Saturday, May 17, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Oujda
Oujda
Arriving to a new city early in the morning in Morocco is not always the best thing at all accomodation wise. You would think that it is because then for sure you'll find a room, a good room because you have all the places to check and choose because it's early and you have plenty time. I have arrived now few times very early to a Moroccan city and it sucks. Everything opens very late. It's hard to find food and yes, that accommodation as well. Calls for praying is heard all over but that's it. I'm quite sure these early calls are completely futile, I dont think no one goes. Or if they do go how do they get there and back and what the fuck they do after that for nothing starts or opens till hours later. Hotels definitely dont have they shit together in the mornings. Again I dont know why. Maybe because they guy is just a nightwatchman and doesnt give a shit, he's off duty shortly and then the other guy can deal with these idiots who cant speak arabic, berber or even french. Maybe. But then again often it's not even the night watch guy, many times it's the main man of the hotel ( not the owner) who you wake up at 9am. Is it because it's 9am that he's always cranky and annoyed? You woke him up, he was sleeping. I wrote 9am because thats pretty much earliest I've managed to wake one up. I have tried earlier with zero results, they dont even come to the door to check what is going on. If you manage to wake one at 9am he probably wont give you a room if you dont have a reservation. It's just easier that way and they guy can go back to sleep and not have to check you in. Little bit later on, say around 10am things look a bit better but to get in, I still have to say you have to come back a bit later. Laters, lets say 11am you might see a pile of room keys left at the reception desk after previous guest have checked out, promising huh, sure they have rooms now but no. Rooms still needs to get cleaned and shit. What surprises me most is that when you go around and ask in all these hotels they never come with a reply "no we dont have a room for you at the moment but after someone checks out we do. Please, if you want you can leave your backpack here and come back later and we have your room ready for you", or anything along the line like that. They are just happy to get you the fuck out of their place.This happened to me again yesterday morning but I managed to get a room anyways before midday. A terrible room. After a sleepless night in a train I was very tired, hungry and fed up, but I found one. I checked this shit hole but I did it too fast and made a mistake. I opened to room door and saw a two beds, a balcony, a tv set right above my head, sink and a toilet and shower in the corner and thats all I needed to see, it was good enough. Check in, drop the backpack and went out to hunt food. Also a subject hard to find in Morocco in early morning. After coming back I just crashed on the bed and got up maybe an hour later. This is when I realized theres no shower in my room, nor toilet or even a working sink to wash hands. What I thoug was a shower turned out to be nothing in my room. Sharing these are not a problem for me, I do it all the time but this time, man Im not happy. The toilet/shower things in this place are horrible. Absolutely disgusting. No fun. This is hotel Algier in Oujda, do NOT come to this hotel, EVER. Wait at the park that the night watch guys are disposed and that the rooms are cleaned in other hotels, even when they dont offer you to leave your bags there, just wait or keep searching but do NOT choose hotel Algier in Oujda. I recommed hotel Tlemcen, I stayed there before and it's good and clean place and that's where Im staying again after I get the fuck out of this one!
Otherwise Oujda is a clean, hassle free city.
Arriving to a new city early in the morning in Morocco is not always the best thing at all accomodation wise. You would think that it is because then for sure you'll find a room, a good room because you have all the places to check and choose because it's early and you have plenty time. I have arrived now few times very early to a Moroccan city and it sucks. Everything opens very late. It's hard to find food and yes, that accommodation as well. Calls for praying is heard all over but that's it. I'm quite sure these early calls are completely futile, I dont think no one goes. Or if they do go how do they get there and back and what the fuck they do after that for nothing starts or opens till hours later. Hotels definitely dont have they shit together in the mornings. Again I dont know why. Maybe because they guy is just a nightwatchman and doesnt give a shit, he's off duty shortly and then the other guy can deal with these idiots who cant speak arabic, berber or even french. Maybe. But then again often it's not even the night watch guy, many times it's the main man of the hotel ( not the owner) who you wake up at 9am. Is it because it's 9am that he's always cranky and annoyed? You woke him up, he was sleeping. I wrote 9am because thats pretty much earliest I've managed to wake one up. I have tried earlier with zero results, they dont even come to the door to check what is going on. If you manage to wake one at 9am he probably wont give you a room if you dont have a reservation. It's just easier that way and they guy can go back to sleep and not have to check you in. Little bit later on, say around 10am things look a bit better but to get in, I still have to say you have to come back a bit later. Laters, lets say 11am you might see a pile of room keys left at the reception desk after previous guest have checked out, promising huh, sure they have rooms now but no. Rooms still needs to get cleaned and shit. What surprises me most is that when you go around and ask in all these hotels they never come with a reply "no we dont have a room for you at the moment but after someone checks out we do. Please, if you want you can leave your backpack here and come back later and we have your room ready for you", or anything along the line like that. They are just happy to get you the fuck out of their place.This happened to me again yesterday morning but I managed to get a room anyways before midday. A terrible room. After a sleepless night in a train I was very tired, hungry and fed up, but I found one. I checked this shit hole but I did it too fast and made a mistake. I opened to room door and saw a two beds, a balcony, a tv set right above my head, sink and a toilet and shower in the corner and thats all I needed to see, it was good enough. Check in, drop the backpack and went out to hunt food. Also a subject hard to find in Morocco in early morning. After coming back I just crashed on the bed and got up maybe an hour later. This is when I realized theres no shower in my room, nor toilet or even a working sink to wash hands. What I thoug was a shower turned out to be nothing in my room. Sharing these are not a problem for me, I do it all the time but this time, man Im not happy. The toilet/shower things in this place are horrible. Absolutely disgusting. No fun. This is hotel Algier in Oujda, do NOT come to this hotel, EVER. Wait at the park that the night watch guys are disposed and that the rooms are cleaned in other hotels, even when they dont offer you to leave your bags there, just wait or keep searching but do NOT choose hotel Algier in Oujda. I recommed hotel Tlemcen, I stayed there before and it's good and clean place and that's where Im staying again after I get the fuck out of this one!
