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Marrakesh, Morocco - a local treat on the roadside

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Wandering the passageways of a medina outside of Rabat To avoid the touristic hordes, my local guide had intended to navigate us to view the Koutoubia Minaret at smoggy dawn.   As with all good intentions however, sometimes more important things take precedence.   For my travelling companions, this took the form of a shopping expedition through Marrakesh’s Djemaa el Fna Square.   After a successful ransack of the souk , a chaotic maze of shops and informal stands located within the medina walls, our travel group armed with their loot of spices, colourful harem pants, medjoul dates and souvenir T-shirts, finally allowed the guide to introduce us to his beloved mosque. The Koutoubia mosque is named after the manuscript sellers that used to peddle their wares outside the walls. As only Muslims are allowed to enter the 12 th century mosque, our party was happy to stroll around the complex and view the pink stone Moroccan architecture.   Gazing at the ...

A Comprehensive Packing List

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Pebble beach in Capri, Italy Packing is a daunting task – it’s something we leave to the last minute because there’s always more urgent things to do (bookings to make, visas to apply for, etc.), and in my family, it generally results in a lot of anxiety, shouting, and “oh s*@!” moments when you realize how many things you have forgotten behind. In order to circumnavigate this hellish task, I’ve made a general list, which I have revised over, and over again, during the last few years.  I’m pretty happy with it now – it makes packing efficient and less stressful.   I print a copy out before each trip, modify it to suit, and then start  packing & scratching . Note that the items with the “ backpack ” tags, indicate items which I stow away in hand luggage for day-to-day and in-transit use (remember that this needs to be less than 100ml).  Also, note, that this list excludes clothes and shoes. I hope that this list helps you, as much as it does me...