With temperatures dropping – and even colder weather on the way – a good hiking boot designed to handle rain and snow is a must for any gear closet. After all, we have excellent gear to keep our other body parts warm, and we definitely don't want to neglect our feet either.

Arriving just in time for winter, Keen has just started shipping their new Revel II hiking boots, which have some innovative new features to help keep our feet warm on cold weather hikes. They also manage to maintain Keen's typical high level of durability and comfort while also managing to look good in the process.

Keen has designed the Revel II to have a more traditional look when compared to some of the other footwear in their line-up. These boots have a more understated appearance that makes them feel right at home on the trail, and the high ankle support is a welcome addition to what may be the most sturdy dedicated hiking boots in the Keen catalog.
One of the features of this boot that helps them to stand out from the crowd and makes them a good choice for winter hiking is what Keen calls their Heat Trapolator Insulation System. This patent pending design includes three layers of insulation for the foot that helps keep warmth inside the shoe. This extends under the foot as well, helping to keep the bottoms of our feet toast warm. This approach makes a lot of sense considering that when hiking on snow and ice, much of the cold temperatures emanate from the ground itself.

Keeping our feet comfortable doesn't end with simply staying warm however. The Revel II boots are also waterproof to keep excess moisture out, while a breathable, wicking liner helps to pull moisture away from the foot too. The result is a boot that keeps your feet dry in all but the worst of conditions. When paired with a good pair of socks, most hikers will be ready to face the elements with a smile on their face.

As mentioned, these boots are very comfortable, which is a Keen trademark for sure. I did find that the break-in period for these shoes was a bit longer than some of the other Keen boots that I've worn, but once they did loosen up, they felt as good on my feet as I had expected. For a full-size, rugged boot, they are also lighter in weight than they would appear at first glance, although it doesn't seem that Keen has had to sacrifice any durability in achieving this svelte design.

The Revel II's aggressive outsole does a good job of holding their grip on both dry and wet surfaces, although once again there was a short break-in period before this happened. Out of the box, the bottom of the shoes felt smooth and slick but after wearing them for a bit, they seemed to improve. I'm not sure if my pair of boots shipped from the factory with a slick coating on the bottom, but traction certainly improved after putting a bit of mileage on them.

If you're in the market for a pair of hiking boots that are suitable for cool, or even cold weather hikes, than Keen's new offering may be exactly what you're looking for. They are comfortable, durable and perform well on snow and ice. They also happen to have traditional good looks and sturdy construction that should make them last for years to come. Available for $160, these aren't the least expensive shoes available from Keen, but they just might be the most capable hiking boots the company currently makes.

Here's a feature by photographer Ryan Pyle on Chinese Turkestan, which touches on the Uyghur people and their efforts to preserve their cultural and religious practices in China.

Chinese Turkestan is now known as Xinjiang, and is an autonomous region of mainland China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and borders Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, has abundant oil reserves and is China's largest natural gas-producing region.

Its major ethnic groups include Uyghur, Han, Kazakh, Hui, Kyrgyz and Mongol.It also has a documented history of at least 2,500 years, and a succession of different peoples and empires vying for control over the territory.

Ryan Pyle obtained a degree in International Politics from the University of Toronto, moved to China permanently in 2002 and began taking freelance assignments in 2003. He became a regular contributor to The New York Times covering China, where he documented issues such as rural health care, illegal land seizures, bird flu and environmental degradation. He also has published magazine work, such as the Sunday Times Magazine, Der Spiegel, Fortune, TIME, Outside, Forbes and Newsweek.

Normally, the Muslim call to prayer is melodious but the one chosen for this piece's soundtrack is not, so perhaps you may want to turn the audio off.

I can't remember where I read about this place, but I think some famous chef said how it was his favorite hot pot place in Taipei, as it was apparently devoid of tourists and was difficult to get a reservation at. Somehow, our local office managed to secure a table for us at one of its outlets tonight, so we went right after we finished a big meeting of ours this afternoon.

I'm not sure what the big deal was. Actually, I'll just go out and say it straight: I didn't like it. Everything was so darned sweet, from the soup base to the condiments to even the tofu and fish cakes inside. It kinda reminded me of the food from last night, especially since they couldn't make it spicy no matter how much extra red oil they added. OK, I suppose that it was a lot more elegant than other spots around town, but puzzlingly, this place was owned by the guys behind Ding Wang, and the taste there is completely different.

Well, there was one interesting thing here, and that was those "ice cream tofu" things sliding into the broth above. It took me a while to figure out what the heck "ice cream tofu" was; it turned out not to have any ice cream in it at all, but rather was named as such in reference to the smooth texture. But it was...again, sweet. I'm not coming back, especially since it made all of my clothes smell like B.O. afterwards. Ugh.

