Rabat, Morocco

I didn't visit all the imperial cities of Morocco (I skipped Meknes), but from my readings, it appears that Rabat is the least popular. However, Rabat's charm I feel, is exactly that - a less touristy city for a more relaxing and less harassed stay.



The highlight in Rabat for me, is the Kasbah des Oudaias. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the kasbah is a delightful place to walk around in. The streets and the residential houses in there are all painted white and blue, and really pictureque. And as you reach the kasbah walls on the coast, the views over the Atlantic Ocean and the city of Sale are amazing! While there are quite a lot of people, most of them are actually locals enjoying the sun, air and the beaches. It was good talking to them, and knowing that they have nothing to sell to you ;). The 2 days that I was in Rabat, I came back each day to enjoy the sunset on the beaches... (as well as some photography)



The medina in Rabat was also enjoyable for me. It was unpretentious and walking in it, I saw daily life as it is, though I didn't really realise it then. Rabat was my first stop, and so I have not experienced what the medina was like in Fez and Marrakech. So, I'm glad I spent 2 days in Rabat, though sadly, most of my photos of Rabat was lost due to a harddisk crash during my trip. Ah well, at least the memories are still there....

Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia

For those who's going Western Australia, no doubt you would be visiting the Margaret River region for their excellent wines. Consider taking a day or two, and going further south to Augusta, and visit Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly point in Australia!


Here at this extreme point lies Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, one of the last few lighthouses that still have a clockwork mechanism and kerosene burner. Of course, electricity is being used now, but it was until 1982 that it was still manually operated by the old mechanism. You need to buy tickets to go into the lighthouse.



This lighthouse watches over not one, but two great oceans. Here at this most southwestern edge, two oceans collide - the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean. As I stand at one of the rocky outcrops, the waves were tremendous, and the feeling somehow great. But it seems that these two oceans were in battle as in the distance, dark clouds loom. As I got into my car, it turns out that the clouds were laden with hail! Lucky that I had manage to reach my car, as it would have been a painful experience from the sounds of the hail stones on my car top! Nevertheless, an interesting experience!



Well, you'll probably not get the hail experience, but a stop at this south western point of Australia where the Southern and Indian Ocean meet would be cool too eh?