Morocco

 

I’m writing this from Casablanca, on a trip to Morocco. I decided I’m going to try to record things as I go, rather than trying to remember after, because I know I leave a lot out by doing that.

So, not much to report for today and yesterday, as it was mostly travel. SLC to JFK was fine, no problems. JFK was a bit of a nightmare. It turned out that it was a good thing I had a four hour layover, as it took me most of it to find where I needed to be. I guess I had always just remained within the same terminal on prior trips to or through JFK. That’s easy enough - just go from one gate to another. But to have to go to another terminal was a new one on me. First, there is no information or signage that makes it clear how one is to do so. Also, my boarding information didn’t make one note about the correct terminal for the flight. From asking a couple of people, it became clear that I needed to take the AirTrain. There are absolutely NO signs saying “AirTrain” anywhere within the terminal I came into. I had to keep asking. Finally a guy pointed to a yellow sign. The yellow sign in no way said AirTrain. Argg! The event planner in me wanted to take everything firmly in hand and show them how it could be so much better. Anyway, I finally got to my gate, where there were insufficient chairs in the waiting area. But…we finally got here.

Rabat

Rabat is a very clean and well-maintained city - in fact, it has been named among the cleanest cities in Africa. It is the capital city of Morocco, which has had four different capital cities throughout its history. 

One thing I found interesting and attractive is their manicured ficus trees. 

Our first stop was at the Royal Palace, which is actually just one of fourteen Royal Palaces. The grounds consisted of the Palace, a mosque, and a school specifically for Royal family members and a few lucky regular citizens who were able to be admitted because of being outstanding students. Our tour guide, Zach, was one of these! 

One funny thing happened. You can’t actually go inside the Palace, and there were multiple guards at every entrance. We were in a plaza across the road from one of the entrances. One member of the group, Ettie, started wandering a bit closer. The next thing you know, one of the guards started walking briskly towards us. Zach knew this to be a problem (and potentially damaging to his tour guide career) and called to everyone to remain in the plaza. But Ettie kept walking! Finally I yelled loudly to her, and thankfully she turned around and came back then. 

We stopped at a mausoleum where a few kings (who used to be called sultans) were interred. Beautiful buildings and especially beautiful marble flooring. We learned that there have been no queens. Female Royal family members are referred to as Lalla, or princess. So now you may call me Lalla in addition to Queen of Everything.

We also stopped at a kasbah within the city of Salé. A kasbah is essentially a fortified section within a city. It’s obviously not built for much vehicular traffic, with narrow alleyways leading from the main boulevard to private residences. Ettie and I nearly got left behind when we stopped to buy magnets. While there, we visited a museum of historical jewelry, which also included historical clothing. 

While on the way to our next stop of Fez, we stopped by the ruins of an ancient Roman city, Volubilis. It was so hot! But the ruins were interesting. One tour participant had a heat stroke, and that was kind of scary (especially for her, I’m sure!). I haven’t seen her since we got to Fez. Hopefully she’s feeling much better. 

Fez

I’m only seeing what we saw on the drive in because I’ve opted to take a day off for a needed relaxation boost. What decided me on this course was the fact that the optional tour itinerary included at least three different shopping stops. Not my cup of tea! Instead, I would - theoretically - sleep in, take my time reading the paper, spend time at the pool. In reality, I got maybe 2 or 3 hours of sleep. I made the mistake of doing what I always advise others NOT to do, which is to take a nap the first day of arrival. The pattern for me, if I succumb to doing so, is that I’ll sleep great that first night (in fact, I forgot that my alarm isn’t set for weekends and ended up almost missing breakfast and the bus), but then struggle the second night. It might be all in my head, but I did indeed struggle last night. 

Marrakesh

We are now in the city of Marrakesh (or the French version - Marrakech). It’s a beautiful city, where most of the buildings, at least in the central town, are the same color - kind of a reddish brown terra cotta. Our hotel is probably my favorite so far. The rooms are just okay, but at least large. The amenities are fabulous. I keep thinking I’ll go get some pool time, but somehow I can’t get motivated to actually put on the swimsuit and go. 

Today was probably the highlight for me - a hot air balloon ride - even if I did have to get up at 4 am. I have done one before in Utah, but this one far surpassed the Utah version. For one thing, there were approximately 25-30 balloons launching at the same time, which was a sight to behold. Our pilot, Rigo, was likely the best pilot there from what I could tell. He’s been doing it for 30+ years (although he kept joking about it being his first flight) in numerous countries. He was like a maestro with that balloon! We rose to 3,500 feet quicker than any of the other balloons. When the sun came up, he revolved the balloon again and again, so everyone could get good shots of the gorgeous sunrise. Then he descended. I thought we were landing, because that would have been a bit longer than the Utah ride - but no, we went back up! The experience ended up being a little over an hour, which was far longer than I expected.