When I announced to my friends that I was going to Morocco for a few weeks in December and January, almost all of them were wary. Everyone knows I have a penchant for the kind of exotic travel that leaves most Americanos flat, but to march voluntarily into the maw of the beast??? Well, first off Morocco's pro-Western monarchy is much-loathed by primitivist and fundamentalist backers of groups like Al Qaeda and, indeed, Casablanca suffered a suicide bomb attack in May, 2003. It wasn't as damaging as the ones in New York, Bali, Madrid or London but something like 40 people died and 100 were injured. Over 2,000 people have been arrested. Velvet gloves and smiley faces or not, Morocco is a police state and a dictatorship; you don't want to run afoul of the Man in that country. Is it safe? Is New York? Is London? Is anywhere?

As for the Moroccans, they seem extremely pro-American, at least as far as I could tell. Virtually everyone I met had nothing but disdain for the Bush Regime, of course (I mean name a place that doesn't other than, perhaps, Israel, Utah and the Old Confederacy) but in terms of American culture, American ideals, and, more to the point, American people, the Moroccans are all thumbs up.

Unlike the French, British, Spanish, Portuguese and (almost) the Germans, Morocco never had a colonial problem with the Americans. Morocco was actually the first country in the world to officially recognize U.S. independence and official relations have always been good. There's a natural affinity between Moroccans and Americans. And, a little bonus, of all the Arabs anywhere, the Moroccans seem by far the least hostile towards Jews. (One Moroccan I met on this trip told me, with more pride than accuracy I think, that the first government of independent Israel was comprised mostly of Moroccan Jews.) When we first got there and people would ask where we are from I would always say "California in America." At first Roland would grimace and ask me if I was trying to get us killed-- since there are relatively few Americans traveling in Morocco and people assume when they hear English that you're a Brit-- but after a couple of days worth of huge, sincere smiles at my answer, even Roland admitted that, despite what they feel about Bush, Moroccans like Americans.

A friend of mine in the Bali tourist industry told me last year that an average American on vacation in Bali will spend five times what an average European, Japanese or Australian will spend there! I have no reason to believe the figure is substantially different for Morocco. And that kind of spending makes a lot of friends. The owner of a fancy restaurant in Marrakech told me that Americans were the only consistently good tippers, and this in one of the most esteemed restaurants in the city. (When we ate there it was full of French tourists. When the owner asked me how I liked the salads, I was extremely enthusiastic and before I could readjust myself in my seat, a complete encore of the dozen little plates of salad arrived at the table. I didn't notice that on any of the French-occupied tables around us.)

I'll tell you why I rate Morocco as a relatively safe place for tourists. It's the exponential growth of the middle class there. Morocco is a pretty rich country. Unfortunately all the wealth has been concentrated in a very few hands. Under Hassan II things started loosening up and now under his son Mohammed VI, things have really taken off. A Moroccan friend of mine told me it's because of the relaxation in once prohibitive rules about mortgages and borrowing. But whatever the reason, there appears to be a Moroccan middle class that is a lot bigger and a lot more influential than there was on any of my previous 9 trips to the country.

Marrakech might have once been scary for a typical tourist. Today Marrakech is a pretty cosmopolitan city that is very much part of the "international scene." I heard a report on the BBC about the fastest growing real estate markets in the world. I don't recall them mentioning London or Paris or Los Angeles. It was all about Shanghai and Singapore and... Marrakech! Fes still has a way to go, but even Fes, once the scariest and most forbidding city in the country, is pretty tame. Tangier has been tame far longer, but it seems very much a user-friendly blend of East-Meets-West these days.

I've been to every remote region in the country, from the kif "badlands" up in the Rif Mountains to Sidi Ifni, Ouarzazate, M'hamid and all through the High Atlas. I've always felt pretty secure and an easy-going. Exotic, yes; dangerous, nah.


UPDATE: U.S. BUILDING TORTURE PRISON IN MOROCCO; COULD SPELL BIG TROUBLE

I'll stand by what I've said about the natural affinity between Moroccans and Americans and what a safe environment I've found on my trips to Morocco. However, I found some cause for alarm in today's SUNDAY TIMES (London). "The United States is helping Morocco to build a new interrogation and detention facility for Al-Qaeda suspects near its capital, Rabat, according to western intelligence sources. The sources confirmed last week that building was under way at Ain Aouda, above a wooded gorge south of Rabat’s diplomatic district. The construction of the new compound, run by the Direction de la Securité du Territoire (DST), the Moroccan secret police, adds to a substantial body of evidence that Morocco is one of America’s principal partners in the secret 'rendition' programme in which the CIA flies prisoners to third countries for interrogation."