Otherwise Oujda is a clean, hassle free city.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Friday, May 09, 2014
Tourist visa to Algeria
Yes, I managed to get a tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca!
The consulate has moved to 701 boulevard modibo keita ( old address was on boulevard ier moulay idriss, dont go there anymore, there's nothing for you).
You have to bring 3 application forms with 1 passport size photo each, filled of course.Copy of some of your passport pages, I dont know for sure which because I didnt have them. He helped me on that one by copying them at the consulate. Also I had prints of travel insurance, hotel bookings and onward flight ticket. I didnt have an invitation letter but the hotel reservation was apparently enough. I applied on monday, got the visa on friday. Dont know why I had to wait till friday, it was not ready when I went to pick it up, he typed it while I was waiting in his office. Cost 1000 dirhams. He told me I should have applied it from my country of recidense which doesnt have one and in that case from a neighbouring country that has. I explaned that I havent been around there for couple of years and was coming from elsewhere, that was ok with him. Nice.
So there you go, it can be done ha ha haa!
The consulate has moved to 701 boulevard modibo keita ( old address was on boulevard ier moulay idriss, dont go there anymore, there's nothing for you).
You have to bring 3 application forms with 1 passport size photo each, filled of course.Copy of some of your passport pages, I dont know for sure which because I didnt have them. He helped me on that one by copying them at the consulate. Also I had prints of travel insurance, hotel bookings and onward flight ticket. I didnt have an invitation letter but the hotel reservation was apparently enough. I applied on monday, got the visa on friday. Dont know why I had to wait till friday, it was not ready when I went to pick it up, he typed it while I was waiting in his office. Cost 1000 dirhams. He told me I should have applied it from my country of recidense which doesnt have one and in that case from a neighbouring country that has. I explaned that I havent been around there for couple of years and was coming from elsewhere, that was ok with him. Nice.
So there you go, it can be done ha ha haa!
Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to AlgeriaTourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to AlgeriaTourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria Tourist visa to Algeria tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca tourist visa to Algeria from Algerian consulate in Casablanca 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita01 boulevard modibo keita 01 boulevard modibo keita
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Wednesday, May 07, 2014
Chefchaouen
Now this place is beautiful. It's a small town 3h south by bus from Tangier. CTM bus was 50 or 60 dirhams and actually on time. Right at the beginning of the Rif mountains. For those who don't now the Rif or it's product this is the mountain region where most of the whole worlds hashish comes from. Nice. Estimated about 50% of the total hashish production on the whole planet. Where these numbers come from, I havent got an idea. And apparently it's been around since the 7th century. Chefchaouens medina is eceptionally beautiful. It's small and narrow and almost completely blue.
And finally here she is!! They were sowing at the moment but some fields already had germinated little girls. This was just over a month ago. I want to do a quick stop there again on my way to Melilla just to see how they have grown in a months time.
Tuesday, May 06, 2014
Monday, May 05, 2014
Sunday, May 04, 2014
Hotel Hollanda 139 Rue de Hollanda, tangier
Decent place, first one I came across and stayed the all my stay in Tangier They have cheaper rooms
for 100MAD up the spiral stairs to the top floor. They don't offer these room unless they're completely full but they there if you ask. Small, basic rooms with a sink. Separated toilets and shower. Hot shower downstairs
Rooms downstairs are more expencive, prettier and with TV.
Wifi works downstairs and occaisionaly at the roof terrace also. I did not found a reasonable
priced place to laundry in Tangier but this roof seems perfect to it. Put on some music, soak some fabrics, keep you pipe smoking and your laundry will be done with minimal effort.
Long soaking time and hot pipe are the keys to relaxing sunshine laundry session.
There's also a secure carpark if you have one
Medina is just there 1 min away.
I checked some cheaper ones inside medina but did not like what I saw. Dark,damp rooms,
no windows or hot shower. For sure there's other better ones but the ones I checked were a bit
nasty. And just for curiosity I checked couple of these backpacker places recommended in
travel books and online forums and other sites but could not find anything for me. In lot of
these places you pay about the same or more for a dormitory bed with dozen monkeys in the
same room that you would pay in a private real hotel with your own room. If this turns you on head to the medina and you'll find a dorm to your likings
Friday, May 02, 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)