Also, they really drilled us about the landing position - which was to sit on the cushions at our feet, facing to the center of the balloon basket, holding on to ropes in front of us. They stressed again and again how important it was to assume this position as soon as the pilot said, because the landing could be kind of rough - perhaps even dragging the basket sideways. But when we were actually landing, and as we got closer and closer to the ground, he wasn’t giving that order. Finally, a mere few feet from the ground, he said that we wouldn’t need to do the landing position. Sure enough, he touched down like a whisper. 

The other cool thing about the adventure was that a photographer/videographer went with us (he also had a drone) and took constant photos and videos of us. We will each get a personalized set of photos and video. For a fee, of course, but I didn’t think $30 was too bad at all. Honestly, it felt like he was constantly signalling to me to smile and wave to the camera. I can’t wait to see the results! 

After we landed, we were treated to a “Berber breakfast,” which seemed to be a bunch of hor’derves. But they were tasty! The Berber people, also known as Amazigh, are the indigenous people of North Africa, with a history stretching back to prehistoric times. They inhabit the region from the Atlantic to Egypt and are the original native inhabitants of Morocco and Algeria. Although the term "Berber" is a foreign exonym given by the Romans, referring to a "barbarian," many prefer to be called Amazigh, which means "free people" in their own language. The Berbers have a rich, resilient culture and language, and they continue to preserve their unique identity through traditions, crafts, music, and oral history, especially in their homeland within the Atlas Mountains.

It was truly majestic. I think I may have to consider trying to do a hot air balloon wherever I travel in the world. But I don’t think anyone can top Rigo. 

Later that afternoon, we experienced a camel ride, which was interesting. They had the camels all tethered together and then, starting from the back of the line of camels, we got on the camels one at a time. Getting on involved the camels kneeling down, then the “camel boys” would give us a foot hold to swing onto the camel horseback style. The somewhat unnerving part was that first you would go up quite sharply, immediately followed by a sharp turn downward. Good thing there was a handle to hold onto!  It looked like bucking broncos. The ride itself was pretty sedate. Because the camels were tethered so closely together, you ended up with the head of the camel behind yours pretty much right beside where you were sitting. I felt like the camel right behind me was more my camel than the one I was on. Also, there were three young camels that needed to stay with their mamas and were loose. The funniest part of the whole thing were the camel boys. They were very kind to take pictures, but they also liked pulling pranks, like coming from behind and goosing our legs. They were so funny! 

Afterwards, we stopped at a little resort-style place to have traditional tea with some refreshments. It was very pleasant there. They also had a lady doing henna designs, included in the cost of the outing. Even though her work was unbelievably beautiful (and she was fast!), I elected not to get one. They don’t last that long, and it was just too ostentatious for me. The older I get, the less I’m a girly-girl. Go figure! 

Casablanca

Today is our last day before heading home tomorrow. We drove to Casablanca. Along the way, we stopped at the Notre Dame de Lourdes Cathedral, Hassan II Mosque on the Cornich seaside, and the Mohamed V Square. We tried to drive past the King’s Palace, but apparently he is in town now so the traffic is restricted. One more cocktail reception and it’s done. Well, except that I can’t get to Utah tomorrow and so will be spending one night in NYC. 

This has been an amazing trip with new friends! 

Going Home

Yikes, what a travel day!

First, there was a dog incident at the airport in Casablanca, which required everyone at the gate to vacate the area. At first I thought it was some kind of loose dog, but later it seemed that perhaps it was some kind of working dog. Weird.

Then, as we were boarding, some guy was having a problem with the gate agents and just started yelling…LOUD. He ended up getting back in line, but then I worried he would be a problem on the flight. Luckily, he behaved himself. 

The food was crap (as it was on the flight to Morocco). Thanks a lot, Royal Air Morac.

Then the plane sat on the tarmac at JFK for almost an hour. After a seven and a half hour flight, you just want to get off the plane!

Finally, as I was headed to the location to get the hotel shuttle, which involved taking the aforementioned AirTrain, I got on the right train. But then one of my Moroccan trip friends (Ettie) said to me, “Where’s your other bag?” Sure enough, I didn’t have my backpack! Yikes! So I had to retrace my step and LUCKILY my backpack was where I had apparently dropped it without noticing. Whew! 

p.s. please forgive the pics not lining up with the narration. I'm trying a new layout, but obviously I need to get better at it, lol.