Where the Sun Sets: Morocco Travel

Kongo recently finished a 10-day visit to Morocco. If this country is on your bucket list it might be worthwhile to read on. Kongo will clue you in on his latest advice for visiting this magical country. Morocco is known as the place where the sun sets. It’s the west. In ancient times Morocco was literally the end of the world. The Romans called it Mauretania and they had a thriving colony here until the middle of the second century. Before that were the Berber tribes and they’re still here. Portuguese and Spanish left their influence in the Age of Exploration…

Magical Marrakech

May 23, 2018May 23, 2018 Categories: TravelTags: africa · marrakech · Medina · Morocco · photography · shopping · Tourism · Travel12 Comments

Mysterious medinas, magnificent mosques, palaces and squalor, snake charmers and water men. Marrakech is a magical place that blends incredible sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. It’s sensory overload for western monkeys like Kongo. You have to go there. The monkey spent two days in Marrakech. It should have been longer. Actually the monkey succumbed to a bad cold (still recovering) on the second day so he needed a do-over but he saw quite a bit on the day he was healthy. Marrakech is one of the imperial cities of Morocco and was founded sometime in the 10th century. It’s the…

Casablanca, Morocco

May 10, 2018May 10, 2018 Categories: TravelTags: Casablanca · Four Seasons · Morocco · Paris · photography · Tourism · Travel9 Comments

The monkey arrived in Casablanca this afternoon after a long non-stop flight from LAX to Paris with another connecting flight down to the Casablanca airport in Morocco. Mrs. Kongo is dragging a bit even ensconced in the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel right on the Atlantic Ocean. Kongo joins nine other intrepid travelers for a ten-day tour of Morocco where he will be traveling around the country, exploring mountain ranges, camping in the Sahara desert, and nosing around lots of medinas, oases, and souqs. Of course it is Ramadan season so there is that and Betty, our tour organizer, put us…

A Visit with the Gipper

September 3, 2017September 3, 2017 Categories: TravelTags: Air Force One · California · Marine One · Museum · Oval Office · Presidential Library · Ronald Reagan · Simi Valley · Southern California · Tourism1 Comment

Today Kongo hauled himself over to Simi Valley (about ten miles from his treehouse) to finally see the Gipper. That would be Ronald Reagan and his presidential library set on the top of a high hill overlooking the valley. This was not a political visit. Mrs. Kongo’s sister was visiting over the long weekend and it was on her bucket list. Kongo is pretty much a democrat but that’s obviously not working out too well at the moment so, what the heck, might as well relive some of the glory years of the 1980s. Kongo was a lot younger then,…

Old Los Angeles

October 13, 2016October 13, 2016 Categories: TravelTags: Antonia Aguilar · California · curios · Day of the Dead · Los Angeles · Mexico · Olivera Street · photography · Things to Do · Tourism · Travel4 Comments

In downtown Los Angeles, not far from the towering skyscrapers and iconic city administration building is a small, out of the way pocket of Old Mexico known as Olivera Street. If you’re running short of curios for your next Cinco de Mayo party or just need to stock up on Día de Muertos costumes, you need to head to Olivera Street. It’s also a wonderful excursion and opportunity to learn about the history of this behemoth city on the West Coast.

Frescoes at Stein am Rhein

September 21, 2016October 6, 2016 Categories: TravelTags: AMAWaterways · Europe · photography · River Cruise · swiss · Switzerland · Tourism · Travel · viking · village8 Comments

Of all the charming, enchanting medieval villages Kongo visited this month while in Europe, none match the little Swiss hamlet of Stein am Rhein. Located in northern Switzerland where the Rhine River empties from Lake Constance this village of 3,000 dates back to Roman times but it really got on the map all the way back in 1007.

Rüdesheim

September 13, 2016October 4, 2016 Categories: TravelTags: Germany · gothic · medieval · photography · Rhine · Rudesheim · Tourism · Travel7 Comments

After escaping the perilous stretch of the Rhine River rushing past the sirens of Lorelei, a mythical presence that lured gullible sailors into the rocks in an area known as the Rhine Gorge, Kongo arrived at the pleasant little winemaking village of Rüdensheim, Germany and stepped back 1000 years.

Travel Monkey

The Adventures of Kongo

Tag: Tourism