Memories of Morocco.

Every country I go to has something that makes it special.  For me, there is so much about Morocco that is special and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the time that I spent there.

Homeward bound.

Today, we're headed home.  As always, I'm looking forward to going home and being able to sleep in my own bed but at the same time, I'm sad that the trip is coming to and end.  It's been a wonderful trip and as usual, I leave with a wealth of precious memories.

Our last views of Casablanca was of the Casa Voyageurs train station.  Not exactly exciting I know but most travel days are not.

Soon and I were at the train station there well ahead of our 9:05a departure time.

Back to Casablanca.

It was a bright and early rise for us. We had a 9am train to catch but first we had to get to the train station. Everyone met back up in the dining room at 7:45a and headed out the riad back to the place where we caught our taxi two days ago. This time, we got two Petit taxis for 50 dirhams each to take us to the Marrakesh train station. Soon and I piled into one and Aaron and Mildred into the other.  The two drivers followed each other through the streets of the medina.

A medersa, a museum and something Almoravid.

From the Saadian Tombs, Soon and I made our way around back through Bab Agnaou, heading towards Djemma el Fna. Our next destination was the Medersa Ben Youssef which was located stone's throw from our riad.

By now, we had gotten the lay of the land so we knew exactly how to get ourselves back to the square.

Resting spot. Saadian Tombs.

From Bahia Palace, we made our way back through the spice souk in search of the Saadian Tombs. We ended back at the neighborhood mosque two nights ago.

Sigh...no signs to tell us where the Tombs were located and the map was absolutely useless. A nice woman pointed us in the right direction, down a narrow alleyway that ran alongside the mosque. Sure....we would have found this place had we just paid attention to small swarm of tourists going in and out of the alleyway:-)

Splendor in the medina. Bahia Palace.

Looking at our cheapie map, Bahia Palace didn't look like it was locate too far from El-Badi so we decided to head there next.  Of course, our map had no street names which probably didn't matter anyway since there aren't any street signs.  They sure don't make it easy for you to find your way around.  So frustrating at times.

We just started walking in the direction that we thought we had to go in.   I kept my eye out for any sign that would indication the direction to go in but no luck.

Royal ruins. El Badi Palace.

Today was our last day in Marrakesh and I intended to make the most of it. I had yet to see the main heritage sites so I told Soon that come hell or high water, I would see them today! Turned out that Aaron and Mildred wanted to go their own way so it was Soon and I going out to check the sites on our own.

Beauty by the sea. Essaouira.

Happy 2012! It may be a holiday back home but there is no rest for us here. Today we made a day trip from Marrakesh to the seaside town of Essaouira!

The plan was to leave the riad at 6:45am in the morning and catch a taxi to the place where we would meet up with the rest of the tour group. Yesterday, Soon and I had walked the path up to where Hassan told us we could find taxis waiting.

As the four of us walked out the door, it was barely daylight. I just hoped it wasn't too early for taxis to be at the wait.

The story of Argan.

Today, on our way to Essaouira, we passed through a region known as the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve which was established by UNESCO to protect about 2,560,000 hectares of endangered argan trees.  The nut of the argan tree (Argania spinosa) is the source of the argan oil that Morocco is world famous for.   Argan oil is unique to Morocco and I had it on my list of things to bring back with me.

Normally, I don't like factory tours but I'm hoping we get one today so I can get a bottle of the precious from the source.  So excited!

Before night falls. Marrakesh.

After we bid Aaron and Mildred goodbye, Soon and I plunged ourselves into the chaos of Djemma el Fna. The place was already loud and noisy.....full of activity.

We wound our way past the various street performers and dodged people and small vehicles along the way.

Neither one of us had eaten since breakfast and after a good day of walking, we were ready for at least a nibble. Time for a Djemma el Fna delicacy - grilled sheep's head. Yep, you read that right. Sheep's head.

 Wasn't hard finding a stall that sold them. You just had to look for the display :-) Of course, we got lured in my a waiter dressed in a white lab coat.








We sat ourselves down at the counter and tried to decipher the menu. Had no idea what to get but with the help of the waiter, we each settled for the combo which, if it means what we think it means, should get us a bit of this and a bit of that.  A sheep's head sampler :-)  Two Cokes to wash the meal down with.

The garden that Jacques built. Majorelle.

Iit's New Year's Eve today but more important than that, it's the start of our second full day in Marrakesh. This time Soon and I arrived into the dining room at the right time for breakfast; there were already other guests waiting for their food to arrive. Mustafa was shuffling in and out room, carrying trays of hot drinks and food.

Mustafa is very serious and focused about his job.  He never smiles or talks to the guests but in slightly odd way, he's adorable especially in his uniform with the white gloves and fez.  Makes him look very Moroccan. I've been wanting to sneak in a photo of him but there's not been the right time.

Hassan was also mingling in the room. I decided to take the opportunity and have him follow up with the local tour company regarding our trip tomorrow to Essaouira. I really had no idea how we were going to get there. I gave Hassan my voucher that had the local contact information on it and he tried to call the number. No answer. He kept trying. Still no answer.

