Surprise work trip….Tokyo

October 10, 2020 somuchtravel 2 Comments

It was a last minute work trip for Riki, during the same time we were supposed to go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. But I had already scheduled most of the time off from work and the trip would fit snugly between two of my architect exams. So why not?

Riki went a day ahead of me, though it turned out to be two days since my flight to Dallas got cancelled due to freezing rain (though the flight before and after mine went ahead just fine). The next flight wasn’t until the following day, but I was able to extend my return flight a day to arrive the night before my exam. I brought my study materials, and the plan was to study on the 18 hour plane trip and while Riki was working and then meet up with him. But not surprisingly, that didn’t really happen. There was too much to see in Tokyo.

I spent my whole 9 days in Tokyo, but Riki stayed another week or so in Tokyo and then had another work trip back to Japan two months later. He came back to Tokyo, but also went to Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Nara.

We stayed in Shinjuku at the Hilton, which is far nicer than where we normally stay when travelling. But it was central and you can stay underground the entire 10 minute walk from the hotel to the main subway station. Which was good, because it rained a lot of the time.

Tokyo is huge, but it has many different neighborhoods that are easy to get to on the subway so you can be in a completely different atmosphere within minutes. I explored a lot on my own (instead of studying) but would then meet Riki when he was done with work somewhere. I didn’t have a working phone, so I relied on the plethora of free wifi that Tokyo has to offer to arrange our meetings. Some of the trains even had wifi, though it was a bit spotty.

Riki probably ate more (fresh) tuna in Japan than he has in his entire life. And I think his sushi standards are so high now that he won’t ever buy grocery store sushi again. Or probably from anywhere not a few minutes from the ocean. We found delicious gyoza in Harajuku, just a few stops from our hotel and went there multiple times for their pan-fried and steamed gyoza. It must have been strawberry season, because they were sold everywhere. And they were fancy – you could buy a $50 box of 12 and each would be individually wrapped in a protective foam mesh and arranged so they wouldn’t touch. They even had white ones, which are bred to be that way and are mostly only sold in Japan. We stocked up on flavored kit-kats (think peach, matcha, raspberry, banana, cantaloupe) and lots of other interesting snacks. Riki had a whole suitcase of food when he returned (both times).

It was mostly too early for cherry blossoms, but the plum blossoms were in full bloom and we went to a festival in Bunkyo with 300 plum trees. It was also entertaining to watch the lines of people waiting to pose with the one blooming cherry tree in Shinjuku Gyoen Garden.

We went to a show at Kabuki-za Theater, and despite the English translator we rented for the show, it was hard to follow and I’m afraid some of the jokes were lost on us and we didn’t get the nuances. The costumes, music and acting were all entertaining none the less. We also spent some time trying to figure out the appeal of the video gaming district. 4 stories of high-tech gaming, and the only one we could easily play was something similar to whack-a-mole. Rooms full of those crane/claw machines with strange prizes were everywhere. We skipped the themed cafes, though we saw lots of them, with maids, robots, and various animals, like hedgehogs and puppies as their main attraction.

Besides the suitcases full of food, we brought back numerous tenugui, which are thin hand cloths painted or dyed with unique patterns and scenes. We have 5 of them hanging on our walls right now and 5 or more in our linen closet. They are very versatile. I also bought a handmade vintage Haori, which is a traditional jacket worn over a kimono. We ended up with a dozen or more mini Lego-like sets of animals (flamingo, penguin, whale, dinosaur, parrot, elephant, etc) from Daiso, all of which are currently on our mantel. And not surprisingly, we went to a few antique markets and came home with a few very old books.

Since I’m writing this some 18 months later, and really only because I’ve run out of hobbies during Covid isolation, and despite still having a stack of brochures and notes from the trip, the pictures will have to speak mostly for themselves.

Roppongi
Roppongi
From the hotel
Shinjuku
Meiji Jingu Shrine in the morning
Meiji Jingu
Meiji Jingu
Shibuya-ku park
Saki barrels in the park
Torii in Shibuya-ku
Cat Street
Shibuya
Shibuya crossing
Bunkyo Plum Festival at Yushima Tenmangu Shrine
Bunkyo Plum Festival at Yushima Tenmangu Shrine
Bunkyo Plum Festival at Yushima Tenmangu Shrine
Akihabara
Akihabara
Kanda River in Akihabara
Shinjuku Center Building
Marathon in Shinjuku
Tokyo Station
Edojo Sakurada Tatsumi Yagura – corner of the Imperial Palace grounds and downtown
Kokyo Gaien National Garden – just outside the Imperial Palace
Fujimi Yagura – Imperial Palace
Inside the Imperial Palace
Imperial koi
Imperial gardens
Imperial bamboo
Imperial sculpture
Shibuya crossing
Shibuya
Cat Street at night
Takeshita Street
Takeshita Street
View from Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku
View from Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku
Kimonos on Nakamise St near Senso-ji Temple
Hozoman Gate at Senso-ji Temple
Five story pagoda of Senso-ji
Candles at Senso-ji
Omikuji fortune drawers at Senso-ji -Riki got bad luck but then tied it to a rod so he could leave his bad luck at the temple. I got regular luck, so I took it with me.
Senso-ji incense
Senso-ji Temple hand washing
Kimono at Senso-ji
Paper cranes
Five story pagoda at Senso-ji
Tokyo Skytree from Senso-ji
Hozoman Gate on Nakamise St
Yasuyo Building, Shinjuku
Shinjuku
Tiny Omoide Yokocho alley – great place for yakitori
To-ba memorial boards in cemetery near Nippori
Nezu Shrine
Prayer boards at Nezu Shrine
Nezu Shrine
Torii gates at Nezu Shrine
Shinjuku Center Building from Metropolitan Building
Tokyo from the Metropolitan Building
Shinjuku Pachinko building
Plum blossoms
Cormorant at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
The lone cherry tree blossoming in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Shibuya crossing
This escalator flattened out in the middle before continuing down again. We went back up and down so we could ride it again.
Ishibashiinari Shrine in Ueno
Ishibashiinari Shrine lights in Ueno
Skinny building in Shinjuku
Kabukicho – known for love hotels
Bottom of Shinjuku Center Building
Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku
Crane/claw games
Omoide Yokocho alley

Mexico

Holidays in Oaxaca….Mexico

February 5, 2019 somuchtravel 1 Comment

We arrived in Oaxaca after a first class, 6.5 hour ($24 each) bus ride from Mexico City. The scenery was beautiful, pocked full of very erect cacti (which are pictured at the very end) and the erupting volcano Popocatépetl.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Popocatépetl Erupting

They don’t have Uber in Oaxaca, but our five minute taxi to the hotel was still only $2.50. My parents were majorly delayed, as Aeromexico has not got their sh*t together and canceled their connection from Mexico City a week earlier. While we waited for their arrival, we hunted for a grocery store, sat on the main square, another Zócalo, and watched the Christmas Eve festivities, which were plentiful. Sparklers, and brass bands, floats and giant walking puppets. Just general pandemonium. It had died down a bit by the time my parents arrived, but they still caught some of the fun.

We had a slow start on Christmas day, but managed to explore a few neighborhoods in Oaxaca, including the area around the aqueduct and Jalatlaco. We continued our evening ritual of finding a place on the Zócalo for drinks and then ended our night at a restaurant/hotel with an impressive nativity scene in its courtyard.

So many VW bugs

Aqueduct decorations

Street art in Oaxaca

Holiday Pinata

Day of the Dead Mural?

Oaxaca window

Monte Alban is located 6 miles (9 km) outside of Oaxaca at 6,400 feet (1940 m) and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the historic center of Oaxaca. Monte Alban was the ancient Zapotec capital and was founded around 500 BC. The mountain was carved away to make space for the buildings, forming a large flat area on the top. There are a number of uniquely carved stones and an interesting ball court still visible, along with many temples.

