Laying Low in Marrakesh
I had hoped for an enjoyable and relatively uneventful two-day return drive from El Khorbat back to Marrakesh. And it would have been just that, if not for a dumb … Read more
I had hoped for an enjoyable and relatively uneventful two-day return drive from El Khorbat back to Marrakesh. And it would have been just that, if not for a dumb … Read more
After our Merzouga city accommodations didn’t pan out as expected, we suddenly found ourselves on the hunt for a place to stay for the night after our Sahara Desert camp … Read more
Erg Chebbi is one of those wild and crazy places you see in pictures and movies and dream about going as a kid—you just don’t know it’s Erg Chebbi. The … Read more
The drive from Todra Gorge to Merzouga was blissfully uneventful—save for the tiny little detail of getting our first glimpse of the Sahara Desert up close. This stretch of the … Read more
Following a big day of hiking yesterday, a restful night’s sleep, and another delicious Moroccan breakfast, we couldn’t help but linger in Dades Valley just a little bit longer than … Read more
Dades Valley (also called Dades Gorges) is really a stunning little corner of Morocco. And the weather is wonderful. Here in March, we left rainy Marrakesh behind on the other … Read more
The morning sun is intense here at 4,000 feet on the southern side of the High Atlas Mountains. It darts up over the horizon and blasts through the semi-sheer fabric … Read more
We’ve got a short drive of about an hour to our next overnight stop today. We’ll spend the morning exploring a bit more of Morocco’s famous Aït Benhaddou mud village. … Read more
Today, we got to explore a fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s been on my list since we arrived in Morocco in early January. Aït Benhaddou is a striking 17th-century … Read more
Yesterday, we set off on an 11-day road trip following the ancient trans-Saharan caravan route from Marrakesh to Timbuktu. The plan is to head over the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains … Read more
When we arrived in Mirleft for the kids’ Worldschool Hub, that was as far as Lori and I had gotten in our travel planning. Not only had we left our … Read more
Ramadan Mubarak! (Blessed Ramadan). That was the greeting around town on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. For our fellow non-Muslim readers out there, Ramadan is the … Read more
Just before we arrived, Mirleft received an extraordinary amount of rainfall, turning the usually-Mars-like landscape into a sea of green, then yellow thanks to an explosion of wildflowers. Then, a … Read more
Perched above the village of Mirleft are two prominent 20th-century military structures. On the top of the hill is ruined Fort Tidli, which is believed to have been constructed in … Read more
Mirleft is a small, unassuming coastal town in southern Morocco known for its beaches, surfing, and ruins of a French fort overlooking town. Roughly 7,000 people live in the area, … Read more
We’ve spent the majority of our first month in Morocco exploring the northern tip of the country. We’re excited to finally get over the Atlas Mountains to the arid south … Read more
Our second week was forecast to bring sunshine. Instead, we got a big storm and more rain. It made for more lowkey stay in Fez than we had planned (we … Read more
For years, I’ve wanted to stay in a traditional Riad in the Marrakesh Medina. When I started researching accommodation for our Morocco trip, I quickly realized a Riad stay was … Read more
Before coming to Morocco, I had three places in mind to visit: Marrakesh, Tangier, and the Sahara (if we could somehow swing it). With the holidays and Sevilla sightseeing, I … Read more
It’s been bitterly cold at night up here in the Rif Mountains lately. The past couple of days we’ve even had some rain. So, when we awoke this morning and … Read more
Today, we’re looking at a 2.5 hour bus ride up to the Rif Mountains and our destination, the “Blue City” of Chefchaouen (pronounced: shuhf-SHUH-when). The sun is out and it … Read more
Due to bad weather, a journey that was expected to take about three hours from Sevilla, Spain to Tangier, Morocco turned into an overnight stop in Tarifa (on Lori’s birthday, … Read more
Wrapping up 105 days and 6,000 miles of overland shoestring travel from Cape Town, South Africa to Kampala, Uganda, with numerous side trips in between.
Continuing where we left off on our budget self-guided bicycle safari in Hells Gate National Park — descending into the Depths of Hell (of course).
Braving a do-it-yourself bicycle safari through Hells Gate National Park, one of Kenya’s most spectacular and endangered places.
A serendipitous encounter in Nairobi and many more fun encounters with exotic birds, wily monkeys and hungry, hungry hippos on the shores of Lake Naivasha!
The people and scenic beauty of the Usambara Mountains in Northern Tanzania — a preview of our 4-day, 40+ mile trek through this unique and remote corner of the world.
Fresh off a fantastic two weeks on Zanzibar, we spend a couple of days in Tanzania’s largest city, with our sites set on what’s next.
Exploring the idyllic Zanzibari fishing village of Jambiani, where time seemingly stands still…for now. And easily one of our favorite beach stays ever!
Zanzibar, by night, by day and everything in between — featuring sundowners, flash floods and Zanzibari Pizza!
Exploring the twisting, turning alleyways and coral-stone palaces of Zanzibar’s ancient and storied Stone Town.
Exploring the picture-postcard waterfront of Zanzibar’s ancient and storied Mji Mkongwe (a.k.a. Stone Town).
After four long weeks in Mozambique we arrived in Zanzibar, and the difference was startling — the food, the friendliness, and the value for the money were incomparable.
Mozambique can be an expensive travel destination. Here is our own Mozambique budget and expenses over 30 days, including food & lodging.
The riveting conclusion to our Tanzanian visa saga and final post from our month-long visit to Mozambique.
Our final days in Moz, and the last-minute discovery that Tanzania may deport our butts back here if we can’t obtain one last very elusive visa requirement…
Hanging out in this rather inconsequential, albeit quirky, port town for longer than any other backpacker in the history of backpacking.
We find ourselves held hostage by the beauty, isolation and insane prices of a “bush camp” in the north of Mozambique and attempt to escape before the money runs dry.
Exploring evocative Fort São Sebastião, the oldest standing fort in Sub-Saharan Africa and home to the oldest European structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
The rest of our stay on the island and Lori’s attempt at an important job interview in one of the world’s forgotten corners.
We thought we were cutting Lori’s interview close on a travel day…until we screeched to a halt in Nampula FOUR HOURS EARLY.
Quelimane’s a great place to lay low while waiting for impending doom to sweep a nation…it’s also got some other redeeming qualities as well.
Navigating the emotional and material complexities of returning to a former Peace Corps site, eight years later (Continued…)
Navigating the emotional and material complexities of returning to a former Peace Corps site, eight years later.
We brave the dreaded Save-Machungue gap and make it safely to Mozambique’s seedy yet ever-fascinating Second City.
I followed an old friend through the bush — back in time and back to basics, enjoying reconnecting and reconciling with a past that wasn’t quite through with me — on a forgotten piece of paradise.
Sometimes I wonder whether I dreamed up certain places I’ve been to or if they actually exist. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Linga Linga is very real and very much the same as I left it.