Wardy’s Travel Blog

Rocking the Kasbah … Marrakech

This was a favourite song of mine when I was growing up and I remember dreaming of how amazing this place must be.  Little did I know that I would have the opportunity to check it out for myself.

So when we booked the flight I was excited to see that the hotel we were staying at was in the middle of the Kasbah! Check out the hotel here: http://www.slh.com/morocco/marrakech/hotel_marsul.html

http://www.lasultanamarrakech.com/# (Click on Marrakech)

And what a place… The sounds of horns beeping, the 5 calls to prayer from the Imam, the smells of lamb cooking in the myriad of herbs they use, the thousands of people wandering around… It was amazing!

Myself, my fiance (Rachel… more about her soon!), and Rachel’s parents spent 4 wonderful days roaming the streets of Marrakech and haggling with the local shop owners.

And did we haggle…  I was not so strong on this but I did enjoy the time doing my little bit.

I will relate some of these stories:

- When I was looking at Leather jackets I didn’t want to come across too interested and said that I was only looking to shop owner.  He said “Brother you must come over… You have no obligation to buy but you do have an obligation to try!”.  What could I do…  I went over and tried on a couple great jackets.  In the end I got a great leather jacket for a very nice price…

- Rachel’s dad, Winston, was a great haggler and set a great benchmark..  His favorite saying was “It may be worth that to you but it is only worth half that to me!”…  And generally he ended up getting it for close to that price!

We also did a day trip up into the Atlas mountains.  And to our surprise when we pulled into this village we were ordered onto muels for a 3 hour ride through the hills.  We had mint tea in a berber home, dinner in a local trekking hotel overlooking a valley and a stones throw from the snow capped mountains… Then muel rides back down into the village.

I must admit that I was very nervous about going because of stories about pickpockets etc.  But I must honestly say that we all felt very safe and looked after.  The Moroccans were very friendly and hospitable and made our stay an incredible experience.

Anyway… need to get back to work now, so have a great New Years!

My country challenge…

Earlier this year I issued myself a challenge. 10 Countries in 2007.

Time for a reality check… how many have I done?
1- Wales
2- France
3- Poland
4- America
5- Netherlands
6- Germany

Planned I have one more: Morocco - for 3 days of R&R after xmas

Amster Damn… it was wet!

Last week I managed to get to the city of red lights, women in windows wearing little and where the coffee shops sell products to let you mellow out.

Amsterdam…

The only problem is that the weather spoilt the show. It was pouring with rain so the ladies just closed the curtains and went home. Except for the really BIG girls that looked like they could curdle milk just by looking at it!

So myself and an American colleague went in search of a restaurant that served decent meat. We stumbled across a restaurant named Gaucho’s. Here you order your steak and the chef slices it the half a chopped cow in the kitchen (which is in the middle of the restaurant), slaps it on the grill and hey presto, you are eating the most delicious 300g of Argentine steak available… YUMMM!

It certainly ranks in my top 5 steak meals… But that is a story for another day!

Bye bye to my friends

It is always sad when someone says good-bye… Especially when they are good friends and they are heading back to the other side of the world.

My great friends Drew and Liz are about to leave these wet and dreary shores for the sunshine and warmth of Melbourne.

During my 26 months here they have been two of the most supportive and thoughtful friends anyone could ever wish for. I shall miss them dearly but I know that one day (soon-ish) our paths will cross again.

Well for Drew and I it will be next weekend as we head off to Lyon (France) to watch the Wallabies play Japan in the Rugby World Cup… Then the weekend after when we head to Cardiff in Wales to watch them play the Welsh…

i suspect that this time will be fuelled by many beverages and laughter… As always!!!

Le Mans(oon)

Last week I ticked another thing off my list of things I wanted to do.  I went to see the 24 hour race at Le Mans, France.

The journey started at 5am on Wednesday the 13th and our three car convoy embarked on a journey that ended some 9 hours later.  Along the way we caught up with some friends and multiplied our convoy to nine!  Check out the picks… we went rally car style and called our team “Le Rosbeuf Invasion 2007″

Le Mans is an amazing experience… lots of Ferraris, Lamboghinis, Porsches, Aston Martins and if you were lucky enough… a car made to look like the Back to the Future Delorean! Pretty wicked stuff!