We took a tourist bus to the top and spent three hours wandering the site before taking a brutally hot bus back to the city center. It was so stifling that we got off early and walked rather than continue to where we were supposed to be dropped off. We explored the Mercado Benito Juárez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre just south of the Zócalo and then had a massive lunch at Mayordomo – a chain of chocolate cafes that didn’t disappoint. We took a much needed break before the obligatory Zócalo drinks and snacks. Pretty sure we skipped dinner as we were so full from lunch.

There are a number of towns just outside of Oaxaca that we wanted to visit. We didn’t want to rent a car, so we opted for a half day tour to Santa María del Tule, Mitla and Teotitlán del Valle. We got lucky and our tour ended up with just the four of us and an American couple. Tule is home to one of the world’s oldest, widest and largest trees, a 2000 year old Montezuma cypress. The tree was struggling a number of years ago, so an irrigation system was installed to keep the tree hydrated and it has recovered. The immense cypress dwarfs the neighboring church and gardens, which were festively decorated for Christmas.

Our next stop was Mitla, a Zapotec religious center from perhaps as early as 900 BC. It has some really intricate stone geometric mosaic work unlike anything I’ve ever seen. All put together without mortar. They are really impressive.

Our last stop was Teotitlan del Valle, a Zapotec village well-known for its naturally dyed wool rugs. Our tour only stopped at one craftsman’s shop, but we were given a demonstration on how the wool is dyed and the type of loom they use. Of particular interest was the way they achieve red by crushing a cochineal beetle. Add lime to pomegranates and you get purple. We weren’t blown away by any of the rugs we saw, but the other couple in our group managed to spend $1500 on a big rug.

We were back in Oaxaca in the early afternoon and went to Biznaga for a large and delicious birthday lunch for my dad. They had massive tlayudas (Mexican pizzas) and I finally found Pulque to try, a milky drink made from the fermented sap of the agave. We continued our traditional Zócalo drinks, snacks and people watching that evening.

With the same company from the day before, we booked a tour of some more artisanal villages outside of Oaxaca. This tour was fuller and felt more like a glorified shopping trip than a tour, as our guide was less informative than the previous day’s guide had been. However, we got to see the black pottery in San Bartolo Coyotepec, copal wood carving (alebrijes) in San Martin Tilcajete, and traditional hand weavers in Santo Tomas Jalietza. We had demonstrations at the pottery and wood carving places. The process to make the alebrijes is incredibly time-consuming and it made a lot more sense why these little guys were so expensive.

Our next stop on the tour was to the Friday market in Ocotlan, where we wandered the numerous lanes of stalls before having a typical Mexican meal of tortillas with sauce. Our final stop on the tour was to a mezcal distillery in Santa Catarina Minas where they showed us the process and then let us sample numerous different kinds out of communal gourds before dumping the leftovers (and perhaps backwash) back into the glass jugs.

On Saturday, we walked over to the weekly market and proceeded to walk in what seemed like circles, though managing to find some of the coveted woven plastic bags my dad had been looking for every day.

Another VW

Oaxaca Saturday market

Brilliant chickens

Right next to the market is the main bus station and we headed there to try to find a bus back to Teotitlan del Valle, the wool weaving village we had visited the outskirts of on our first tour. We managed to flag down a bus headed in the right direction for 10 pesos (50 US cents) for the 17 mile (28 km) trip. After being dropped off on the highway a bit outside of town, we hopped in a collectivo, which is like a fixed route taxi for 8 pesos/person, which took us to the center of the village. From there we explored the church and wool rug market as well as some of the shops scattered around the village. We managed to spend all of our cash on small, but gorgeous hand woven rugs, having to resort to using US dollars for the last purchase. We took the same collectivo (though with 5 people in the little sedan this time) back to the highway intersection and pretty soon a bus headed back to Oaxaca stopped to pick us up.

Rugs — Some of the spoils from Teotitlan del Valle

Our last full day in Oaxaca, we climbed a hill hoping to get a good view of the city, but ended up in the Xochimilco neighborhood instead, where Riki eagerly photographed all the street art. We stumbled upon another market and a little chocolate shop where we took a break to try their omnipresent cacao drink. After some light souvenir shopping, we had lunch at a food stall place which vaguely reminded me of the Timeout Market in Lisbon. Finally tired of Mexican food, I ordered a chicken sandwich, which didn’t disappoint.

My parents left for the airport at 4:30 in the morning on New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, Aeromexico once again screwed up and they were delayed so much that they missed their connection in Mexico City and were rerouted through Dallas and then Austin. Riki and I had opted to spend NYE in Mexico City so we took the luxury $30 7 hour bus ride at 9:30am. This bus was even plusher than our ride down, with three seats across, fully reclineable, two bathrooms, individual TVs and free drinks.

We took a taxi to our hotel, which was slightly nicer than our previous stay, but was also located closer to where the party was supposed to be that evening. Riki napped and then we walked down Paseo de la Reforma looking for a place to eat. Lots of restaurants only offer fixed menus on NYE, as it is common for people to eat late dinners with family in Mexico. So we were limited on our choices, but eventually found a cute place that had quick service and delicious food. We met up with a friend from New Orleans later that evening and stood on the street awaiting the fireworks, which never came. We did get a concert and a pretty impressive laser show. Apparently, due to pollution issues, the city cancelled the fireworks.

A seamless trip home, we picked up our car in San Antonio and made it back to Austin mid-afternoon on New Year’s Day. Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines, but it has been a few weeks and I still am not craving it. Austin has good Mexican, but it can’t really compare to all the amazing meals we had on our two week trip. I have some research to do on Oaxacan dishes, as I’m still unclear on the difference between enchiladas, enfrijoladas, and entomatadas, which all appeared to just be tortillas and sauce. Why are corn tortillas SO much better in Mexico? I also discover the Oaxacan version of pizza, the tlayuda, which I will attempt to replicate one of these days. And we had numerous other delicious dishes.

Riki and I have decided we need to go back to Mexico in the near future, perhaps the Yucatan next, or Guadalajara. We’ll see. We’ve got a lot of trips state-side the first half of this year, so it may be awhile.

Mexico

Exploring the Mega….Mexico City

January 28, 2019 somuchtravel 1 Comment

With a population of around 9 million, it is hard to believe that Mexico City is basically built over a lake. Factor in frequent seismic activity and terrible air pollution trapped in a geographic bowl and you might wonder why Mexico City still receives over 2 million international visitors each year. But Mexico City checks every box, besides beach. It’s got history, culture, food, architecture, and even sun. Sun being our main goal, as even Texas gets too cold in the winter for Riki.

Central Mexico has a very lengthy and unique history. Twenty five miles northeast of modern day Mexico City lies Teotihuacán, which dates to around 200 BC and was occupied by up to 250,000 people at its height. The pyramids still located at this archaeological site are one of the most popular day trips from Mexico City. Teotihuacán fell in the 7^th or 8^th century possibly due to internal uprisings. But other city centers in the area filled the void after its collapse. In 1325, the Mexicas, took a small natural island in Lake Texcoco and expanded it to create a new city, Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City. The Aztecs dominated the area until the arrival of the Spanish, who conquered the city in 1520. The Spanish built over the historic city and expanded the metropolitan area, which has now reached over 20 million people. But that’s just the brief version.

We flew out of San Antonio a week before Christmas. The flights were significantly cheaper, non-stop and San Antonio is only about an hour south of Austin. Plus, we got to stop at the outlets on the way so I could get new walking shoes for the trip, which is always a gamble but my other ones were just as much of a gamble considering the rough shape they were in. At the airport, we bought a sim card for $6 and then took the metro to our hostel near the Zócalo. We pack light, but I would not recommend taking the metro with any type of bag, and not recommend taking it at all during rush hour. It’s chaotic, completely packed and involves a lot of stairs. We dropped our stuff in our $25/night hostel (on the fifth floor, no elevator, no window, shared bathroom, but great location) and headed out to explore the historic district. The Zócalo, which is the main square in the historic district, was completely covered in potted red poinsettias and the facades of half the buildings were lit up with giant Christmas light displays.

