Marrakech - The Pearl of The South

Traveling To Marrakech

Marrakech is probably one of the most famous in all of Africa. Marrakech is also known as the Red City or Al Hamra, the garden city, the lively city of Morocco, and the Pearl of the South. It is a very important city in North Africa, and was the former imperial city of Morocco, where it is located. Currently, Marrakech is the capital of the economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al-Haouz. Near Marrakech is located near the towering Atlas Mountains, which dominate much of Morocco.

Currently, the population of Marrakech is just over one million people, and the city has an international airport that you can use to fly directly to the city. You can also fly to Casablanca, and take the rail link to the city if you feel like seeing the countryside.

In Marrakech, as with many North African cities, there is an old fortified city called the Medina. This is now a huge open air bazaar and trading area where you can buy a wide sort of goods, and you can choose to just walk through the Medina and check out the various venders who call the city home.

The traditional market in Marrakech is the largest in Morocco and it also boasts one of the busiest squares, the Medina, not only in Africa, but the world as well. Walking through the Medina, you can watch acrobats, water sellers, dancers, musicians and more. When night falls, the entire Medina turns into one big open-air restaurant and it is truly a sight to see.

Some people worry about going to Marrakech because it is a foreign city and many assume that means that it is a violent and dangerous city because it is in Africa. This is not the case at all. In fact, Marrakech is a very safe city and it has a very good police presence. However, as with any place that you travel you want to make sure you stay safe. Violent crime is not a big problem within the city, but there are plenty of thefts and pickpockets so keep your money close to you and do not flash it around. Do not go down alleys or poorly lit streets at night.

When a guide offers to give you a tour of the city, make sure they have an official badge that has been provided by local tourist authorities. If you are a solo traveller, you should be aware of the possibility of being drugged. If you feel you are drugged, take action immediately to find help.

Marrakech is not only an amazing city, but it is a very safe one and you do not need to worry especially during the day. If you are being bothered, just stick up for yourself and tell the people bothering you to leave and they usually will. While in Marrakech, check out the beautiful homes, lovely streets and amazing countryside around the city. It is a very interesting place to see and when you are traveling to Morocco, no trip is complete until you stop in this city that has been immortalized in film and music.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on June 19, 2010.

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 3 | Downtown Melbourne

Wandering in Melbourne Downtown

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 1

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 2

After visiting the waterfront of Melbourne, I started to walk nearby surrounding areas. One environmentally-friendly transportation policy I noticed is that public transit is free within certain boundaries in downtown. This encourages people to take public transit and not to drive. I hopped on a tram and stayed within boundaries, going around to see as much as possible.

I liked Melbourne’s downtown a lot. The friendly people and excellent public transit network, along with many other things, make it one of the top ten best places to live in the world.

Although population- and area-wise Melbourne is bigger than Toronto, I noticed that it’s got a lot less skyscrapers than Toronto. It kind of reminds me of how Toronto was 20 years ago. I saw a lot of construction, but possibly its priority is not building too many skyscrapers.

And that’s what I found the most striking about Melbourne; you will feel like you’re living in a city with all the modern amenities a metropolis has to offer, but it’s not a chaotic and hectic place like many other big cities. Just 45 minutes from the city will take you to suburbs where the pace of life is even more relaxed and gives off the vibe of living in a small town.

It’s no wonder Melbourne ranks so high and is always one of the top ten best places to live. One thing I found very weird is the weather in Melbourne. It fluctuates a lot and can change within hours. Because houses in Australia are not equipped with a heating system, at night I felt cold when the temperature dropped significantly, but during the day it was very hot.

Some days, even during the day, I had to wear a light jacket in Melbourne in November. This did not happen in Sydney, where I found it was always hot. So Melbourne weather is full of contrasts and fluctuations.

Canadian Financial Websites & Canadian Financial Blogs

Differences and Similarities Between Canada Personal Finance Websites

First published: ADawnJournal.com Published Date : April 26, 2009

Regular ADJ readers may already know that I maintain another Canadian Personal Finance Web Site along with a few other sites. Today, I am going to describe shortly the differences and similarities between these two sites.

www.adawnjournal.com

1.   1. No fixed posting schedule. Updates are made once or twice a week or none at all some weeks.

