I was able to see eight distinct areas of Morocco including the mountains, the ocean and the desert. I loved each area and city but my favorite experience was the Sahara with its vastness and beauty. The sand is orange, the sun was stunning and the camel ride was unforgettable. And the biggest surprise was the sky at night. Without all the light pollution, the stars were plentiful and bright. I couldn’t get a picture of it, but I am sure I won’t forget that night sky any time soon!
The desert camp I stayed at was perfect. The food was some of the best I tasted during my trip (eggplant tajine forever!!!) and the after dinner music by the locals using traditional instruments coupled with the dancing and the opportunity to play the instruments myself, made for a unique night.
Morocco has been on my travel “list” for quite some time and I finally made it happen. Morocco did not disappoint…the food, medinas, riads and souks were all amazing!
I spent the last two weeks in Morocco and was lucky to see a fair amount of this wonderful country. I flew into Casablanca and then went to Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fez, the Sahara, the Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazate, Essaouria and finally Marrakech. Each region was unique but what was consistent was how great and generous the food was, no matter the location. Each Riad served breakfast which typically included Msemen flatbread, baguettes sliced, boiled eggs, jam, butter and sometimes a white cheese or yogurt.
I really enjoyed the diverse beauty in the multiple areas I visited and even though this is a Muslim country, I never felt ill at ease. The people were genuinely kind, helpful and accommodating. What I loved the most was the cooking, especially tajines. I am vegetarian and so ate either tajine or couscous in pretty much every city I visited. One morning my eggs arrived in the tajine and that is when I realized this tajine has a lot of flexibility and even though I almost never buy souvenirs I did bring home a tajine so that I can experiment at home. I plan on, of course, making vegetables in the tajine but I think I am going to also cook pears and apples in it this fall.
I felt cooking in Morocco felt like an act of love and there is a bit of showmanship in cooking with the tajine. The flair when they raise the cone-like lid to do the “big reveal” was one of my favorites things on this recent trip! Some other food “winners” was pureed broccoli, cumin on everything (but especially on boiled eggs), the amazing Msemen flatbread and coffee with cardamom and cinnamon. One version of the Msemen had so many layers similar to filo dough. I asked what the secret was since it really set itself apart from my other daily breakfasts of Msemen and was told that it was rolled and folded many times. Wow, what a difference that made to essentially laminate the dough similar to a biscuit.
This past week I was finally able to check another item off my bucket list…North Cascades National Park. I’ve been intrigued by this destination after scrolling through lots of pictures from various sources and also learning that it is one of the least visited national parks. The lack of crowds was a definite draw. And needless to say, North Cascades National Park did not disappoint on either point.
The drive from Portland took about seven and a half hours and I drove through areas I have never seen before such as Yakima and Wenatchee. These areas seems to be an agricultural hub and were beautiful in their own right.
North Cascades National Park is known as the American Alps and I would say that name fits this stunning scenic area. The vistas, valleys and mountains were just incredible. I chose to stay in Winthrop, a small town holding on to it’s mining façade with enough shops and restaurants to provide options for a multi-day stay. Just driving on the North Cascades Highway (Hwy 20) is reward enough for the long drive to get to this amazing area.
Along Highway 20 are several overlooks and you should stop at EVERY SINGLE ONE. The Washington Pass Observation site is the first one heading west on Highway 20. It allows you to appreciate the magnitude of the mountains and the valley and if you are afraid of heights, get ready to be scared!
Next I hiked Rainy Lake, which is an very easy, but very rewarding hike. The path is easy, groomed and ends at a stunning alpine lake. Next stop was the Diablo Lake Vista Point and driving over the Diablo Dam. Equally stunning is the Gorge Lake Overlook and the suspension bridges to the Trail of the Cedars and Ladder Creek Falls.
The final jaunt of the day was hiking Blue Lake. This was a five mile hike with a little elevation. As we were climbing, hikers coming down spoke excitedly about the mountain goats at the lake. I have yet to see any animals during all my years of hiking so was thrilled to think I was finally going to see an animal in the wild! When we reached the incredibly blue and clear lake, there were no goats to be seen. I am guessing too many people had already seen the goats and they likely went to higher elevation to be left alone. Nonetheless the lake was incredible.
On the last mile of my descent, I tripped over a large rock and fell and hit my left knee very hard. That ended hiking for the day and the following day. The three hikes I had earmarked for the next day did not happen…sadly. Oh well, I guess it means I will need to return at some point. Regardless NCNP should not be missed.
I recently visited Vancouver, BC and hiked Garibaldi Lake. It was a 12 mile, 3211 elevation gain well-maintained trail. There was lots of switchbacks, inclines and three stunning lakes. The trail culminates in the magnificent Garibaldi Lake. This was a tiring, at times grueling hike, but well worth the effort!
I just returned from a week in London. As a lover of historical fiction, London has been on my must-travel list for years. I am not sure why it took me so long to get there. London did not disappoint. I think one of my favorite things was all the nook and crannies you can find in London…in other words a great city to just wander.
I loved the mix of old and new, the liveliness of the streets, the friendliness of the people and most surprisingly, the fantastic food! I walked over 20,000 steps a day, visited some fantastic museums and got to see a play on the West End. The weather was very similar to Portland with teasing of spring weather, a few downpours and mostly grey, drizzly weather. Overall, just a fantastic week!