We braved the metro again the next day and stumbled upon the Artesania Ciudadela, which is a tangled market selling a lot of souvenirs. We must have been there a bit too early, as most of the shops were closed, so we carried on to Chapultapec Park to visit the Anthropology Museum. I had visited the Museo Nacional de Antropología (Anthropology Museum) last time I was in Mexico City, but that was 10 years ago, and honestly, even after three hours in the museum, Riki and I both agreed that we could come back.

However, lunch beckoned. We didn’t exactly hit the jackpot with food though. Ordering randomly, we ended up with some sort of meat item vaguely resembling cloudy jello in a taco. It was better than it sounds. Later, after walking Zona Rosa and the San Juan market, we again ordered randomly and got a white bread sandwich with hogshead cheese, or at least we think that’s what it was. Luckily, the mojitos were good.

That evening, after over 30,000 steps, a hot shower was in order. Unfortunately, there was no hot water in our shared bathroom, I forgot to bring my towel and because I was standing there so long waiting for the hot water to arrive, the motion-sensing lights went out me. Cue naked flailing around, splashing cold water everywhere as I tried to get the light to come back on before someone else walked in.

As we usually avoid group tours, we did some research on how to get to Teotihuacán on our own. So we set out early-ish. 3 metro lines and a $2.75 beater of a bus later complete with hitchhiking mariachi players, we arrived at the pyramids. This being my second time here, I was surprised to realize we must have skipped the south part of the site before. Our first stop was to see the plumed or feathered serpent, which we had seen a replica of in the anthropology museum and something I don’t remember seeing on my last trip. This section of the pyramid is largely intact because it was protected by a later pyramid built up against it. These phenomenal creatures are supposed to represent Quetzalcoatl, the God of Wind and Wisdom, who is kind of like a snake-bird.

Next, we went all the way to the other side of the archaeological site and climbed the Pyramid of the Sun, the tallest one at 216 feet (65 m). It was quite crowded as we ascended, but about halfway up we found orange barricades set out in a way which suggested they had to stop people on busier days to limit the flow. The steps are very steep and there is only one hand rail but the view from the top is worth it. Next we climbed the Pyramid to the Moon, though you are only allowed about halfway up. This site is largely reconstructed and it is interesting to see the different techniques used at different time periods to delineate the reconstructed parts. Old photos show this site largely covered in brush and there are still some grassy mounds that haven’t been excavated. There are even a couple of spots where you can still view original murals.

Sewer at Teotihuacán?

Main road of Teotihuacán

Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacán

From the Pyramid of the Sun

Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacán

From the Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacán

Steep steps on the Pyramid of the Moon, From the Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacán

Our return bus left from right outside of the last gate, was a bit less beat up than the first one and dropped us off at a metro that was more convenient to get back downtown. We headed straight to the Roma neighborhood where we had delicious, large mojitos before wandering back to the hostel.

I was excited to show Riki the Templo Mayor, which is located just off the Zócalo and is the area where Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325. The museum is amazing and showcases the artifacts found in the archaeological site. It also does a great job explaining how the 7 different layers of the superseded temples interact. You can walk down between the ruins and then visit the museum where they house the artifacts; my favorite being the exhibit where they lay out the bones of the numerous animals they found.

We did a quick visit to the Palacio National to see the Diego Rivera murals before finding a sophisticated place overlooking the Templo Mayor for lunch. Two hours, numerous fancy drinks, multiple courses including crickets, and less than $50 later, we needed a nap. Some of the indigenous tribes were out on the square blessing people with odorous herbs and dancing. We watched that before heading into the cathedral and then back for a rest.

Later, we walked to the Bella Artes, where there was a folkloric ballet performance that evening. We inquired about the ticket cost, but as they were almost $100 a piece, we opted to walk towards the Republic tower for a nice view. From the top, we could see the skating rink and then spotted what looked like a carnival in the streets. We ventured a few blocks north and were overwhelmed by the noise, lights, and atmosphere of the street fair.

Saturday we reserved for markets. After running to catch the metro, Riki managed to squeeze in, leaving me on the platform as the doors thumped shut. Luckily, the trains come so often that he caught me on the next train just a few minutes later, but we never ran for the metro again. Our first stop was in San Angelo, where they have a lot of local artists, but it was quite packed with tourists and expensive.

We took the metro to Coyoacan, where we found the main square packed with people hanging out.

The market here was huge, loaded with piñatas, which were very tempting, if only we had a better way to ship them home.

We found a rooftop near Frida Kahlo’s house to rest before the long metro ride back to the Zócalo. We ventured into a packed restaurant called El Quatro 20, where, surrounded by chaos, we had a great, cheap meal with huge beers. Just what we needed after a long day of shopping (though not buying).

On our last full day in Mexico City, we caught La Lagunilla market, where Riki was hoping to browse the antiques, probably looking for old books, if I had to guess. There was a small section of antiques, but the quality varied and nothing really struck us. We then ventured to the Jardin del Arte, which had some of the same artists we had seen on Saturday.

Plastic street chairs

Market street

Tutus galore in Lagunilla market

We then found a fruit market and walked on Reforma to the Metro Insurgentes. Unfortunately, on our way home, in the Pino Suarez metro stop, Riki got pickpocketed as he entered the metro. A group of people pushed us into the car as people were still trying to exit and managed to reach in Riki’s front pocket during the chaos and take his wallet. We spoke with the police there who recommended reporting the incident back by the Insurgentes stop. We went back to the hostel to cancel all our cards and then took an Uber to the Tourist Police. And we were not alone. Three other groups of tourists were in there, and the exact same thing had happened to them, in the same metro station. He didn’t have that much money in his wallet, as we always split it up between us, but we were left without a debit card and down to one credit card. Luckily, we were meeting my parents the next day and they were able to hold us over for the rest of the trip. But it left us with an unfortunate impression. And we didn’t ride the metro there again. To mourn the loss of the wallet, we stopped at a bar on Calle Geneve where we met two Mexican-Americans who cheered us up as we enjoyed our liquid dinner.

Uber is so cheap in Mexico City. I was feeling generous as it was Christmas Eve and gave a 50% tip, but our 20 minute ride to the bus station was still less than $5. We next took a first class bus for 6.5 hours ($24 each) to Oaxaca to meet up with my parents for a week.

Texas

Big Bend Road Trip….West of the Pecos, Texas

December 8, 2018 somuchtravel 2 Comments

Two weeks before our 8 day West Texas camping adventure, Riki tells me that he’s only slept in a tent twice. Not sure how that has never come up before in the 13 years I’ve known him, but it didn’t, and it made me slightly nervous. But, so you don’t have to read to the end to find out if he made it – I’ll just tell you, he’s a pro. Especially in the cooking category. Who would think to make pad thai or coconut corn chowder on a little backpacking stove? Riki did, and it was amazing. It helped that we borrowed some very thick sleeping mats, too.

Our route:

We stayed in the Chisos Basin, in the geographic center of Big Bend National Park

Day 1: Drove from Austin to Marathon via Route 90 through many small towns and along the Mexican border. Stopped in Uvalde for Vietnamese lunch and some antiquing (which two weeks later resulted in a return trip to buy a massive Indonesian wardrobe that is now on display in our dining room). Then short stops at the Amistad Reservoir and Langtry before hightailing it through pitch black roads to get to Marathon in time to set up our tent with the help of the car’s headlights and eat some BBQ at one of the only restaurants in town.