2.   Covers various topics in a wide array of subjects.

3.   Content mixing still weighting a little heavier on the financial side.

4.   Contents are more personalized. I try to mix my personal experiences, opinions, and feedback along with articles.

5.   Lots of social media content, such as video clips, pictures, and so on.

6.   It’s a journal encompassing all aspects of life.

www.canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com

1.   Updates are made usually once a week.

2.   Covers only personal finance topics.

3.   No content mixing; you will get only financial articles.

4.   Content is more professionally inclined; I will rarely be talking about personal matters.

5.   Social media content is almost absent.

6.   It’s a global and a Canadian personal finance website written in simple and understandable terms from a Canadian perspective.

Currently, there are three other websites I am actively maintaining: The Green Living Blog, Simple Personal Development, and Entrepreneur Journey. I am also planning to launch two other websites shortly. Most likely, these sites will be launched as Travel Now Simply at www.travelnowsimply.com and Real Estate Expedition at www.realestateexpedition.com

Furthermore, as an Internet entrepreneur, I own many other websites and domains. However, only the sites mentioned here have my name attached to it. Other sites I maintain as an Internet entrepreneur are incognito sites – meaning you will never know who owns it if you happen to come across one of those sites. Here is an example: www.1tourtravel.com. That’s all for today.

Why You Should Not Bury Yourself In Work

Work Should Not Be Your Reason For Living

We all have to work hard at times, in order to meet deadlines or to get something done ahead of time so that we can take the holiday we promised ourselves. For one reason or another, it is simply a fact that it can benefit us to really throw ourselves at work at one time or another. What should be avoided, though, is a tendency to treat work as though it is the goal in itself. Too many people in this day and age approach their work as though it is their reason for living, and it ends up just being something that makes them ill – or worse. Yes, there are times when we have to work hard, but the reasons why we do this need to be the right ones.

If you bury yourself in your work, you could find that one day your work buries you. It has been shown that stress has been a major contributor to a lot of conditions that can be at best very detrimental to one’s health and in many cases fatal. If your job is one that features a lot of competition, tough negotiating and long hours, then the real risk is that you could be pushing yourself towards a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. There are other stress-related conditions too, and it is not only weak people who fall victim to them. You can be as competitive and as go-getting as you like, but when your heart tells you that you have to stop, you have no option but to obey it.

It is unfortunate that so many people find themselves in a position where they simply cannot take a break from their work. It may be that their home situation dictates that they make a certain amount of money every week, and that they would be in a worse position if they worked fewer hours. Even in a situation such as this, it is infinitely preferable to look for other solutions to such a problem. Your health is no respecter of reasons, and it will not listen to words and phrases like “eviction” or “loan repayment”. If you can negotiate a way of keeping out of trouble while working normal hours, then you should.

Too many people work too long and too hard out of a misguided impression that they need to be a hero. It is essential that we recognise that sometimes the bravest thing is to admit we need a break. It is not for nothing that the term “workaholic” was invented. Some people are convinced that they need to be working and that they are useless if they aren’t. A good work ethic is certainly admirable, but a good work ethic is not always to work harder and harder until you cannot push yourself any more. Learning to work smart instead of working hard can benefit your health and allow you to appreciate life more. Let the other people race against themselves to prove whatever they have to prove – you have other things that need your attention too.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Simplepersonaldevelopment.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com. This article originally published on the above website on Sep 5, 2009.

Why You Should Use SCENE Points Now

Massive Scene Devaluation

If you have piled up lots of SCENE Movie Loyalty points offered by Cineplex and Scotiabank, do yourself a favour and use them by April 17, 2019 because Scene is going through a massive devaluation from April 17.

On the Scene website, they don’t mention the word devaluation anywhere and to even find the news, you have to scroll down all the way to the bottom.

You will still be earning 1 free movie for each 10 movies, but earning and redemption rates will change to earning 125 points for each movie (from 100 points) and 1250 points to redeem (from 1250 SCENE).

This means if you have 5000 SCENE points, you can watch 5 movies before April 17. But you will be only watching 4 movies after April 17 with the same 5000 points.

The 2 most popular movie redemption categories that will take heat from the devaluation are the Regular movie (redemption rate will increase from 1000 to 1250) and Enhanced Movie (from 1500 to 2000) sections.

Another category under the Food & Drink Section that will take heat is the Snacks, food & drink category. The earning rate will go down from 10 points for each dollar to 5 points, but the redemption rate will stay the same at $5 off for every 500 points.

These changes may not affect those who just will be watching movies after April 17 and collect fresh SCENE points, but will affect a lot of those who have lots of accumulated SCENE points.

So to make the most out of your SCENE points, redeem them before April 17 and still get your points’ worth.

Watch on YouTube: Got Scene? Do Yourself A Favour & Watch Free Movies Now