Happy hitchin to Marrakech

According to an AA poll, it's 'the end of the road for hitchhiking'. Well, not for me it isn't. I've hitchhiked every decade of my life (except the first), on four continents, and I don't intend to stop just because I'm 70 and no one does it any more'. Actually, it's got easier as I've got older -though 1 must admit to a niggle of guilt when a car stops and the driver anxiously asks this elderly...

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Marrakech brings An Ode to Sahara 2

From Marrakech, the 70-km climb to the Tiz n Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountainsis a clutch-grinding series of switchbacks offering fantastic views. The first stop is a wind-blasted pass poised somewhere between the two worlds of the High Atlas Mountains and the sub-Sahara. We head towards the Dades, Draa and Ziz Valleys, blessed in this arid land with life-giving rivers. They are indescribably...

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Marrakech Brings An Ode To Sahara

A journey to and beyond the exotic town of Marrakech leads to a love affair with the desert sun, ancient kasbahs, rippling sands and mouthwatering food. IT'S LATE AFTERNOON in the centre of exotic Marrakech, with its Andalusia-inspired arches, ochre ramparts, souk marketplaces and distinctive skyline of mosques set against the majestic snow-capped High Atlas Mountains. I find myself thoroughly lost...

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Marrakech Wallops The Senses Part 2

GRILLED MEATS GALOREOnce a popular hole-in-the-wall, (7) Plats Haj Boujema (65 Mohamed ElBeqal; 212-524/421-862; lunch for two MAD163) retains its cheap prices and populist spirit despite the (almost) spiffy new digs in Gucliz. Beauties with kohl-rimmed eyes tend to order panini and pizza, but you should opt for the smoky carnivorous offerings. Succulent minced lamb kofte precede perfect beef brochettes,...

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Marrakech wallops the senses

FEW PLACES ON THE PLANET OFFER SUCH A DIZZYING MOST FRAGRANT COUSCOUS, THE ULTIMATE TAGINE AND OTHER SPICY SECRETS OF MOROCCO'S CULINARY CAPITAL.  MARRAKECH WALLOPS THE SENSES. A riot of colors (mosaic tiles; woven textiles), sounds (the drone of drums from the central square. Jamaa El Fna), and, of course, tastes. Whether in the souks of the walled Medina or the hourgeois district...

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