as-salaam o Aliaykum from Marrakech

The sun casting shadows over the Djeema el Fna square, with the ever-present Koutoubia Mosque visible to the left

As soon as one arrives in Morocco, you’ll realize that even though you’ve only travelled a small distance from Europe, the cultural contrasts makes it seem as though you’ve been transported across the world. The city of Marrakesh is a fast-paced, crowded, chaotic, full-on-assault that can lead to a serious case of sensory overload. Between the touts shouting about their wares, the smokey smell of various meats being cooked on open grills, the explosions of color that burst out of the usually-beige dessert environment, the motorbikes driving recklessly with horns blaring, the periodic broadcasts of the Muslim “Call to Prayer,” or the delicious smell of the sweet mint tea that seems to be served everywhere, the cacophany was both overwhelming and incredibly exciting for me, being a first time visitor.
Honestly, Marrakesh never even hit my radar when planning out places to visit. But while you’re on the road, you end up meeting many other travelers from all over the planet, all of which have stories and recommendations to pass along. After receiving a extermely positive review of Marrakesh from a new friend, I knew that I couldn’t continue with my trip throughout Europe without at least swinging down to check out Morocco for a few days (thanks for the tip, Lauren from London!). And I’m certainly glad that I did, as this was the first place in which I felt that the environment and culture were completely at odds with what I have grown accustomed to — which is ultimately the experience that keeps travelers traveling, always searching for that new experience to add to their repetoire.
Whereas to get the full Marrakesh experience, one really has to visit the city itself; however, below is my best attempt at giving a clear picture as to some of the images and scenes that you’ll find across the city:

A typically chaotic street scene

The Koutoubia Mosque, which acts as a beacon across the skyline, as it can be seen from almost anywhere in the city

A view from inside the now-crumbling Palais Badi

Architecture inside the Palais Bahia

The Djeema el Fna square first thing in the morning

The colorful interior of my hostel, actually

The city of Marrakesh itself was originally founded as a stop along the camel caravan trade routes through wove through Northern Africa. And as such, the remnants of a former trading post can still be seem through the various vendors, touts, and markets spread across the city. The most prevalent of which is an area of town called “The Souks,” which is essentially a maze of shops, sellers, stands, and vendors hawking everything from tagines and spices to burqas and tea-ware.
When speaking with others about what one should do, they always figuratively say, “just go get lost in the souks for a while.” While this sounds like a clever thing to say, I’ll have to admit that I really did get lost in the labrythine souks for the better part of 2 hours before regaining my bearings (and finally emerging back to a place where I was no longer the only non-Morrocan on the street). That being said, this area is still the best place in the city to haggle with vendors and receive a great price on whatever specific item you may be looking for.

One entrance to the Souks

Saying the Souks reminds you of a maze is a mild understatement, to say the least

Outbursts of improbably vivid colors seems to appear around every corner

Dried Fruits and Nuts

Beyond the general chaos of the streets and the aggresive sales pitches of the touts in the souks, my favorite aspect of Marrakesh was the food — and it was everywhere. A few examples of the tagine-and-couscous-heavy cuisine can be seen below:

Tagines in action

Lamb tagine served with bread and mint tea (dubbed “Morracan Whisky”)

Goat and Lamb meat for sale

A typical breakfast, heavy in bread and carbs, served with honey, jam, and butter

Given that Morocco is primarily a Muslim country, alcohol is hard to come by. To fill the void, however, juice vendors have sprung up everywhere. It became part of my normal routine to swing by and grab a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice everytime I walked by these guys (it only cost about 45 cents, afterall)

The highlight of any culinarian’s tour of Marrakesh is easily the night market at Djeema el Fna, the main square — where at dusk each night, dozens of food vendors open up shop and provide a variety of dishes and delights for those adventurous eaters out there. Between the pushy touts, the constant smoke, the glare of the lights, and the smells of everything you can imagine being cooked, this nightly scene takes on a magical aire that I’ve never seen reproduced elsewhere.

