The Final Step - Morocco

Salaam from Morocco!

     After a night of star gazing and being gently rocked to sleep by the sea we arrived in Melilla, Spain.  We had arranged to be picked up by a driver however, upon arrival our driver was going to meet us at the boarder... THE BOARDER?  Little did we realize we were still in Spain!  But on the continent of Africa!  That was a loophole we were not anticipating.  A short taxi ride and passport stamp later we crossed the boarder... and just in time.
     At 8:00 am sharp the boarder opened and a multitude of Moroccans were attempting to get into Melilla to purchase reduced goods.  And they were adamant about it.  The first thing we witnessed across the boarder (and it was 6 am in the time zone our bodies were operating in), people were driving around the roundabout, over the roundabout, and into the roundabout!  Cars were scraping together, people were shouting and police officers whistles were blowing.  All we could do was stand there and watch.  As much as they were a charade for us, we were for them too.  White people stick out like a sore thumb!

      Our riad was magnificent.  Tucked back through the market we turned right, left, right, left, left, right down narrow and dusty streets when we happened upon a door.  It was a fairly humble looking wooden door however upon entrance, it was a palace fit for ambassadors and sultans.  The picture to the left, that was mine and Annabel's room.  Yeah, we were shocked too!
   
     While we were in Fez, we visited the most famous school for pottery and tile work and got to see the students in action.  Their daily tasks varied from cutting intricate shapes from tiles, molding and sculpting pottery, painting and assembling/ arranging artwork to be plastered for a finished project.
      We finished in the gallery where there were more than enough opportunities to purchase tables, bowls, platters, fountains, cups among several others.  After the pottery and tiles, we encountered the same plethora of options with rugs, leather, and a weavers.  It was a monumental shopping day to say the least!


 

     One of my favorite activities was our Moroccan cooking lesson!  Our hostess and head chef helped us create a divine chicken tagine.  For those who don't remember, a tagine is a terracotta dish with a top that resembles a volcano.  They are placed directly on the stove and are used as slow cookers.
     Our hostess also had caramelized onions the chicken laid over and meatballs cooking in the tagine and an all purpose sauce.  The main dish was accompanied by roasted peppers and eggplant and, of course, bread!

      We loaded a bus and spent our fair share travelling around the country looking at the amazing scenery.  It was beautiful and it was HOT! Our driver. Abraham, was quite knowledgeable about the cities we visited and the rivers and mountains we were crossing.  And he was funny too.  The front seat was the place to be because you had the window up/down option, a much wider view, and the great seat!

      We finally reached the desert and we were late!  We needed to get into the desert asap before the sun fully set and our tour guides weren't going to waste any time.  As soon as your feet hit the sand they were wrapping you with a turban and hustled us onto our camels.
     As I am sure all tourists do, we promptly named our camels as we made our way into the desert at sunset.  Some of the creative names we devised were: Baba ganoush, Octavious, Vanilla, Chief, and Yayita.  Regardless to say, we were quite the camel namers.
     We lumbered our way into the desert and parked our camels but there were no tents.  Until we hiked up the sand hill and looked down into a lit up little village where lanterns led the way to dinner tables where we were soon to eat a home cooked meal and enjoy the quiet and the stars! Our tents were far from "ruffin' it" tents due to the fact that each one was fully equipped with indoor plumbing.  Yes, that's right, indoor plumbing.  Yes we are in the desert.  This meant a shower, toilet, and running sink all wrapped up in a bamboo house that was insulated with camel hair blankets.  Talk about pampered!  We did find out that the toilets only had one flush in the morning... oops.

      We remounted our camels and rode out of the desert that morning after a delightful breakfast and loaded the van.  After more driving we landed at a kasbah, well many of them.  In fact, a kasbah is a building, usually a home, comprised of four pillars connected by the home's walls and an open court in the middle.  Each family contains multiple generations and often farm animals accompany them inside the courtyard.  A village is made up of several kasbahs.  The particular village we visited was home to 8 families and a long history of being the set for movies.  Sodom and Gomorrah, Indiana Jones, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, The Mummy, Babel, Prince of Persia, and Game of Thrones are among the most popular films utilizing this destination in their story line.
     Our short time abroad soon came to an end so we decided to go out with a big bang!  Our final farewell dinner was held at Casablanca's very own Rick's Cafe which is the famous eatery in the film.  We almost weren't let in due to the dress code, actually the host shut the front door on us when he spotted us considering eating in his fine restaurant.  So, as we approached it from the opposite way, sending our two best dressed ahead of us and around the corner to make a reservation.  After convincing the host it was our last night and following our meal we were headed straight to the airport, they quickly shuffled us to the far back corner.  On the bright side, we were served by a man wearing a fez and the food was absolutely delicious.  One recommendation, get the chocolate lava cake for dessert, it was well worth it!
     And so, with great remorse, we loaded the 2 am flight headed to Frankfurt and that was it.  Farewell Morocco, adios Frankfurt.  I know I will be back!