Morroco Intimate 2011

[twenty5min]

U got some nice photos.
Just one comment, some of your photos are over tilted to the left. Particularly obvious for those inside the building.
You might want to take note. Could be habit of holding camera.

 

[GSiGuy]

U got some nice photos.
Just one comment, some of your photos are over tilted to the left. Particularly obvious for those inside the building.
You might want to take note. Could be habit of holding camera.

Thanks, i'll watch out for that next time.

 

[GSiGuy]

Some shots taken whilst traversing the High Atlas Mountains (which will eventually take us to Marrakech).

The Dentist's House. Moroccans have a sweet tooth. They love their sugary treats and as a consequence to that, the dentist is a sought after person. It isn't hard to see that they make alot of money and that mansion at the curve of the road is that of one such lucky dentist.

Long winding roads.

The highest point in the High Atlas Mountains.

A heavy crop of a larger pic. The larger picture of meandering roads did not seem very interesting but when i was pixel peeping i thought this seemed like a nice framed shot.

 

[GSiGuy]

From a high vantage point, we looked down at a town on the route through the High Atlas Mountains.

 

[kohdyimages]

This country looks fabulous. Your experience must be great. Nice pics

 

[GSiGuy]

This country looks fabulous. Your experience must be great. Nice pics

It i a unique country to visit for sure. Thanks, glad you like the pictures.

 

[GSiGuy]

Berber carpets... Berber men showing off their wares in a Berber Co-0p.

 

[GSiGuy]

Ait Ben Haddou.

Ait Ben Haddou is a famous Kasbah that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and quite the draw for hollywood movies. The fictitious coliseum in the far reaches of the Roman Empire where Russell Crowe was first banished to in Gladiator, used Ait Bin Haddou as it's backdrop. The Orlando Bloom movie, Kingdom of Heaven also used it and so did Colin Farrell's Alexander.

Crossing the river bed to Ait Ben Haddou. I suppose in the winter months, the river dries up quite abit making it possible for us to get to this famous Kasbah by walking on the river bed. Judging from some of the bridges, I suppose the river can swell to substantial proportions in wetter times. Right now, it is no more than a trickle, easily traversed by walking on stones and sandbags.

Many of the dwellings (understandably) turn to the tourist trade and are converted into shops. This is one where paintings were done on-site. Unlike the stores we've seen in Fes or Marrakech, the craft look like they were locally made and of a certain native flavour.

 

[GSiGuy]

A few shots taken whilst on the way up, at the top and then on the way down Ait Ben Haddou.

 

[ed9119]

lol a flightless Moroccan bird !

featuring your travel images in the Clubsnap Photography Community fb page

ClubSNAP Photography Community | Facebook

 

[Supersimon27]

Congratz bro

 

[GSiGuy]

Thanks! Didn't really think they were good enough to be featured. I'm honoured!

 

[GSiGuy]

Marrakech. The focal point of this ancient city is perhaps the huge market square known as Djaama El Fna. Perhaps a better idea of the scale of this massive open area and how it fills up with stalls and street performers, could have been obtained by having dinner on one of the terraces of the surrounding building. Unfortunately, i did not manage to do that. My photos here are more the close-ups of the square and it's stalls. Hopefully it will give you a "flavour" of Djaama El Fna.

All shot with a Pentax DA 40mm 2.8 Limited pancake prime on high ISO.

Interesting Eats...

Escargot?

Got juice?

 

[GSiGuy]

Marrakech; Beyond Djaama El Fna. Surrounding Djaama El Fna are the narrow streets and alleyways of the old town with it's low arches and markets...

Walking outside the old medina of Marrakech, we see ornate doorways like these. One can imagine at times past, they may have opened to welcome you into Riads...

Probably a little stooping required if you're a Houston Rocket, but as the tunnels are fairly short, they seldom feel as claustraphobic as in Fes.

The House of Said.....is now, at his detriment, a museum. Nothing really interesting to me inside though...

A mountain of sweets!

 

[GSiGuy]

Speaking of Riads... alot of them are now high end hotels located deep within the maze of alleyways. Whilst i did not have the opportunity to stay in one, i did manage to visit one...

X'mas eve in Marrakech was celebrated in the Italian restaurant called Pepe Nero, deep in the bowels of the medina. Needing their staff to guide us thru the narrow streets as we emerged into a lovely riad where the restaurant was housed. Arabian lamps circle the pretty pool in the middle of
the courtyard. It was indeed the most unique x'mas eve dinner i've ever had.

All the x'mas eve photos were shot handheld using a DA 40mm F2.8 Pentax pancake prime lens.

 

[dapier]

u really make me regret not going to Ait Ben. i was at Quarzazate and i just needed to take a cab. Damn it... hahaha
i was not thinking properly as the temperature was 45 deg C and all the cab drivers gang up to fleece me. I have to return to Morocco just for this.

 

[GSiGuy]

u really make me regret not going to Ait Ben. i was at Quarzazate and i just needed to take a cab. Damn it... hahaha
i was not thinking properly as the temperature was 45 deg C and all the cab drivers gang up to fleece me. I have to return to Morocco just for this.

If you can afford it, try and customise a tour for yourself. You will need to do the reseach beforehand though. That way you can get a guide, not worry about being hassled or fleeced and have all your accomodation/transport/meals taken care of.

 

[GSiGuy]

Bahia Palace. As a tourist attraction, Bahia Palace is rather interesting (compared to other places which i have visited like the Saadian Tombs) as you get a sense of it's architecture and what might have been a rather pretty place at the time.

The wikipaedia description of the place is Bahia Palace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think it has potential to be a nice tourist attraction if they had maintained it a little better. Overall, the place looks a little run-down and dirty and i think if they spruced it up, have a few descriptions put up, it could have been a more interesting visit.

 

[GSiGuy]

Nonetheless, a visit to Bahia Palace does give you a sense of what life was like in this place during the 19th century...

Fireplace.

 

[xherion]

Bro,
Very interesting place and excellent pics, been wanting to go there for some time now.
Mind sharing your itinerary?