Gateway to the Desert — Zagora, Morocco

I have been to Morocco many times, seen all the famous places but I can never resist to return to Zagora. Located in the Draa Valley in southeastern Morocco close to the border with Algeria, Zagora is my personal Moroccan dream. Considering that I’m a history fan, love ancient sites and museums, this is somewhat surprising, because Zagora has none of it.

It’s a smallish city which was only constructed in the 20th century and although there are some remains of the Almoravid Fortress on top of the Zagora Mountain there is nothing else for the history buff to get excited over.

Having said that, there are two things which draw me to Zagora: the atmosphere and the trip to get there. Zagora is known as the Gateway to the Desert and that’s famously indicated by the sign, “52 days to Timbuctu.” On foot or camel back that is! You walk through town, cross under an archway and step right into the desert. Excursions on camel are available but I preferred to just walk out, all on my own and when the sun was setting. Then I was sitting on a sand dune, looking at the stars and enjoying a feeling of freedom that cannot be equaled anywhere else.

Back in town, once the heat of the day has subsided, the locals come out in force, stroll around, sit down in one of the many, tiny, open air restaurants and enjoy, like me, the best tagines I have found anywhere in Morocco.

As Zagora gets more and more known and tourists find their way there, several good hotels have opened their doors and you can stay in comfort.

Best of all is the journey from Marrakesh to Zagora. As I have come often, I found a taxi driver in Marrakesh who would take me there. It’s a long drive, some 10-12 hours and he would politely ask if he could bring his wife as she has relatives in Zagora and this was her only chance visit. Great fun is always had on the trip. Leaving Marrakesh’s hustle and bustle behind, the road winds higher and higher into the Atlas mountains until you have to cross a pass which has snow nearly year around.

Then the descent into the Draa Valley, a slow flowing river bordered by lush green vegetation and thousands upon thousands of rose bushes. Deep valleys and canyons cut through and we make several stops at tiny road side shacks to have mint tea and sweets. We sit in rickety iron chairs right on top of a steep cliff and look at the river below. It’s an incredible landscape and the contrast between snow covered mountains and the hot sand dunes of the desert is magic. Writing about it makes me already want to go back. I hope you will too.

Inka is German and used to be an international attorney with offices in London and Spain. Retired two years ago because I wanted to be a traveler and writer and now live between Didim/Turkey and Miami with plenty of travel in between. Next destinations: Istanbul, New York and Petra/Jordan. Inka’s first novel has just been published and can be found here

Written by Inka Piegsa-Quischotte

15 Steps to Understanding Japan, part 4: Chopsticks

For starters, Chopstix is the name of my favorite fast food restaurant in Los Angeles, which offers tasty food that resembles nothing I have ever eaten in Asia.

As for the real chopsticks, the wooden sticks that are held between the thumb and fingers (minus the pinkie) are used for eating in most Asian nations. I have seen these gentle pieces of wood strike fear into the hearts of westerners all over the world during meals. I have also heard from travelers that they have avoided Asia over this same fear. Take about a colossal shame.

Truth is, outside of big cities in Japan forks can be in short supply. There are also few images that are more culturally specific than chopsticks. Try them out when in Japan even if you think you’re failing. However, there is nothing to fear. I may not have empirical data, I feel confident that no visitors to Asia have ever starved to death for lack of chopstick ability. While I cannot offer specific advice of how to use these, but I have become quite comfortable using them, I can tell you that you can figure it out. However here are a few thoughts if by some chance you parachute into Asia and get hungry without prior chopstick knowledge.

1. Ask a local
This is something I try to do as often as possible with or without language skills. Remember locals in Asia teach their children how to use chopsticks, they can teach you. It is also a great way to meet people.

2. Just go for it
Go for it. Stab, poke, prod, use two hands. Just try to use them how you think you should and you will likely be pretty close.

3. Eat in touristy sections of larger cities
Restaurants in area with tourists will have a fork.

4. Carry your own fork everywhere you go
Brings something plastic for airline regulations.

5. Eat with your hands
And carry plenty of napkins

6. Don’t let the small things prevent you from visiting Asia
Okay, now go get that plane ticket to Japan, China or Korea!

