Morocco – Ullan Adventures

Interview with Beckett – A Year of Travel Wrap-up

Kirsten / June 5, 2014

Interview with Beckett at the end of our year of traveling (age 7)

Q: Have you enjoyed traveling this past year?
Beckett: Yes. I’ve enjoyed traveling because you can go a lot of fun places like Turkey and Thailand.

Q: What do you like most about traveling?
Beckett: That I get to do fun activities like paragliding and ziplining and stuff. And elephant camp.

Riding an elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Q: What did you like least about traveling?
Beckett: I have to pack and unpack my bag. And as soon as I find somewhere fun, I have to leave.

Q: What toys/games are you happy you brought with you?
Beckett: Stuffies! Stuffies is like everything I brought.

Q: What were your favorite places? Why?
Beckett: Thailand because we went to an elephant camp and took care of elephants for a day and cleaned it, checked the poo, ate lunch then bathed it. And I also went ziplining through the trees in a jungle. We saw gibbons through the trees.

Turkey because I went paragliding and they have delicious pancakes – yum yum. The paragliding was so fun – you were 6000’ up – but the drive was really scary.

Santorini because we went ATV-ing. And Morocco because we went ATV-ing out in the desert and because of the cobra show.

Watching a cobra in the Medina in Marrakech, Morocco

Q: What were your least favorite places? Why?
Beckett: Istanbul. There was just nothing really good to see there. And Spain, there was just nothing really good to do around.

Q: What were your favorite experiences?
Beckett: Ziplining. Taking care of elephants for a day. Paragliding! ATV-ing. Going up the Eiffel Tower. Walking on the Great Wall of China and taking the toboggan down. Ice cream show in Turkey. Yee Peng. Tigers. Turkish Bath.

Beck and Mara running on the Great Wall of China

Q: What were your least favorite experiences?
Beckett: My least favorite experience was trying new foods. The ferry from Rhodes to Turkey – I hate that. I did not like Pamukkale. The scary drive up the mountain to paraglide. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul were boring.

Q: Did you enjoy being homeschooled?
Beckett: Uhhhhh… don’t know. It was ok.

Q: What was your favorite homeschool subject?
Beckett: Science

Q: What was your least favorite homeschool subject?
Beckett: Writing

Q: What have you learned from your travels so far?
Beckett: That traveling can be fun but also not fun. How bad the ferry from Rhodes to Turkey was. How boring plane rides are. How fun ATVs are. How fun paragliding and taking care of an elephant is. How fun ziplining is.

Q: What were some of your favorite foods?
Beckett: Turkish pancakes. Crepes. Mac n’ cheese from Hotel Letoon in Fethiye, Turkey. Baguettes. Food-go-round. MK in Thailand.

Eating Gözleme (Turkish pancakes) in Calis Beach, Turkey

Q: What do you miss the most about the USA?
Beckett: Having a house and not having to pack your bags every once in a while. And unpack them. Finding friends and not having to leave them.

Q: What will you miss the most about traveling?
Beckett: Going fun places and doing once in a lifetime experiences.

Q: Where do you want to travel next?
Beckett: Go on African safari.

007 — Me-O Veterinary Clinic in Kidzania in Bangkok

118 — Making curry paste at Sammy’s Cooking School in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Washing MaeBonChon in the river at Patara Elephant Camp in Thailand

416 — Feeding a baby tiger at the Night Safari in Chiang Mai, Thailand

FC Barcelona futbol game at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain

Beckett and his magic genie lamp in Marrakech, Morocco

467 — Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

228 — Crossing the Mekong River in a longtail boat from Thailand to Laos

063 — Going Viking at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway

Fresh squeezed OJ from #63 in Marrakech, Morocco — Fresh squeezed OJ from stall #63 in Marrakech, Morocco

Feeding pigeons at Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Tree "snow" in Paris — Tree “snow” in Paris

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Interview with Mara – A Year of Travel Wrap-up

Kirsten / June 5, 2014

Interview with Mara at the end of our year of traveling (age 9)

116 — MaeKwan at Patara Elephant Camp in Thailand

Q: Have you enjoyed traveling this past year?
Mara: Well… it’s fun at times. But sometimes I miss just having a house. But it’s great – I love traveling the world and it’s amazing!

Q: What do you like most about traveling?
Mara: Going new places and experiencing new cultures. And I love to try the different foods. And the different treats are always fun.

Q: What did you like least about traveling?
Mara: I don’t get to have much stuff and it’s kind of hard to make friends when you know you’re going to be leaving soon. Sometimes I just miss having friends and having a real house and being able to decorate it.

