Dr. Peter J. Shield Ph.D. ARP - Featured Travel Contributor

Jeff and Orville (Bob Hope and Bing Crosby) are on board an Ocean Liner when disaster hits and the ship sinks! The result, as could only happen in a Bob and Bing 'Road' movie is that they are eventually washed up and on the road to Morocco.

My arrival was hardly that dramatic.

Our Moroccan Diner in our tent at "Fantasia" Credit: Dr.Peter J. Shield PhD © Dr.Peter J. Shield PhD

I was holidaying on the Spanish Costa del Sol when I received a telephone call from a colleague in Marrakech. They wanted my input on a project they were developing. I have been a consultant to the resort sales and development industry for the last 19 years.(http://picturethedifference.com )

My friend offered to fly my wife and myself to Marrakech, Morocco for a week as their guest.

And so it was we arrived at the airport and were met by my friend for the drive to our Hotel.

If by any chance you have the opportunity to visit this remarkable city, explore the accommodation provided by the traditional Moroccan Guest House. Many of these are private traditional Moroccan Villas and are spectacular to say the least. British millionaire Richard Branson I am told owns one, though I hardly expect it is up for rent!

There is no question in my mind that the two most outstanding locations of the many we visited were the Place Djemma El-Fna and the Moroccan "Fantasia".

The Place Djemma El-Fna is a remarkable market square that defies description. It is nothing like anything I have seen anywhere in the world that I have traveled, and I have had the pleasure over my 70 odd years of visiting over 25 countries.

It is an open air restaurant, it is a palace of variety entertainment, it is a miniature zoo, it is "Ripley's Believe it or Not" live and in one place! We bought bargains galore, ate exotic foods of every description, got tattooed and totally mesmerized by everything around us. For those of you who fear the dangers of foreign travel have no fear; these are the friendliest people in the world. At no time during our week long visit did we feel endangered or threatened in any way.

The "Fantasia" was a night of sheer magic. We were transported back in time . Our host drove us to the outskirts of Marrakesh where we were welcomed with traditional ceremony befitting visiting Royalty. Native singers and dancers chanted as we were led to our Maharajahs tent where we were served a delicious traditional meal as the folk singers serenaded us. No sooner were we finished our opulent feast than we were ushered to a grandstand front seat to witness the "Fantasia" This tradition involves a 'mad furious' race involving remarkably skilled horsemen who charge full pelt directly at us with long slender rifles whirling above their heads and shouting at the top of their lungs!

All of a sudden the riders lean out of their saddles seemingly defying the laws of gravity - and the air is filled with shots and flashes and explosions everywhere! Nor will we ever forget the amazing 'Berber' horses. These strong animals carry their riders at full speed criss-crossing each other as they thunder toward us.

I was able to trade my wife for two goats and a camel on our way to the parking lot - unfortunately they wouldn't fit in the overhead locker of our aircraft, so I had to decline.

Source: MysteriousMorocco.com

While it is true that the real adventurers never lose enthusiasm towards going places, we can not deny the fact that traveling is a strenuous activity that can rob us out of energy. An exotic destination such as the city of Marrakech in Morocco requires every traveler to be fueled not only with mere passion for travel, but also with a wellnourished mind and body. A simple rest and sleep in a Marrakech Riad are not enough to comfort a traveler's body drained out of energy and vigor. So, how do you fully restore power for your mind and body while inside a Marrakech Riad? The answer is only a sniff away.

Aromatherapy, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is a therapy using essential oils extracted from plant materials to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual health and balance. The extracted oils, which mostly came from fragrant flowers, are capable of bringing a calming and relaxing feeling that can relieve your body, mind, and soul from the stress and fatigue that any travel activity can bring. Do you know that some Marrakech Riad hammams are home to three rare kinds of essential oils that have many beneficial properties? If not, read on so you will know which essential oil your body needs at the moment:

1. Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil

 
The plant that gives out this essential oil can only be found in Morocco, particularly near the Atlas Mountain area, which explains the name. Atlas Cedarwood oil is clear so it mixes well with rose and cypress oils. It has a rich, woody, and longlasting aroma that makes it a favorite ingredient in high quality perfumes. It is proven to improve the circulation of the blood and can help prevent urinary diseases. People with oily skins can benefit from this essential oil because once applied, it regulates the production of sebum or the oily substance of our skin. Many satisfied Atlas Cedarwood essential oil consumers in Marrakech Riad hammams claim that the oil reduces anxiety and calms the mind.