In the meantime, our breakfast had arrived and Soon and I dived in. Even though I didn't have dinner last night, I wasn't that hungry. But as usual, I still managed to stuff my face and I'm counting that walking about the town will burn off all the extra calories.

Hop on, hop off. Marrakesh.

Bab Agnaou

I don't know what it is about being on vacation but when I'm away from my regular routine at home, I can get up at the crack of dawn without an alarm clock.  So, I was up bright early, well before 8am which is when breakfast is served in the dining room or at least that was the time that I thought Hassan told us that breakfast would be served.

Never mind what time breakfast was, I was eager to get started on the day.  I've been looking forward to being in Marrakesh for years and now it's finally happening!  So excited as always!

Marhaban! Marrakesh.

Welcome to Marrakesh! Those were the words that Salah shouted out as he drove by the terracotta red walls that surround the medina.  It was just a few minutes earlier that we had been driving into the city.

It was evening rush hour when we arrived into Marrakesh and we inched along with the rest of the traffic.

Last night, I had pulled up the website of our riad, Amira Victoria, so that Salah could get driving directions on how to get us as close as he could to the place.  From reading all the reviews about the place, the two common comments were how nice it was and that it was very difficult to find.  I just hoped that Salah could drop us off at a place that we could ask for directions to get us there the rest of the way.  I told myself I would worry about that when the time came but in the meantime, I would enjoy the ride through the city.

The one and only Aït Benhaddou.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the highlight of today was our visit to Aït Benhaddou ("eight-ben-ha-do"), a fortified village. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site; inscribed in 1987.

Flash back to the morning. I woke up bright and early and headed down for breakfast. It was brisk, cold morning in the Todra Gorge; the sun was shining brightly. The dining room was crowded with the tour group from the day before.  They must have been a hungry lot because there was barely any food left Soon and I found a table and  waited a few minutes for the waiter to replenish the buffet plates. We then got our food. There was not a whole lot to choose from but as always, we each managed to cobble a plate of food together.

Where Berber nomads call home.

Ihad no idea what time Salah was expecting to leave but I figured it wouldn't be too early. I had already packed up my stuff so it was just a matter of getting myself ready for the day. Soon and I were down in the dining room where there was a buffet breakfast that had been set up. Moroccan breakfast is definitely nothing fancy. Some bread, cheese, jam, olives and tea. I wasn't hungry but still ate a good breakfast as lunch tends to be a late day affair in this part of the world.

Aaron and Mildred eventually made their way down but one look at the breakfast offerings and they didn't look interested.

Into the heart of Morocco. Erfoud, Todra Gorge, and Tinerhir.

Tinerhir, Morocco

After hearing the sound of clapping hands outside my tent, I acknowledged I was awake by saying “yes”.  I was so comfortable in my bed/blanket combo that I lingered a bit longer. I could hear Soon rustling about on the other side of the partition. He too had heard the wake up call and was already preparing for the day.

Today, we had a long travel day in front of us and as always, I was excited to get going!

I eventually clamored out of my über comfortable bed and headed to use the bathroom. I had no idea what time it was but it was light outside though the sun had yet to rise. Last night, we had agreed, as a group, to get up before sunrise and ride the camels to a high point in the desert and watch the sunrise from there. Just as I am not a sunset person, I’m not a sunrise person either but I’m always willing to go with the flow.

Saharan Night. Erg Chebbi.

After Ifrane, we continued on our road trip towards the desert where we would be spending the night.   We had a long day's journey ahead of us.

I was excited and looking forward to seeing the sands of Sahara.  I've been to plenty of deserts but the Sahara is the grand daddy of them all and it's always been a dream of mine to see it.   I hope the other three enjoy the experience as well. :-)

A bit of Europe. Ifrane.

I sprung out of bed at 7:33am. Ack!! I was 3 minutes late in getting downstairs. Stupid me, I had set my alarm to go off at 6:15a but since I my Blackberry was still on DC time, the alarm would not go off until 11:15a Morocco time!

I jumped out of bed and scrambled to get dressed and cram what I needed to in my suitcase and backpack. I ran out of the room, grabbing a few items to bring down with me. As expected, the other three were already gathered around the coffee table eating breakfast. Their luggage was also all gathered and ready to go.

Christmas in Fez.

Merry Christmas! We’re still in Fez. I hadn’t planned on anything for today which was just as well since poor Mildred is still nursing a very, very sore ankle. She’s been resting in bed since she got back to the riad yesterday afternoon.

Being a  Muslim nation, they don't celebrate Christmas here, it's a day like any other. For us though, I wanted a special memory of this day.  I had brought along stockings, filled with chocolates, for my three travel mates so I handed those out.  Of course, there were extra chocolates so I gave those to Ahmed with instructions for him to share with Sayeed and Sabah.  I hope he follows through.

Call to Prayer.

One unique experience when traveling to a Muslim country is hearing the daily adhan otherwise referred to in English as "the call to prayer".  Even though I was born and grew up, at least for a few years of my life, in a Muslim country, I never paid the adhan much attention until my recent travels.