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The Narooma News has now been to every continent even Antarctica and we continue to travel far and wide from the Great Wall of China to the tallest building in the world in Dubai.
Our latest instalment sees Lyn Goldsmith and her husband visiting Morocco with a copy of their local paper tucked under their arm – enjoy!
Morocco --- Land of Kasbahs, Souks and Camels
THE Goldsmith’s latest trip was to Morocco, land of kasbahs (fortified places of commerce), medinas (ancient walled towns), and souks (markets).
The babs (gateways) into these places were richly decorated with patterned mosaic tiles, intricately carved wooden latticework and heavy metal doors often with beautifully inscribed handles.
Visitors can travel along the route of 1000 kasbahs, which included the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou where the film Gladiator was filmed.
The royal cities of Meknes, Fez and Marrakesh were noteworthy for their history, their pocked city walls, their magnificent gates and the fact that medina life continues as it must have been centuries ago, with the exception of communication towers, disguised as palm trees, and satellite dishes on every rooftop.
Donkeys still navigate the labyrinth of alleyways too narrow for motorised traffic, as they deliver huge loads of meat, shoes, pottery, clothes, vegetables, fuel to the souks.
Morocco is a land of geographical contrasts.
It has four high, rugged, mountain ranges studded with fossils and separated by spectacular red gorges with narrow fertile valleys bordering the rivers far below.
It has a long Atlantic coastline with some serious surf and a scenic Mediterranean coastline overlooking Spain across the water.
The ancient port of Essaouira has a large and fruitful traditional fishing fleet and a charming fish souk where we ate scrumptious seafood straight off the wooden boats.
One third of the land mass of Morocco is the Sahara Desert, including some giant rose-gold dunes.
The nomadic Berber people organise camel safaris for unsuspecting tourists into a camp of goatskin tents, where they are welcomed with mint tea, delicious tagines, music in the form of hand-drums and the opportunity to sand-board (like snow-boarding) down the dunes. Dismounting from a camel is particularly difficult!
Sand boarding down means one must first climb up! I won’t mention the numerous sore spots! But it was fun! - Lyn Goldsmith