The only downside was the weather… 5 days of almost total unrelenting rain.  It was teeming down from a great height.  And despite it being the middle of summer it was bloody freezing… well it got as low as 3c.

Our tent village was never a dull moment and the night playing on the xbox 360 was one of the hightlights.  We camped out in style!  Xbox, sattelite receiver, projector, 3 fridges, and aircon units (which never really were needed).

 I have taken a swag of photos and hope to put them up soon… along with the photos of my new set of wheels!  I am now the proud owner of a loan for a BMW 325ti Compact (Mystic Blue colour, 2.5L straight six).

 Anyway it is late now and I must be off to sleep…

Ciao..

Ian 

Anyone up for some Muff?

Ireland has given us many things to smile about over the ages… But I think the next biggest sensation from the Emerald Isle is the Muff Festival!

Each northern summer (around August) people start dancing in the streets, parades are conducted, competitions are held and much drinking is done! Well it is Ireland…

And where in Ireland is this held… at the sleepy hollow of Muff, County Donegal! 

Apparently the town does actually have its own diving club as well… the mind boggles!

Lest We Forget…

April 25 = ANZAC Day

To all those at war: Be safe
To all those with loved ones at war: Be strong
To all those who have lost someone because of war: Remember them proudly

To those who have fallen: You will never be forgotten

Some more from me…

it looks like winter has finally left the Northern Hemisphere - this part of it anyway! The trees are in full bloom, the days are long and the sky is blue… If it was 15 degrees warmer and about 70% drier it could be Oz!

I have added to my array of sites and have added myself to the world of Myspace and Facebook. The links to these are in the links section on the righthand side of the page!

Anyway… last week I went to Kew Gardens and relaxed with Drew, Liz, Lou, Gabby and Meg. had a bbq and played badminton at a friends place, played tennis and about to embark on a Jack the Ripper tour of London!

Speaking of which… if i don’t get out of bed now then I will not make it….

CIAO!!!

Love to all
Ian xx

New Photos…

Hi all…

I have loaded some new photos in the gallery pages of this site. They are mainly those that I took last weekend in Poland.

I am still waiting on Drew to give send me some from New York… hang on… I haven’t given them theirs yet either

Ok let’s just say that there are some more coming for NY,NY and Poland 07.

Cheers
Ian

A Polish Easter

I had intended to use this blog to talk about a wonderful time spent in a wonderful country with great friends. That all changed 5 minutes after walking into Auschwitz.

66 years ago this place was the scene of some on the most horrific and inhumane treatment of innocent people the world has ever seen, and hopefully will never see again.

The day was cold and bleak and Louise and I were on an old train inching its way towards the camp. We were wondering why we were doing this to ourselves. We were joking to each other mainly trying to bolster our spirits. Trying to forget what lay before us. I wonder if the poor condemned souls on those cattle trains did the same?

We arrived - the 60km trip from Krakow took us almost 3 hours - we weren’t complaining! We paid our money for the tour 52 PLN (around £10) and joined 28 others on a journey that left me emotionally shattered.

I will not talk about the sights we saw, or the stories that were told. It is still too raw for me. Instead I would like to share my observations as I walked through the camps.

- Everyone felt the pain and anguish of the souls that perished there: regardless of age, race, religion, or sex
- The wildlife was non-existent - I can’t remember seeing one bird or animal at that site - it was like mother nature has not yet forgetten
- The wildflowers that grew outside the boundary fence were strangely sparse inside the fence: they just stopped growing
- No one talked in the gas chamber
- People looked numb when they went through the main exhibits
- Hardly anyone was eating - even at lunchtime

But I think the one observation that will stay with me forever was the breeze that passed by when we were walking back towards one of the barracks. Louise called it eerie - I called it the whispers of a million lost souls.

Was visiting Auschwitz worth it? Most definately. If I start to feel that I have it bad or tough, I will just send my mind back to the time time I was in the gas chamber, or standing on the railway siding, or…

…looking at the sign that said: Auchwitz II - Birkenau - Extermination Camp.

My troubles will disappear and I am thankful that I was not one of the 1,500,000+ people that never had the luxury of experiencing my troubles.

May their lives never be lost in vain