Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

with love, Sarah and Kim

Merzoga, Saharan desert, Morocco

Road leading to nowhere.....welcome to our lives!

There was a very strange sound coming from the dunes....we better get out of here!

Our road trip was a fantastic 7 day journey that took us to the desert and left us with a broken down car on a desert road amoung many other adventures that will be shared when we see you all!

Having a blast!

View from the top of the dunes.

we went up the dune and then.......

....and then we went down at full speed.

His first taste of freedom since becoming part of our family! He had a little problem with the blowing sand and lost his direction, thus leading him back to us.

Look at that face!

Enjoying eachothers company on this fine, sunny afternoon.

Kesh had a ball even though he had to share a seat on Percila, Queen of the desert.

Peekaboo......we see you!

Our trusty camels needed a break after the long morning of walking through sand dunes. Thats Arnie in the front, Percila, queen of the desert in the middle and Bruce bringing up the rear.

what a view!

After spending a lovely afternoon in the desert, we slowly trotted home on the backs of our trusty camels.

Kim and Ben soaking up the sun at Hash Point, southern Morocco.

Agadir, southern Morocco

Agadir's extensive fishing industry leaves the shore line dusted with fishing boats such as these.

A full day of walking merits a relaxing trip home, so we decided to jump on board the tourist train and take in the sights from the back of this lovely toy train, which can be seen racing through the beach town of Agadir.

Essaouaira, souther Morocco

Tapestries such as these can be found throughout the country. They are typically made by hand and can take up to one year to complete, depending on the amount of detail added.

Mint tea is a staple in the Moroccan diet and as a result, it is abundantly available anywhere you go.

Introducing.......

Mr. Kech! We adopted him from the market in Marakech and we have been together ever since. He is slightly bigger than a toonie and provides us with lots of entertainment. He has been to the desert and back, London, Paris and....

he even goes to the park for picnics on the park!

Marakech, central Morocco

Rush hour in Marakesh.....you dont see that everyday!

Seeing as moeny was getting tight, Kim decided she'd work for a while as a water seller, like this guy here. She didnt' last long but at least she got a good picture out of it!

There is nothing quite like a steaming bowl of snails to wash down a delicious dinner, right Ben!

Each night, the median in Marakech explodes with all sorts of smells, sights and sounds as hoards of hungry people gather to taste what the chefs have to offer.

Fes, Morocco

We only spent one day in Fes, but we managed to sepnd it well. The picture here shows leather hanging to dry ,in Fes's largest tannerie, before being trabsformed into a rainbow of colours and products worthy of toursit dollars. It was very facinating, but very stinky aswell.

Chefchouen, northern Morocco

We were strolling through the medina one sunnay afternnon when we stumbled upon a little shop run by a friendly Berber man (native people of Morocco). We stepped in for a quick look around and one hour later we were playing drums and drinking tea.

Here is a birds eye view from the roof of our hotel in Chefchouen, northern Morocco. The city is set amongst the Rif moutains and it has a very mediterranean feel to it. Lovely place to kick back and relax for a few days.

The man seen here is sporting the traditional Morocan dress, worn by both men and women. It is a long zipperd coat that keeps them warm during the cold winters.

Turkey

Our first night in Istanbul was cold, so we decided to warm up with a cup of tea and a round of Nargile, the traditional water pipe in Turkey.

My very first Turkish turkish delight....it really was delightful.

Traditional Turkish meal, goes by the name of "Shish".

Hanging lamps in Istanbul's egyptian spice market. The smells, sounds and sights were all very tantalising to the taste buds.

Tea seller near the Blue Mosque

Turkish tea in its authentic glass. The first one is a rose tea and the second is the popular apple tea. Both very good afternoon treats.

Here we are at Turkens Pension in Olympos on our last morning of our 4 day stay. Behind us is the lovely honeymon sweet where we lived during our time there.

Here we have what is known as the eternal flame of Olympos. There is an area about 45 minutes away from the town, there are these rocky slopes that exude a flamable chemical that ignites when it reaches air. They are controlled so there were about 6 pockets lit at the time. Pretty impressive that this flame is kept going by without any wood or anything.

We have become avid backghammon players since our arrival inTurkey, and today we decided to walk up a mountain to find a nice place to play our new game.

Lazy afternoon on the beach in Olympos

Breathtaking isn't it. Olympos is an amazing place because it is surronded by rolling hills and, on a clear day, even snow capped mountains. The air is clean and the loudest noise was the chirpping of a bird.

Here we are in a place called Pammukale, on Turkey's southern coast. The special thing about this place are the spectacular calcium deposits that have formed into small pools and been filled with runoof water fromt the thermal springs up in the hills. They are really amazing becasue seeing them from afar, as you would expect them to be cold to the touch.