So it is 2011. Work has been slow so I have no travel planned. The weather has been poor and I am doing some work on my house. Its kind of a bland year. I am going down to the coast and will see family and friends and I look forward to that. I am also going to volunteer at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival and meet some new people and see a lot of theatre and that will be a lot of fun. But still no excitement and not much challenge. a bland year.

So when a new company started offering skydiving in Golden I knew this was what I needed.

Like lots of people I'd thought that I should go skydiving sometime but that time had never happened. Obviously my time had arrived.

I chose to do a tandem skydive. This means being attached to an instructor. I did this as it was cheaper as they didn't have to train me and when you do a tandem jump the plane goes much higher and you free fall for several thousand feet before the chute opens and that seemed like it would be an interesting part of the experience. Also I considered safety and I thought that the company has the most incentive to consider and protect my safety when I am attached to an instructor. All this and it is cheaper too! what's not to like?

So I showed up and got prepared and in the plane which then climbed to 12,000 feet (about 3,650 metres) so we were looking down in the local mountains and then instructor attached us together and I put my feet and legs outside of the plane and we left it. Woooooh!

We fell for about 45 seconds and I understand we reached speeds of about 175 kph. It wasn't exactly fun but more like an intense experience to be processed afterwards. Then the cute opened and we drifted down for a few minutes before landing in an open field next to the runway.

It was a very interesting experience. I am glad that I did it but don't think I will do it again. Once was enough for me. I didn't find it scary which I think was because the company (Extreme Yeti) was relaxed and professional and I asked enough questions to satisfy myself they were being careful nd professional. I should note I was a bit nervous/scared as the airplane was reaching the altitude where I was going to leave it but I dealt with that by focussing on the procedure and what I had to do.

So it did add some excitement to the summer but I defintely need to make some intersting travel plans for next year

John

Morocco Pictures 2010

This is the place we stayed at in marrackech -the Riad Omar which looks better on the inside than on the outside. It was in the Medina which is the old part of Marrackech and only a couple of hundred metres from the central square and the souks which were amazing and, for me, a bit overwhelming. When I first came to marracekech and before I met the group I was travelling with I stayed in a hostel which was also fine but not so well located.

This is the street leading to the Jemaa el Fna (the central square in Marrackech) where you will find manymany vendors, alleys leading off toe hundreds of souks and acrobats, snake charmers, music etc. I don't have any pics of the Jemma el Fna as I didn't think I coukld possibly convey the colour, variety (amazingly good people watching) and extent of the scene.

Our group on camels in the Sahara

Me on a camel. Check out the classy specialized camel riding footwear I have on.

The camel behind me kep wanting to get acquainted.

Outside our desert camp there was a nomad's camp and this youhng girl came over to offer some handicrafts. She was a very good bargainer.

Riding camels in to the Sahara.

Me waiting to go into the desert with our transport waiting for us

Our transport in to the desert

Having a swim at a hotel in the desert before riding camels into the dunes. This was a treat after trekking for a week or so.

The gate to a small city.

Our trekking group with our guide, cook and muleteers

a young Berber girl checking us out at a kasbah that we stopped at for a short while

Vern considering who knows what while we stop at the kasbah for some water and mint tea

Me on the roof of the kasbah

walking through a berber village

Berber youth by our camp in the Atlas mtns

weary trekkers seek shade at the end of the day

Stream through a gorge. I walked about 2-3 k through the stream. mainly ankle deep and sometimes up to my knees. It was fun.

a rest stop with our guide Mohammed (Mo) on top

ruinds in a green valley amidst dry hills

trekking

in the Atlas mountains

our trekking camp set up at a nomads shelter

large home in a berber village. Note the livestock

We crossed many streams but this may be the only bridge we saw.

Stopping at a tiny store in a tiny village Terry casually asked the price of a dress. This is the result.

Trekking past some ruins

Mo, our guide, with two of the muleteers

Our cook with one of the mules. They packed up when we were leaving in the morning and then passed us during the day and had camp ready for us when we reached it later that day.

The intrepid trekker in the Atlas mountains

our sleeping tents, some of the mules and the atlas mtns

A nomad's shelter with out trekking tent in the background

about 1/2 hour before reaching the summit of M'Goun at 4,070 metres

at the top of a pass and descending to our campground below

Trekking in the Atlas mtns

Trekking camp with the dining and cooking tents
(white) and the smaller sleeping tents

Mo, our guide, in the centre with some of the funny looking Canadian trekkers

Mo helping us across a small stream

leaving the Happy Valley and starting our trek into the mtns

a funny looking Canadian trekker at dinner

Liz and Vern, some of my fellow trekkers who were all from the Chilliwack Outdoor Club

Happy Valley

Our guide's new home and small hotel being constructed

The Atlas mtns

Jemaa el Fna at night

OOOOOps - this in Spain

I enjoyed Morocco finding it very interesting and vry different from what I have experienced before. It was some times a bit overwhelming and the scenery in the Atlas mountains was great but very different (much more arid) than I was used to.

The group I travelled and my travel arrangements were very different from those in Spain where I had just come from. In Spain we were all meeting each other for the first time and we had noone to solve problems or make decisions for us so I think there was a bonding. In Morocco the situation was different as I was joining a group where everyone else knew each other and noone knew me. Also we were looked after and decisions to a large degree made for us. I have done lots of camping and hiking and found it strange to leave the work for others but our guide, cook and muleteers were friendly and efficient and needed the work more than they needed any assistance from me. Just a bit different than I was used to.

I did enjoy Morocco and found it a fascinating country to visit. Of course my knowledge after a couple of weeks there is VERY limited but I can see why so many people have visited and enjoyed it.