This isn't good news for Americans thinking about visiting Morocco because it could make tourists into targets in the minds of extremists and radicals. Non-official media in Morocco have accused the government of turning Morocco into "the CIA's dustbin."


UPDATE: APRIL, 2007-- SOME SAY THE THREAT OF TERRORISM IN MOROCCO IS VERY REAL

Morocco is not immune from a general terrorist threat in the Islamic world. And some say intricate political considerations have kept Morocco from effectively protecting itself from the scourge. Sadly, it might be something for you to take into consideration when making travel plans. Today a couple of suicide bombers blew themselves up in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Casablanca. This was hot on the heels of lethal bombings in neighbouring Algeria in which 33 people were killed by a group claiming affiliation to al-Qaeda.

One day after the latest attacks the U.S. government warned of a high risk of violence against U.S. citizens in Casablanca and advised Americans to stay at home. "The potential for violence against American interests and citizens and other Western targets remains high in Morocco," is how the State Department put it. The Khaleej Times warns that "Establishments which are readily identifiable with the United States are potential targets for attacks." Today's L.A. Times seems most concerned about the coordination of attacks in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco with al-Qaeda. On the other hand, my friend Alisse just got back from a week in Fes-- which she loved-- and she didn't pick up on anything that seemed remotely threatening.

Photo © REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi-All Rights Reserved
The Boston Globe's The Big Picture features photographs of the Holy Week, which starts on Good Friday, when Christians observe Jesus' crucifixion. Holy Week commemorates the last week of Jesus' life.

Many of the photographs show what Christian penitents do to commemorate the crucifixion, either by reenacting it or be causing bodily harm to themselves. It reminds me of the Muslim Shi'as self flagellation during the day of Ashura, in mourning of Hussein ibn Ali's death, which is equally gruesome.

In the above photograph, the caption reads:

"The blood-covered leg of a penitent, resting on a bloodied step during a procession through the streets in the town of Verbicaro, southern Italy on April 2, 2010. The penitents, called "battenti", or beaters, hit their legs with a "cardillo" (a cork with attached pieces of glass) and walk, bleeding, in groups of three through the streets, stopping in front of all the churches and chapels in the town. The tradition began in the thirteenth century and serves as penitence for Christ's death."

Penitence for Christ's death? The mind boggles.

It's mango season again, and Durian Lingers was carrying some Burmese mangoes, which we of course had to get. And they were super sweet, making them still one of my all time favorites. They were also selling some Malaysian mangoes, which the man assured me were ripe despite being green. I didn't like these at all though: they were very fibrous and almost kinda stanky in taste. I didn't bother finishing them.

Especially not in remote places that don't warrant frequent updates. For this trip, I'm using a Lonely Planet for Senegal and a Bradt for Mali. They're both out of date... in terms of everything. One made the extremely sensible suggestion that travelers to this part of the world change currency at Charles de Gaulle since flights inevitably arrive after the airport money changer is gone. The good news is that the countries around here-- particularly Senegal and Mali-- use the same currency: CFA which is fixed to the Euro. The bad news is that you haven't been able to buy CFA at the Parisian airport in at least 7 years. If you arrive after midnight and you're lucky, a friendly resident you meet on the plane will drive you to town. Otherwise you can always ask the taxi driver to wait while you get the front desk to change money, which, of course, is a terrible place to change money since the hotels see changing money as a big profit center for themselves.

Also in these rapidly changing, even explosive, countries, guide books can't possibly keep up with all the new hotels and restaurants opening. The Sokhamon isn't mentioned in any guide books I've seen. I suspect when it is, the price will go up. As for restaurants, I tried the Lonely Planet's most highly recommended Senegalese restaurant, Keur N'Deye, and it was nothing to write home about-- just a simple adequate meal. This afternoon I went to another of their banner recommendations, La Forchette, which they insist has the best lunch deal in town. It may but it's being renovated so I'll have to take their word for it. Another traveler told me about Le Sarraut a few blocks away and it was unbelievable. I had a local fish, thiof, prepared in a Senegalese vegetable and herb sauce with some kind of amazing potato soufle. I want to go back and eat more there!

Meanwhile, I'm certain the 6 Dutch women I mentioned in my last post planned everything according to the book and they got all their paperwork in order and all, of course, and then accompanied their three 4WD fixed up vehicles to Dakar on a freighter from Antwerp. They've been trying to get the authorities to let them have their vehicles-- and all their possessions-- ever since. It's such a bummer and if their didn't have such abundant inner resources, I'm sure this would ruin their whole trip. But I see them everyday and they are still keeping their spirits up as they work their way through a Kafkaesque bureaucracy which is determined to relieve them of as much as can possibly be extorted.

