Friday curious. Awesomestest places you've been to.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

Today's question, should you choose to take the challenge, is to tell us which was the most awesome place you have recently been to. And what was so impressive about it.

You know the exercise. Put a picture and share a memory!

Mine:

The so called Wild Coast in South Africa stretches along the Eastern Cape province's coastline. As its name suggests this strip of coastline, which reaches from the Mtamvuna River in the north to the Great Kei River in the south, is an untamed wilderness. It offers incredible views of the dramatic coastline, jagged cliffs, sheltered bays, wild beaches and rolling hills and valleys, dolphins, horseback and hiking trails, cosy hotels, golf, gambling, mystical history, Xhosa heritage and the amazing Hole-in-the-Wall:

Your turn, fellows!

Comments

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

The souq in Muttrah (Muscat, Oman) is indeed a glorious place.



I just spent about 3 days in Oman on my 2nd visit last month, and I'm already utterly charmed by that place.

I loved how laid-back the atmosphere there is, compared to places like Riyadh, and definitely how simpler everything is, compared to places like Dubai. I had the opportunity to see the heart of the local community, the Dark Market, or Al Dhalam Souq in Muttrah. The Qaboos Grand Mosque might be considered *the* major landmark in Muscat, but the souq is something entirely different. Traditional narrow alleys squeezed between hundreds of shops crammed with all sorts of stuff, from gold and silver and seafood to strange clothes and incense burners, to those legendary Khanjar daggers that all men so proudly display on their waists.



All in all, I must say Oman is a place to love. There's a sense of ancient history floating in the air, and going hand in hand with this new striving for the modern that has come with Sultan Qaboos, and his touch on everything can be felt everywhere, even in the way people interact with each other. Or maybe I'm getting things backwards and he himself is the product of this calm, confident mentality that must have existed among the locals since time immemorial.

[madnecromancer.livejournal.com]

beautiful pics! I wish I could go somewhere as exotic as this. Hopefully someday!

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Man that's beautiful. I'd love to get some of the perfumes they sell there. One of the young local merchants here in Brooklyn wears something that's amazing and he said gets it when he goes back home twice a year. He said it's Oud.

[lai-choi-san.livejournal.com]

It's reassuring to learn that there is still authentic places in the region. The way you speak of the souq tells me that you could enjoy a walk through the medina of Fez. But perhaps you already went there ?

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

You mean the old town of Fez? I worked for a month and a half at a visitor centre in Tangiers a few years back, and I went to Fez for half a day while on a brief trip south. The impression was that the city looked much more Mediterranean than one would've expected.

[lai-choi-san.livejournal.com]

The modern parts of Fez look Mediterranean indeed in the sense where you can find this kind of architecture all around the Mediterranean sea. The Mohamed V boulevard is typical of it. A Medina is a world apart, focused on itself, almost unrelated with geography if it were not for the local production and the one in Fez is the biggest in the world. The first days, you need a guide to visit it. Personally, it took me one week to develop a sense of direction in the Medina. For all that, I'm sure I would find many other secret places if I come back.