2. Bay Essential Oil

Spain and Morocco are the top producers of this essential oil extracted from a plant which belongs to the family of Evergreen trees. It is also referred to as Sweet Bay and Laurel. This herb, which used to be a symbol of courage and wisdom during the Roman period, undergoes steam distillation for the extraction of the oil. Bay oil relieves muscle pain, rheumatism and other general body aches. People with thinning hair should take advantage of the special property of Bay oils that promote hair growth. If you are in a Marrakech Riad hammam, ask for the masseurs to give you a massage with this essential oil that comes with the sweet scent of YlangYlang or Juniper extracts. A pleasurable massage using the Bay oil will definitely prepare you for more exciting Marrakech travel adventures.

3. Argan Essential Oil

Southwest Morocco is the only place where you can find Argan, the tree which produces the fruit that gives out the precious Argan oil. If you are a skincare conscious traveler, it is recommended that you request the masseurs in your Marrakech Riad hammam to apply Argan essential oil on your skin because of its regenerative property; meaning it has the ability to reactivate cells that can make your skin look younger and healthy. Erase those unwanted wrinkles by applying a small amount of this vitamin Erich essential oil on your face. The refreshing smell of Argan oil is also a proven stressreliever.

You see, a Riad in Marrakech is not only a simple Moroccan accommodation. It can also be a place where you can get a soothing aromatherapy experience.

Racquel Balaoas is an inhouse writer for the online media company Intelligraph Corporation. She finds great pleasure in writing about her Morocco travel adventures. For more information on Marrakech Riad, visit http://www.moroccoemotions.com

Source: newsdx.com 

A mountain village steeped in myth, and its miraculous wedding ceremony, teach Tahir Shah the secret of love

If Morocco is a land of romance, then its heart is surely the remote Berber village of Imilchil - without doubt the most romantic place I have ever been. Nestled in the Atlas, it lies beyond the Gorge of Ziz, in a wild and unforgiving frontier of narrow passes and sweeping mountain vistas. Once each year, in September, a festival is held in which the young are permitted to choose a spouse for themselves. In a realm usually confined by tribal tradition, the would-be brides and grooms are free to pick whoever they wish to marry. Dressed in roughly woven black robes, jangling silver amulets and amber beads heavy around their necks, the girls stream down from their villages. There's a sense of frivolity, but one tempered with solemn apprehension as they approach the doorway to a new life.

Reaching the village square, they catch first sight of the grooms. All of them are dressed in white woollen robes, their heads bound tight with woven red turbans, their eyes darkened with antimony.

The betrothal festival owes its existence to a legend, itself a blend of love and tragedy - a kind of Moroccan Romeo and Juliet. The story goes that, forbidden to marry, a couple who hailed from feuding tribes drowned themselves in a pair of crystal-clear lakes called Isli and Tislit. (One version of the tale says the lakes in which they drowned were made from their tears.) So horrified were the local people at the loss that they commenced the annual festival. No one is quite sure when the tradition began, but everyone will tell you that the marriages which follow betrothal there are blessed in an almost magical way.

The first time I visited Imilchil, almost 20 years ago, I met a young couple, Hicham and Hasna. They had met, fallen in love and been betrothed all on the same morning. They were glowing, their cheeks flushed with expectation and new love. Last year, when I visited Imilchil again, I tracked down the pair. They look a little older now. Hicham's hair has thinned and his face is lined from a life outdoors tending his goats; and Hasna looks fatigued. But then she has given birth to six children, four of them boys. As we sat in the darkness of their home, a wooden shack clinging like a limpet to the mountainside, I asked them how the years had been.

Hicham looked across at Hasna, and smiled. "On that day all those years ago," he said, "I became the happiest man in all the world. And each day since has been conjured from sheer joy." He glanced at the floor. "Do you want to know our secret?" he asked me bashfully. I nodded. Hicham touched a hand to his heart. "To always remember the love of the first moment, the tingling feeling, the first time it touches you, and the first moment your hands touched."

A few days after leaving Hicham and Hasna at their home in Imilchil, I reached my own home overlooking the Atlantic, in Casablanca. As I stepped in the door, my two little children, Ariane and Timur, ran up and threw their arms around my neck. They asked where I'd been. I told them about the winding mountain roads, the Berber villages, and the Gorge of Ziz. "And what did you bring?" they asked both at once, straining to look sheepishly at the ground. "I brought you a secret," I said. "What is it, Baba?" "Always to remember the feeling of tingling love," I said.