Dusk is falling and I just noticed my first malarial mosquitos buzzing around the business center so I'm going to have to finish this another time while I seek shelter.

Pulpit Rock in Norway is a 604 meter (1982 ft) cliff that overlooks Lysefjord fjord. It is a popular landmark that draws hikers from all over to take in its sweeping views. Today, you can visit the rock through this beautiful timelapse video, which is likely to inspire you to want to go and see it for yourself. It seems like a fitting way to end the week.

The Pulpit Rock - Norway from Kjetil kaasa on Vimeo.

The GoBlog has posted three very cool videos of famed rock climber Tommy Caldwell in Yosemite.

The videos are from back in 2005 when Caldwell put up an amazing double climb of both Freerider and El Capitan's The Nose in the same day. The videos are interesting and fun to watch not only because you can watch a master climber at work, but you can see him as he prepares for the climb, going through his gear, and mentally getting ready as well. He's also cheered on and encouraged by wife Beth Rodden, who is quite an accomplished climber in her own right.

Very cool videos for anyone into the rock climbing and some of the big, classic walls. Also very impressive to think that Tommy was able to put up both routes in one day, even a few years after the fact. Some days I have problems climbing two flights of stairs! ;)

More news from MountEverest.net today concerning the ongoing climbs on Everest and elsewhere in the Himalaya. It's mid-May now, so obviously things are about to get intense on Everest, while others are finishing up climbs on various other peaks.

On Everest things are really heating up with teams moving up the mountain on both sides. On the North side in particular, it seems that they are poised for a major push in the next few days, while on the South they are still a bit tenative as fixed ropes on the upper slopes are still being put down and there is fear of traffic jams later in the week.

Rumor has it that David Tait may be making his summit bid tomorrow, and of course finishing up the first leg of his double traverse. The 16th seems like a big day on the North side with the Scottish Scouts, the Philippines Team, and Nices Meroi all aiming to give it a go. The ladies on the Phillippines Team will end at BC in Nepal on their traverse as well.

Mountain Madness seems to be leading the way on the South side, as they are making the push to summit on the 16th as well. Since they are one of the first teams up, that also means they are laying down the last of the fixed ropes too. The feeling amongst the other teams seems to be wait and see, as a number of them watch the weather and the movements of their companions.

Else where in the Himalaya other teams are preparing to top out on their own particular summits. News from Annapurna is that the Spanish team there is saddened and subdued following the loss of their friends on Dhaulagiri. But word is that they will attempt the "German Route" on the North side none the less.

Snow on Manaslu kept a team from reaching the summit there. They've returned to Base Camp and are awaiting another opportunity. And finally, word is that Amical Alpin’s Cho Oyu team topped out on Friday, May 4th.

Congrats to all the recent summitteers and good luck to all the teams going up this week. Climb high, climb safe!

Man, this Vietnamese-Cajun thing is really spreading in Singapore, especially if the Tung Lok folks launched their own place too (200 Turf Club Road #01-20/21, 6466-3303). At least, it had many of the hallmark features of being Vietnamese-Cajun: not just with the plastic bags, but also the limes and salt/pepper mixture that they greeted you with. Strangely though, they only provided enough limes, salt, and pepper for one person, despite the fact that we were a party of seven. I suppose that limes *are* more expensive here.

Still, I knew that we were doomed once they poured these out onto the table; immediately I got a whiff of tomatoes in the sauce. Tomatoes? Really?? One dip of my finger into the sauce confirmed it. This wasn't Vietnamese-Cajun nor even proper Cajun (despite the "Louisiana Seafood" tagline plastered all over their marketing materials). This tomato sauce, while spicy, was basically an arrabbiata. No wonder why The Sunday Times said that they wanted to bring the sauce home to pour on pasta!

To be fair, it wasn't that bad as long as I thought of it as arrabbiata shellfish mix rather than Cajun. But I was so taken aback by it that the only thing I really cared for today was the fish and chips instead, and that was largely fueled by the fact that they used a delicious cod in there (yes, the seafood otherwise here was pretty fresh). But if I want Vietnamese-Cajun in Singapore again, I'll head to Full of Crab or Crab in Da Bag; hopefully the former has since toned up its mixture to be much spicier than when I last had it.

When I flew into Buenos Aires from the U.S., the plane didn't fly over the city and I never got to see a bird's eye view. I walk a lot. Porteños I talk to are amazed that I walk as far as I do-- like from San Telmo to the outer reaches of Palermo. Buses, taxis and the subway are cheap and efficient but I love to walk and always find it a good way to get to know something of a city. My guess is that a walk from Bio, my favorite veggie restaurant, way out on Humboldt in Palermo to San Telmo is at least 4 or 5 miles. Flying over Buenos Aires after my trip to Corrientes and Misiones provinces I was stunned by the staggering giganticness of the city. It just goes on and one and on. There are 36 million people in Argentina, with lots of wide open spaces. 11 and a half million of them live in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.

