From Rabat to Fes

I have been without email for 3 days. Will upload more photos and info tonight from Marrakech.

Riad Kalaa Rabat

These photos do not do justice to my wonderful Suite at Riad Kalaa in Rabat. Every room is unique, stunningly beautiful and the colors are amazing. The rooftop pool, the hundreds of candles lining the stairs, the open air courtyard with palm and ficus, the 40 foot doors leading into the guest rooms all provide an amazing backdrop. From the roof you look down on the city and it is amazingly quiet.

Travel truly is the only way to broaden you mind and better understand the people of this unique planet.

My first day in Morocco. I flew in from DC with a connection in Madrid to Casablanca. I was met by my Guide Lahcen Zaaim and Driver Mustaffa and we were off on our adventure in Casablanca. The city is a major trading hubb and as such has lost a lot of the charm of smaller Moroccon cities. It is very urban, fast paced and modern is replacing old. With that said it is an amazing feeling, every street is a visual feast of color, movement, smells and sounds. The old and new clash and mingle.

It is hard not to come to Morocco without some pre-concieved notions of what the people will be like. I had so many friends say that I would need to be careful, but I have felt so welcomed, safe and accepted in my first 24 hours that I fear this trip will be over before I can truly appreciate it.

The history of the region is amazing. The recorded history of the country begins around 1100BC with the arrival of the Phoenicians, at one time the Berber tribes formed the Kingdom of Mauretania, then the Romans arrived in 24AD or there abouts and then the arrival of Islam in 622AD, then it gets very detailed and requires me to be much more awake than I am at present.

The photos above are from Place Mohammed the V in Casablanca, went for a great walk downtown with Lahcen, then we headed of the 2nd largest Mosque in the World. This stunning site includes doors of Titanium, Venetian glass chandeliers, marble floors, rooms for purification and the list goes on. Inside it can accommodate 25,000 men and 5,000 women at times of prayer and 75,000 outside in the square. The Hassan II Mosque has a roof that opens to provide prayer in the open air, this is larger than a football field. The mosaics are stunning the architecture is breathtaking and I could not resist the opportunity to tour this amazing building, one of only 2 mosques that allow non-muslems to enter.

I am sitting in the courtyard of my wonderful Riad in the Medina (walled city) in Rabat. It is stunning, owned by a French family and located down a myriad of small streets and alleys...trust me I am not getting out of here without help. I am in love with a country that in 24 hours has stolen my heart and I can't wait to bring Allie, Connor and Alec back to experience this wonderful place.

More tomorrow.

Morocco Bound

To say I am excited is an understatement. The only place I would rather be (apart from with my family) would be onboard Orion in the Sub Antarctic Islands!

I will be attending PURE next week and can't wait to introduce Orion and our unique Expeditions to a new audience.

I attempt to keep this blog up to date with my travels from Casablanca over the Atlas Mountains.

Stay tuned.

KUNDU'S TRIUMPHANT

In case anyone was wondering the Kundu's were victorious in Orion Team Trivia competition. At 4:30pm on Sunday we faced the other teams including the Guinea Pigs and Silvia's Heroes. Not only did we win the final Team Trivia event, we were also victorious overall........ What was wonderful was how much fun a group that only met 11 days ago on a Charter flight from Cairns to Rabaul had become such a cohesive team, we even spent time studying the daily briefing sheets. Much thanks to Ned, Paul, Jan, Gary and Barbara for their knowledge and good humor.

Milne Bay

Samarai & Kwato Islands

Samarai Island

In the early 1900's Samarai island was the thriving colonial capital of the territory of Papua and the town's streetscape carries reminders of those bygone, halcyon days. Back then it was described as one of the most beautiful places in the South Pacific.

Despite its faded-glory atmosphere, commerce is still the lifeblood of this tiny island, just 24 ha in area, with inter-island trading ships frequenting the harbor. Our small group took a walk through the town past the Church, the Trading Company, the Pearl operation and onto the sports ground, which I understand is still the scene of fiercely contested cricket matches.

The China Strait islands surrounding Samarai have a history of witchcraft which persists despite the best efforts of missionaries to debunk stories of ghost ships and mysterious lights.

Kwato Island

Just 3 kilometers west of Samarai is Kwato Island, where European trades broke their journey en route to the South Pacific in search of gold and to trade in mother of pearl, sandalwood and sea cucumbers.

The island is peaceful, with the remnants of boat-building equipment evident amongst the trees. A shady road leads to a hilltop clearing in the centre of the island and the impressive old stone church and the stunning sweeping views of the surrounding seas is very much worth the climb. During WWII this spot was used as a strategic gun position.

Deca Deca Island

After lunch Orion was repositioned to take advantage of the fabulous snorkeling at Deca Deca

Island. The water was so wonderfully clear and the coral was amazing. There were hundreds of fish of every color and it was extremely hard to leave this glorious little island.