Recipes for mint tea and lemon verbena tea

Mint tea is a ritual served whenever you stand still for more than 5 minutes. It appears out of nowhere whether on a mountain top, looking at wells dug in the desert, or standing in a shop admiring artisan work. My favourite memory of the tea experience was halfway through our hike through the Atlas Mountains lying under walnut and fig trees eating a picnic prepared in a corn field by our cook.

Mint tea

1-2 tea spoons green tea leaves into teapot. Add boiling water, swill then tip out water keeping leaves in pot.

Fill with boiling water. At this point you can add 3-4strands saffron but this is optional. Sit tea pot over fire and bring to boil. Let sit for 5 minutes then add 5-6 fresh mint leaves and sugar to taste. Pour a cup then pour cup back into teapot to stair well. Do this several times until tea is well stirred. Serve.

Lemon verbena tea

5-6 lemon verbena leaves (or more if stronger needed). Add boiling water then sit on fire and bring to boil. Serve

Dysentery 6 humans 1 (that would be the tour guide)

Doesn't seem fair really. It's only week one and we have all been crippled by this hideous affliction. Thankfully we have good natured travelling companions and our standard greeting each morning has become "morning, how's your gut?"

Despite the weight loss disease however this truly is a spectacular country and we have all added blogs since the last time we discovered wifi so feel free to flick through our pages.

Wow. Just wow!

Yes today was what travel is all about. Sensory attack of smells, exquisite architecture, immense history, unfathomable, chaos noise colour explosion just insanity. So few words to describe, even photos don't capture the intensity and overload, but in a few brief words tannery, old city of medina, 9426 alleyways, opulence, buying too many things we don't really need but had to have because they are way cool, confronting and offensive, and best of all, a nine year old from England. Again tired and emotional so will leave you with some photos while Billy goes in search of beer with his new buddy Simon. Apparently mint tea can't replace beer after all.

Updates

All three of us have hit the blogs today so enjoy!

Casablanca

Best laid plans...

We made it! Of course something had to go wrong somewhere along the way but despite the screaming and vomiting on one plane as we bumped our way on the tail end of a typhoon, and the air steward trying to kick down the door of the toilet when I accidentally leant on the emergency button repeatedly on another plane, we actually made it to the heart of Casablanca without major incident. Until we got to the hotel that didn't have our booking. Long story short we found a bed after 40 hours in transit and all is well. Off to fes today and time to start the adventure. Check out billy and Sarah's pages for more adventures!

Leaving in 5

So it seems we are leaving tonight. Billy and Sarah have embraced the blogging. Will start mine when the Saharan breeze is ruffling my hair. Check out their pages and see you on the other side of the world.

and wind in my hair

lots of it. in fact so much they've called it a typhoon. and started cancelling flights. the big question is will the patch rabbits being leaving the dirt today???

stay posted...

1 more sleep

And no more work for 10 weeks!