Switzerland 2006

It’s raining in Morocco …
without even having to check, I know it means the following:

Taxi drivers will not be on the road for a while
The trains will probably not be running since the tracks will have water
The ferry from Tangiers to Tarifa/Algiceras will not be running or will be delayed
Finding a bus to take you anywhere will be a bit more difficult.
Electricity will probably be [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Since I live here now … I might as well take things slowly …
I can’t seem to escape Morocco. Everytime I plan to leave, there is some other gorgeous place that I have to visit and of course I don’t have unlimited vacation to travel the world, nor I am independently wealthy living off my parent’s trust fund.
I thought I would blog this afternoon about my lunch. Nothing fancy, just a platter of [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Knowledge sharing and life story swapping in Asilah …
Everyday on the road, offers so many opportunities:

Being in a different place, raises your awareness about your surroundings
Different places offer different scents, customs, culture and food
Everyone you meet, offers a different perspective on the shared existence that we are all a part of. We all have a story, and every story is interesting, glorious and tragic in its own right.

Today in [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Getting from Marrakech to Asilah
Every day on the road, can’t be wonderful news experiences, great stories and picturesque backgrounds that should appear in travel magazines. Getting from Casablanca to Asilah has now become a war of attrition, since I have re-discovered that if there is any significant rain in Morocco, it has the effect of paralyzing most modes of public transport. In Toronto, 2 [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Here’s looking at you, kid!
Casablanca is world famous because of a movie, nothing more, nothing less. I’ve never seen Casablanca, the movie, yet I was aware of two things : the movie and Rick’s Cafe. In traveling through Morocco for the past two weeks, it was almost unanimous amongst my Moroccan friends that my time would be best spent in the mountains, gorges, beach [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Daytripping from Marrakesh to Ourika Valley … Here’s what you should ask … Part Deux
Heading into the Ourika Valley is definitely a nice, short day trip from Marrakech. Like many other side trips from Marrakech, the scenery is spectacular and the contrasts are amazing. The Ourika Valley spreads between the first foothills of the Atlas Mountains, extending along the Wadi River. Despite it being so close to Marrakech, this beautiful green valley is one [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Some bridges aren’t meant to be crossed
I do crazy things all the time … or seemingly crazy things all the time, but crossing swinging bridges should really never be one of them

Note the gaps in the bridge and the “planks”

One could say that the Berbers cross these bridges all the time and that they never seem to be in mortal danger with these bridges or the fact [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Getting on like a Wajang in Ourika Valley …
<Me … in full Wajang mode> What the hell is dis shit? Wha’ yuh mean that it cold, and the other people don’t wanna climb to the waterfall? Which part of my problem is dat? I paid for ah tour, and the highlight of today’s tour was climbing the waterfall, otherwise you all taking to me some shithole Berber village [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Gendarmes in Morocco don’t react well to sarcasm …
So another thing you learn in a Muslim country is that the appearance of doing something is as important as actually doing something. Hence one of the customs I knew about in Muslim countries is that taking pictures of the mosques and military establishments are prohibited. One has to ask permission to take pictures first before doing so.
However [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Daytripping from Marrakesh … here’s what you should ask …
Stories of Morocco always include the Souks of Fez and the pulsating rhythms and energy of the Djemma el Fna but they don’t stress of overall beauty of the Morocco, especially when any walk outside Marrakesh has the backdrop of the snow capped Atlas Mountains.

Walking through the Djemma, there were tour companies that advertised available day trips and of the [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Djellaba Power!
The best purchase I have made on my Moroccan trip so far is my Black and Gold Djellaba, in fact, it ranks as one of the most useful travel purchases ever for me. Why does rocking a Djellaba for a Trini make sense?

