Archive for March, 2010

My Favorite Travel Tools

March 19th, 2010

There are several products I find myself using each time I travel. The following are some of those items, without which my trips would be much more difficult, uncomfortable, or just impossible.

Backpack — My North Face Terra 40 is my best friend. It travels everywhere I do. It is a very versatile mid-volume pack that has […]

Pepto Bismol

March 18th, 2010

I visted a travel doctor before my Morocco trip, who in addition to the usual advice, offered this excellent suggestion. She said to prevent diarrhea and other GI symptoms while travelling to other countries, take a Pepto Bismol dose four (4) times per day: once before each meal and once at bedtime. (In medical-speak, that’s Pepto […]

Post-Morocco Thoughts

March 18th, 2010

Despite a slightly rocky start, it was a great trip. Here are a few random final thoughts:

I had an extremely hard time not speaking Spanish there. Because of my job, that’s the only other language I speak on a regular basis, and so I kept telling locals “por favor”, “de nada”, and “buenos dias” instead of […]

End of Morocco

March 17th, 2010

Back in Casablanca which means it’s time to fly home. Not much happened since last time except that my camera finally broke, thanks to that Sahara sandstorm. At least it broke at the end of my trip.
Thanks to everyone who read along! Shukran and au revoir.
  

Trip Log: Sahara Desert 2

March 17th, 2010

Excitement, readers, excitement!
The third and final day of our Sahara trip was upon us. On the road back home we pulled over to look at some very old water wells, which were essentially large mounds of dirt with a deep hole in their center. Some of us climbed on top of the well to look down […]

Trip Log: Sahara Desert

March 15th, 2010

Time to get my sand on. I decided to take a trip to the Sahara Desert, some of which is contained within Morocco. It was a great two-day trip complete with a long camel trek into the heart of the desert, huge sand dunes, amazing views of the night sky, and sleeping in the tent […]

Trip Log: Marrakesh

March 11th, 2010

Fes Out. Marrakesh in…but only after a ten hour train ride. Bigger, more polluted, more touristy…but more lively. I went across town to the Ville Nouvelle (the new city) to look around and no sooner had I stepped foot outside than did a guy on a motorbike zip ahead of me, pull over, and proceed to […]

Trip Log: Fes 2

March 10th, 2010

What did you do last night? I got naked with a bunch of guys in a steamy room…Moroccan style. I’m talking, of course, about a hamman, the traditional Middle Eastern communal bathhouse, which is often the only way locals are able to bathe.
I decided to get down with the local Fassis (Fes citizens) and so […]

Trip Log: Fes

March 8th, 2010

It’s time again for travelling. The current adventure brings me to Morocco, where for two weeks I plan to explore the intersection of Arabic, French, and African culture. My trip begins in Fes, and we’ll see where it goes from there.
The trip got off to an exciting start during my first flight when a flight attendant […]