Day 2: Marathon to Rio Grande Village area. Stopped at Fossil Discovery Exhibit and Panther Junction. Hiked from Daniel’s Ranch to top of canyon and return (1 hour up, 20 min down). Brisk walk on Boquillos Canyon Trail (45 minutes round trip). Checked in to Chisos Basin campground.

Riki is a large as an Alamosaurus’ femur

I have endless pictures of Riki taking pictures.

Sunset in the Chisos Basin and our lodging for the week

Day 3: South Rim hike. 8 hours round trip. Pretty steep on the Pinnacles trail until Emory Peak and then a more gradual incline. Came back via Laguna Meadow Trail.

The view from the South Rim is astounding, definitely worth the hike, though the last few hours down were tough. We saw people coming down who had camped up in the mountains somewhere. I can’t imagine having to carry even just enough water up some of these trails.

Chisos Basin Trails

Chisos Basin Trail Elevations

The South Rim, where we ate lunch. Pretty good visibility apparently for this spot.

Riki made amazing pad thai and some sort of coconut corn chowder that I have requested again.

Day 4: Window Trail in the morning. Lost Mine Trail in the afternoon.
We wanted to go to the Lost Mine Trail first, but the parking area was already packed at 9 am, so we went back to our campsite and walked to the Window Trail instead. We were quite lucky and had the place to ourselves for about 20 minutes before a rambunctious group of girl scouts showed up.

The end of the Lost Mine Trail turned out to be a gorgeous ridge with nerve-wrackingly steep sides.

Riki walking into the Window Trail. While most of the trail was pretty tame, the water was high and there were a few spots where crossing was difficult and slippery.

Riki taking pictures at the end of the Window Trail

Riki going down one of many switchbacks on the Lost Mine Trail

This guy was scurrying away, but I think its a Big Bend Canyon Lizard, which only lives in and around the park, and can change colors.

Our trusty transportation at our camp site during sunset.

Day 5: Drove to Castolon Visitor’s Center. Hiked into Santa Elena Canyon. Had to remove our shoes to get across a Rio Grande tributary to get into the canyon. Ate lunch in the canyon. Part of Mule Ear’s Trail – found a very sun bleached $10. Drove to see Burro Mesa Pouroff. Walked to Sam Nail Ranch. Nighttime walk near the Chisos Basin Visitor’s center with a ranger.

Posing with the (almost) full moon, which made star gazing tough.

Day 6 Thanksgiving: Left Chisos Basin and headed west out of park to Terlingua. Explored the cemetery, ghost town and some art galleries. Drove through Big Bend Ranch State Park and up to Marfa, which was mostly all closed up. Continued to Alpine. Dinner at the only restaurant open – the Panda Buffet.

Day 7: Explored Alpine, which has lots of interesting little shops. Drove north and stopped at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute. Continued to Fort Davis and the Davis Mountains State Park. Early dinner in the old drug store and then up to MacDonald Observatory for the star party.

Day 8: Took I-10 back to Austin, poking around little towns along the way.

Overall, we had a great trip. We probably could have stayed longer in Big Bend, but it was really nice to get somewhere that had showers. And to eat something besides sandwiches for lunch. We were lucky enough to have great weather the whole trip and it only really got cold at night. Despite it being Thanksgiving week and the park being “full” we often found ourselves alone in the wilderness. I can see how the summer must be unbearable, despite the amazing scenery. I had no idea of what to expect before heading out there. Texas just keeps on surprising me.

Hungary

More Eastern Europe in the fall….Budapest, Hungary

February 19, 2018 somuchtravel 1 Comment

It has taken me awhile to get around to typing this one up, but I’m pretty much settled in Austin now, so there are no more excuses. Riki had been to Budapest years ago and I have been itching to explore more of Eastern Europe since visiting Prague, Vienna and Bratislava. Another cheap EasyJet flight from Basel made this possible. That and the incredibly cheap accommodations available. A morning flight in Basel got us to Budapest in time for a pho lunch on the way to our apartment. I hadn’t done much research on Budapest, mainly relying on Riki’s memories from 10 years ago to guide the way. So I didn’t realize how huge Budapest was going to be. Budapest is the combination of the two cities, Buda and Pest, with something like 2 million people. They, along with Óbuda (Old Buda) were combined in 1872 to form Budapest. During WW2 Budapest suffered a lot of damage, especially the castle area, where the Germans were barricaded. The Germans also blew up the bridges on the Danube to slow Soviet troops. Later, when the Soviets occupied Hungary, they rounded up many Hungarians and sent them to forced labor camps. Despite officially ending Soviet military operations in 1945, the Soviets managed to leave behind a government dominated by Communists. This led to revolution in 1956 and the return of the Soviets to crush said revolution. The first free parliamentary election wasn’t held until 1990 and the last of the Soviet troops left in 1991.

Here are some of the highlights:

Budapest’s House of Terror is a museum portraying to the horror events caused by Nazi Germany and the Soviets. As we were visiting Budapest during the anniversary to the revolution, the museum was free.
Riding the old trams. Budapest has an affordable 5 day pass which let us on buses, metro, trams and even boats. We partook in all.
Parliament at night, and from the water (via public boat). The changing of the guard was also interesting though just a coincidence we saw that.
Cheap restaurants. We ate as many types of food as we could and only had one meal that wasn’t great. Vietnamese, Turkish, Italian, American, Tex Mex, Thai, English, Indian, and of course Hungarian.
Walking St Margaret’s Island. A really nice park which I imagine to be even nicer when flowers are in bloom.
Kerepesi Cemetery was amazing. Way in the back the graves are a bit overgrown. There is a really interesting old hearse in the front of the cemetery with a video in English.
Vajdahunyad Castle in the city park and Heroe’s Square. There was a festival by the castle when we were there with lots of food and seemed to be medieval themed.
Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias church and castle hill is a must see. We went multiple times as the views are amazing both during the day and at night.

Budapest was a great place to visit. According to Riki, it has changed drastically in the last 10 years. It has plenty to offer for cuisine and culture and an equally fascinating history to go along with it all.

Iceland

A road trip in shoulder season….Iceland

November 29, 2017 somuchtravel 2 Comments

There is a very good reason Iceland, with a population of about 330k people, had 1.8 million international visitors in 2016 (Iceland Tourist Board). It is unlike any other place I have visited. With majestic waterfalls, the original geyser, bubbly hot springs and bright blue icebergs washing up on black sand beaches, Iceland offers unique scenes that impress and awe its visitors. That being said, it is not all scenic and natural like you might imagine, or conclude from the massive amounts of gorgeous pictures to follow. Massive deforestation began with the Vikings, and continued as land was needed more and more for sheep grazing, an important food source. The forests that do still exist are few and far between, making it necessary to import wood from hundreds of miles across the ocean. Not a cheap task. Iceland continues to lose more vegetation due to wind erosion, making it even harder to reforest. Iceland also hosts 3 aluminum smelters that depend on massive amounts of cheap hydro and geothermal power to provide enough energy to extract aluminum from imported alumina. While they do use renewable energy, a multitude of environmental impacts make it a controversial industry.

Despite these issues, Iceland’s tourism industry is booming and it is evident that it could spiral out of control quickly. A large part of the appeal of Iceland is that many of the main attractions are right along the ring road, are free and relatively easy to reach. Small buses ply around the ring road dropping off small hordes of people to quickly snap their Instagram-worthy shot before being shuttled to the next attraction. The Icelanders are fed up with their antics. Tourists are not respecting the landscape and a few even died this year while straying off the marked paths. Public pooping has even become a big problem. We witnessed first-hand a lot of poor behavior, ranging from flying drones in clearly marked no-fly zones, to getting dangerously close to the edges of waterfalls. To combat this, some of the sites have started charging for parking. I’m guessing they will use some of the revenue to construct more barriers and signs to try to control the flow of tourists. However, this may not be the best approach. They are preparing to attract more tourists, but not the right kind. They should be focused on the tourists who want to experience Icelandic life and culture, those that want to preserve the wilderness, not trample all over it. In this way, they may be able to prevent the “Disneyland” effect that is plaguing places like Venice and Barcelona. Perhaps they can follow Costa Rica’s example and focus on sustainable tourism.

