I get less attention than the strays…

Ha Ha…I think Dan misses our kitties, or maybe he just really likes cats.

I decided to do a post showcasing some of Dans cat pictures that he has snapped while on this trip.  They are numerous.  I turn around, Dan is taking a picture of a cat.  I hear him say “awe” and I know he is looking at a cat.  Maybe a crazy cat women reborn into a crazy cat man.  Dunno.

Cat on some island in Malaysia.  Dan loved her ‘cause she looks like our kitties :)

Cat in Thailand.  Dan also loved her ‘cause she looked like Cairo- one of our kitties.

We were in Luang Prabang, Laos when Dan spotted this cat, playing with a lizard.  Poor lizard.  I had to watch this gruesome sight for close to an hour.

Cats in 4000 island, Laos.  Why do we always have cats around us?

OK- this kitten was adorable.  She was quite the character and offered hours of entertainment on Phu Quoc, Vietnam.  Dunno if you remember the post with the baby monkey?  Well, they were friends.

I have no idea about this cat….I don’t think we met.

Dan still talks about this picture.  He is really proud of it.

Awe.  Ok, I loved this little cutie in Dahab, Egypt.  I might have suggested Dan take a photo of her.

A kittie sleeping on Dan’s shoe while we were eating in Dahab.  Cute.

Cat Mummies at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. 

A friends cat in Cairo.  Dan literally took 10 pictures or more of this one.

A cat at a Mosque in Fes, Morocco.

This Momma cat was so adorable.  She brought back a whole sardine to her small kitten.  Marrakech Medina, Morocco.

Last but not least, a cute kitty at Dades Gorge, Morocco.

Ha Ha Dan, I love you even if you are a crazy cat man.

(Dan: I don’t need to explain myself… Jesse understands!)

All I Want for Christmas…

So, it’s that time of year again and for the first time in my life, I am away from home.  I know, everyone must miss me terribly, so, if you really, really love me, you could fund my much deserved Christmas list ;)…here it is….
Santa could I have:

Shoes and boots.  Made right here in Morocco.  Not necessarily these ones- don’t worry- just send cash and I can find the ones that I like.  I’m thinking a pair of black leather flats, grey ankle boots, and beige flats with lace pattern cut out.  Hmmm, maybe a pair of converse kicks just to make it an even four.

Oh, I am also in the market for a new purse.  A black one, a brown one, a large travel case, and maybe an orange one too.  Oh, and while you’re there, you could always get me a brown braided leather belt and a flat black one… It could be tricky to find a belt buckle that I like, so again, cash money would be OK too.

OH jewellery.  Aside from shoes, this is my weakness.  I want a silver camel ring, a couple silver cuffs, and maybe some leather ones too.  Also, the necklaces are nice here.  I would like to mention that I got yelled at by the stand owner for taking this picture.  He was crazy and mean.

I also want an orange tree to call my own.  Just a small one would do just fine.

 Access to unlimited natural remedies would be much appreciated.  Pumice, rose, indigo, henna, bark, green tea….I could get a separate list for you if that’s easier.

Spices….oh my.  Please oh please, hook me up with some spices.

Potions….I NEED…. also someone that knows how to whip them up for me… Oh, and a fortune teller. And while we’re on the subject, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II on Blu-Ray.  :)

Textiles to dress up my housing arrangements….

Scarves to go with every outfit in my wardrobe.

I want to be able to continue to enjoy a jar of olives a day and sweets after dinner and not gain any more weight please….it’s just not fair.

Some romantic, mysterious brass lamps.  Please.

A chameleon.  I don’t know exactly what I would do with a chameleon but I think I can give it a better life at home with me.  Can I have a baby one though?… Please?

And last but not least, A PALACE.  There are so many around this part of the world and no one is living in them.  Surely you can work something out.  Besides, I need somewhere to put all my textiles, scarves, handbags, herbs and spices, lamps, pillows, jewels, orange trees my chameleon and also, I forgot, my small pet camel.

Alright, all joking aside.  Yes, Morocco is tempting unlike any other destination on our trip but really all I want for Christmas is to Skype with my family and friends, enjoy a bottle of wine with my Hubby and maybe just one pair of shoes :)

Morocco… Is Awesome!!

After our not-so-brief stop over in the desert, we headed out to the mountain gorges to do some hiking and climbing.  Oh man, I didn’t anticipate that I would fall in love with yet another region in Morocco.  The views, the hikes, the fresh air, the food and the peace and quiet had me hooked. 

The view of the valley from our guesthouse. Ah, the valley was so beautiful, so peaceful and picturesque.  At night we would wrap ourselves in blankets, take a seat on the rooftop terrace and watch the millions of crystal clear stars in perfect, peaceful darkness.

