2-day trip to Marrakech, Morocco

Went to Marrakech, Morocco for a couple of days last week with my wife. Good destination for a short break.

We landed late on Thursday night and went straight to our hotel. On Friday we prayed Jumuah Salah in the main, central masjid (Masjid Koutoubia), we then had lunch in a restaurant by the main square (Jemaa el-Fnaa), explored the endless markets north of the main square and then returned to the square for dinner at the food stalls. The square really comes to life in the evening. Be sure to be there in the evening for barbecued dinner and bizarre entertainment! As for the market, you'll have to be patient and employ your bargaining skills. Expect to be quoted five times the actual price. And don't be flattered when they tell you it's "just for you, Muslim price"!

On Saturday we joined a day tour of Ourika Valley in the Atlas Mountains organised by M'Hamid Travel. On the tour we visited a Berber village where we had some fresh green tea, a herb garden where Argon oil and other herbal medicines were grown/made, we had lunch by the river, walked over a bamboo bridge built over the river, ascended a mountain to see a beautiful waterfall, and on the way back to the city we stopped by a pottery workshop where we made a memorable Wudhu from a clay pot :-)

Extra bits: We flew with Ryanair, the hotel we stayed at was Hotel Les Trois Palmiers and the airport-hotel transfer company we used was Ma-Navette. All above par and met our expectations.

Here's some pictures from our trip:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adilson05uk/sets/72157644442639179/

Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain

"... As fast as the wind.

As quiet as the forest.

As daring as fire.

As immovable as the mountain..."

Nice quote found at the end of the 'Street Fighter Assassin's Fist' video series. I believe it's a saying taken from Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'. The video series was very very awesome. Quite deep in parts and some very good action sequences too!

6-day trip to Central Scotland

Went up to Scotland for a week with the wife last week. Very nice trip. We got the train from London Euston to Glasgow Central (~£50 per person, ~4.5 hours) and then a cab (~£50, ~1 hour) onwards to our first stop for the trip: the Rowardennan Hotel.

We stayed at the Rowardennan Hotel (~£50 per person per night) for a couple of nights (Tuesday evening to Thursday evening). The hotel is itself is okay but it's the location you're after. It sits right beside Loch Lomond (a large, lovely lake) and the path leading up to Ben Lomond (a mountain 974 metres high). We climbed the mountain on Wednesday and rested around the hotel on Thursday.

We returned back to Glasgow on Thursday evening via cab (~£50, ~1 hour) and stayed for a couple of nights at the Alexander Thompson hotel (~£50 per night) located right beside Glasgow Central train station. The location of the hotel was fantastic and the hotel itself was pretty decent too. Good value for money. In Glasgow, we walked around the various squares, shops and small parks as well as walking along the river and checking out Glasgow Central Mosque. One of the best Masjids I've seen with regards to not only size but also outreach with the wider community.

We caught the train (~£12 per person, ~1 hour) from Glasgow Queen Street station on Saturday afternoon on to Edinburgh where we stayed for a couple of nights. We stayed at the Tune Hotel (~£50 per night) located right outside Haymarket railway station and just a ten minute walk away from central Edinburgh. Our main day for exploration was Sunday and we pretty much walked the whole day catching all the main sights: Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Central Mosque and a bit of Holyrood Park. Edinburgh is beautiful! You can't live in the UK and not visit Edinburgh!

We returned back to London King's Cross on the train from Edinburgh Waverley (~£50 per person, ~5 hours) and back home for work the next day, recharged and refreshed :-)

You can find a small selection of pictures of our trip on my Flickr account here: Rowardennan, Glasgow, Edinburgh.

Day trip from London to Cambridge

Went up to Cambridge for the day with my wife last Sunday. A decent day trip from London. We caught the train from Kings Cross railway station (£16 return per person) in the morning. On arriving, we walked to Trumpington Road from where we caught the open-top City Sightseeing bus (£14 per person). We hopped off the bus in the town centre and started browsing the shops and the outdoor market. We picked up some nice goodies from the market like fresh jam and rhubarb! As for the town, we highly recommend the chocolates from Chocolat Chocolat and the cakes from Fitzbillies. Following the shop browsing and lunch, we headed to Parker's Piece: an awesome green common area to chill out. Lastly, we walked down Mill Road to the Abu Bakr Masjid where we caught the Asr (afternoon) prayer. And then onwards to the railway station where we caught our return train. All in all, a good day out from London and some fresher, cleaner air!

Book Review: No god but God, by Reza Aslan

This is a good book on the origins, evolution and future of Islam. It is well written, easy to read and a good size (~300 pages). The author analyses the history of Islam with a good deal of commentary so, of course, you will have to keep in mind his American, Iranian, liberal and Shi'i personal persuasions when reading it. The book itself covers the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him) in the first third, early Islamic history from the rightly guided caliphs onwards in the second third, events from the last century-and-a-half in the final third, and the author's thoughts on the faith's near future in closing. Overall, it a good book in my opinion. What it might lack in objective rigour in parts it makes up for in accessibility.

The Fault in our Stars, by John Green

Brilliant book. A serious topic at its core (cancer) and you know that tragedy (death) is inevitable yet it remains funny and upbeat throughout. Very smart book, executed flawlessly. A must read. The film adaptation will be released later this year... skip that! Buy the book! No way will the film capture the depth of the book.

Winnie-the-Pooh's Little Book of Wisdom

There's something about The Hundred Acre Wood characters! Although the Winnie-the-Pooh stories (and Disney adaptations in particular) are every bit child-ish, you've got to admire how well A. A. Milne captured the different kinds of people traits in his animals. Quite philosophical. Got myself this little Winnie-the-Pooh wise words book published by Egmont Children's Books Limited and picked off some of the better quotes below:

Anticipation:
"Although Eating Honey is a very good thing to do, there is a moment just before you begin to eat it which is better than when you are."

Don't Procrastinate:
"If you're always saying, 'We'll see,' nothing ever happens."

Insight:
"It's best to know what you are looking for before you look for it."

Keep Busy:
"It's just the day for doing things."

Personal Thoughts:
"When you are a bear of very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you sometimes find that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out in the open and has other people looking at it."

Say it With Flowers:
"How sad it is to be an animal who has never had a bunch of Violets picked for him."

Try a Little Spontaneity:
"Do a Good thing To Do without thinking about it."