The market springing into action as the sun sets

Though there are a few tourists wandering through, it is still great to see that the crowd is largely made up of locals

The mix of various languages, the constant beat of drums, various aromas and smells, and the haze of smoke creates an electric atmosphere

Mixed Shish meal (pork, minced goat, and chicken) served with olives, bread, a spicy salsa, and some type of veggie dish that I couldn’t quite determine

Watching these guys perfectly peel harboiled egg — one after the other, each in under a second — was quite hypnotic

…but they did serve up a great little snack of said hard-boiled egg, cumin-spiced potatoes, and cheese stuffed into a pita-like bread

Pastille (a sweet and savory meat pocket) and Chicken Couscous

A vendor selling clams cooked in a lightly-spiced sauce

Each bowl of clams cost only 10 dirham, or a little over one dollar

For those more ambitious eaters, you can purchase an entire lamb’s head for your own culinary enjoyment

Naturally, I found myself to be one of those amibitious eaters who was willing to try the lamb’s head. After cooking the entire head in a tagine-like pot, the would cut it in half, remove as much of the skull as they could, then apply a few horizontal and a few vertical chops with a clever, and serve it up on a plate (cheeks, tongue, brain, cartlidge, and all), complete with a saffron-infused au jus sauce made from the drippings. Though it doesn’t look too appealing, this was, in fact, my favorite dish the entire time I was in the city

A spot of Ginseng tea and a spicy pastry are a great way to wash down any meal

And when the hectic pace of the city becomes a bit too overwhelming (as it eventually will for just about everyone), there are three great options that I found to unwind. First, you can find an open, roof-top terrace such as this where you can lay down and not move for several days:

Secondly, you can pay a few dirham to visit a hamam, or public bath for lack of a better term. Luckily, one of the Morracan staff at my hostel took a few of us to one of the normally-locals-only hamams, where we were eached washed down in a sauna-like steam room, then viscously scrubbed all over, streched out like a Turkish massage, and then washed down several more times with progressively colder water. I don’t have any pictures, but this experience was both incredibly relaxing and cleansing (which was needed, as I’ve built up a month and a half of travel grime).
Thirdly, you can always elect to get out of the city and see a bit of the Moraccan countryside. Personally, I decided to take a tour of the Ourika valley in the nearby Atlas Mountains:

A village rising out in the distance

Scene from a mountain village

After a 45-minute hike into the mountains…

…and over a few rustic footbridges…

…you’ll come to a beautiful waterfall…

…and you’ll realize that life is good.

Well that’s about all I’ve got for Marrakesh, but I will say that my back-log of posts is getting out of control at the moment. For example, I’ve already several days out of Marrakesh and am currently on my second day in Lyon, France — which has been described as the gastronomic captial of France (so needless to say, my next post will have a few more foodie pictures). I’ll try to get caught up soon, but until then, Saha wa’afiab from Marrakech!

On Safari with the Predators and Prey: Tanzania – Part Two

Whether it is diving amongst the colorful and quirky sea creature along the Great Barrier Reef, mingling with lemurs and lizards in Madagascar, tracing evolution in the isolated species of the Galapagos Islands, or tracking grizzlies and whales in Alaska, the world offers us a multitude of fantastic locations in which to view wild animals carousing and carrying-on in their native environment. Few places, however, offer the variety, proximity, and sheer volume of creature encounters than that of Eastern Africa. A safari in Tanzania, alone, puts one face to face with thousands of zebras and wildebeests, allows one to walk alongside elephants and giraffes, stare into the cold eyes of crocodiles and hyenas, frolic amongst the gazelle and antelope, and even glimpse a few lions, cheetahs, and leopards, all making for a truly memorable experience.
Whereas a tour of the country’s National Parks can certainly be a self-guided excursion, most visitors to the area opt for the experience and direction of a formal safari with local guides. Along with the expert knowledge of the area’s flora and fauna — and direction as to some of the best viewing spots — having an experienced guide also brings along the added bonus of an endless stream of stories and anecdotes accumulated over years of close-encounters. Trust me, if you ever plan a similar trip, these stories end up being one of the highlights. But enough of the intro, let’s pack up the trucks and head out:

The vehicle of choice for the African safaris is a modified Land Rover, complete with open-air cut-outs in the roof for better viewing

The roads are a bit bumpy, to say the least. And thusly, a day of being beaten and battered around inside an SUV has come to be dubbed an “African Massage”

