This is a second day of out Moroccan

Trip. We landed in agadir on 19th December '09. Miracourosly my BF got visa. We' ve been desperated for last 3 weeks when we didn't have a clue either we were going together or separately - I mean only myself. Thanks to my BF determination we otteined what we were aiming for. Agadir wasn't anything special. It was very sad and rainy day and we were recovering after trip and the whole night area's exploration in order to find our sindibad hotel. We've been dropped by red taxi driver in the right place, but we haven't realised it until we spent a half night by wandering around the Atlantic coast to finally get where we've already been a couple if hours earlier. We had got a rubish tanjin fish breakfast to began our first day journey but eventually we progressed during the dinner at a little local place which served very nice chicken tanjin. We took a night bus from Agadir to Essaouira and we arrived in the middle of nigh to a 'little picture' town called by Essaouira.

it's located in the heart of medina and the bad and breakfast is such a chairfull pace in tipiccal Moroccan style. The windows are opened into the cotyard, so we are living in a little stincky whole but the interia design is beautiful. There is a lot of characteristic for Morocco different colours and shapes lampes, lots of arcs, pillows, nice oak wooden tables and cauches...as usul I couldn't sleep, it's such a windy place that you can hear the doors and windows hitting the walls. However I don't think this is disturbant. The luck of fresh air might be the mane reason. If I don't have a fresh air access I become very paranoic and alert. It's 21st of December and after I got up at 5.30am I read, practiced yoga, wrote my diary and ate a very nice breakfast made of pancackes, tasty baguette, honey, marmelate, eggs and coffee. Now we are ready to go and explore the local area.

22nd December '09

Yesterday we carried on exploaeing the local medina, Jewish quarter, a bit of sea side. It was windy, rainy and cold. Aparently befor we arrived the weather was wonderful. But we can not have everything. We went for a local lunch the liver in pita bread then cefir and pastery desert. We had got a few hours afternoon nap to recharge the batteries. We procceded the rest of the evening by trying local kebab and harira soup in a snack bar. There are different type of locals here such as caffes, snack bars, restaurants. Basicly like in the whole world they variates by different food quality and price. Today looks like the rain stoped but aparently not for long. We are going to book the casablacas tickets and to fish Market.

23 december '09

After the whole night of very uncomfortable trip on the bus from Essaouira we arrived in Casablanca. We got at 5 am to a wrong hotel, instead of hotel central and ended up in hotel du centre. It wasn't a big problem to walk a little while in the middle of the rain. We've got used to such a weather as day by day doesn't change. We only can hope that the whole journey will be full of excitment and adventure. I can not stop myself from trying every cuisine speciality. I recon I have to stop eating bread which is fAntastic - reminds me of my homeland. We were lucky that we checked in the hotel at 6am, had got a nice few hours nap and free breakfast. Usualy we arrive to each place in the middle of the night. This time we managed opposite. We explored the military navy harbour next to our hotel, only from outside as we weren't allowed in. We went to the fish harbour instead and as usual I couldn't resist and order shrimps tarjin made of scramble eggs and tomato sause and of course shrimps. It wasn't enough even if I was stuffed we ordered grilled sardines which were also delicoius, grilled pita bread was an excelent side dish. Then we came back to our lovely hotel to have a few hours evening nap. The hotel is located in the middle of medina - local Market in the front of the biggest African harbour in Casablanca and in the centre of the city. We' ve got all the accomodation booked in advance because of obviouse reason - yaroslav wouldn't get otherwise visa. It was hard to get it anyway but he used his parsuasion skills and eventualy he's got on the same plane as me. Anyway our accomodation is of the middle class I would say that for moroccan standard is quite high standard. The central hotel in Casablanca is the best one so far. In Esaouira we also stayed in charmful one but unfortunately without the windows. We couldn't breath there properly. Last night we were supposed to chill out at home andso we did untill after my yoga practice I became suddenly hungry. We walked out and there was not much going on on the street but we found a nice local - family restaurant with the ball of the harira (beans and vegs) soup and cottaege cheese and honey pancake. It was really nice.

24th December '09

Today we explored a modern part of Casablanca beganing from the biggest new mosque in Africa. It seats on the coast of the Atlantic ocean and it's enormously beautiful. While we were sitting outside I kissed yaroslav like I would kiss my mum and it provocked some issue from the military guards. We had got an argument about it even if I think it was pointless as I didn't dusrispect anyone. I definitely don't feet in the Muslim tradition. We went to villa de arts to see the contemporary exhibition by Nisa Chevenement. She scalpures different objects shapes such as boats, bourses, camels, towers of humans in bronze. It was pritty impressive how her brain works. We got back to the hotel and had got a bear with snales, olives and pinuts. Some mint tea as usual and cakes we bought earlir. It's a time to call my family and wish them merry xmas.

