The 8 hour train journey from Fes to Marrakesh took us over a very contrasting land. It has sweeping fertile plains, rugged mountains, coast, barren desert where the Berber peple have built compounds from packed mud and straw. Amazingly the farmers of Morocco have managed to grow crops amongst the rocky outcrops in what looks like our stony outback desert. There are so many eucalyptus trees you would think that they are native to this country. So much rubbish li...

Morocco has not disappointed - well once we left Casablanca that is. It is an amazing country, in some ways the landscape reminds us of Australia- big wide open spaces, heaps of native Australian plants growing wild - gum trees, wattle, grevillea robusta- thanks mum ( silky oak). In most other ways it is so different. We have learnt a lot of history - particularly Islamic history as Islam is not only a religion but an identity of most Moroccans- as one guide sa...

Casablanca, why is it such a magical name? Mystery and beauty is what I have always associated with the name, the mystery is why that is so. It is a very dirty, messy, ugly city. The medina( old city/market) was interesting and we found a few good things- a couple of pairs of typical moroccan shoes cheap and quite good quality. There were some very friendly people in there too. But overall it isn't a nice city at all. Tonight we meet our tour guide and the res...