Q: What toys/games are you happy you brought with you?
Mara: Well, I’m happy I brought my stuffed animals. Or some of my stuffed animals. And I’m happy I brought my Barbies. That’s pretty much all I brought.

Q: What were your favorite places? Why?
Mara: I loved Thailand because there were so many adventures and there are lots of crazy markets. I loved Paris because I wanted to go there all my life and I SO LOVED going up the Eiffel Tower. And I loved Hong Kong because there was a restaurant we called “Noodle Girl” and it was soooo yum! Santorini was AM-AZ-ING!

Me in front of the Eiffel Tower for the first time!

Q: What were your least favorite places? Why?
Mara: Well, that’s kind of hard but Spain was the worst place we went. But it was still pretty darn good. And in Istanbul, all the restaurants served Turkish food which got boring. Plus the Grand Bazaar was just ok. There are so many stray cats and dogs which got scary.

Q: What were your favorite experiences?
Mara: I loved the elephant camp in Thailand. It was UNBELIEVABLY cool! And I also loved the crazy markets. I liked the Noodle Girl restaurant in Hong Kong – it makes me so hungry for grilled steak. Yee Peng was amazing! Great Wall of China! Marrakech ATVs were awesome! Seeing my family paraglide was neat. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France was amazing! It was so cool. And there were lights on it that blinked and made it looked like it sparkled.

All smiles while warming up after the Forbidden City

Q: What were your least favorite experiences?
Mara: Pamukkale (in Turkey) was ok. And Tiger Kingdom was ok. I really disliked the Louvre, Notre Dame, and La Sagrada Familia. The Alcazar (in Seville, Spain) was bor-ing. The Parthenon was boring. I disliked the ferry from Rhodes to Turkey because the sea was so rocky and wavy and over half the people threw up. Climbing up the Kotor wall was just so long and boring.

Q: Did you enjoy being homeschooled?
Mara: Yes because less school hours. And I don’t have to wake up early, early, early. I have the nicest teacher in the world. I also liked the way she taught multiplication and division.

Q: What was your favorite homeschool subject?
Mara: I don’t have one. I do like multiplication.

Q: What was your least favorite homeschool subject?
Mara: My least favorite was spelling.

Learning about Ancient Greece and hosting our own Olympics

Q: What have you learned from your travels so far?
Mara: A lot about how boring planes are. And how rocky and wavy ferries can be. And how annoying it is to wake up early. I also learned a lot about geography. I also learned how to negotiate. And how fun tuk tuks are. And I learned how annoying it is to have everything you own fit into a suitcase. And that elephants are fun and amazing creatures.

Q: What were some of your favorite foods?
Mara: Pizza in Fethiye, Turkey at Nil Bar. Steak at “Noodle Girl” in the Hong Kong airport. And Nic’s in Chiang Mai, Thailand had great meatballs and pizza. The baguettes we had in Spain were AMAZING! Mint tea in Marrakech. Mmm mmm. The crepes and macarons in Paris – yum! The gyros in Santorini and the olives in Athens were good. I also liked sushi and coconut milk straight from the coconut in Thailand.

I did NOT like the orange hot dog under the Eiffel Tower. Blahhhh.

Q: What do you miss the most about the USA?
Mara: I miss being able to talk to kids in English. And I miss English TV. I miss going to swim team. Girl Scouts! Toy stores!

Q: What will you miss the most about traveling?
Mara: I’m going to miss the food and the cultures and going new places.

Q: Where do you want to travel next?
Mara: Egypt to see the Pyramids. And Russia – I like snow.

139 — Cooking Thai food at Sammy’s Cooking School in Chiang Mai, Thailand

454 — Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

224 — Longtail boat trip on the Mekong from Thailand to Laos

Riding a bull at a carnival in La Herradura, Spain

Africa Countries Cultural Morocco

A Photo Tour of the Streets of Marrakech

Kirsten / March 10, 2014

Walking around the Medina in Marrakech is a real treat. There is the main square where a lot of the action occurs and there are the souks and market areas. But its also great fun to just walk around the random network of streets and alleyways.

It seems as though the streets are pedestrian only however, you realize pretty quickly that they’re used by motorbikes, donkey carts, bicycles and more. The motorbikes would whiz down the alleys so fast and many times we’d be pinned to the wall so we didn’t get hit. I still don’t know how I didn’t witness any accidents especially at the intersections of alleys as people would fly around the corners and nearly hit each other!