Our 14 day itinerary can be found at Iceland in Two Weeks – Itinerary and Tips , but basically we started in Reykjavik and headed north to the Westfjords and then continued on the ring road clockwise, with a detour in the diamond circle and and day trip into the highlands. Here is a great map with lots of points of interest that you can even customize through Google maps: 14 day Iceland Itinerary Map. We skipped the Blue Lagoon, as it sounds like it has become a major tourist trap and certain members of our group don’t have the attention span to soak lazily in the water when there are photographs to be taken elsewhere. Its also insanely expensive. We managed a few hot pots instead (for free) and you can easily visit the local swimming pools in many towns.

Riki’s Favorite Photos

It was a fabulous trip, where we didn’t think we could see something cooler, until the next day, when we did. Seals were the highlight for me. Riki obsessed a bit about capturing the Northern Lights. And the sheer amount of beautiful scenery was astounding. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

Back on the ring road.

Reindeer are non-native and there is a fixed number that are shot every year. We spotted these hunters in the highlands in the east. They half-joked that reindeer is the most expensive meat because the permits cost $700-1250 depending on the gender. And you have to hire a guide as well. We also visited the East Iceland Heritage Museum in Egilsstaðir which houses an interesting exhibit on reindeer. We saw a mink, another non-native species and Riki and I glimpsed an Arctic fox, the only native land mammal in Iceland. Seals don’t count I guess, even though they seem to spend quite a bit of time on the beach. Otherwise, it was a whole lot of sheep, some horses, and a spattering of birds.

There were thousands of photos taken on this trip between my parents, Riki and me. For more, check our Riki’s photo site at Riki’s Photo Website

Iceland

Iceland in Two Weeks – Itinerary and Tips

November 28, 2017 somuchtravel 3 Comments

Our two week Iceland road trip planning began months before our September flight. Iceland was expected to have 2 million visitors in 2017. Even though we decided to go after the high season, I read that accommodation can still be difficult to find as there just isn’t enough for all the people coming to Iceland. Thus, by June I had already booked our accommodation, flights and car. That was no easy feat, as we weren’t willing to spend an arm and a leg, nor were we willing to rent a camper van and rough it for two weeks. In the end, the accommodation dictated our itinerary. I tried to space our lodgings out by about 4 hours drive according to Google Maps. I thought this would be a reasonable amount to drive each day, with plenty of stops in between. I quickly discovered that 4 hours on the map can be up to double that depending on the road conditions, the quality of the scenery and opportunities for photos.

I decided to travel clockwise from Reykjavik (Point 12) so that we could be in the West Fjords (Points 2 & 3) earlier and hopefully get better weather, as it can get colder there before the south. We stuck pretty much to the original itinerary, until the last few days, when the weather took a turn for the worse and we had to skip the Westman Islands (Bed icon between Points 10 and 11) due to gale force winds and the ferry potentially being cancelled.

TIPS:

Iceland is easy to navigate. There are not many roads, and some are in less than desirable conditions, but they are well-signed and with the help of a good offline map (we love maps.me– I don’t get any compensation from them) you should have no problem getting around.
We never needed to use cash, but did get a little out at the ATM at the airport just for fun. You can use credit cards everywhere.
We made sure to get gas when we were in big towns, and stocked up on groceries as well, at Bonus and Netto. We brought a small cooler and ice packs with us as well. This allowed us to bring perishables in the car, as we never stayed more than one night anywhere, except Reykjavik.
Buy any alcohol you want at the Reykjavik airport duty free shop – it is far cheaper than the little liquor shops, which also have short hours.
Having more than one driver was also key to our trip, as a few of the days were quite long.
I booked all our accommodation on Booking.com (for their refund policy) and AirBNB (for the smaller towns). This gave me flexibility when some better accommodation did become available closer to our departure. Book in advance and shop around for car rentals. I ended up getting a great deal on a 2015 Citroen Berlingo from Northbound/Thrifty for about 82,000 ISK (before insurance and extra driver cost) for two weeks in September 2017. Similar cars from other companies were often twice that.
Every one speaks English. Icelandic words are long and look unpronounceable, but once you know a few of the basics, you can start to decipher the word, though probably never pronounce correctly. Here are a few key phrases that should help:

fjörður = fjord
vik = inlet
foss = waterfall
jökull = glacier
lón = lagoon
á (at the end) = stream
vatn = water (often lake)

Even more photos can be found on Riki’s website: Favorite Photos

Our basic itinerary follows:

Day 1: Arrive Reykjavik airport (Pt A, southwest) 8 am. Pick up rental car and drive to Costco outside Reykjavik. Drive 191 miles (307 km) to Grundarfjordur (Pt. 1) via Snaefells Peninsula.

Raudfeldsgja Gorge

Arnarstapi coastline

Day 2: Drive from Grundarfjordur to Bjarkarholt (Pt. 1 to 2, 194 miles/312 km) with lunch stop in Stykkisholmur. Alternately there is an expensive 3 hour ferry across Breidarfjordur.

Kirkjufell Mountain

Brjanslaekur harbor, West Fjords

Day 3: Bjarkarholt to Isafjordur (Pt. 2 to 3, 129 miles/208 km) with stop at Dynjandi waterfall.

Birkimelur hot tub

Dynjandi waterfall

Day 4: Isafjordur to Laugarbakki (Pt.3 to 4, 222 miles/357 km).

Seals at lowtide in Hestfjörður

Icelandic sheep

Day 5: Laugarbakki to Akureyri (Pt. 4 to 5, north side, 167 miles/269 km) via Vatnsnes peninsula for seal watching.

Low tide at Hvitserkur on the Vatnsnes peninsula in the pouring rain

Basalt fortress of Borgarvirki

Day 6: Akureyri to Husavik (Pt. 5 to 6, 92 miles/148 km) via Godafoss and Myvatn.

Lava fields of Dimmuborgir near Mývatn

Krafla Crater

Inside the Grjótagjá cave

Goðafoss

Day 7: Husavik to Seydisfjordur (Pt. 6 to 7, 170 miles/274 km) via Asbyrgi and Dettifoss.

Hafragilsfoss just below Dettifoss

Jökulságljúfur canyon

Yellow fields in East Iceland

Seydisfjordur

Day 8: Seydisfjordur to Eskifjordur (Pt. 7 to 8, 46 miles/74 km) with day trip to highlands and Laugarfell for (dead) reindeer spotting.

Day 9: Eskifjörður to Höfn (Pt. 8 to 9, 151 miles/243 km) with stop at Hvalnes Nature Reserve Beach.

Smooth rocky beach at Hvalnes Nature Reserve

Horse near Höfn

Day 10: Höfn to Vik (Pt. 9 to 10, 169 miles/272 km) with stops at Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell National Park. This was a long day due to lack of accommodation in the area.

Jökulsárlón icebergs

Svartifoss in Skaftafell

Day 11: Vik to Birkikinn on the Golden Circle (Pt. 10 to 11, 89 miles/143 km) with stops at Skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Hellisheidi power plant, Geysir and Gullfoss. Our original itinerary included the Westman islands, but due to gale force winds we were forced to skip that.

Stokkur geyser erupting

Skógafoss in the pouring rain

Seljalandsfoss in the rain

Gullfoss

Day 12: Birkikinn to Reykjavik (Pt. 11 to 12, 74 miles/118 km) with stop at Thingvellir National Park.

Day 13 and 14: Reykjavik and surrounding.

Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik

Geese in Reykjavik

Morocco

North to Fes, Volubilis and back to Marrakech….Morocco Road Trip (Part 2)

May 15, 2017 somuchtravel 1 Comment

I read a number of books about Morocco before our trip, in particular a few by Paul Bowles. While I had trouble getting through parts of his stories, I found his outsider’s viewpoint to be an intriguing glimpse into a incredibly complex country. Morocco has a deep Phoenician and Berber history, and the far southwest border of the Roman Empire even ran through northern Morocco. Then the Vandals and Byzantines came along in the 5th and 6th centuries. Arabic and Islam spread to Morocco in the 8th century and then it only got more complicated. Between French and Spanish colonization in the early 1900s, I got lost in the intricacy of who had what, when and how. And don’t ask me how Morocco and Western Sahara are related. That’s still an ongoing dispute. But one thing stuck out. Morocco’s diverse history has left it with an incredibly friendly population, who, while only a short distance from Europe, live a world away from the average European.

This is a long one.

We left the Erg Chebbi dunes and Hassilabied (near Merzouga) to head north toward Fes. Not wanting to rush, we planned on stopping in Midelt for the night just to break up the drive.

Morocco road trip with cities — This blog entry covers the stops from Hassilabied north to Midelt, Fes, Volubilis and Meknes, as well as the return journey through Mohammedia to Marrakech.

Having read about a tourist loop near Rissani that included a number of historic ksars, or fortified dwellings, we decided to check some out. Unfortunately, we found it difficult to find this route, despite following the one sign we saw. Fortunately, we saw a tour group stopping near Moulay Ali Cherif mosque and tagged along to an unidentified ksar, which has very intricate mud work.

Leaving Rissani, we headed further north into the Ziz river valley, which was no less than spectacular. The contrast between the green around the water and the never ending brown elsewhere made for some great photo opportunities. Plus, the flat topped cliffs and viewpoints helped a bit. I haven’t been to the Grand Canyon, but I imagine the Ziz valley to be just as stunning.

Along the Ziz River near Meski there is a spot called the Source Bleu. For a modest 5 Dirhams (50 cents) you can enter the grounds, swim, picnic, and hang out. Well, only the boys were swimming. The women and girls were all involved in a group sing along in the shade. And the men were drinking tea in the little cafes. We wandered through the area and eventually ended up in a palmery where we found a crystal clear channel where women were doing laundry.

Jumping back in the car, we continued north through more incredible valley sights, eventually nearing the snow capped mountains again. We went through 4 police checkpoints this day, though were stopped at none. One, outside of a military town, even had spikes laid out ready to deploy. Riki wouldn’t let me sneak even a photo from my phone, so I have no documentation of these. I was going to be really stealthy, but that was vetoed.

Throughout our trip we encountered a feeling of things yet to come. For instance, huge, new gas stations that look fancy from afar, but when you get up close, you realize that the shop, cafe, and even service center are completely empty and have never been opened and won’t be any time soon. Entering many towns, the roads would widen, be dotted with oh so many street lights and speed bumps, and there would be nothing on either side of the road. The most fun were the gates in the middle of nowhere. Huge, ornate structures we could see from way off and would pass through thinking we were entering another town. And then there would be nothing. Not even a house. It is as if Morocco is preparing for major, instantaneous development.

We arrived in Midelt late afternoon and briefly hunted for the Sunday carpet souk (market) before deciding if must have only been in the morning. Then we hunted for somewhere recommended to us to eat, failed and then just settled on a place near the bus station. This was a fortunate find, as I had the best chicken pizza I’ve had in ages.

I upgraded us to a nicer hotel when we were in Midelt (13 Euro more). I thought that after two nights in the desert we may need a few extra comforts. We didn’t really need the rose petals scattered on the giant, sand-free beds, but the scalding hot water and English television were real treats.

We had been warned while in the desert that a few days earlier there had been a decent amount of snow on our impending route, causing traffic jams and accidents. Luckily, the roads were clear upon entering the cedar forest near Ifrane. We did spot some of the endangered Barbary apes in the snow along the road, but opted not to stop to feed them like many of the other cars.

We slowed long enough to get a few shots of the apes and the snow.

Ifrane is supposedly the Switzerland of Morocco. You can see why by the variation in the architecture and the vegetation – complete with mountain chalets. Wanting to get to Fes in time for a late lunch, we just did a driving tour and continued on our way.

We tried to do some birding just outside of Ifrane, but the lack of water in the Aoua lake made that tough. Though we did spot a big grey heron and another black and white bird from our travel guide.

Riki handled the entry into Fes like a pro. After what seemed like a hundred roundabouts, we finally found the dirt parking lot where we were to leave the rental car for three days, at the very reasonable price of 30 Dirham ($3) per night.

We spent the next two days wandering the Medina of Fes, taking in pretty much all the regular tourist sites. I particularly liked the Medersa Bou Inania and the Medersa Attarine. While we could not access as much as the one in Marrakech, they had the same intricacies on every surface.

Fes’s medina was much easier to navigate than Marrakech’s. Fes has a few different major routes that are pretty well marked. Each is color coded and tells you the destination as well. Since we were staying near the Blue Gate, we often just had to find one of these major routes and follow the zig zagged path back to our riad.

Riki often looks for unique art when we travel. It can be difficult to find things we like that are within our budget. But while wandering Fes, we ended up at the end of a very narrow alley in an artists’ coop. The man spoke French and we managed to ascertain that this guy, his two sons and a few other people all sold their art in this shop. Riki was drawn to the style seen below, and we bought one of the larger pieces as we felt it represented the colors of Fes better than some of the others.

I later purchased a small rug, where I wrongly asked if I could have tassels added to one side to match the other. The salesman said no problem and before I could figure out what he was up to, he started to unravel the end without tassels. I stopped him before he could do more than a few rows and decided to trim them myself later.

WP_20170515_001 — My ‘Berber Picasso’ hanging in Zurich

I was not particularly fond of visiting the tannery. The best views are from the balconies of the neighboring shops and if you don’t want to buy anything, the shopkeepers expect a donation for the necessary mint leave to cover up the stench. Despite our small donation, we were still hassled a bit while just trying to take some photos. And its awful to imagine having that job. The guys stand in chemical muck and pigeon droppings all day. Often times without any protective gear.

We walked up to the Merenid tombs one afternoon, a decidedly nice view, but had a very strange experience. By this time, we were used to being told we were going the wrong way and offered directions from people who were looking to make a few Dirham. But the little boy who we met at the top of the hill really threw us for a loop. He seemed to be all alone and we chatted a little in broken English/French and he pointed to where he lived and where he went to school. As we were leaving he asked us where we were staying and where we were going. We told him roughly and politely said we knew how to get there so we didn’t need any help. But that did not deter him and he proceeded to “lead” us back down the hill and into the Medina. This is where Riki and I tried to pull a fast one on him, thinking he would get distracted in the chaos of the medina. So Riki went one way and I went the other and agreed to meet at the Blue Gate. The kid continued to “lead” Riki and we weren’t able to lose him until we got in a taxi headed to the other side of town. Even then, he watched us go. He never asked for money, nor really said anything, just walked a few feet in front of us, quietly glancing back every few seconds to make sure we were still there.

We had been eating 10 Dirham ($1) sandwiches for most of our meals, and mainly from the same stand. On our last night, the stand was closed so we went to the next one over. These sandwiches are basically grilled mixed meat with a delicious tomato sauce stuffed in a thick round bread. Easy enough. But as we watched, the cook took our raw meat slapped it on the grill and used the same hands to open the bread and then leave it propped up on the raw meat resting on his counter. We paid for the sandwiches, but were ready to toss the bread, until we realized, the bread is about 10 cents at another stall. We’ll just dump the cooked meat into new bread and be on our way. So that’s what we did and still with some apprehension we had our last supper in Fes.

The next morning we checked out and retrieved our car safe and sound from the dirt lot. We continued north and west to Volubilis, a Roman archaeological site. The drive was really beautiful, though we encountered the worst roads so far.