Some sweet ass rocks.  I really enjoyed scrambling through the cliffs and canyons because the rocks surfaces were very, very grippy.  None of those slippery, sand covered cliffs we encountered in Jordan, or the loose treacherous shale rocks in the Okanagan. It made for more sure-footedness which allowed us to hike up more difficult sections.

Dan and I checking out the view after a crazy rock scrambling escapade.
On the left, the valley, on the right- the rock formations called ‘Monkey Fingers’

River. Poplar trees. Oleander Bushes. Bliss.

  A snap on our trek of the Canyon. At this time of year it is not possible to hike through past this point, but during spring, summer and fall, it is easily hike-able with only a few required swims. Next time.

These are the hikes that I love.  A little scrambling, some valleys, and even a few waterfalls.  This waterfall was so beautiful and the water was clean and tasty as it flowed from an underground spring.

A nice fall day in the valley.  The Berber people use a combination of Poplar trees and bamboo to build the roofs of their houses.

An old Kasbah in one of the little villages within the gorge.  I can’t say that I knew what a Kasbah was until we came to Morocco.  Now I know what that song means ;)

Dan and I hitching a ride from our guesthouse in the gorge to Boumalne de Dades to catch the bus to the big city.  Yes Moms, hitching is the norm out here and as such, it is safe and easy.

This snap was taken through the window of the bus on our way from Boumalne to Marrakech.  Lovely, I know but I didn’t think that I would encounter Laos-like roads in Morocco.  Of course, like any other bus trip we have taken, there was more than one person heaving, but I had no problem happily looking out the window at the scenery…until.  Not half an hour after saying “ I don’t get car sickness” did I find myself feeling nauseous as our large bus weaved and wound through narrow, snaking mountain roads.  It was like a carnival ride, the bus windows were large and clean and allowed me a un-obscured, uninterrupted view of the horrendous, gruesome death that awaited me just over the cliff edge if the driver turned the wheel just slightly the wrong way.  The stress took 5 years off my life.

Camping in the Dunes

Ah man, Dan and I are in the best place right now, I love it!
After spending some time in rather large cities, we needed an escape, so we headed out to Merzouga, a tiny town with views of the desert sand dunes, just north of the border with Algeria.  Now that we are here, I am having a hard time coping with the idea that we must leave.  I like it here, it’s quiet here :)  Aside from being tiny, quiet and beautiful, it is a perfect jumping off point for some camel treks into the desert.  I could hardly wait to set out.  I literally have been looking forward to a desert camel trek since we started our trip and finally I was able to have it.
Dan and I set out for a two night camel safari, with our Berber guide Mubarak.  We were a little apprehensive considering we have no warm clothes to speak of, other than a hoodie each.  Would it snow, or dip below zero?  Hmmmm, is a freezing cold sand storm worse than a blizzard? Without warm clothes, I think so…  Luckily, the weather was lovely, our camps were cozy and my camel was adorable.

Dan striking quite the pose :)  Nice Dan.  Here we are enjoying our lunch after spending a hour or so riding our camels over and into the sand dune desert.
(Dan: Yeah, that’s right, I’m sexy.)

Us on our camels :)  He He, so cute.  Mine had quite the personality.  I loved her.

Dan’s camel.  She had quite the bad ass nose ring.

A couple sweet dune snaps.  Unfortunately, they aren’t that photogenic but in real life they are so beautiful.  The colours, the shapes and the shadows are breathtaking and it is all magnified by perfect silence.

 

Our camp dinner.  Seriously, I like camping but I need to take a lesson from the Berber people- they know how to pitch a seriously cozy tent and make some rather epic camp stove dinners.

On day two, we made a stopover at a Berber Nomad camp in the Black Desert.  It still blows my mind just how people can decide to make a life in the middle of such a desolate place.

Me with a cute baby goat that found us in the desert after we stopped for lunch.   Aww! :)

A few more sand shots.  After a couple of days riding Dan’s bottom was a little tender.  Poor Danny… And you made fun of my Aladdin pants.
(Dan: My camel was getting grumpy carrying my around. She needed a break!)

On day two, we decided to hike to the top of one of the largest sand dunes in the desert for a panoramic sunset view.  Man alive, climbing a sand dune is the hardest exercise I have ever done.  Two steps forward, one step back.  In the end, it paid off.  We felt as if we were on top of the world.

A snap from the black desert with the sand dunes on the horizon.

He He, Danny looking not all that impressed as he had to wake up bright and early to catch the sunrise.
(Dan: It was freezing… Would you be impressed before you’d had your coffee?)