The people watching was awesome too.

There were donkeys all over the place!

Motorcycle chaos:

Loved all the “cave like streets”:

We found this wood carver who showed the kids how he carved wood trinkets “old-school” style: he used his arm to move a wood stick to spin the wheel and used a knife and his feet(!) to carve the patterns into the wood. We watched him make one out of cedar and then he handed it to Beckett. What a cool keepsake!

These little carts reminded me of the tuk tuks from Thailand:

There were cats everywhere:

Of course you have to have your stands with hanging meat carcasses:

And a few more pictures from around:

Be sure to see our other 4 posts about Marrakech

Africa Animals Countries Favorite Moments Markets Morocco World Travels

Jamaa el Fna Square in Marrakech (Cobras and More!)

Chuck Ullan / March 9, 2014

Within the medina (old city) in Marrakech, Jamaa el Fna Square (hereafter, “the square”) is at the heart of the action. This is what you picture when you think of Marrakech and is what you see in movies and TV shows.

It’s a huge open area, ringed by restaurants and shops. During the day, it’s populated by snake charmers, henna ladies, monkey wranglers, and orange juice salesmen. We didn’t take any pictures of the monkeys because it was really appalling how they were chained by the neck and dragged around.

We’d heard a lot about how aggressive the entertainers were and it was fairly true, but not a big deal if you’re prepared. When you take your pictures with the snake people or others, whatever you offer, they’ll try to get 5 to 10x as much. You just say no and ask if they want what you’re offering or nothing. Then they’ll just back off, take it, and move on.

To some extent, they can sense who’s uncomfortable and will probably pressure you more if you are. At the end of the day, you have the power because you have the money. It’s not like you have any contract to give them a certain amount. I gave the snake guys about 20 dirham ($2.50), but it’s not like there’s a posted price. Just seemed reasonable to me.

In the late afternoon, the cobras and monkeys clear out, restaurant stalls set up, and the crowds build. We visited the square several times during our 2 days in Marrakech and have stitched together a photo tour to give you an idea of what’s going on.

Here’s the snake charmers. There were about 3 little setups like this in the square. The guy standing up makes the noise you associate with snake charmers, but it’s really just to draw a crowd. It has nothing to do with “charming” the cobra.

263 — Beckett was fascinated by the cobras, but didn’t want to get too close. They’ll let you sit really close if you want to.

And who doesn’t want to wear a fez?

Here’s a glimpse of more of the daytime action at the square:

274 — Lots of stands selling fresh squeezed OJ

Around 4ish, a huge cluster of pop-up restaurants start to assemble in the middle of the square.

333 — They assemble and take down these stalls every day.

Night falls, the crowds pick up, and the restaurants are in full swing.

As you walk through the restaurant stalls, each place has one or two wranglers that shove a menu in your face and try to get you to eat there. Mostly you just walk by them, but it’s annoying when you actually want to read the posted menus and they won’t leave you alone for 2 seconds.

We stopped and got kebabs, tagine, bread, couscous, and fritters for about $17 total.

We also had a separate stop for some mint tea and dessert.

A few more random pictures of the action:

Finally, here are a couple videos where I pan around the square.

Be sure to see our other 4 posts about Marrakech

Africa Countries Markets Morocco

A Photo Tour of the Souks (shops) of Marrakech

Kirsten / March 9, 2014

298 — Piles of spices available everywhere

One of the must-do items when visiting Marrakech, is strolling through the souks (shops) in the Medina. There is a specific area that comprises many little streets lined with shops on either side selling everything from food to shoes to teapots to.. well anything really. Its fun to wander around and soak up the sights and smells. Of course it doesn’t come without risks though: the risk of getting run over by a motorbike, bicycle or even a donkey cart. And the risk of getting lost. But that’s half the fun!

We didn’t buy much of anything because there was no practical way to get it back to Spain then back to the USA without schlepping it all over the place. But if we were headed straight back to the States, I would’ve done some serious damage to our wallets. I particularly loved the silver teapots and the lamps! Oh, I’ll dream about those lamps!

307 — Bottom right are tagines – little pots used to cook meals that are kind of like little pot roasts (but made with any type of meat)

I loved all these teapots. I was so close to buying one but alas, I didn’t.

The clothing for sale was awesome and ranged from gorgeous dresses to belly dancer outfits.

Yummy delicious treats! The honey roasted sesame peanuts were so good.