In Manhattan all my friends think I'm crazy because I love walking from the 50's down to, say, Little Italy. I get to see a lot of Manhattan. But not all of it-- and none of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island. Buenos Aires is much bigger; much, much bigger. And remember what I said about how Buenos Aires is such a vertical city with everyone living in apartment buildings? That would be in the city center areas. There's plenty of horizonal living in Greater B.A.

Argentina is also a very large country. It's not like any of the European countries, where you can drive anywhere in a day. Not by a long shot. The nonstop flight from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego is around 4 hours, about the same as Los Angeles to Atlanta. And from Jujuy in the northwest down to Tierra del Fuego... my guess is that it's further than from Maine to San Diego. Unless you have a lot of time and love long distance driving-- and I've met quite a few travelers who do and who are revelling in their Argentine vacations-- you have to fly. The problem with flying around Argentina is that it's expensive, for many people prohibitively expensive.

Every Porteño I tell I'm going to Tierra del Fuego lights up and tells me how wonderful it is. When I ask them if they've ever been, they all say no. I still haven't met a single Argentine who's ever been there. As one of my friends mentioned "It costs less to go to Miami or London. So..."

For foreigners there is a way around this. In Latin America there are a lot of things stacked against tourists, even to the point of hotels-- not to mention national parks and things like that-- which charge more to foreigners than to natives. In a few cases, they even charge more to certain foreigners (i.e.- like those who live above the equator) than to others. But there is one little, or not so little, instance where the situation works in reverse. You know what a Eurail Pass is, right? Aerolinas Argentinas, the national airline, offers something like that-- a mindblowingly low rate for internal travel. The catch: you have to fly into the country on that airline. And that isn't always convenient or even cost-effective (especially since Aerolinas Argentinas isn't hooked up with any of the big airline networks that share mileage plans).

I stumbled upon a way around that little catch. Uruguay is right across the La Plata and if you're in Buenos Aires why not visit Uruguay anyway-- Colonia, Montevideo and Punta del Este? I took a pleasant one hour ferry trip over to Colonia and then a bus to Montevideo. There are also ferries direct to Montevideo. After seeing a bit of Uruguay I took the quick, cheap flight back to Buenos Aires. And that meant I flew into Argentina from a foreign country, making me eligible to fly anywhere inside the country for next to nothing.

My next travel tip will be how to trick the nasty Brazilians into letting you into their over-priced country.


UPDATE: AND THE COUNTRY AND CITY AREN'T THE ONLY THINGS THAT ARE BIG AROUND HERE!

To answer an e-mail from a friend, it isn't just Buenos Aires, the metro area, and Argentina, the nation, that are big. The portions in restaurants also seem to be very large. Aside from the all-you-can eat buffets, even the chic restaurants serve hefty courses. Food is plentiful and the folks down here like to eat and they like to party. Like I mentioned earlier though, you don't see the kind of obesity in the people that you see all over America or, more and more, in Europe.

It's another busy day on Everest with plenty of more climbers reaching the top, this time from both the North and the South sides. We knew things would come fast and furious once the weather window opened, but I'd say it's been even crazier than I expected. As usual, you can find great coverage at MountEverest.net, which is being updated regularly. Don't forget to drop by Alan Arnette's Everest 2007 Page as he has a very nice commentary already posted this morning about the grit and determination of these climbers. Alan makes a good point that it's been popular to bag on Everest climbers this past year or so, but most of these climbers are doing it the right way, and are genuinely dedicated to high altitude mountaineering. And for even more Everest news, because I know you can't get enough, drop by The Adventursist though out the day, as I'm sure Jason will be following all the breaking news as it occurs as well.

A few stories to touch on. The Pinay Girls have topped out from the North side and are now traversing down the South and into Tibet. The The Super Sherpas also completed their summit attempt today from the South side. This is probably the least surprising of all the summits, as these guys were a lock it seems. Word is that Nives Meroi will be making a no O2 summit attempt tonight as she goes for another 8000m peak to add to her resume. Also, it seems that Ming Kipa Sherpa has summitted on the North side at the ripe old age of 15!!

The other big news is that there seems to be some trouble brewing on the North side. There may be a rescue attempt underway. There are not a lot of detail at the moment, and we don't want to speculate too much, but according to the Cracking Day Everst Blog the climbers witnessed some kind of incident with a Japanese girl at around 8300m, but were reluctant to say much more. MountEverest.net is also reporting that there seemed to be some activity on the mountain that would lead you to believe a rescue was underway. Lets keep our fingers crossed on this one folks!