Volubilis is a Berber and Roman city from the 3rd century BC. Under the Romans, it grew and even had a basilica and aqueduct. The incredible mosaics of the fancy houses have been largely restored, though are sitting out baking in the hot sun with no cover. Not sure that’s the best preservation method, but it certainly makes for an impressive visit. There is a new museum on the site which really explains the history well and displays some of the artifacts found there. I have seen a number of Roman ruins, from all over Europe, but Volubilis was the best at really portraying how the city would have been. I’m not sure if that’s because of the extensive restoration they have done, or just the sheer amount of ruins and mosaics still left. Whatever it was, you can really imagine how the city looked under the Romans and how impressive it would have been.

After a few hours in the scorching sun, we heading south again to Meknes. We left our car under a tree and the parking attendant gave us a twig as a receipt. We checked into our room, which was little more than a bed in a cubby with an attached bath separated by saloon style swinging doors. And the whole room was directly over the alley below, with one little window at the far end. Luckily, we had little luggage and only stayed one night.

Road to Meknes

We found Meknes to be a much smaller city, with a lot of students and much more diversity. The souks had a more modern feeling and the medina much less crowded.

We got followed by a man who insisted on showing us a silver shop and the typical work they did there. It was neat, as they pound the silver in thin threads, but we weren’t really in the mood for any metalwork.

After mediocre food in Meknes, including tacos filled with french fries, Riki was excited to travel along the coast and find some seafood. We stopped in Mohammédia, just north of Casablanca to see the Atlantic Ocean and have lunch before returning to Marrakech.

Back in Marrakech we headed straight for the airport to return the car. Right outside the airport, we got hustled out of about $10 trying to fill up our gas tank, and even though we realized it was happening, we had no proof, and thus had to end our road trip with a bad taste in our mouths. We took the bus back to the medina and checked into a different riad, which had tiny kittens on the roof and a very picturesque courtyard. A much better way to end our two weeks in Morocco.

Travel goal:

“Even during the short periods when their lives were stationary, which had been few enough since their marriage twelve years ago, he had only to see a map to begin studying it passionately, and then, often as not, he would begin to plan some new, impossible trip which sometimes became a reality. He did not think of himself as a tourist; he was a traveler. The difference is partly one of time, he would explain. Whereas the tourist generally hurries back home at the end of a few weeks or months, the traveler, belonging no more to one place than to the next, moves slowly, over periods of years, from one part of the earth to another. Indeed, he would have found it difficult to tell, among the many places he had lived, precisely where it was he had felt most at home.”

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

Morocco

Marrakech to the Sahara….Morocco Road Trip (Part 1)

May 1, 2017 somuchtravel 1 Comment

Our trips are planned according to when I can find the best deals and this trip was no exception. Flying out of Basel can be much cheaper than Zurich, especially if I get a cheap train ticket ahead of time. I managed to find a direct flight from Basel to Marrakech for less than $50. The return was about twice that, but it came to Zurich and had free checked baggage, which was necessary after the shopping we did – more on that later. I also booked most of our accommodation on Booking.com ahead of time. I found the rates to be about the same or cheaper than booking in person, and without the hassle of wandering around looking for a room, which is nearly impossible in the medinas we stayed in. I also booked the car from Hertz ahead of time, I got an incredible rate, and we even got an unnecessary upgrade. The last thing I pre-arranged was our camel trek. This was one of the things I was most excited for and wanted to be sure it went off without a hitch. But for that I just emailed three companies with good reputations online and chose the one who gave me the best deal. So, besides the flights, accommodation, car and camel trek, everything else was up in the air. More or less.

We took the earliest train from Zurich to Basel, which meant we had to walk to the train station because the trams were not yet running. No big deal though because we travel light and each had just a backpack for the 15 minute downhill walk. Luckily, security was light and we cruised through to our gate. Any delay with the trains or airport could have meant a missed flight, we were cutting it that close. Travel karma was on my side this time though, as unusual as that is for me.

We arrived in Marrakech and took the 2 Euro bus to the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa. Don’t ask me to pronounce it, we heard it so many different ways. From there we walked about 20 minutes through the medina to our riad. A riad is a Moroccan house with a courtyard. The outsides are nondescript but the insides can be very fancy. Many have been turned into guesthouses. Though we thought we knew where we were going, we still ended up a bit confused and were hustled by two guys who insisted on showing us the way and both getting paid, despite us declining their services. Not a very nice way to start the day. But we made it to the riad, dropped our bags and continued out into the medina.

The medina was a maze and we ended up in dead ends frequently, but that’s the fun of not having a set schedule. We found ourselves near the El-Badi palace right before closing and enjoyed the ruins of the late 1500s palace before heading back to the main square to check out the evening madness.

The next morning, we went to the Ben Joussef Medersa trying to beat the crowds, which we managed for about 5 minutes. A medersa, or madrasa (saw it both ways) is an educational facility, and in Morocco, often used for studying Islam. We visited a number of these, and I found this one the most impressive, as you can wander into the little courtyards surrounded by tiny, dark dorm rooms, which were used for sleeping and studying. There is an incredible amount of intricate woodwork, tilework and plasterwork, everywhere.

From there, we continued to wander the medina for the rest of the day, stopping at El Bahia palace in the afternoon.

El Bahia Palace is only a little over 100 years old, but it has stunning tiles and courtyards. The ceilings were really impressive as well, and it was a great way to get out of the heat for a bit.

Unfortunately, about half of Jemaa El-Fnaa square was under construction, so we didn’t get the full feel of it. However, there were plenty of snake charmers and monkey handlers to go around. I avoided these like the plague, as the animals are mistreated and these exploits should not be encouraged. We ate at one of the stalls (#1), but were weary from hearing about so many people being overcharged for things they didn’t want. We found the food ok, not amazing, nothing to write home about, oh wait, doing that now.

And then the real adventure began! We picked up our rental car, which was our first time renting a car in a foreign country. We got upgraded from a mini size to an economy sized Fiat Punto, but not until we were standing in the lot and the Hertz guy realized they definitely didn’t have the car we booked. We were a bit worried about renting a car, because 1) road conditions, 2) crazy drivers, 3) crashing, 4) not getting an automatic. But really, none of those things turned out to be issues and you can read about our road trip tips here 15 Tips for a Morocco Road trip and our full itinerary here 12 Day Morocco Road Trip.

We drove over the Atlas mountains, which was stunning and perfectly doable in a small car. It is crazy to me for some reason to think of snow in Morocco, but sure enough, there was plenty up there.

Our first stop was Ait Ben Haddou, which is a ksar, or fortified village and a UNESCO site. You might recognize it from Game of Thrones.

The village is largely uninhabited, but there are some families still living in the old clay brick houses. The oldest part is from the 17th century. We found it to be incredibly interesting, but VERY touristy. For instance, it is free to enter, but if you happen to cross the river and don’t take the bridge, someone will try to hustle you for 10 Dh to see the inside of her house, saying that is the only way to enter the village. So, we went back across the river and took the main bridge to avoid this character.

At the top of the village is the old granary, which has excellent views, but staying vertical was nearly impossible due to the wind.

While Ait Ben Haddou was interesting to see, it is very small and we spent a little over an hour there, before getting back in the car and working our way towards the Todra Gorge.

With walls 160 meters (525 ft) tall and an opening slinking to 10 meters (33 ft) wide, the Todra Gorge is really a sight to see. We arrived just before sunset, but the red of the canyon was still striking in the shade. We opted to stay right next to the gorge, so that we could easily check it out again in the morning, in different light. A request from my photographer, of course. It is a popular place for climbers, but having no interest in dangling from little ropes over sharp rocks, we just used it as a stopover to the desert.

The last stretch before the desert was probably the one with the most contrast. We went from vertical walls of rock to mountains of sand, punctuated with palm tree oases in between.

