HAPPY 2008 TO ALL ! ! !
Big Hug Everyone! *HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz*
So, I’m back from my road trip to Marrakech; spent an uneventful Christmas in Casablanca; departed Casablanca for Beirut on 28th Dec ’07; welcomed 2008 watching fireworks from the balcony of my colleague’s home in Beirut; and back @ work on 2nd Jan ’08 which is today.
Lemme back track to the part when I went on a road trip to Marrakech with SOMETHING to celebrate his birthday.
Day 1: 21st Dec ’07
TOW SOMETHING Turning 1 Year Older
The sky was dark & gloomy at 8am in Casablanca that morning. But that didn’t stop SOMETHING & I from getting all excited for our first road trip together. So, with some water, light snacks and a full tank, we were on our way to Marrakech! *wOo HoOoo*
The designated driver for the day 
The weather was extremely erratic. One moment it was all sunshine & blue sky, another moment; it was all dark clouds & thunder storm. But generally, the drive was nice & soothing, with loads of greens, reds & blues to see along the way.
Needless to say, we couldn't resist from pulling over by the side of the highway to snap a couple of pictures of ourselves along the winding freeway.
After 3 hours of driving, we finally arrived at the heart of Marrakech - The Medina and were greeted by the view & 'aroma' of several households 'bbq-ing' the sheeps that were being sacrificed during Eid.
Can you spot the sheep's skull?
Thank goodness other parts of The Medina didn't look like a mass sacrifice ground. In fact, the feel in Marrakech was kinda romantic with couples riding around the city sight-seeing in horse carriages.
While waiting to get the keys to our apartment in Marrakech @ McDonald's, we found this advertisement very interesting so we took a pic of it ;)
After a lot of waiting, we were finally able to pick up the keys to the apartment from the owner's chauffeur. And followed his car to the apartment. Oh, our distributor in Morocco knew someone in Marrakech who had a spare apartment and offered it to us for the weekend. Nice~ :)
Residence Tassaoute @ Marrakech
FYI, this was a candid shot. SOMETHING wanted me to capture him in an angle whereby his face won't appear too chubby... so there u go! *hee* 
Everything is sooo red in Marrakech
After we freshened up, we were all set to check out the Medina!
La Koutoubia Mosque
Marrakech's tallest mosque, standing at 70m high. Since it's closed to all non-muslims & women, the sole purpose of this mosque was to serve as a landmark for lost tourists like US! *hee hee*
Another non-chubby angle of SOMETHING >.<
I look chubby from all angles *hahaha*
Djemâa el Fna
This large market square in the old city is really the heart of Marrakech.
During the day, it's a perfect place to grab a freshly-squeezed orange juice or chill at a cafe overlooking the square to watch the world go by after shopping in the souqs.
By late afternoon, the place transforms into an entertainers paradise filled with snake charmers, jugglers, musicians, performing monkeys & ladies offering to paint your hands with henna. The place is truly amazing!
Us @ Djemâa el Fna Square
Guess which lamp the Genie's In?
But I'll have to admit, the ice-cream was way too sweet *yucks*
Shopping around Djemâa el Fna
Simply can't resist the lovely antiquey lamps... I've definitely gotta get one before I head back to Singapore for good. (wonder when that's gonna be ... hmmm)
Local Delights @ Djemâa el Fna Square
It was raining non-stop in Marrakech the day we arrived and it was freezing. Nothing warms the body better than a hot cup of ginger tea (which the locals term ginseng, & i've no idea why) with some local sweets (which looks like gula malaka/ brown sugar coated in coconut).
Djemâa el Fna Souq by Night
Djemâa el Fna by Night
We were tempted to dine at the square, but since it was SOMETHING's bday, we decided to go somewhere fancy and perhaps dine at the square the next night (but we eventually didn't get the chance to cos' SOMETHING fell ill after the dinner we had that night... at the so-called fancy place -___-)
Birthday Dinner @ Riad Omar
Other than the wet floors from the rain, I found the place pretty pleasant. It was cosy & comfy and it's dining in a tent concept was pretty interesting too.
The spread for the night
Day 2: 22nd Dec ’07
TOW SOMETHING Seeks For Local Remedy
We started the day by having a late breakfast at the square
Cafe au Lait + Croissant were all they had
Local Remedy
SOMETHING was ill from the dinner last night, and we happen to walk pass this shop selling all sorts of spices. The physician prepared some remedy from honey, lavender & a whole lotta other spices I'm not familiar with for SOMETHING.
SOMETHING felt a little better after taking the local medicine, so we decided to take a walk around the medina instead of driving to look for some of the sights.
The buildings in Marrakech are all so very red
Trying to blend in with the windows
Old city gates
The walls along El Badi Palace stands a lotta storks
And so, we decided to look for the restaurant which we read about from the forums which is known for it's view of the storks standing along the walls of the tomb & palace. We got seriously lost while looking for this restaurant btw. Took us more than 2hrs before we found the restaurant. -___-
Restaurant Nid'Cigogne
(simply means Restaurant Stork in french)
Nice view, nice ambience, but not so delicious food
Saadian Tombs
A series of lavish 16th century chambers & colourfully decorated tombs built by Sultan Ahmed el Mansour as a burial ground for himself & his successors.
El Badi Palace
A ruined 16th century fort of pisé (mud, basically) and sandstone, which was once the largest and most luxurious palaces in Marrakech.
Poor SOMETHING was in a lotta pain by then. Caught him sitting by the steps enduring the pain in his tummy in this pic. 
After this pic, we head back to our car and went back for the day so SOMETHING can rest... poor thing, fall sick a day after his bday *tsk tsk tsk*
TOW The Perfect Rainbow
Le Jardin Majorelle
A startling cobalt blue villa, originally planned in the 1920s by French artist Jacques Majorelle, is now owned by Yves Saint Laurent. Fancy huh! The villa is surrounded by banana trees, gaint bamboo & cacti.
The colours were all so vibrant
All so very romantic too *muacks*
Guess who we found waiting for us ON our car when we left the garden
*MEOW*
Some of the must-dos & must-buys before we bid goodbye to Marrakech.
Drink freshly-squeezed orange juice @ the square
Dress like Teletubby *hahaha*
For souvenirs, we each bought a traditional Morrocan loose fitting outer robe
Bye bye Marrakech
By 14:00hrs, we were on our way back to Casablanca. This time, I was the designated driver! *woot*
The sky was exceptionally blue that day
Just like the day we came, the view was all sorts of greens, reds & blues...
And finally, we were welcomed by THE PERFECT RAINBOW when we arrived in Casablanca. No kidding! You can't see from the picture, but there were 2 rainbows; one above the other, and the rainbow was a perfect arc. So so pretty!
1 comment:
nice !!
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