Morocco


 

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Sahara tour day 1

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 Although some people explored the Sahara with public transport, I am too lazy to do so at the end of my 2-month trip. I paid for a 3-day desert tour and spent most of the time in the mini van with 12 tourists today. The most important site was Unesco Ksar of Ait ben Haddou, a historic ighrem or ksar along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in Morocco. It is considered a great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture. This mostly abandoned village remains an impressive sight and has been the decor for a range of movies, including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.  We saw a local artisan making beautiful paintings of the desert and mountain landscape using only natural pigments. For the yellow of the sand, he mixed saffron threads in water. For the blue of the sky, he used indigo in water. For the brown/black skin color, he mixed green tea and sugar in water, and then burn with fire to melt the sugar like creme brulee.  We also stoped by the Tod...
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A sunny day in Cambridge

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 I took train to Cambridge a university city and enjoyed a sunny pleasant day with a panorama view from the tower of St. Mary Church, toured the St. Christian College, had a Germany hot dog in the Market Square, took a walking tour, and walked up the Castle Hill.  It has a lot of green open spaces and cattle grazing only 500 yards from the market square. According to the tour guide, The University of Cambridge was founded in the 13th century by scholars leaving Oxford after a dispute with townsfolk. I photoed I front of the colleges associated with Sir Isaac Newton and Steven Hawking.  Cambridge academics have won more Nobel Prizes than those of any other university in the world. The Corpus Clock sits on what used to be the entrance to a Natwest Bank, and It was invented, designed and given to Corpus Christi College by Dr John C Taylor OBE FREng  (m1959), who worked with local engineering company. “Sitting atop the clock is an extraordinary monster: the ‘Chronophage’...
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Street art, Markets, and Parks

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 It was street art, food, and market day. I took the Free Street Art & Graffiti Tour in Whitechapel that became particularly notorious in 19th century for the gruesome murders of Jack the Ripper (once known as 'The Whitechapel Murderer'), but later attracts aspiring artists moved for the cheap rents but still central location, including graffiti on the Brick Lane in Shoreditch. Graffiti originated from gang marking territories, and mostly illegal. This was the first time I saw its making live (and by a group of artists). I also visited three markets in the neighborhood: Petticoat Lane, Spitalfields, and Brick Lane, as well as Amazon UK promotion event (to be filmed and got a free tasting whiskey drink). I then took tube to the Camden town market that has over 1000 shops and stalls selling fashion, music, art and food next to Camden Lock of the Regent Canal. I got a free coffee and a brief orientation of the market in front of Tube from a church group.  I walked along the C...
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