Congrats to all the climbers who reached the "Top of the World" today. Awesome accomplishment all around. Now get back down safe, as you're not done yet. And for everyone still on their way up, I hope the weather holds out for you, and be careful. Climb safe! We all want you back down in one piece so you can tell us your stories!

I'll post more updates as they come in throughout the day.

Update: MountEverest.net has an update on the Japanese climber that I posted on earlier. It seems that he collapsed on their descent from the summit, after successfully reaching the top on the North side. The Sherpas attempted to adminsiter CPR, but were unsuccessful in reviving him. The climbers name has not been revealed as of yet, but news has also hit the Japanese media.

Amidst all the celebrations for the successful summit, lets keep this man's friends and family in our thoughts.

I just got a letter from an old friend, Dave, who is visiting Morocco with 2 other mutual friends, Jo and Cindy. It's the first time in Morocco for each of them. He wrote to me from the Riyad El Cadi, the fantastic townhouse in Marrakesh where Roland and I stayed last December. Dave said it was ok to turn his letter into a blog.

I'm writing this to you under the lemon trees in the central courtyard of the riyad el cadi.  As I type, the electrifying moan of the afternoon call to prayer is starting to swell across the medina. We arrived last night after a flight from Amsterdam. I am staying in your room, the Piscine, and Josephine and Cindy are in the Maison Bleu.

Thanks so much for recommending this place. It's absolutely lovely. And they light up when we mention "Howie".

Here's a little excerpt from of my diary. The longer entry spent a lot of time describing our arrival on the edge of the Jamaa El Fna and the walk to the Riyad -- a scene you know well enough, so I'll spare you that bit and cut to early this morning...

As I have for the last week, I slept like an old dog. Me, who's used to three or four hours at a time, sleeping for six and seven. Very odd. What's surprising here is that you're in the middle of this incredibly dense neighborhood that stretches out at least a couple of miles in every direction from you and at night it's just dead silent. I had a crazy dream about being caught up in some very intense religous mystery (along the lines of the Da Vinci Code I think -- although i haven't read it) chasing people through all these little corridors and stairways, being warned to stop asking questions by some people and pulled into dark doorways by others who would confide some mysterious bit of secret information. I woke up quite disoriented to the sound of the morning call to prayer at 5, followed by a really amazing concert of bird calls of every description. Needless to say, it took me a while to feel like i was really awake and really here.

At breakfast this morning a fellow named Hassan from the hotel spent about a half an hour with us talking about what we wanted to see and do, and then marking routes and destinations on the impossibly complicated map of the old city -- the Medina.  A bit later we set out on our way, deciding to go visit an antique-dealing friend of Hassan's who he said was not more than 3 minutes walk up the alley. Within a minute and a half we were totally lost. I can't really describe the scene, and I know that sooner or later you just get used to it and start to get your bearings, but at first it's just sort of mind-blowing,  Turn a corner and you're in the middle of a little vegetable market where a man is selling red onions, a woman has two little piles of apricots, a moped is honking its way through the busy crowd, an old old man is leading a donkey pulling a cart full of animal hides and then another man more or less pulls you into his doorway to show you his blanket factory. Before you know it, he's led you down a dark, dark corridor and into a ramshackle room where ten or twelve men are working on looms, weaving these incredibly vibrant colored yarns into blankets and rugs. And the guy is offering you tea and talking about America and saying "you are welcome here" and about how he'll make a special price for you. It's at once stunningly beautiful, squalid, intimidating, annoying, funny and seemingly so damned authentic that the modern cynic in you can't possibly believe that it could possibly be authentic at all. I think this is the thing that, in my first day here, has suprised me the most. You travel around a bit and you start to believe that every place is more or less the same.  London is not that different from Los Angeles... Amsterdam... Chicago...  even China which in a lot of ways really blew my mind.  What's surprising is how much alike they all seem to be. You begin to expect to be able to feel more or less at home anywhere. Then there's this place which makes you realize that the world is still a lot bigger than you are. Today, wandering through the maze of markets, it made me feel quite naive. And that, in turn, made me feel vulnerable, and for a second, a little uneasy. And then again, everyone is remarkably friendly and funny. A man in a shop asked me if Josephine and Cindy were my two wives. I laughed and he laughed and he told me I must be a Berber and that he'd give me 12,000 dirhams for the pair of them and we both laughed some more.  I guess the Berber are the butt of a lot of jokes here.  A few minutes later, in another stall, Josephine was considering buying some old tins.  She pulled me in to talk to the seller who was asking 400 dirhams and he asked me to tell him my price.  When I said she would pay 200 for them, he looked and me and said I must be Berber. I said, "Berber? Why? Because I'm cheap?" To which he replied, "Cheap!  Yes." And laughed.

Yesterday I had to abandon the girls and retreat to the Riyad after I couldn't absorb any more shopping.  A couple of hours later they returned with a tale of Josephine nearly getting into it with a passive agressive t-shirt seller who, after apparently some time spent chatting, offering tea and showing the goods, felt that her price was insulting.  He said something along the lines of "Are you a little crazy in the head?" and at some point put the shirts in a bag and threw them at her telling her, "Fine! Just take them American. Just take them for nothing."  I sort of wish I'd seen it and then again I'm really glad I wasn't there.

Today I think we're headed to some gardens and a supermarket.

Oh, and we had a wonderful dinner at El Fassia last night.

Anyway, thanks again Howie.  We feel a little like you're here with us.

UPDATE: 36 HOURS IN MARRAKESH-- TOO EXPRESS

Today's NY Times is right about one thing: Marrakesh is cool. Their vision of why... kind of superficial. Hey, but superficial people have a right to discover cool places too (and destroy them for everyone else).

I didn't even find out about this until today, but apparently one of the things that this restaurant is known for is this Spice Mum chili sauce, a sour mixture of raw chili and garlic that packs quite a punch. And like Ay Chung Oyster Noodle in Taipei, you can buy a refrigerated jar to take home.

To my surprise, I rather enjoyed some of the food that we got today, including some kind of mushroom and scallop dish, as well as some deep fried taro root thing (perfect for dipping in that hot sauce above). Hmm...maybe I should come to these guys more often.

Bronze Age Ireland saw the construction of new types of stone monuments in the landscape, the large court-tombs and passage tombs of the Neolithic gave way to the smaller wedge tombs, cist-burials, stone circles, rows, alignments and solitary standing stones. Here in the peaceful Faughan Valley just outside of Derry you can see a whole prehistoric Bronze Age landscape with numerous monuments scattered throughout the region.

The first of these that we visited were these prominent standing stones at Clagan. There are three standing stones visible here though only one still stands vertical, originally they probably formed a small stone row. They seem to be put to good use by the bullocks who were enjoying a good scratch on them when we arrived. There are beautiful views down the Faughan Valley from the hill on where the stones stand, and this site is well worth a look if you’re in the area. To find the standing stones, take the B74 Glenshane Road from Claudy, then take the second left onto the Clagan Road and you’ll see the stones in a field around 400m south-east of Clagan Bridge. Park safely on the road but as there are livestock in the fields surrounding the stones, please be sure to close all gates behind you.

We weren't the only ones interested in the standing stones at Clagan, these local archaeology enthusiasts beat us to it

At Ballygroll you can find a quite remarkable collection of prehistoric monuments, all clustered together on a sandy ridge at Slievegore Hill. Much of the site is covered by bog, but excavations in the late 1970s revealed part of a large prehistoric complex. The identified remains include a court tomb, two wedge tombs, a circular stone cairn, a barrow, two stone circles, cist burials and prehistoric field walls.

Part of the remains of the Neolithic Court-tomb

The earliest monument discovered at Ballygroll is a Neolithic court tomb (this type of monument generally dates from around 4000–2500 BC). The capstone of the tomb appears to have faint cup marks as decoration. The wedge tombs are from the end of the Neolithic period or Early Bronze Age (around 2500–2000 BC) and the stone circles probably date to the Early Bronze Age (2500–1500 BC). Archaeologists dated the barrow to the Late Bronze Age, all of this shows that this region on the hills around the fertile Faughan Valley was an important and thriving place in prehistoric Ireland for over three millennia. Ballygroll was likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, the whole flanks of the Loughermore Mountain was recorded to have large numbers of prehistoric monuments during the mapping in the 1830s, but apart from Ballygroll much has been lost due to agricultural land reclamation over the years.

The bog that surrounds the features and the plantlife that partially obscures them are in themselves interesting and worth a visit, with mosses, lichens, flowers and insects giving you an accessible and fun introduction to Irish bogs. Sometimes the plantlife can make finding the monuments something of a challenge, and it’s probably best visited on a dry day after a frost rather than in the height of summer when the grasses are at their highest.

We got to Ballygroll by driving on a minor road north from Ervey Crossroads to Highmoor. The site was signposted. There was no parking at Ballygroll but we parked on the laneway leading down to the site. You’ll find a large interpretation panel with a map of the features, it’s worth taking a quick snap of this on your camera to allow you to reference back and keep your bearings on this expansive site.

At sites such as Ballygroll you'll often find quartz which appears to have held significance in the Neolithic and Bronze Age

Even a quick glance at a copy of the Ordnance Survey Discoverer Map 7 will show the wealth of prehistoric sites in this small region. These are just some of the incredible sites you can see in this beautiful part of rural County Derry. While you are in the area be sure to pay a visit to Ashbrook House, a beautiful estate that has been home to the same family since the 1590s. For more information about the lovely Faughan Valley and to find accommodation please visit http://www.discoverfaughanvalley.com/

I hope you enjoy our blog posts. If you would like to see daily updates with pictures and information on Irish heritage sites, archaeology and history please consider following us on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter.


If you would like to support us please download an audioguide from www.abartaaudioguides.com. There are currently fourteen guides available with four free of charge and the rest costing just €1.99. They are full of original music and sound effects and are a fun and immersive way of hearing the story of some of Ireland’s most iconic heritage sites and places. They are as enjoyable at the site as they are from the comfort of your favourite armchair at home, why not try our guide to Viking and Medieval Dublin to hear the story of the birth of a city? Or try our FREE guide to the wonderful heritage town of Kells in County Meath.

The capstone of a Bronze Age cist burial at Ballygroll

A few days ago, I posted an opinion piece (or POV) on a renowned photographer about to engage in a project which I deemed unrelated to his travel documentary specialty.

As a consequence, I was criticized by a half dozen people in the blogosphere who, perhaps having misread the gist of my opinion, disparaged my photography, my prior career, my being Egyptian-born (as if that made me unfit to speak my mind), etc. Bah.

I was reminded of Jean-Jacques Rousseau who said: "Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect" when I noticed some of the disparaging remarks on that blog were made by the very same people whose photographic work was frequently lauded, applauded and supported on my blog. Double Bah.

I don't know for sure why these people resorted to abusive ad hominem, but one of my guesses (and I have a few) is that they sought to get back at me for not being a lemming, for being an iconoclast of sorts, for not sharing their "gods", golden calves and icons, or to force me into a mold of their choosing. People simply don't like people who are not like them and don't act like they do...it's small-minded tribalism.

So move on boys and girls...I don't need you to tell me what to think and say, nor do I kneel to your golden calves. Get it?

Just so we're clear: A few expressed their disagreement with my view, but did not resort to insults. To those, I say thank you for your point of view...and let's agree to disagree.

Here's a 6 minutes trailer from a multimedia documentary "Forgotten on the Roof of the World" by photographer Matthieu Paley and anthropologist Ted Callahan that tells the story of a little-known tribe of Kirghiz nomads in one of earth’s most remote regions - Afghanistan’s High Pamirs mountains.

The full documentary will be screened by Matthieu at the Royal Geographical Society (Hong Kong) on Tuesday 22nd of June.

Matthieu Paley is an Asia-based (currently based in Hong Kong) photographer specializing in editorial and documentary photography. His work appeared in Geo, National Geographic, Newsweek, Time, Outside, Discovery and various others.

It looks like December is shaping up to be quite a month for unique expeditions and adventures. Take for example the recently announced Peak 2 Peak 2013 expedition which is set to get underway on December 1. This impressive undertaking will send Kiwi Grant Rawlinson and Aussie Alan Silva on a human-powered odyssey across New Zealand that will have them climbing, paddling and cycling their way across both the North and South Islands.

The journey will begin with the two men first attempting to climb Mt. Ruapeahu (2797 meters/9177 ft), the tallest peak on the North Island. After that, they'll paddle 240 km (150 miles) down the Whanganui River before proceeding 60 km (37 miles) across the Cook Strait. Arriving on the South Island, they'll next get on their bikes for a 900 km (560 miles) ride to the foot of Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain on the island at 3754 meters (12,316 ft). They'll wrap up their journey with a climb to the summit, thus complete their Peak to Peak aspirations.

Grant and Alan will make this journey completely unsupported and on a small budget. They were both drawn to this unique challenge because of its grassroots nature and the fact that it could inspire others to undertake their own adventures that don't require a large time commitment or cost a lot of money.

Both of these men are experienced mountaineers, each with a successful summit of Everest under their belts. Alan climbed the world's tallest peak from the South Side back in 1998 while regular readers of this blog followed Grant's successful climb from the North Side back in 2012. That experience will come in handy as they push themselves to the limit on this particular expedition as well.

To follow along with the team's progress, visit Grant's website at axeoneverest.com. They'll get underway in just a couple of week. Good luck guys!

That doesn't exactly look very appealing above, but I didn't have time for lunch today, and yet the local team insisted that I tried this shop's beef noodle, saying that it was one of the better ones. They were nice enough to order some to go and bring it back to the office for me.

I could see now see why they liked it so much, as there was a good amount of heat coating those noodles, even if some of the pieces of beef could have been more tender. I actually finished this thing to the last drop even though it was cold by the time I got to it. It'd be interesting to try this piping hot at the actual restaurant next time.