Tahir Shah's latest book is In Arabian Nights (visit www.tahirshah.com for details). Fly with Royal Air Maroc from Heathrow to Casablanca from around £250, then from Casablanca to Fez from £60. From Fez it's a four-hour drive to Imilchil. Hotel Chez Bassou, Imilchil (www.chezbassou.com) has rooms from £13 half board. See www.visitmorocco.com

Source: guardian.co.uk

Donkeys transport cargo through twisting alleys and passersby talk on cellphones

By Daniel Drolet, For Ottawa Citizen; Canwest News Service
Source: MontrealGazette.com

FEZ, Morocco - In alleyways barely as wide as my outstretched arms, the city's bustle pushes past me in waves -- giggling schoolchildren chasing each other, veiled women on their way to market, wizened old men in traditional djellabas walking hand-in-hand, Moroccan style, and chatting.

Every minute or two, weary donkeys laden with cargo trot past, their masters yelling "Balik! Balik!" as a warning to get out of the way. I sometimes have to push myself flat against the walls of the houses to let them pass.

Thin shades pulled overtop of these labyrinthine alleyways keep out most of the sharp North African sun and create a dark, dappled place where the scent of orange blossoms mingles with the acrid smell of ammonia. Somewhere nearby, in a cubbyhole off the street, there is a schoolroom, and I can hear the angelic voices of children chanting their lessons. The sound of it is as sweet as honey.

For a moment I am disoriented, unsure not only of where I am, but also -- more strangely -- of when I am. Is this the 21st century?

A man talking on a cellphone walks past. I am not in the 13th century after all. I am in the medina of Fez, the ancient capital of Morocco. And Fez, like all of Morocco, is a strange mix of new and old, modern and traditional, cellphones and donkeys.

It's a mix the Moroccan government wants more Canadians to see. About 32,000 of us visited the country last year, says Abdelghani Ragala, Canadian director of the Moroccan National Tourist Office in Montreal. From Canada, the road to Morocco usually starts in Montreal. Royal Air Maroc offers direct flights from Montreal to Casablanca -- the only direct Canadian air connection to Africa. (There are also excellent connections through Paris.)

As my plane lands at Casablanca's Mohammed V Airport, I am struck that from the air, Morocco looks like Alberta: wide, fertile plains framed in the distance by the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas mountains. That Albertan impression remains as I travel the north of the country.

There are ski resorts in the High Atlas, and cool cedar forests with alpine architecture in the Middle Atlas, and broad plains elsewhere. The expressway between Fez and Rabat, the capital, is as modern as any Canadian highway.

Morocco is a California-sized country with a population equal to that of Canada. But unlike Canada, about half the population is rural. And most of the people are concentrated in the fertile area north of the High Atlas.



Northern Morocco is green and bountiful: In the markets I see strawberries lusher than any I had ever seen, along with oranges, artichokes and green peas in their pods, every manner of fresh herb, beans and grains, dates and apricots, nuts and figs, and mounds of spices.

Morocco's peoples are a mix of Arab and Berber, with black Africans in the south and smatterings of Jews and Christians. But it is an overwhelmingly Muslim and many mornings I woke up to the sound of the muezzin calling the faithful to early prayer.

But if the country looks like Alberta, it sounds like Quebec: French is universally used as a second language after Arabic, and virtually all signs are in both Arabic and French. The French connection dates from France's protectorate over Morocco from 1912 to 1956 and it remains strong.

For anyone visiting Morocco, there are three main attractions: the Sahara Desert in the south, the beaches near Agadir on the Atlantic, and the great cities of the north -- the imperial cities, as they are called here.

I was on a week-long tour of the imperial cities that took me to Marrakech, Fez, Meknes, Rabat and Casablanca. It was a circle tour of more than 1,500 kilometres, done in a group, with a guide and organized through a Montreal-based company. A number of tour companies offer similar visits. While it certainly is possible to travel on one's own, I would never in a million years have been able to find my way around the medinas -- the old Muslim quarters -- without a guide. The medinas are daunting mazes -- and the most fascinating things I saw.



The medina of Fez is the most amazing of all. Now a World Heritage Site, it is 1,200 years old and feels it. The buildings are too tightly packed for motorized transport. You visit on foot, and commerce moves on the backs of donkeys.