We arrived in Hassilabied a bit early, as the roads were empty and smooth. Hassilabied is near Merzouga, which is the more well-known town for seeing the dunes here. I was hoping to visit the nearby lakes to see flamingos, but was informed that it hadn’t rained in two years, so well, there wasn’t any water, or flamingos. So we went exploring and found a small palmery along the desert and not much else.

After a welcome tajine lunch, we suited up in our head scarves and were assigned camels. Mine was named Jimmy Hendrix and proved to be a bit aloof, despite me bribing him with bread.

We rode about an hour and a half into the desert of Erg Chebbi, which features a dune about 150 meters tall (492 ft).

We made it to our camp in the late afternoon and were pretty impressed with our accommodation, except that the light in our tent didn’t work very well. There were a circle of lined tents to keep out the wind and sand, a round dining area and even a latrine. Much fancier than I expected, though if we had paid an arm and leg more, we could have had a shower too, but that was a different camp.

We spent our downtime sandboarding, playing cards and wandering the dunes.

We felt one night in the desert wasn’t going to be enough, so opted for a two night stay. This turned out perfect, as we were prepared for some downtime and needed a day off from driving. Though riding in the car was significantly more comfortable than riding the camels. We woke up at 6 to see the sunrise and then had a big breakfast before taking the camels further into the desert. We left the camels and our guide at a base camp and climbed the tallest dune, so that we could see Algeria, which was only a few kilometers away.

The border to Algeria is closed now, but you can still get a nice view.

We descended and had lunch at the other camp. We stayed there all afternoon because it was quite hot. Meanwhile, Jimmy Hendrix wandered off and it took our guide an hour to find him. Finding a camel in the desert seems to involve standing on the tallest, nearest dune and waiting for the camel to come into sight. Very high tech. We jokingly told the guide they need to get GPS trackers for the camels.

On the second morning, we once again got up for the sunrise, but it was cloudier. We returned to town, showered, though the power was out, and had breakfast.

Next stop, north through the Ziz Valley to Midelt.

Morocco

12 Day Morocco Road Trip

April 16, 2017 somuchtravel 1 Comment

More detailed blogs are coming, complete with the infamous Riki photos (of which there are 4,000 to go through). But for now, here is our trip report from our 12 day journey in Morocco. Check out 15 Tips for a Morocco Road trip as well.

We flew in and out of Marrakech, but this could be done from Casablanca as well, or even starting in Marrakech and ending in Fes (with a one-way rental).

12 Days in Morocco Itinerary (Short Version)

Arrive in Marrakech.
Explore Marrakech.
Drive 4 hours to Ait Ben Haddou. 2 hour visit with lunch. Drive 3.5 hours to Todra Gorge.
Drive 3 hours to Hassilabied (Merzouga). 1.5 hours on camel to camp.
Camel ride and climb Erg Chebbi dunes.
Camels back to Hassilabied. 4 hour drive to Midelt. Stop in Rissani to see kasbahs. Amazing views of Ziz valley. Stop at Source Bleu in Meski.
3.5 hour drive to Fes. Drive through cedar forest near Azrou with Barbary monkeys. Stop at Dayet Aaoua lake.
Explore Fes.
Explore Fes.
Drive 1.5 hours to Volubilis. 2 hours visiting site. 45 minute drive to Meknes.
Drive 2.5 hours to Mohammedia for lunch. Drive 3 hours to return car at Marrakech airport.
Last minute shopping and return to Marrakech airport.

12 Day Morocco Trip Report

Day 1: Arrive in Marrakech late morning. Bus #19 (20 Dh low season, 30 Dh high season) to Jemaa el-Fnaa. Walk to Riad dar Nael (270 Dh/night plus city tax, incl. breakfast) in Medina. Explore souks. Visit El Badi (10 Dh).

Day 2: Ben Joussef Medersa (20 Dh) to see amazing tilework and student dorms. Visit Ensemble Artisanal for handicraft market with fixed prices. Explored Kasbah neighborhood and went to El Bahia Palace (10 Dh). Bus from Jemaa el_Fnaa to Gueliz area (new part). Walked back. Ate at stall #1 on Jemaa el_Fnaa (90 Dh for 12 sticks of meat and vegetable couscous).

Day 3: Bus #19 back to airport to pick up rental car (Hertz via Holidayautos for $139 (1400 Dh) for 9 days, mini). Drive 4 hours to Ait Ben Haddou. Visit ksar and climb to top (free). Drive 3.5 hours to Todra Gorge. 7 police checkpoints. Check in to Auberges Cavaliers (190 Dh room, 100 Dh dinner, 50 Dh breakfast).

Day 4: Drive 3 hours to Hassilabied (Merzouga). 3 police checkpoints. Leave bags at Camels House (375 Dh/night in tent incl camel transport and all food/water). 1.5 hours on camel to camp.

Day 5: Sunrise in the desert. 1 hour on camels to base of Erg Chebbi dunes. Climb dunes. Lunch at other camp. Return to our camp for sunset.

Day 6: Sunrise in the desert. Camels back to Hassilabied for breakfast and shower. 4 hour drive to Midelt. Stop in Rissani to see kasbahs. Amazing views of Ziz valley. Stop at Source Bleu in Meski (5 Dh). 4 police checkpoints. Overnight at Riad Villa Midelt (350 Dh incl breakfast).

Day 7: 3.5 hour drive to Fes. Drive through cedar forest near Azrou with Barbary monkeys. Stop at Dayet Aaoua lake, but its half dry and has few birds. Arrive in Fes and park at Ain Azliten (30 Dh/night). 3 police checkpoints. 3 minute walk to Fez Dar (215 Dh/night plus city tax, incl breakfast). Nejjarine Museum right before closing (20 Dh) for woodworking exhibit and terrace views.

Day 8: Early to Medersa Bou Inania (20 Dh). Explored medina and souks. Medersa Attarine (20 Dh). Art shopping at Galerie Yessari. Through Jnane sbile park to Mellah, the Jewish quarter.

Day 9: El Batha Museum (10 Dh) to see handicraft antiques. Chouwara tanneries from viewpoint above (10 Dh to the door guy just to look – no shopping). Walked in El Andalus area and up to Bab Guissa and Merenide tombs (free).

Day 10: Drive 1.5 hours to Roman ruins at Volubilis and museum (10 Dh). 2 hours visiting site. 45 minute drive to Meknes. 1 police checkpoint. Parking at Place Lalla Aouda (20 Dh/night to parking attendant). Short walk to Riad ma Boheme (200 Dh plus city tax incl. breakfast). Explored souks and silverworks.

Day 11: Drive 2.5 hours to Mohammedia for lunch near beach. 2 police checkpoints. Drive 3 hours to return car at Marrakech airport (159 Dh in tolls). Bus #19 back to Jemaa el-Fnaa. Walk to Riad Riva (215 Dh plus city taxes, incl. breakfast). Wander souks and leisurely dinner.

Day 12: Last minute shopping. 40 Dh taxi to the airport. Bus price went up April 1 to 30 Dh / 3 Euro each. Long lines at airport and passport control.

Car and Gas: Fiat Punto, approx 700 Dh / $70 in diesel (not incl. $10 scam), unleaded was about 1 Dh/L more expensive (~9.50 Dh vs 10.50 per liter, March 2017)

Total distance: 1650 km / 1025 miles

Total hours: ~26 hours, with plenty of photo stops

Tolls: 6, all between Meknes and Marrakech, 159 Dh / $15.80

Police checkpoints: 20, most in the south, stopped at 0

Morocco and swiss — Outline of Switzerland inside our Morocco route

Map available here : 9 day road trip

More tips here: 15 Tips for a Morocco Road trip

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12 Days in Morocco Itinerary (Short Version)

12 Day Morocco Trip Report

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so much.