Written by Devin Galaudet

Feeling at Home, Arriving in Japan

How strange to be so far from home, so very far, and yet, at this moment, it feels like I am blocks away. “It was so easy and the words so sweet,” Regina Spektor sings as her video plays on the television. My phone charger plugs into the wall without an adapter. I am outside of Tokyo, Japan. But in the Radisson Hotel Narita, a convenient to and from airport locale filled with pilots and flight attendants, I could be anywhere. It is both disappointing and a relief.

The flight was long 13 hours. The food was mediocre. Chicken and rice, a turkey sandwich, and pizza just before landing. The drive from the Narita Airport to the hotel was nondescript. The airport property itself seemed vast and circuitous with high barbed wire fences all around. I had dinner at the hotel. Little dishes came one after another with tasty bits of fish and veggies and shrimp. There was hot and sour soup and then a yummy sorbet palate cleanser. Then I had a nice steak and delicious fried rice. And for dessert, tiramisu.

Everyone at the hotel is exceptionally friendly and helpful and kind. I am told that is what to expect here, in this country founded on tradition and respect.

It’s not late now. But I feel strange. Sleepy and a bit disoriented. Maybe it was not sleeping on the plane, maybe it was the three hour nap when I arrived. Or maybe it is knowing that I am so far from home and yet not being able to tell. I am grateful for the comfortable bed and the clean, safe surroundings. But I look forward to exploring the unknown.

Jenny Block is the author of “Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage” (Seal Hardcover, June 2008 and Seal Paperback, March 2009), which has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. She writes a weekly column for the Dallas Morning News publication Quick called “Sex Talk with Jenny Block” (quickdfw.com). Jenny holds both her BA and her MA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and taught college composition for nearly ten years. She writes for a wide variety of publications and websites, including huffingtonpost.com, yourtango.com, American Way, Veranda, the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Voice, edgedallas.com, literarymama.com, Spirit, chow.com, and ellegirl.com.

Written by Jenny Block

The Colonial Jewel of the South, Cuenca, Ecuador

Sitting on the small rectangular balcony outside my room at the Hotel Milan, I look down on the cobblestone streets of the city of Cuenca. Traveling alone is liberating. I have just arrived to explore the Ecuadorian city I will be living and teaching in for the next three months. I have been hired as an English teacher at The Center for Inter-American Studies.

I leave the hotel and wander into 10 de Agosto, the main food market. I am not that tall, but seem to tower over the local people. Booths containing colorful fruits and vegetables extend like a patchwork quilt beneath a canopy. I see exotic fruits I’ve never seen before, fruits native to Ecuador such as: Tomate de Arbol (tree tomato), Maracuya (passion fruit), Naranjilla (little orange), Taxo (banana passion fruit), and Chirimoya (custard apple) – a soft-skinned,
heart-shaped green fruit that has a hint of bubble gum flavor.

Next to the rows of greens, in stark contrast, is the meat section, which unabashedly hangs slabs of raw meat, whole carcasses stretched down from hangers, stripped of their hides. Body parts behind glass attract flies to flesh. The faint citrus scent of fruit blends in from across the bloodstained tile floor. Nowhere is the sterile smell of chemical sanitizer present.

I spend a few moments observing the market – women selling mini-bananas by the bushel, men slicing through red flesh, clusters of people gathered around booths, making deals, filling their baskets.

Back on the streets, I wander around. In my short time here, I already have a sense of where things are. The major streets in Cuenca are clearly marked with old-fashioned, tiled signs on the corners of buildings. Like many places I’ve been to in Central America, the people in this South American city seem friendly. Cuenca appears to be a balanced combination of busy and calm – a fairly relaxed feel with a bustling influence.

Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador (Quito being the largest and Guayaquil the second). It was founded on April 12, 1557 and is known for its charming historical architecture, which led to its nickname “The Colonial Jewel of the South.” In 1999, UNESCO, the World Cultural Heritage Site, recognized it as a historic landmark. Cuenca is known also for its beautiful parks and the famous Rio Tomebamba, which flows through the southern end of the city.