The most amazing of all the craft shops of Fez is the city's tannery. After being given branches of mint to wave under our noses for the smell, we are led up a narrow set of stairs to a shop full of leather goods. At the back of the shop is a balcony, and from the balcony is the most amazing sight.

At our feet, two storeys below, is a large open space filled with what look like dozens of over-sized children's paint pots. Each pot is filled with a liquid, and barelegged men stomp on hides in the liquids as if they are stomping on grapes. Some liquids are coloured, to dye the hides. Others are white. These, we are told, are filled with pigeon droppings. The ammonia from the droppings gets the hair off the hides. It also contributes largely to the smells wafting up.

On nearby roofs, other men spread the newly tanned leathers to dry. The sight is truly from another century.

As we leave the balcony, we pass back through the shop where all manner of leather goods are being sold. Would we like to buy something?

Moroccans are a commercial people, always intent, it seems, on selling, selling, selling. And at each craft shop we visit, we are urged to buy, buy, buy.

It is all part of the experience, but it is not always pleasant. That's because shopping is different in Morocco than Canada. With few exceptions, nothing wears a price tag. Every purchase is negotiated -- often at length. If you so much as glance at goods in a shop, you may be approached and asked to come in. In some cases, I was grabbed by the arm in the street and literally dragged toward a shop.

If you want the crafts without the hassle, most major cities have what is called an Ensemble Artisanal -- an "official" crafts store -- where the approach is more North American. And if you find the medinas too disorienting, most cities also have a European quarter with wide, car-filled streets and sidewalk cafes and tearooms selling a delightful assortment of pastries.

We ended our trip in fabled Marrakech, where all the buildings old and new are in the city's trademark ochre colour.

At day's end, we made our way to Jemaa el Fna Square, the heart of the city.

Imagine a market run by the Cirque du Soleil and you will begin to get an idea of Jemaa el Fna: Snake charmers, fortune tellers, monkeys and musicians share space with row upon row of open-air kiosks selling every kind of food imaginable, from boiled snails to roast lamb. And people! Everywhere, a crush of humanity, sightseers and locals, mixing in a roiling, jostling melange.

IF YOU GO

- Getting there: I flew Royal Air Maroc, which has regularly scheduled non-stop flights from Montreal to Casablanca several times a week. The flight lasts about 71/2 hours. For information, visit www.royalairmaroc.com/ or see a travel agent.

- Finding a tour: Call the Moroccan tourist office in Montreal at 514- 842-8112 or visit a travel agency. Expect a basic two-week tour -- one week in the imperial cities and the other on the beach -- to cost between $2,000 and $2,500 per person, which includes your flight and most meals.

But tour costs vary tremendously depending on what you do, when you go and what kind of accommodation you want.

- Money: The dirham, Morocco's currency, is not internationally traded so you can't change money here before you go. The easiest thing to do is use ATMs, of which there are plenty. Or you can change Canadian cash or travellers' cheques at banks and many hotels.

- Weather: Hot and dry, particularly in the summer. But it can also be cooler than you'd think, so bring something warm. And there is rain in winter.

- Dress: In the imperial cities, you will see people wearing a mix of western and traditional garb. Shorts are generally acceptable in tourist areas, but remember that this is a Muslim country.

- Accommodation: Major cities have European-style hotels. But if you want something more authentic look for a riad, a small hotel usually established in an old, renovated house.

- Language: Arabic is the official language, and French is widely used. English is common in major tourist areas.

- More: Consult the multilingual government website http://tourismmorocco.ca/ or call the Moroccan National Tourist Office in Montreal at 514-842-8112.

Source: MontrealGazette.com

Some hotels never go out of style: The Plaza, Ritz Paris, George V (also in Paris--notice a trend?). Now, you can add La Mamounia to that list. Like a moth to a flame, celebrities have been flocking to the newly restored oasis in Marrakech, which recently underwent a three-year renovation led by acclaimed interior designer Jacques Garcia.

Originally built in 1923 and named after its 200-year-old gardens (20 acres of them!), which were a wedding gift from an 18th century king to his son, the romantic and uber-luxurious hotel is a sumptuous example of sophistication and style. There's an ozone pool, clay tennis courts, a world-class salon, and plenty of dining options to keep you more than satisfied. And just take a look at the rooms.

 


How's that for living like a queen for a week? I've always wanted to go to Morocco, and now I just might. Plus, I'd be thrilled to stay in the place Winston Churchill called "the most lovely spot in the whole world." Are any of you considering it for your honeymoon?


Posted by Jennifer Miranda, Associate Editor