ANDY’S TRAVELS & RANTS

drove though the Middle Atlas range on day 6. the pass though the Middle Atla is at about 6,00 feet. the thing to see here is the Ziz Gorges and valley. Peronally not one of the bigest i’ve seen, but this is the area that “green” morocco starts to turn to the desert. kind of the entrance way to the desert is though the Atlas mountains. People have been very nice, but have to watch taking pictures of locals. be sure to ask first. usually its ok. and they expect some small monatery token. some do not want their picture taken under any circumstances, be sure to ask first! i got yelled at a few times till i figured it out. We are headed toward the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, the highest in Morocco. It is a 9 hour drive from the middle atlas to the Erg Chebbi. We will have tents in the desert tonight! see www.andrew-rabatin.net for the gorge and tent pics/

just finished a “travel map” made from my gps and google earth. it will play without installing goolgle earth on your computer. I think you need a fast connection for it to work properly. You can double click any of the photos as they show and be transported to the gallery. Also you can zoom in on the map.  In the upper right you will see a small icon that says “map this” an you will be transported to the trips in the order taken. have fun.

go to www.andrew-rabatin.net

ang

on my photography site: www.andrew-rabatin.org, there is a new section that i have started entering the gps info on some of the many pictures i have taken on my travels. you can see the “map this” on the main page and then the “play” then you can follow the travel trail. the map plays though google earth and starts from the earlies digital photos to the most recent trips. you can click on a photo to go to the gallery they came from. have had fun putting it together.

went oveland to Fez, Morocco.  Great drive with many road side vedors selling food. bought some nuts and cocoa beans.  The area is much greener than i would have expected from Morocco. After arriving in Fez and checking in at the hotel, we went to the Medina. The streets are quite narrow and not ment for cars.  Seems you could find just about anything here. Enough English to do business. Many bazaars, cafes, shops and many many people. Great time with many interesting sights, sounds and smells.   As you walk though the medina, you have to watch for donkey traffic, which is the main way of moving goods in and out of the area.  The area is cleaner than I expected with many different types of stalls.  Be careful, it’s a maze and getting lost is quite easy. The crowd presses you in at every side, be careful watch you valuables here it is a moving sea of people.  Sometime you endup flowing with the waves of humanity and end up going in whatever direction the flow is moving!

on day 4 we went to the Roman Ruins at Volubilis it is on the way from Rabat to Fez. though it was worth a short stop. not some of the most impressive Roman ruins i’ve seen, but it also makes you think how far the Romans invaded, from the North of England to here in Morocco. Lots of great scenery in this area, again impressed with how green this part of Morocco is. Certainly not a land of just sand and deserts.

On day 3 we stayed in Rabat. Rabat’s sister town across the river is Sale. Saw the Andalusian gardens in tshe kasbah of Oudaya.  It amazing how green this part of Morocco is. The drive from Casablanca to Rabat was easy good roads and signs. Traffic in the city bad as any other. In Sale across the river there is an old Roman town with a Jewish quarter. I was amazed to see the two cultures living together with no outward sign of problems. Looking forward to driving to the town of Fez. will be driving along the way there are some Roman ruins to see in the countryside