After an eight hour train journey from Marrakech I arrived in Fes, and being organised I’d booked myself into a hotel right next to the main train station. I’m a big fan of Accor hotels and the Ibis is a brand I’ve used and trusted for a long time, so it was a welcome sight after a tiring journey. And…
Leave a CommentThree months ago I attended a paid “workshop” in Bristol, which promised to help new comedians improve their chances of winning comedy competitions. One by one, more than a dozen of us got up and did seven minutes of material to each other, and were subsequently judged, X-Factor style, on our performances by a professional comedian and a left-wing comedy critic/booker.…
Leave a CommentAutumn 2015 and I was back in Marrakech – for my FOURTH visit – and once again playing tour guide for family members who have never been before. Only this time, I was also going to use this trip as an opportunity to visit lots of different cities in Morocco. Before we did that though, we spent a few days…
Leave a CommentHebron is a city inside the West Bank, and was occupied by the Israeli army in 1967. It’s a holy city for Muslims, Jews and Christians. The Prophet Ibrahim and many of his family are buried there. This was an exclusively Muslim city for a long, long time. Then the Zionists moved in 400 colonists. And more than 4000 soldiers!…
Leave a CommentJesus Christ!! So I took a day trip to the region where the Prophet Yeshua (aka Īsā ibn Maryam) spent most of his life. Visited his home town of Nazareth, and the places where he and his family lived and worked. Then went to view the Sea of Galilee – where I went for a quick paddle in the water.…
Leave a CommentThe Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world and the lowest place on Earth. Nothing can survive there, not even bacteria, because of the extreme saltiness of the water. I went on a day trip to see it for myself. Quite a weird experience swimming in it, as the dense water means you can’t sink…
Leave a CommentRamallah, in the West Bank, is the de facto capital city of the Palestinian Authority, and they operate their main offices here, as the Israelis don’t let them operate from Jerusalem. Yasser Arafat is buried here. You can get to Ramallah by taking a bus from Jerusalem town centre, and I was impressed I managed to make it there and…
Leave a CommentJerusalem is a holy city for two of the world’s major religions – and for one minor one too. It’s a location I’d always wanted to see in person, just because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I’m not a particularly “spiritual” person. I’m not easily moved by supposedly holy or historically significant places. But… Jerusalem…
Leave a CommentIn 1974, Turkey invaded the northern part of the island of Cyprus and have controlled about 40% of the territory ever since. They’ve named it the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but in truth it’s just an exclave of Turkey now. After all, they officially use the Turkish language and the Turkish Lira, and have an enormous Turkish military presence.…
1 CommentMost people go to Greek Cyprus for the clubbing. I’m not most people. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of Ayia Napa until after I came back home. Everyone assumed I’d gone to Cyprus for the hedonism and kept asking how drunk, high and laid I’d gotten in my week on the Med. I actually came to Greek Cyprus for…
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