An uninspiring breakfast with pound cake was the big highlight before reboarding the bus at 9:00 a.m. for the three-hour drive to Essaouira (formerly known as Mogador). Essaouira is a colorful fishing town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco situated within 15th century Portuguese fortifications. It was thankfully sunny today but shoes and socks never [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Morocco”
Driving From Marrakech to Fantastic Essaouira, Morocco
September 11th, 2010 
Sheila Simkin 
Posted in Morocco 
Tags: accommodation, adventure, culture, destination, essaouira, event, events, food, Hotel Mogador, hotels, log, market, marrakech, morocco, nature, sightseeing, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice 
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One Evening in Marrakech, Morocco
September 10th, 2010 Sheila Simkin The bus arrived in Marrakech at 3:00 p.m. and dropped us off at The El Harti Hotel. Aziz had stated that this hotel was very nice but a major disappointment to walk into the very smelly reception area. The rooms turned out to be fine but the hotel itself verges on “dump.” Perhaps it was [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, culture, destination, El Harti Hotel, event, events, food, hotels, log, market, marrakech, morocco, nature, sightseeing, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice No Comments »
Bad Weather? A Night in Marrakech Instead of Taroudant, Morocco
September 9th, 2010 Sheila Simkin “Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof…. The dogs went wild on at least three separate occasions overnight in Ait Benhaddou and woke me from of a very sound sleep. Up early, the rain was coming down in sheets. Rain jackets on and ran to the restaurant in a different building only to find the [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, Ait Benhaddou, culture, desert, destination, event, events, food, High Atlas Mountains, hotels, log, marrakech, morocco, nature, sightseeing, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice No Comments »
The Fortified Berber Settlement of Ait Benhaddou, Morocco
September 8th, 2010 Sheila Simkin It was only a 30-minute drive from Ouarzazate to the small, fortified Berber settlement of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ex-Marine and I visited Ait Benhaddou in 1990 and it would be interesting to see what has changed in the past 20 years. Ait Benhaddou is considered to be one of Morocco’s most [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, Ait Benhaddou, culture, destination, event, events, food, hotels, kasbahs, La Kasbah Hotel, log, morocco, nature, sightseeing, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice, UNESCO World Heritage Site No Comments »
Movies Studios and Lunch in the Desert Town of Ouarzazate, Morocco
September 7th, 2010 Sheila Simkin On the ride into Ouarzazate, Aziz pointed out a private enclave on the left fronting a man-made lake where Brad Pitt and other movie stars stay while filming in the area. On the right side, was a road leading to the area where Moroccan scenes in Babel was filmed.The biggest film studio in Ouarzazate is [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, Ait Benhaddou, culture, desert, destination, event, events, food, hotels, kasbahs, log, market, morocco, nature, ouarzazate, sightseeing, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice No Comments »
The Valley of 1,000 Kasbahs and Rosewater in The Dades Valley, Morocco
September 6th, 2010 Sheila Simkin Stop after stop for the remainder of the day, all interesting and/or needed (petrol station pee breaks). Five minutes alongside the highway to look out over the beginning of the Dades Valley, called “The Valley of 1,000 Kasbahs) for photographs. The entire Dades Valley is filled with lush oasis towns with ornate mud and straw [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, Ait Benhaddou, culture, Dades Valley, desert, destination, event, events, food, hotels, kasbahs, log, market, morocco, nature, rosewater, sightseeing, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice 2 Comments »
A Weekly Local Market on The Way to Ait Benhaddou, Morocco
September 5th, 2010 Sheila Simkin A little later beginning to another long day of touring while driving to Ait Benhaddou. A gorgeous blue-sky day with time to admire the mountain views…View image…from Hotel Saghro and swimming pool… View image. I took a chance on the fried crepe today that was surprisingly ungreasy and very tasty when a person spoons abundant [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, Ait Benhaddou, culture, desert, destination, event, events, food, hotels, log, market, morocco, nature, sightseeing, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice No Comments »
A “Hen”na Party in Tinghir/Tinehir, Morocco
September 4th, 2010 Sheila Simkin Out of the Todra Gorge and back to Hotel Saghro in Tinghir/Tinehir with a little time to relax. Aziz approached the group and posed a question. The guardian of the hotel who watches the cars had an 18-year old divorced daughter who did what Aziz described as “tattoos” but I call Henna. If any of [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, culture, desert, destination, event, events, food, Henna, Hotel Saghro in Tinghir, hotels, log, morocco, nature, sightseeing, Todra Gorge, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice 1 Comment »
Lunch in The Todra Gorge of Morocco
September 3rd, 2010 Sheila Simkin Happily settled down in the Cafe La Vallee, we watched the many tour buses disgorging visitors to the Todra Gorge, locals walking on the road, road crews, talked and schmoozed until the first of the Explore walkers began returning. Instead of making a round trip, they got to the top and came down the same [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, culture, desert, destination, event, events, food, Hotel Saghro in Tinghir, hotels, log, morocco, nature, sightseeing, Todra Gorge, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice No Comments »
A Walk in the Dramatic Todra Gorge, Morocco
September 2nd, 2010 Sheila Simkin The Todra Gorge has dramatic cliffs that rise vertically and leaves just a narrow pass. It was formed as a result of an enormous fault in the plateau which separates the High Atlas from the Jebel Saghro. The Wadi Todra River flows through the Todra Gorge with crystal-clear waters creating lush palmeries that line the [...]
Posted in Morocco Tags: accommodation, adventure, berber, culture, desert, destination, event, events, food, Hotel Saghro in Tinghir, hotels, log, market, morocco, nature, sightseeing, Todra Gorge, tours, transportation, travel, travel advice, walks No Comments »