470 — Mara with an assortment of Moroccan pastries

302 — All sorts of fruits and nuts available in bulk

There were tassel shops everywhere! No, not those kind of tassels, but the kind you use to hold back curtains.

In addition to spices, you could get things like frankincense, amber, indigo, and other natural perfume/scents. I was quite excited to see and smell real frankincense.

And of course there were rugs.

And more…

Be sure to see our other 4 posts about Marrakech

Africa Countries Favorite Moments Morocco

ATV/Quad Tour in Morocco

Chuck Ullan / March 9, 2014

While we enjoy some sightseeing while we travel, we enjoy activities and adventures even more. So once we booked our tickets to Morocco, I started looking for fun things to do while there. I came across some highly-recommended ATV tours, and since riding ATVs was on Kirsten’s bucket list, we decided to go for it.

The company picked us up near our hotel and drove us about 40 minutes out to their center in the desert. We started off by driving a bit over an hour, winding through palm groves and the occasional little village.

178 — Taking a break about halfway through our tour

Apparently being a shepherd is still an actual occupation. We passed several shepherds tending their flock and moving them around for grazing.

On our way back, we took a break at a little Berber settlement where we had tea and pastries.

219 — I got to / had to pour the tea for our table. You start the pour low, then lift the pot higher as you get the aim settled correctly.

Beckett and Mara also got a chance to drive the ATVs with our guide helping them.

A boy passed by with his donkey, and our guide got him to let Beckett take a little ride.

Hey, camels! Gotta take a picture with the camels, right?

We got back to the base and saw the camel tour finishing up. Looks fun, but uncomfortable.

Overall, we had a blast on the tour. Just riding the ATVs was fun, but it was also really cool to see the countryside and how people live out there. It’s a view we’d have never gotten in the Medina.

We used a company called Dunes & Desert and the cost was 55 Euros per driver, 15 E for each kid. The total tour lasted 2 1/2 hours or so.

Be sure to see our other 4 posts about Marrakech

Africa Countries Morocco World Travels

2 Days in Marrakech, Morocco

Kirsten / March 8, 2014

When I was doing my research about our move to the Costa del Sol of Spain, I saw there were quick, cheap ferries from Spain to Morocco and knew we’d have to go to Morocco while we were here.

Once we arrived, our friends, the Wagoners, told us about their upcoming trip to Marrakech, Morocco. They found a really cheap deal on Ryanair from Seville, Spain to Marrakech, which sounded amazing.

We also found a pretty good deal on Ryanair from Seville to Marrakech and a road trip idea was born. Seville is a 3 hour drive from where we’re staying in Almuñécar which is a bit far but reasonable. There was also many cool things to do in Seville so we thought we’d combine both trips into one. Unfortunately, Ryanair only flies to Marrakech 2x a week so we were stuck with either going for 2 nights only or going for 6 nights which seemed too long. We went with the 2 night option which worked out about right.

We arrived in Marrakech about 9pm on a Saturday night.

We hired a shuttle service to take us to our riad because there was no way we’d find it on our own. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house usually with an interior courtyard. We stayed at Riad Zanzibar and loved how unique and traditional it was.

Our room had a loft area for the kids and a humongous tub.

We ate breakfast on the open air terrace on the 3rd floor that consisted of Moroccan pancakes, croissants, yogurt, bread, honey, coffee and Moroccan mint tea.

We wandered to the main square that evening and then hit the hay because we had to get up early the next day.

Sunday morning we headed out on our ATV excursion. Afterwards, it was time for a nice lunch. I got a beef tagine dish which is a Moroccan specialty and is meat and vegetables cooked in a tagine pot.

Beef that was cooked in a tangine. Delicious! — Beef that was cooked in a tagine. Delicious!

Sunday afternoon we headed to the main square, Jemaa el-Fna, to see the snake charmers, monkeys, and general chaos that is Marrakech. Then it was time to wander around the souks, spice market and other little shops.

Monday was our last day and was spent walking, walking and walking some more through the streets and alleyways that make up the Medina. We also spent the day trying to find (and negotiate on) the perfect genie lamp for Beckett.

Unfortunately, despite much rubbing, no genie appeared from the magic genie lamp

During the day we stopped for more Moroccan mint tea to take a little break. We loved the Moroccan mint tea and drank it many times over the 2 days. It’s so sweet but sooooooo good.

452a — Mara working on her long pour of Moroccan mint tea

456 — Beckett doing the traditional long pour of tea

All in all, it was a great 2 days in Marrakech and a definite highlight of our year abroad!

Be sure to see our other 4 posts about Marrakech