Traveler's Edition » Africa

Marrakech

admin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:12:34 +0000

By day, Marrakech’s Djemaa el Fna, the city’s main square, is bustling with activity. Storytellers, snake charmers, and acrobats vie for attention. There is an assault of smells from tempting food stalls. Dancers flail gracefully, while discordant riffs from side-by-side musicians waft through the daytime air. Women offer henna tattoos. Sellers abound, hawking a variety of products. In this square – said to be one of the largest and busiest in the whole world – travelers can get practically anything, from the many rich spices of the region, to cheap authentic leather goods, and sometimes even illicit drugs dealt by the underworld personalities that venture into the square every now and then. At nighttime, more food stalls open. Djemaa el Fna becomes one giant open-air restaurant, a unique treat for the curious traveler.

Such is the vibrancy and life typical of Marrakech, an economic center of Morocco. The city is known for souks, big and small, selling most everything under the sun. The popular products available in these areas include teas, spices, kaftans, jalabas, shoes and leather goods, and more. Marrakech is also known for historical and architectural marvels, such as the Saadian Tombs, the Ben Youssef Madrassa, the Koutoubia mosque and more. The Saadian Tombs are well preserved remnants of a Morrocan era under Saadian rulers. Several curious markings and decorations have been left within the tombs. The Ben Youssef Madrassa, on the other hand, is architecturally beautiful and a sight to behold. The Koutoubia mosque is recognizable from afar, with its distinguished minaret.

Travelers to Marrakech generally need a valid passport and visa when planning to stay longer than three months. Common traveler hassles when in Marrakech include scammers who pretend to earnestly help out or give henna tattoos. For any purchase, it is advised to always agree on a price first. Likewise, solo travelers should be extra aware, particularly of being drugged. Over all, people of Marrakech are friendly and are not aggressive.

Cape Town

admin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:01:18 +0000

The pulse of a vibrant city such as Cape Town will always be heard. Be it in the football fields, its creative social scene, or its bevy of outdoor adventures, the traveler will definitely feel alive and love everything in South Africa’s newly reborn “Mother City.”

Cape Town is a city with many blessings. Its landscape is resplendent with beaches of golden sugary sand. Vineyards over a hundred years old remain fruitful and heady in their beauty. Victorian style buildings litter the cityscape. Colonial mansions beam in their majesty. All these are amidst the colossal Table Mountain, a mountain that’s more than 700 million years old.

Aside from the natural and sightseeing attractions that have defined Cape Town for many, the city is also brimming with outstanding restaurants, cafes, and bars. The wines of Cape Town have garnered world acclaim. The local Karoo lamb must definitely be sampled. Cape Bay is filled with hip hangout spaces. Close to St. George’s Cathedral and the Greenmarket Square, Long Street offers several great options to those wanting good food and good party places.

Table Mountain continues to be Cape Town’s centerpiece attraction, especially for travelers wanting outdoor adventure. It is one of the most awesome venues for abseiling – right from 367 feet up. An aerial cableway up the mountain provides a 360-degree view of the city. The Cape of Good Home Nature Reserve is part of Table Mountain National Park, and a trek through it can be very rewarding. Hikes go through several good quiet beaches, and one may even get to see antelope, baboons, and zebras.

A return ticket, enough funds, and a valid passport and visa are the usual requirements for travelers going to Cape Town. American citizens can come in without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Street crime is the common hassle for tourists. It is advised to practice basic caution when in crowded sites.

Stone Town

admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:10:07 +0000

The “rock” upon which Zanzibar City is built – Stone Town – stands magnificently to this day. Its narrow alleys form a frenetic maze leading up and down its olden homes, bazaars, and mosques. Its structures, built only in stone since the 1830s, are hauntingly beautiful. Houses feel lived in, filled with personal history and that of the town’s. Arab houses, with their ornate doors, are stare-worthy, to say the least – their craftsmanship is extraordinary.

Stone town, Zanzibar was historically a trading center between Africa and Asia. Said bin Sultan had made the town capital of the Omani empire from 1840 to 1856. The economy back then dealt mostly with trading spices, although the town also infamously traded slave labor. Slaves from mainland Africa were sold to businessmen from the Middle East. In fact, the current Anglican Cathedral was built on an ancient slave market. Holding cells were kept intact and can be viewed today.

Through the years, Stone Town served as the base for many explorers and colonizers. Tanzania’s Portuguese colonizers used the town as its center. Scottish explorer and medical missionary David Livingstone held his base in town while readying for his 1866 expedition. (The house he lived in now bears his name.) Stone Town also became home to several migrant families from India, Persia, and Oman. Even in the past, the town bustled with activity and was an inviting home for traders.

Today, Stone Town has the same feel as that of several years ago – sturdy and unchanged, like its buildings. Its majesty is kept down to the details, such as the carved doors of its homes and the enclosed verandas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this Zanzibar capital is a place where many travelers have come and gone.

Travelers to Zanzibar, Tanzania are required a valid passport and visa. Stone Town is generally safe, although petty crimes can happen. It is advised that travelers keep aware of their surroundings and mind their things. At the same time, travelers should be conscious in their regard for the more traditional culture of the town.

The Pyramids of Giza

admin — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:09:18 +0000

The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt is perhaps the best and most popular symbols of ancient civilization, which, to this day, hold some mysteries that keep Egyptologists baffled. The site is a complex of ancient pyramids that include the Great Pyramid (or the Pyramid of Khufu), one of the few remnants of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It also has the Pyramid of Khafre, which is smaller by a couple of hundred meters, and the Pyramid of Menkaure. Smaller queen pyramids are in the peripheries, along with valley pyramids and causeways. At the eastern side of the complex lies the Great Sphinx.

One of the remaining mysteries about the Pyramids of Giza is its construction. Made out of huge stones, many have wondered how these stones were put in place. Theories include the basic dragging and lifting into place – a laborious endeavor that required many men and years of work. Some hypothesize that huge stones were manufactured in place using limestone concrete, thus cutting down on the need for as much strong labor.

Questions also arise on what kind of laborers was used to build the pyramids. The common contention is that it was slave labor that built these structures. However, recent discoveries point to cemeteries of men who worked on the pyramids. It is said that in these cemeteries, the laborers were divided according to skill levels, suggesting the use of paid labor.

Another mystery for many Egyptologists is the positions of the three main pyramids of the Pyramids of Giza. These pyramids are astronomically aligned to earth’s north-south and east-west. Till today, such deliberate pattern in the construction of these gigantic wonders remains unexplained.

The Pyramids of Giza is just eight kilometers from the town of Giza, a small district of Cairo. Travelers to Egypt are required the usual documentations: a valid passport and visa.