Before agreeing on Andalusia and Spain, the Shindes and Askis passionately debated other exotic destinations before discarding them for one idiosyncrasy or another: Greece (Sunil: too similar to Italy?), Mexico (Everybody: We can go there any time!), China (Vijay: I would rather go to Pakistan), Kenya (Preeti: Yellow fever), Turkey (Gayatri: It is Egypt without the history).
I agreed the moment Spain became Andalusia and Morocco. I enjoy visiting third world countries. While the the modern countries are also a blast (like Italy), to me a unit denomination of the destination country converting into cents gives an added sense of comfort, not to forget the the bumpkin-ish charm that the 3rd world promises.
Outline of our two weeks in Andalusia and Morocco
With the destination decided and the dates etched in, the tingling two month pre-planning phase has been officially kicked off.
Our trip, so far, is divided in three segment:
We land in Madrid and spend a three days and three nights in Madrid. Madrid over Barcelona was sealed by its proximity to Morocco while the more proliferated influence of the Moors played heavily into the equation. There is a huge temptation to make a daytrip to Toledo on day two though much would depend on the flavor we finalize for the time in Madrid. The Madrid itinerary is barely a pencil scratch on the travel notebook. The troupe is also on a lookout for a nice villa or an apartment for the days here …
Morocco is in advanced stages of finalization. We debated and discarded the drive down from Madrid to Seville to Tarifa to take a speed boat across the Mediterranean to reach Tangier to go to Fes and make a trip across the desert to Marrakech. It simply looked too busy considering the addition of the 2 year wonder – Kabir - to the group. Instead we fly in and out of Marrakech. Simple and easy.
We spend two nights and a day in Marrakech. We have booked a riad in medina called La Terrase des Oliviers and the pictures definitely look pretty. A visit to Kautobia and Jemma El Fna is tops the list with plenty of time to left to soak (no pun). We then spend 3 days in the desert going east across the Atlas Mountains, via the Tizi-n-Tichka mountain pass, the spectacular skours at Ait Benhaddou, continue through Ouarzazate, R&R at Sawadi in Skoura Palm Grove and then to the dunes of Erg Chebbi where we camel trek to our a Berber tent for the night in the desert under the glorious stars.
3 nights in Marrakech, 2 in the desert
We have finalized with Authentic Morocco as our hosts after checking out, amongst many others, Rough Tours, Blue Men of Morocco and Around Morocco. Working with Liz, the owner of Authentic Morocco, has been easy and she has helped us put together a custom package to suit all our nuances. I will write a detailed review once we return.
On our return from the Sahara, we get a night and a day in Marrakech before we shift base to Andalusia.
Our Andalusia starts in Granada where we spend 2 days and 2 nights. Alhambra and Flamenco are the highlight of the stay We then move westward, stopping briefly at Antequerra before halting in Rhonda for 2 nights. While in Rhonda, a quick trip to the nearby Neolithic caves with 25,000 year old cave art is part of the wish list. We will spend an afternoon in the Peublo Blanco of Zaharra before our final stop of the tour at Seville.
Staying away from the expensive tourist traps of the Costa del Sol.
Seville is where the bullfights are and we have enough time between now and then to decide if we have the heart and the guts to see a majestic animal being slaughtered for fun. We spend two nights in Seville before heading back to Madrid to fly back to Seattle.
So that is how it looks so far.
I have about 9 books on my table waiting to be read. Another 5 in the library waiting to be picked.
Like they like to say on TV channels nowadays, stay tuned.