I often get asked why I like to travel so much and especially why I mainly travel solo. Well, in truth it’s all about THE FOOD! I say that in jest, but food is a big motivator. I actually love to see how the food, culture and history converge in the various places I visit. A recent example is Peru. I expected typical Latin fare but what I found was food infused with influences from China, Japan, Spain, Africa and Western Europe. When I dived into Peru’s history, I learned that each of the people from these cultures were a part of Peru’s past (and present) and naturally brought their food and ways of cooking with them.
Travel also allows me to meet new people and hear their stories and perspectives. When I hear new perspectives it allows me to question my own viewpoint or even add to my own views and lens…which is a gift by any measure. When we are not on auto pilot, we are open to different ways of being and doing and so I truly love the element of discovery that travel naturally brings to the traveler.
I, probably similar to any other avid traveler, have a running list of travel destinations I want to visit. I do seem to add more destinations rather than cross off…another great advantage of traveling! I often meet people while traveling and listen to their travel stories, which in turn inspires me to add the destination. I did my first oversees solo trip in 2018 and it was incredibly empowering. I only planned the first two nights of the trip and the remainder of the trip was completely ad hoc. I figured planning the first two nights allowed me to conquer my jet lag and get my bearings, but once I was at full throttle, I was at full “take it all in” mode. All I knew was the day I needed to depart and it was a free for all for the two weeks in between. I got lost…so many times! I felt uncomfortable…so many times! I landed in areas that were not on my radar and learned so much about the area, the people and frankly my own resiliency. Travel allows this and so much more.
The last major stop on my two week trip was the Amazon. I honestly did not know what to expect but I will admit I was a little nervous. I was primarily scared about the animals, insects and heat. I flew a quick 45 minute flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. When I landed I was immediately hit by the heat and humidity. A taxi collected me and took be to a dock about 20 minutes away. The boat I was traveling an hour and half up the Madre de Dios River was surprisingly (scarily!!!!) small and simple.
I arrived at the lodge without incident (whew) and had lunch. The chef focused on Amazonian fare and it was simple but tasty. I was concerned to learn that we had no electricity, hot water or internet…okay maybe we really were in the jungle. My “hut” was clean and ample with no windows (just screens) and lots of mosquitos. I will admit it was quaint but I did question what exactly I had signed up for. After lunch we did a jungle walk. There were tons of interesting plants and trees, lots of birds singing and screeching and, of course, plenty of tarantulas.
After dark, we got back into the boat to do a night tour of the shores of the river. We saw several Caiman (alligator family) which were black and white. I have to say I am glad we did not see anything else! At night the jungle is even louder than during the day. And the jungle “talks” all night long with so many different sounds. Also the fauna drops leaves (or ?) all night long, as I heard it on my thatched roof throughout the night. Not having windows means you are truly in the middle of the jungle as an active participant. I truly cannot describe it and wish I had recorded it. It was also pitch black.
The next morning after a delicious breakfast, we took the boat an hour downriver to the Tambopata National Reserve. After entering the reserve we walked a path about 45 minutes to the entry point of Lake Sandoval where we got into a paddle boat. The lake is quite large and lush with trees and palm trees. We saw tons of birds, bugs and squirrel monkeys and more Caiman. As beautiful as it was, I was nervous. There were five of us in this paddle boat and one wrong move and we would be dumped into the lake which was full of fish and more importantly, piranha. After two hours in the boat, it started pouring…it is the rainy season in the jungle after all and we were pretty lucky that it didn’t rain at all the previous day.
The rain was relentless and so we pulled to the shore where there were some random steps. After an uphill climb, we landed at a home/bar/restaurant where we were going to eat our lunch. And then about another hour and half of pouring rain, which we decided to wait out. The paddle boat was filled with rainwater when we got back to it. Nine hours on this adventure was plenty and a cold shower when finally getting back to the lodge was pretty welcomed! The entire evening and next morning it poured, thundered and lightning lit up the sky and it was a long boat ride back to the dock in Puerto Maldonado. But I made it and had a quick hour and half plane ride back to my last night in Lima.
After the amazing revelation of Machu Picchu, you would think it’s time to go home…what could top that after all??!! In reality probably not much but I actually had another week in Peru! Because I missed my tour earlier in the week due to altitude sickness (which I was still fighting), I hired a guide to take me through the Sacred Valley…and Sacred it is! It is stunningly beautiful with the variations of soil colors, the surrounding mountains and overall lushness.
I first visited Ollantaytambo and wandered the tiny stone streets that existed since pre-Incan days. I got to see a typical original home where dirt floors, no electricity or plumbing and lots of guinea pigs existed as pets until it was time to eat them! Ollantaytambo is another spectacular Incan site. Again it was perched on the side of a mountain, which the Incans made accommodations for as they determined where there crops should be grown.
I then headed to Moray. This was a very interesting agricultural testing ground and the concentric circle design was very cool. Then onto Maras. The town of Maras is similar to being in Italy or Portugal…quaint stone homes on clean streets and it actually had lots of character. I learned that 500 families own the salt flats and they work it like a cooperative. They work the salt flats six months of the year and then farm the remaining six months of the year.
We then trekked to Chinchero for a preplanned lunch. I think being vegetarian is perplexing for the guides and restaurants. I was given a salad and a sweet potato puree and a very sweet chocolate cake. It was fine but my guides licked their meat-laden plates clean!
This day was supposed to include a waterfall hike but my head just couldn’t imagine doing anything strenuous so, instead, I asked the taxi to head back to Cusco, an hour and a half scenic drive. It was a great day overall.
seniyegroff 