climate change activist and science communicator; photographer; mapmaker — advocate for a stable global climate, reduced nuclear weapon risks, and safe human-AI interaction
My actual travels, those I aspire to, and those of others
The ceramic vessels with conical tops are used to cook tagines: a distinctive Moroccan dish.
The Atlantic coast is, for the most part, rather rocky.
Essaouira’s fortifications were apparently built by the Portuguese.
I discovered a stairwell that led up through the sea wall to a rather excellent lookout point.
Standing atop the sea wall.
Coastal engineering in Essaouira
These odd looking six tonne objects constitute some kind of coastal defence, possibly from erosion.
This cat is peeking out from one of the windows of the flat we rented.
Loom in an artisinal school.
Spinning wheel
Some projected art at the Gnawa Festival.
Cloth and sky.
Painting at an artisinal school.
The sea wall in Essaouira, complete with canons.
West African fish, partaken of by the other members of our caravan.
The edge of the Djemma El Fna at night.
The three Norwegian women I met in Essaouira.
Gulls over the Atlantic.
Essaouira harbour.
View from atop the sea wall.
This has become one of those days that you really cannot believe has been one long period of wakefulness. I was woken at 7:30am by a St. Antony’s College scout who was quite astonished to find me there and quite insistent that I should leave immediately. Many thanks to Emily Paddon and Mark Cummins for helping me to do so effectively and expeditiously. Mark deserves particular praise for helping me lug 63 kg of baggage from north Oxford to the Gloucester Green coach station.
One nice thing about all the chaos and confusion is that it hasn’t left me with much time to feel sad about leaving so many things and people behind (temporarily, I hope). Concluding thanks to everyone who helped make my two years in Oxford so special and successful.
Some of the detail from the Ali ben Youssef Medersa.
Mosque in Marrakesh. It’s interesting how different they look from the ones we saw in Turkey.
Shine in Marrakesh
For some reason, I like the look of donkeys. They seem dependable and worthy of respect.
Marrakesh has a large wall around the whole of the old city, as well as smaller dividing walls inside.
The Koutoubia mosque is the largest in Marrakesh, standing out prominently near one corner of the Djemma El Fna.
From the terrace of my first hotel, you could get a glimpse of the old city from above.
This is a courtyard inside the Marrakesh museum, which I found by accident while I was completely lost in the souq.
The largest open space in the Marrakesh museum is a great place to have a rest and read.
The Ali ben Youssef Medersa is very open for a museum, allowing you to wander all over the place.
I am still working on processing my photos – alongside packing and saying goodbye to friends. That said, I did shoot some short and extremely amateur videos in Morocco. Much as I appreciate the power of photographs to overcome entropy, there are certainly some visual spectacles best served by video. The resolution here is low, and the camera work shaky, but the capacity to shoot video is far from the primary function of my cheap digital camera.
Marrakesh:
Essaouira:
Ouzoud:
If you want to see some good videos, have a look at my brother Mica’s site.
The Cascades d’Ouzoud were certainly a memorable end to the trip. In addition to the falls themselves, there was a good collection of wildlife at hand. There were your standard donkeys and goats, as well as hummingbirds and monkeys.
The specifics of my return journey are best not discussed. It was a trying experience, at virtually every stage.
In any event, photos should begin coming online shortly.
Rather than spend tomorrow wandering aimlessly in Marrakesh, I am going to try to get to the Cascades d’Ouzoud. That means finding a bus to Azilal and then sharing a taxi. The Lonely Planet guide only says that there are two buses from Marrakesh per day, giving no times. The bus company website does not inspire confidence. All I can do is head over to the bus station as early as can be managed and hope that (a) there will be tickets available (b) for buses that have not left yet and (c) will not require waiting around for hours on end.
Here’s hoping I don’t get stranded in the foothills of the Atlas mountains and miss my 9am flight to London on Wednesday. If all else fails, I suppose I can shell out a small fortune for a taxi from Azilal back to Marrakesh.
[Update: 4:15pm] I made it by bus to Azilal and by taxi to Ouzoud. The taxi ride was a bit of an adventure, as it seems to have been optimized for drama. The centre line of the two lane road seemed to be the preferred road position – owing perhaps to the number of donkeys walking by the roadside – and we spent long stretches fully in the left hand lane, particularly in places where the road banked in that direction. Given the hills around here, that meant a lot of blind turns. The falls themselves were very impressive and worth the journey. I just hope the bus that has been variously promised for 5:00pm, 6:00pm, and 7:00pm actually shows up at one of those times.
Wonderful how you can get online from anywhere these days.