Sometimes leaving capital cities off your tourist itinerary is a good idea (Ankara, Turkey, I’m thinking of you!). They don’t always have a lot to interest the foreign visitor.
But Morocco’s capital, Rabat, isn’t one of those cities. Not only does Rabat have a lot to offer in and of itself, but it makes a great homebase for exploring the rest of Morocco.
The two sides of Rabat
The Kingdom of Morocco is an incredible country to visit. There is so much to see and do in this nation of 33 million. If you have the time, I recommend seeing three big cities — Marrakech, Rabat (the capital), and Fés — the Sahara desert, the Atlas Mountains, and two charming towns — Chefchaouen and Moulay Idris.
I’ll tell you more about the cities and towns in other articles, but let’s start with an overview of Marrakech, one of Morocco’s four former imperial cities and perhaps the most popular city for travellers. Continue Reading →
In my last article on Galápagos, I told you how to have the best once-in-a-lifetime Galápagos experience: a 5-7 night cruise followed by 3-5 nights in a hotel, so that you can relax a bit after your intensive learning and photographing experience on your live-aboard.
So now that you’ve booked your cruise (I hope you chose Haugan, they’re great!), where should you have your relaxation?
When visiting many of the Peruvian highlights, you need to take altitude into account. Yes, altitude can make you sick (and even kill you), but you can take steps to minimize those effects. Altitude also affects eating. It suppresses your appetite but, more importantly, because it is more difficult to cook at altitude, it can be harder for the traveller to find good food.
Did you know that water in Cusco doesn’t boil at 100 C, but at 88 degrees (191 F)?! Baking is also significantly affected by altitude (well, technically it is the air pressure, but let’s keep things simple). So in places like Cusco, cooking times and even ingredient proportions need to be changed. This will make you even more impressed when you find good food in the Andes!