25th December '09

We are on the way from Casablanca to Fes-the acient city, aparently the oldest one in the world. We are on the train with locals and Australian turists who just arrived to Casablanca and they travel to Fez. The train is really packed but we managed to have spare seats. The locals took care of us. It's a Xmas day and we keep traveling and socialising with people. Yesterday was a bit of tension because of religious issues as well as political. Today is much more relaxed and familiar. I don't feel any pressier from the surroundings. We had last meal in Casablanca - cuscus at local familys restaurant. It was served with yogurt. It's their lunch Fridays festive dish. It's based on chicken stock with boiled vegs and curry. It was very deliscius. I am happy that we left new Casablanca which for me It's not any more the real Morocco. We went to a nice area today the justice palace with a nice architecture and gardens arround. It's very big difference beteen the developed and underdeveloped areas.

29th December '09

We are in Marakech and we've experiened first robbery. We had got such an amasing time in Fes and in here that we could have never expected someone raping of us money. My Bf bought today neclests for his mum and sister made of corals and turquoise. We didn't know any other prices beacause we didn't check it. He overpaid ten times according to the prices we checked later on. Until now we were doing prity well but this time we failed. I wasn't convinced about his purchase but I couldn't stop him from buying a present for his family. So I didn't say a world. We always learn from our own mistakes. We just lost the money of london-morocco return flight ticket value but who cares...

Coming back to Fez it was such an experience. We made one little mistake of hiring the useless tour guide around the medina. It wasn't our idea of taking such a guy who charged us more than usual 300 dirhams instead of 200 (20eur). We had got such a good oportunity of taking the apropriate guid recomended initialy by the tour guid we met on the train Casablanca-Fez but somene has made us to change our mind and unvolontary we took the bastardo guid dreassed in black leather coat and had got nicely tide up her by gel. You can imagine you are in the midle of the oldest acient place in Africa - Moroco and you are toured by the most modern and stupid guid. Eventualy we forgot about such an impleasant incident after we met a local barberian guy who was born in Fez and lived there for hole his life. While we were eating a local harira beans soup in the local little restaurant we started talking to the guy sitting next to us. Then we met him few more times on the way arround the medina during food degustation like fabiousle potato pankakes. We asked him for a good local place for yougurt and finaly he invited us to his acient 14th century riad in the middle of Fez's medina. It was amazing to experience being a part of unreconstructed old Moroccan riad such his house which Is worth 300 000 £. He lives with his wife and sister on the ground flour. The higher rooms are takin by the tourists. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by the hudge rooms made of bed room and leaving room in one. He invited us for a mint tea and his sister - Fatima offered us deliscious home made coco cackes. We spent with our friend the whole afternoon by woundering around the Market. My BF bought silver tea pot, suger container and tray. I took a little present for my family such as miniature of what he bought. I am wondering how we are going to transfer it to the UK concidering that we've got only a hand laguage. It will all cost us 100£ plus I don't want even mention 160£ of corrals and turquoise. We definitely saved money on food by eating with locals by spending 10£ a day instead of 25£ for both of us. If you ever dicide going to morocco be aware that whoever offer you the price you need to reduced it by 35 times. Some of the middle east traders are very well trained by life much better than western bussimens with deegrees. For your own knowladge the turquise necless cost 150dm - 15 eur instead of 2000dm-200eur. It's a very common thing to be robbed here like it happaned to us. Yesterday 29th December '09 we went to visit the medersa ben youssef mosque and the marakech museum. Today 30th december we are going to hammam -the Moroccan bath. We've got a breakfast (bread with honey and coffee on the roof of our riad-it's the nicest place here where everything is humide and dearty. It's an Arabic family's activity and they have no clue how to mantain the cleanless.

1st January '10

Here we are. Last night we wellcomed a new year of 2010. We didn't manage to go to a good restaurant as it was already the new years id celebration and all the dinners were at the price with a set menu. The coast was almost the same as in the UK would be. Around 100-500£ per person. For the whole stay in Morocco we've been eating exclusively on the streets may be with only one exseption when we ate in Moroccan restaurant in Casablanca. We bought the champagne and wine and we drank it on the main square bal ony of the hotel de France. We met few people earlier so we celebrated with them. Th that night wasn't special and didn't leave any goodmemories. Day before we went to the hamman for a scrub massage. I knew what I could have excpeceted after my previous experience in Turkey so I was ok with this animalesque human being treatment but my BF wasn't very happy. It wasn't a clean place and all women were lying on the floor like the pigs. Someone must have got a period because there was a paper scrolling down the floor with the water. In changing room was the blood on the floor. I thought that I was going to through out.