by tourists in their hurry to reach Fés, Meknès is a perfect introduction to Morocco. The historic medina is of a manageable size and scale; the few remains of the imperial city are Read More …
I’m from Minnesota, so I’m pretty familiar with snow fences. Still, I was surprised to realize the sturdy structures arranged in neat lines across the broad valley were snow fences. Winter must be really intense Read More …
Although dramatic, the Cascades d’Ozoud mostly draws Moroccan tourists. Few foreign visitors do more than stop for a few hours as a day trip from Marrakech or along the way to somewhere else. For that Read More …
The countryside west of Marrakech is known for its argan trees. These small scraggly trees produce seeds with an oil that is high in vitamin E, anti-oxidants, and essential fatty acids. It is touted as Read More …
We scope out our dinner options as we explore the city, or rather, I looked up at some point, saw umbrella-topped tables perched at the edge of a roof, and decided that was where I Read More …
“There was a door to which I found no key: There was the veil through which I might not see.” Omar Khayyam More Essaouira posts All Morocco posts
Visitors to Essaouira have two basic lodging choices: in the medina or on the beach? We stayed in the medina, which gave us an ideal base for exploring the city. We enjoyed our stay at Read More …
We are on our way to the Cascades d’Ouzoud. It has been a long day of travel that included spectacular sights: the Ait Benhaddou kasbah, the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet , and the Tizi n’Tichka Read More …
The seagulls own the harbor in Essaouira. There is no escaping their aggression, except to surrender, to leave the water’s edge for the relative safety of the medina. I read somewhere that Alfred Hitchcock got Read More …
It has been a long day of driving and sightseeing and now there is only an hour or two left before sunset. We are more than ready to check into our hotel and collapse over Read More …