A cyberspace trip back to China

After the trauma thinking we had lost three hundred-odd photos courtesy of a faulty camera memory card, we were thrilled to find months later that most of them could be recovered. So to see our visit to Kanding, Beijing, Chengdu and Urumqi, visit the archives on the link below:

http://hungrypirates.blogspot.com/2007/06/corruption-in-chengdu-and-beijing.html

Popping in to Europe one last time

Our Moroccan adventure complete, we flew back to Spain (for the third time!) for one last taste of European grandeur before jetting off back to Asia. It was starting to feel like we'd hit the return leg of the trip, making us sad (end of an adventure getting near), happy (seeing family and friends back home again soon), scared (returning to Australia unemployed) and excited (returning home to Australia unemployed but with plenty of time to catch up with people!).


We squeezed in two last Spanish cities. The first was the Uni town of Salamanca, with a fantastic central square and a great night vibe, without too many people:

Plaza Mayor - the heart of the action in Salamanca

One of the less attractive locals

Every street seemed to lead you to something impressive

By our third trip to Spain, Mel was handling the red wine carafe like a pro

Salamanca was nice during the day but really came alive at night

So we came to Madrid - our final stop in Spain, and the end of our European summer. We finished in the right way - a hearty dinner in the Plaza washed down with some red. The last few months had been amazing and even though there were plenty of crowds, it was impossible not to find the feel of the old towns in this part of the world inspiring.

Maybe our enduring memory of Europe - tables lined up in the Plaza enticing us for another evening of food and wine

The quintessential Spanish souvenir - a freshly speared toy bull

Frescoes abound in Madrid's Plaza Mayor

The last supper - we'd been seeking out the local specialty, tripe stew. Although our waiter told us the restaurant couldn't cook it as well as his Mum, we tried it anyway and had a great final meal in Europe

Heavy traffic over Madrid - we were soon off to Qatar, and on our way back to Asia

The City of Gold

There's no doubt that Marrakesh puts on a good show, and although it feels a little doctored up at times for the sake of the many tourists, hidden away in the laneways and souqs were the now familiar wheelings and dealings of everyday Moroccan life. From appearances (and from it's nickname), it is richest city in Morocco but that definitely didn't stop the locals trying to devise ways to separate the foreigners from their money - in fact the sheer competition to do so could make the day an exhausting experience for us poor old travellers.

But there were some fantastic experiences too - high among them was eating some great local food in Djemaa el Fna (the main square) at restaurants that are packed up into trailers and towed off at the end of every night. One of the most memorable sights came each evening when a giant orange sun, sinking amongst palm trees and minarets, bathed the city in a stunning golden light... (sorry if I'm being too poetic)

Marrakesh had a clean and well-ordered feel compared to the other places we'd visited in Morocco

A slow day for potion sellers in the main square

Mel eating in one of the many makeshift restaurants in Djemaa el Fna - the 'kitchen' is just behind her

It was the City of Orange for us - dozens of juice sellers pumped out the freshly squeezed stuff for less than 30c a glass

The crowds swell as night falls over the square - there is intense spruiking to get patrons, but within a few hours the food will be out and the restaurant packed up and moved on.

We took a great break with a daytrip out towards the Atlas mountains

Some villagers carry the shopping home along a rocky river bank

This girl climbed the steep slope from the river to the road to sell us some berries

A boy waits after school for his Dad's motorbike to appear - it did, eventually!

It's actually a fair drop over the edge there - no wonder our guide kept telling us to step back a bit further

Our lingering memory of Marrakesh would have to be the amazing sunsets

A bit of Rome and a lot of Islam

From Meknes, we took a couple of interesting excursions into the countryside. The first was to the ancient ruined city of Volubilis, around two thousand years old. The sight of columns crumbling amongst the hills and olive groves was amazing, and yet another reminder of the reaches of the Roman Empire.

The abandoned Roman city of Volubilis

The ruins copped another big hit in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake - what's left must be solid

The birds have found a good use for the remaining columns

Volubilis has beautiful views over olive trees and fields dotted with sheep - probably just what the Romans saw

Our other excursion was to the holy town of Moulay Idriss, the destination of many Moroccan Islamic pilgrims. We enjoyed wandering around the lanes and stairways of this interesting town, until we found a mysterious door, from which an endless supply of rats seemed to be emanating!

Moulay Idriss

The mystery door

The staggered streets wind their way up the hill

Meknes

The next stop was another of Morocco's imperial cities - Meknes. Again, the marketplace was the centre of the action, and because of a more sedate pace we were able to wander around and fully appreciate the wonderful array of food on offer. There were also less tourists about, which meant the hassle factor from the stall owners was far less as well - a real plus! Meknes had an authentic feel about it, which we liked...

Spectacular Moroccan design in Meknes

Mostly just locals in the Meknes souq, which was a nice change!

Glasses at the ready for our afternoon dose of mint tea

The work of an artistic spice vendor

The sweet section - look closely and you can

see the ubiquitous bees

Some local favourites - olives and preserved lemons

Another day, another tajine...

The wonderous aroma of animal skins

Next stop for us was the imperial city of Fez, famed for its massive walled marketplace and infamous for its tanneries, where workers toil in dye pits the size of a spa bath to impart colour into animal skins. The smell of the dye mixed with that of the 'fresh' leather is not one we'll forget in a hurry.

Fez, where it seems everyone has a satellite dish

The entrance to the medina, as viewed through the dishelleved clothes market. Once you pass through the arch, you never quite know where you'll end up or what time you'll find your way out!

A graveyard by one of the city walls

Deft workers atop the ramparts

Donkeys are the only way to get things around in the medina, and much like a semi-trailer will not stop if you're in their way! This one is taking shreds of his camel friends to the tanning pits

The tanneries...

These guys spend hours in the dye wells - it can't be a fun job

Garlic, spices, oil and some unknown beverages

Raw olives for sale in the market

Raw camels head for sale in the market!

This guys shop was, by our estimates, one metre wide. Here he tries to fill the small remaining space between the stock and the roof

Fez is, by some opinions, the culinary capital of Morocco. Here we try chicken tajine with preserved lemon and olives, and 'bastilla' - an icing sugar topped pastry layered with chicken or pigeon (yes, I did say icing sugar!)

'Zellidj' is the colourful and symmetrical tilework patterns loved by Moroccans