After leaving the market, I head over to Parque Caledron, Cuenca’s plaza principal or main plaza. The bright blue domes of the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion (the new cathedral) shimmering in the sunlight attracts me. Minutes later, I arrive at the plaza and the impressive church towers over me. I imagine the indigenous people, the Inca Tupac-Yupanqui, constructing this great work of art, carving and laying stone after stone, and I realize there is a story behind every building, every basket of bananas, and every cobblestone street.

I take a seat on one of the benches that line the perimeter of the plaza. Elderly men sit reading newspapers, teenage couples hold hands and stare wide-eyed at each other, small children laugh and chase each other around the fountain in the center, while mothers watch them play. A man pushing an ice cream cart rings the bell, as the children run over with coins jingling in their hands. I feel the sun warm my face and in this moment, the plaza is the center of the colonial jewel that sparkles beneath the clear sky.

Brittany Michelson studied abroad in Costa Rica for a semester in college, where she lived with a host family and was first drawn to the Latin American culture. Since then, she has traveled throughout Central America, and more recently, taught English twice in Ecuador. She is awaiting her next trip to see the rest of South America.

Written by Brittany Michelson

Win a Trip to the Cook Islands

Los Angeles, CA, March 3, 2010 – Where in the world are the Cook Islands you ask? Cook Islands Tourism launches an interactive game to raise awareness of the South Pacific destination. The interactive game, Where in the World are the Cook Islands? allows users to learn about the destination, location and fun facts. Residents in the USA and Canada have the chance to enter a sweepstakes to win the grand prize of a week-long trip for two people. To enter, visit www.FindTheCookIslands.com. The sweepstakes runs now through May 1, 2010.

The grand prize includes: a week long trip for two with roundtrip, non-stop airfare from Los Angeles on Air New Zealand, three nights accommodation at Manuia Beach Hotel, two nights at Tamanu Beach Aitutaki, roundtrip domestic airfare Rarotonga to Aitutaki, roundtrip transfers, daily tropical breakfast, One Foot Island Lagoon Cruise, Jungle Quad Tour provided by Coconut Tours, introductory dive provided by The Dive Centre, Progressive Dinner & Wine Tour provided by Cook Islands Tours.

“More and more visitors from the USA and Canada are finding out about our South Pacific secret,” said Glenda Tuaine, acting CEO of Cook Islands Tourism. “We are thrilled to launch this interactive website to show North America the appeal of our destination. Site visitors will learn about our non-stop flight from Los Angeles, our excellent exchange rate and the natural beauty of our islands. These reasons make the Cook Islands the perfect week-long getaway for those on a budget to those searching for utmost luxury.”

The current exchange rate is $1 USD = $1.50 NZD. Amazing exchange rate for the North American traveler!

The winner must be at least 18 years of age and travel May 31, 2011. Blackout dates may apply.

For more information or to enter, visit www.findthecookislands.com.

About the Cook Islands:
Only a 9.5 hour non-stop flight from Los Angeles and just a 2-hour time difference from the west coast of North America, in the Cook Islands you can escape the rush and clutter of everyday life, choosing simply to relax and absorb the vibrantly natural environment, sun-soaked beaches and a unique culture. The beauty and charm of our islands is matched only by the friendliness of our people. Here among your island friends, you will find the hospitality warm and spontaneous, the music and dancing exuberant and the mood relaxed. Perfect for honeymooners, adventure-seekers, families and those who wish to get away from it all; the Cook Islands have something for everyone!

For more information about traveling to the Cook Islands, contact:

About Air New Zealand:
Air New Zealand has taken luxury to new heights with the newly refurbished aircraft featuring extra legroom and more than 400-hours of in-flight entertainment at every seat. Air New Zealand offers a uniquely ‘kiwi’ style of service, providing all passengers with complimentary authentic New Zealand food & wine. As a Star Alliance member, Air New Zealand passengers can earn points and redeem awards on all Star Alliance airlines. For more information about cheap fares to New Zealand and other destinations, please visit www.airnewzealand.com

Written by ITKT Media

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