Moroccans are instantly impressed that you are wearing a Djellaba, especially if it is a nice one.
It is [click here or on the picture to read the article]
What to actually look for in Marrakech … forget the Palaces and Tombs
For the past three days, I have been doing things in reverse. By meeting up with two great guys from the local Couchsurfing network, Mohammed and Houssam, I have been shown a side of Marrakech that the tourists don’t generally see right away and they have provided me with some first hand local knowledge that I could access without spending more [click here or on the picture to read the article]
More Moroccan belly time … Part Trois
Oye, lemme get a Kafta Tajine, Coke and some pepper sauce, and allyuh put some pepper in the god damn tajine nah, like what ah have to do to get some peppah in meh food? Allah, ent putting none for me in there yuh know.
This is what I would like to say to a Marrakhi, but there are some fundamental [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Duck and cover …
To Hammam or not to Hammam …
Today was one of those traveling days, where you’re tired, cranky and suffering from a bit of travel fatigue … you’re set in one of the most fabulous and mysterious cities in the world and yet all you can think about, is watching Sportscenter and eating chips in your home. So I decided to listen to my body and take [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Lawd, meh belly can’t take it no more … Djemaa el Fna food touring at night … Part Deux
“Lawd … meh belly full … ah cyar eat no more … but ok … one more piece. <Two minutes later>…. aight, aight … gimme ah small plate of <insert food item here>”
Trinidadians love their bellies. It’s part of our culture, it’s part of our heritage and part of what makes a Trini, a Trini. After a second night in [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Is ah concrete pitch party at the Djemaa el Fna …
“Holy shit, is like dey close down the Savannah, pave it, and put the all the Debe doubles vendors, the Breakfast Shed, Shay Shey Tien and he 50 Chinee cousins, and have Machel and David Rudder singing easy kaiso and soca at the same time … they have to have some blasted corn soup in here”

There has been much written [click here or on the picture to read the article]
You’re in Fez … spend a little money on a Riad
Hotels are a dime a dozen and offer conditions that are officially ranked, reviewed, regurgitated and inevitably catalogued. If in Fez/Marrakech/Essaouira, try staying a Riad.
The definition of a Riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden. But they are so much more than that. The riads are inwardly focused, which allows for family privacy and protection [click here or on the picture to read the article]
More Moroccan culinary artistry, smelly tanneries and Fassian Carpetbaggers
Walking through Fez is like watching an old movie from my childhood. I remember the biblical epics starring Charlton Heston, Kirk Douglas and Lawrence Olivier, with the backgrounds of tiny streets, tons of busy people, laughing children, layered aromas of manure, kafta kebabs, mer and incense complete with donkeys wandering around. Well walking today was no different from those scenes, except that the donkeys are carrying LPG [click here or on the picture to read the article]
Arabian … ahem … Moroccan nights in Fez
There is a reason that cliches are called cliches.
Typically, all the guide books mention that you should not make friends on the trains, because you’re likely to meet a smooth talking Moroccan on the trains claiming to be very well to do, with a good job. They get into easy conversation with you about your job, family, the country you’re [click here or on the picture to read the article]

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You CAN go up the Matterhorn with only a vest and no sleeves …

Switzerland 2006 No Responses »

Feb 122010

provided that the following conditions are met :

One has ample insulation to buffer cold temperatures
One doesn’t mind answering questions about the cold
One had large arms to dissuade people from asking questions about the cold
It is a sunny day with no wind on top of the Matterhorn

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Walking through Zermatt is an experience and a cliche all in one. Seeing the Swiss styled houses with the characteristic roof set against the mountain ensures great picture taking

Zermatt itself is a town that exists for the winter season with the tiny shops and small roadways.

After taking the cablecar up all the way, as long as there are no clouds, you’re guaranteed phenomenal pictures … unfortunately, it was a cloudy day.

Zermatt and Brig

View photos at SmugMug

Moping around in Zurich

2006, Switzerland 2006 No Responses »

Jun 062006

So after losing my camera in the post Germany v Poland match festivities, I decided to head off to Zurich on the train. My handy rail ticket definitely helped out here. German Rail just impresses me every single time I travel on it. At the Zurich train station