Updated on November 16, 2017
Day 5 of Moroccan Vacation: Marrakech and Casablanca on February 9th, 2017
Fifth day in Morocco.
The plan of the day was to visit Jardin Majorelle, a private botantic owned by French fashion designer Jacques Majorelle and his heir, then take the train to Casablanca, take some photos outside Mosquée Hassan II while watching sunset by the Atlantic coast, and take the train to Rabat.
Streets of Marrakech Medina
Updated on November 10, 2017
Day 4 of Moroccan Vacation: Sahara Desert Tour Day 3 on February 8th, 2017
Third and last day of our three-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech.
The plan of the day was first camel ride out of our overnight camps in Erg Chebbi Desert, followed by a whole-day’s car ride back to Marrakech.
Stars and Desert Camel
Updated on November 9, 2017
Day 3 of Moroccan Vacation: Sahara Desert Tour Day 2 on February 7th, 2017
Second day of our three-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech.
The plan of the day’s tour was to ride from our overnight stay near Gorges Dadés to Sahara Desert (the exact name should be Erg Chebbi Desert), the largest sand desert of Morocco located near the Eastern border of the country, next to Algeria, while visiting a farming village near Tinghir and nearby Gorges Todra.
Buildings in Gorges Dadés
Updated on November 2, 2017
Day 2 of Moroccan Vacation: Sahara Desert Tour Day 1 on February 6th, 2017
First day of our three-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech.
The plan of the day’s tour was to visit Aït Benhaddou Village, a desert village and UNESCO World Heritage Site where several movies were shot.
Mini Vans Waiting in Marrakech MedinaOnly desert-goers would wake up this early.
Updated on November 1, 2017
Day 1 of Moroccan Vacation: Marrakech on February 5th, 2017
First day in Morocco, as we woke up to the ancient city of Marrakech.
The plan of the day was to visit the attractions in Marrakech Medina (Old City), book the desert tour to Sahara and exchange some Euro into the local currency of Dirham.
Blankets on Sale along Marrakech Streets
Updated on August 20, 2017
Flight Log of Ryanair Flight 7752 from Madrid to Marrakech on February 4th, 2017
Originally, when I was planning this trip to Europe, I was fascinated by photos showing majesty of imposing Sahara sand dunes and intricacy of century-old ancient city streets, that the North Africa country of Morocco presented to the world, which also recently exempted visas for Chinese visitors. But with Morocco being in North Africa, which was a totally different fare zone in the airline charts than Europe, I hadn’t been able to find a satisfying price. Luckily, when I was searching connection opportunities through Europe, I bumped into the poorly-rated budget carrier Ryanair, which offered quite competitive rates for flights to/from the Moroccan cities of Marrakech and Fez.
So with Qatar Airways’ offer of cheap flights to Spain, my friend and I decided to spend three days each in the two major Spanish cities of Madrid and Barcelona as “transitions” between home and Morocco.
And now that we had visited the city of Madrid and its neighboring towns of Toledo and Segovia, we headed for the airport for our flight to Africa.
Madrid Airport Terminal 1 InteriorWith Ryanair check-in Counters in the background.
Updated on October 19, 2017
Day 3 of Spanish Vacation: Madrid on February 4th, 2017
Last day of our three-day stay in Madrid before heading off for Marrakech. The plan of the day was to visit the attractions in the city, the two most important were Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena and Royal Palace of Madrid.
Similar to the day before, we woke up to a rainy morning in Madrid.
Plaza del Callao on Rainy Morning
Updated on October 12, 2017
Day 2 of Spanish Vacation: Segovia on February 3rd, 2017
The second day of our three-day stay in Madrid, and we chose to visit the historic city of Segovia, with its well-preserved Roman Aqueduct.
Snow-Capped Mountains South of Segovia
Updated on October 6, 2017
Day 1 of Spanish Vacation: Toledo on February 2nd, 2017
The first of our three-day stay at Madrid, and we picked the historic city of Toledo for our visit.
Historically, the city of Toledo has been the capital of the Spanish empire for nearly five centuries, and had housed the seat of the Spanish Church until the last century.
Train Arriving at Madrid Metro Legazpi Station
Updated on October 4, 2017
Day 0 of Spanish Vacation: Madrid on February 1st, 2017
This post follows the previous ones about flights on Qatar Airways from Hangzhou to Madrid, and is about the rest of our first day in Madrid.
After getting off the plane, the city of Madrid welcomed us with its modern and spacious passenger terminal (T4S). The only thing not so nice about that bamboo design was that my camera seemed not so sure about its white balance.
Lines at Madrid-Barajas Airport T4S Immigration
Welcome!