A lone zebra (i.e. – lunch) out for a stroll

Before diving full force into the world of large cats and even larger mammals (don’t worry, I’m getting there), another revelation for me on this trip was that from the endless plains of the Serengeti to the near-jungle environment surrounding Lake Manyara, there exists an astounding variety of staggeringly diverse landscapes and environments that one can reach within a short drive. Here are a few shots of the differing scenes from some of the best wildlife-viewing parks:

There aren’t many places to hide on the vast Serengeti

A particularly inviting watering hole in the Tarangire National Park

Looking over the rim of the collapsed caldera that is now known as the Ngorongoro Crater, a personal favorite of mine

The tropical flora and giant Mahogany trees around the alkaline Lake Manyara looks closer to Central America than that of Africa

When describing the experience of the safari to family and friends, two of the most common questions I’ve received are, “Did you see a lot of animals?” and “Were you able to get close to anything?” I have to bite me lip a bit when faced with these common queries, not because the questions are foolish, but that the answers to both far exceeded anything I had ever anticipated before venturing off. I’ve previously heard stories of the “thousands” of animals that one will see on a trip like this and the close proximity to the animals that one will achieve, but have always mentally chalked up these claims as abnormalities due to that given person’s trip being particularly fortuitous or just a result of pure embelishment. Happily, I can now claim that my prior stance was quite wrong, as on a safari like this, you’ll encounter far more animals than you’d ever imagine (whether you want to or not). As evidence, here’s a short and tranquil video taken after our vehicle, along with a few others, happened to get caught in between a few herds of zebras and wildebeests making their way to drink in a nearby river:

Many Animals 3

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A lion taking its mid-morning siesta in the middle of the road, blissfully oblivious to the surrounding vehicles

On the surface, the safari vehicles may seem safe, but don’t forget that there are still animals out there much larger and more powerful than the automobiles

After appropriately heightening the tension and building up the reader’s anticipation through a series of questionable and unnecessary side tangents above, I’ll finally get to the heart of the post. Admittedly, this was my first attempt at wildlife photography, but I think it turned out pretty well - largely due to the fact that I was able to borrow a DSLR with a 300mm lens, instead of having to rely on my under-powered point-and-shoot. Further, due to the sheer number of species living in this part of the world, posting a picture of every type of animal would be nearly impossible, so below is just a few highlights of what can be seen in the wild:

A few of the tens of thousands of elephants that inhabit the Tarangire National Park

A curious giraffe playfully batting its eyelashes at us

A herd of Wildebeests in the midst of their annual migration

A pair of Zebras that like close contact

The mean-spirited Cape Buffalo staring us down

A pair of Cape Buffalo barely visible over the high grasses

Along with the stereotypical elephants, giraffes, zebras, and buffalo pictured above, we were also frequently shadowed by the various monkeys in the trees and eyed cautiously by the many species of antelope:

You have to be careful around the baboons, as in certain places, they’ll jump right into your vehicle looking for food and/or shiny objects to covet

The distinctive white tail of the Colobus Monkey

A curious Blue Monkey coming to say hello

A male Bush Buck standing watch

A touching moment between a mother Impala and its young

You’ve got to run like an antelope out of control!!! (although this is technically a Topi)

The miniscule Dik Dik, which when fully grown, only weighs 8 pounds. I really wish I could have taken a few of these little guys home as pets!

A harem of Grant’s Gazelle

Beyond the species pictured above, the larger predators and often elusive cats that draw the most attention:

A demure female lion showing its bashful side

A male lion watching after its pride

On the prowl

Two Cheetah resting under the shade of an Acacia tree

As if they weren’t dangerous enough on the ground, the Leopards often climb trees in an attempt to catch their prey unaware

A few hippos sleeping on the banks of Lake Manyara

Venturing anywhere near a watering hole can be a perilous journey due to the presence of Nile Crocodiles, which often reach lengths of 20+ feet and are essentially dinosaurs leftover from an earlier age

Even amongst the variety of vicious cats and ruthless predators, the hyena still stood out to me as the creepiest, scariest looking wraiths that walked the plains

In addition to this being my first foray into wildlife photography, I also received my first indoctrination into ornithology. Providing a soundtrack to the entire safari was the ever present chorus of the local birds, both large and small: