Located in 20 km from Rabat on the road of Kenitra, the exotic gardens of Sidi Bouknadel is a nice landscape with a wild and exotic plants and trees brought from different parts of the glob to discover.

The Exotic Garden in Salé is a beautiful garden created in 1952 by Marcel Francois on a sandy land in Morocco a few kilometers from Rabat. The family of Francois Marcel decided to build this site, so his work is not forgotten. Before the Rejuvenation in the past 10 years the site was ignored for almost 20 years that caused the destruction of a number of paths, plants as well as trees.

Open from 9 am to 18 pm. The visit fees are 10dhs for adults and 3dhs for children. The circuit around the garden can be done in 1hour and a half and you can enjoy sipping tea, coffee or drinking some smoothies and soft drinks as you wish in the garden's coffee shop J  

Francois Marcel, the creator and founder of the Botanical Garden, French horticultural engineer who has crossed the globe to bring in this old desert, all the exotic plants he discovered during his travels. It is on four acres of wilderness he built this oasis of greenery and freshness.

Francois Marcel, the creator and founder of the Botanical Garden, French horticultural engineer who has crossed the globe to bring in this old desert, all the exotic plants he discovered during his travels. It is on four acres of wilderness he built this oasis of greenery and freshness.

At Dar Takafa" Mohamed Hadji in Sala Jadida, Centre Social du banlay's volunteers who are here for two weeks program had plenty of space to paint two nice murals and help in gardening activities with the help of kids from the centre socio-educative de Sala Jadida, our care placement partners, apart from that, the two groups are having good time so far. In addition to the daily activities that consists of care work, sports, potteries and other. The groups have had much of fun during the previous trips they had, such as: the Fes, volubilis, Casablanca ones. Besides the site visits to places such as the Exotiques garden, Cehllah place, Hassan tour, Mega mall and other nearby places.

CSDB doing Gardening at Dar Takafa 

CSDB In "Les jardines exotiques" 

CSDB In Volubilis

CSDB In Fes had a guide who master the history of Morocco Fes in particular, who introduced the culture of Morocco to the group in brief passing by the most important facts illustrating with the lively proves from history in the Medina of Fes, such as: Madrassa Bouanania, Najarine, karaouiyine and other lovely peace of arts in the cheerful Medina of Fes.

CSDB working with kids with special needs at Souissi hospital  

It's hot and sunny a perfect weather for a sunbath on the sand of the beach enjoying the coolness of the blue sea. Yet it's not the case in here, Adil has just finished his last call to double check with the Moroccan band we are going to have in the get-together meeting this evening. This evening a total number 41 volunteer and the staff are going to attend the huge meeting for tonight.As mentioned before Adil has just finished with the Moroccan band that are going to play for tonight and as he told me it's a Dakka Marrakchia band.

Dakka Marrakchia - tkitikate / Among the many faces of the authentic Marrakech,  DakkaMarrakchia purports to be a legacy of great historical value and human. Integral part of cultural heritage dating back to the dynasty of Saadian, Dakka Marrakchia,   (drumming) is considered an exclusively male genre, distinguished by polyrythmic percussion and choral chants, and taken through the centuries, a once a year during the festival of Ashura. The rhythms pay tribute to "Sabaatou Rijal," the seven spiritual guardians of the city: Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, Qadi Ayad, Abou El Abbas Essebti, Imam El Jazouli, SidiAbdelaziz Tabbaa, Sidi Abdellah El Ghazouani (called Moul Laksour), and Imam Suhayl.

Every Tuesday we have a get together meeting organized by Projects Abroad. This meeting is very important for our volunteers to meet to share their thoughts and experiences. It is also a good opportunity for them to plan trips.

Moroccan dressing Night On Tuesday the 12^th of July, we all gathered at Lmarrakchi family Host family. As usual we've met at Bab Bouiba and walked all along the way through the Medina of Rabat until Lmarrakchi family where we found Javier, Jewel and Arsi waiting to welcome us.

There was a surprise for the volunteers: there was henna tattoo artist whom we thank once more. Volunteers put nicely designed Moroccan tattoos and Arabic expressions. The most famous expression in Morocco "MACHI MOCHKIL" which means "no problem" was tattooed by Jonathan. After that juice, tea, pastries, pizzas, pop corn, cakes and Music took the place and everyone went wild dancing on funk, soul and Moroccan pop Music that was played last evening.

In brief it was a brilliant evening.   

If there's one skill you need to survive in Morocco, it's how to ride a Grand Taxi!

Taking a taxi in North America is a luxury! You call one of several companies, they show up where you ask them to be, they take you to your destination, and most importantly...taxis are not shared and you only pay at the end of your trip when the driver is not driving!

I had been exposed to taxis in Egypt and Iran before, so Moroccan Grand Taxis were not really a surprise to me! Two people sit in the front seat (often reserved for women, and what I'd try to snag!), and 4 were in the back. No seatbelts of course, windows rolled down, drivers not abiding by lane markers, honking and swerving, and the funniest part? How everything from Michael Jackson to Justin Bieber to covers of popular dance songs would blare from the radios! It felt so surreal and made me really wonder where I was!

So this is how the process would go four times a day: I'd walk over to a collection of taxis and tell a driver where I wanted to go. They then pointed me out to the appropriate taxi. The taxi would NOT leave until 6 people were inside, so my trip really depended on other commuters. I was able to pay for another seat if you wanted to get things going, and at 4 Dirhams a spot (0.50 CAD!), you could, but I never did...since I lucked out and had other passengers smush in with me around the same time!

So the driver would pull out and start the drive, and I'd always have my money ready in my hand, and do what other passengers would do: Say 'Bismillah' ("In the name of Allah") and hand the driver the money! I now understand why 'Bismillah' is the term of choice to use, because the freakiest part would be when the driver would reach to GRAB CHANGE while still driving, and I don't always mean from the dashboard, but from other places that required reaching and eyes being taken off the road! At this point, you just really have to not stress out, hold onto something (or someone!), and pray that you arrive safely!

And then there was this afternoon on my way to the Ennour Centre, that I had the fortune of sharing the taxi with (I SWEAR!) Moroccan Mafia members. How could I tell they were mafia? Well, the three men (two in the back and one in the front) were larger in size, wore impeccable suits, were tanned with neatly trimmed moustaches, and sported Ray-Ban type sunglasses. They also never smiled or spoke during the entire taxi ride. Oh and what really got me? They didn't try to keep upright during turns the taxi took, so they'd push the lady next to them into me, causing me to squish against the door of the taxi to a point where I thought I'd cause the door to bust open! Not cool!

And then the biggest hint was that they used large bills to pay for their ride...while here I was using my 5 Dirham coin like the tourist I was! Maybe they were showing off by using their 50 Dirham note? Or perhaps they were paying the taxi driver extra money for transporting a dead body in the trunk?! I swear I heard 'thud' like noises coming from the back during sharp turns!

Now that I think back, I should have done what a friend suggested and asked them for a donation for the day centre! Something along the lines like "I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse!" Maybe if I wore a Niqab (i.e. face cover that accompanies a head scarf) that day and dressed all in black, they'd mistake me for a ninja and actually be scared enough to pull out some bills from their wallets!

So the lesson to learn from the Moroccan Mafia Fiasco? Always keep an eye out when riding taxis in Morocco! But most importantly? Just go with the flow and enjoy the ride!! :) 

By: Sameera Qureshi, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Two-week Care Project in Rabat, Morocco

March 26^th – April 10^th, 2011

Between Casablanca and Rabat about 45km from Casa Rabat via highway, Bouznika is one of the marvelous coastal cities of the kingdom. 

Over 5km of golden clean sand beaches is one of the fact that makes the city appears in the ranking of the best beaches in the kingdom each year.

The city has a number of other activities that you can do. Namely: Equestrian Sports if you want go horse riding, sea sports such as: surfing, skim boarding, diving and other. 

Further, and if you are willing to spend more money Bouznika Bay Golf Club is part of a beach resort and multi-sports center offering a wide range of water sports and restaurants. 

Also Bouznika is a place where you can spend a nice weekend without spending much. You can spend a night indoors with a reasonable or cheap price best food in modest places especially sea food and fish.

Wish you a great journey.     

Our weekly get together this week was awesome. As usual the aim of this social event is to give volunteers a chance to get along with each other, that way they can set up plans to explore the country for weekends and learn from each others' experiences.

So on Tuesday we had our meeting at Mesbahi family that has known the presence of different types of Moroccan pastries such as: Coco nuts, citrus cub cakes, as well as the famous Moroccan mint tea and different juices. EnjoyJ  

:)  

Morocco - A dream comes true....

"MEDITERRANEAN DELIGHT FESTIVAL"

invites you to enjoy Belly Dance Festival in Marrakech, Morocco June 7th - 13th 2011

Enjoy the Cultural Heritage of the Ancient Tribes Take an unusual journey through the history of Morocco with the diversity of each population and its influence on Moroccan culture.

The "Mediterranean Delight Festival" will take the spotlight on June 7th-13th, 2011, at the amazing city of Marrakech, Morocco. Teachers from all over the world will thrill the participants during 6 days of Moroccan fantasy.

Experience the best master class teachers workshops Belly dance competition – "The Star of the Orient" Gala night with the best dancers around the globe Spotlight stage performance

Artistic shows Welcome to the Moroccan culture - A nightly show in "Fantasia" 2 days of tours – exposure to the real ancient Morocco Nightly shows and dance parties Live authentic music And many more surprises...