Month: September 2022

Here is the group photo, taken at our Farewell Dinner

From l- r: Dave and Karen, Robert and Joy, ( going on post trip);Andrea and her husband, ( going home) Linda from Florida ( post trip) , Karen ( moi, going home) Linda from CA, ( going home) husband and Norma, Ann from England (going home) , Ann and Dave,( post trip) Mark ( flying to Egypt on a new adventure via Casablanca) and Mostafa, who will be taking the homebound group to Casablanca and the airport.

I had to take one final shot from my room before leaving – such a gorgeous place!

We had our final breakfast on the rooftop terrace, then walked through the Old Town to two buses. The new van, driver and tour leader took the seven travelers to the Atlantic and we got on our sturdy bus number 30 with our driver Mohammed and Mostafa to Casablanca.

We drove the national highway and arrived in Casablanca in time for lunch.

The lunch location is a place that takes care of single mothers. It is a horrible social stigma if a woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock and this association helps the women with job training and child care needs. The woman pictured is the founder of the Association Sodidarité Féminine, Alcha Ech Channa, who has been the defendent and spokesperson for this organization for over thirty years.

We were served a sumptuous meal. The main course is served at weddings, which I thought added a touch of irony. The food was delicious. A social worker spoke to us about the ramifications of single motherhood after our meal.

I also had some close encounters with a couple of felines under the table during the meal.

The outside of the home is very beautiful, with the famous Moroccan blue accents.

Next stop: the beach! we also got views of the lighthouse and the Hassan II mosque, which we would be touring.

Mosafa drove us to the mosque and picked up our tickets for us. We had time to walk around the area and explore before going inside for the tour. My first overall impression: MASSIVE.

it has been said that during Ramadan this entire outdoor area is packed with worshippers. The inside consists of two stories: the prayer room and the ablutions room, for washing.

More facts, according to Wikipedia: Hassan II mosque, or la Grande Mosquée Hassan II is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and the seventh in the world. Its minaret is the second largest, at 689 feet. Construction began in 1986. Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau under the guidance of King Hassan II and built by Moroccan artisans from all over the kingdom. The minaret is sixty stories high, topped by a laser directed toward Mecca. The walls are of hand crafted marble and the cedar roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 2,500 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 outside.

We took our shoes off to explore the prayer room but put them back on to go downstairs.

I forgot to mention that women pray in a separate area in the prayer room. There are two ablution rooms downstairs. We were in the men’s section, which is green; the women’s section is pink. The tile work is magnificent.

After our tour, we checked into the hotel and discussed dinner plans. We decided to eat at a local Morrocan restaurant which was a ten minute walk from from the hotel. Ann and I got together before the dinner to drink our last bottle of wine which we’d gotten at the super market at the beginning of the trip! We would have a pre- dinner drink and a post – dinner drink!

I met the last cat from the trip as we were walking back to the hotel. Was he saying goodbye?

We said our good byes at the hotel lobby. Norma and Andrea and their husbands were leaving at 4:00 am; Linda and I were leaving at 5:00 am and Ann and Mark didn’t have to leave until 9:30 am. Poor Mostafa had to be awake most of the night. He will return to his family up north and will have a bit of time off before he leads his next group in October.

Ann and I met Mark on the rooftop for our final libation of the trip.

Hope you enjoyed the adventure.

I may post once more – lessons learned. You can learn from my mistakes!

I’m back home now, after a brutal flying day. I started the day at 3:30 AM the 23rd in Casablanca and walked through my doorway at 1:00 AM Saturday the 24th. I slept until 6:45 AM and did some chores, like post office pickup. I also visited our Moraga Wine and Pear Festival and got a pear pie, which I shared with my neighbors. We had a brief catch up session.

I also spent time editing photos and will be adding additional information about what we saw and did these last two days.

it’s now almost 6:00 am Sunday morning, California time. I’ve been awake since 3:00. This is called jet lag..

But back to the trip, day three of Marrakesh.

Our first stop was a visit to the Majorelle Garden, a two acre botanical garden created by French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle over almost forty years, beginning in 1923. The property was the residence of the artist and his wife until their divorce. The property was purchased by the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in the 1980s who worked to restore it. The villa also houses the Berber Museum.

it is a very popular tourist attraction. Fortunately we were the first in line, so it wasn’t terribly crowded.

The Berber Museum also held some interesting exhibits, especially the clothing and jewelry worn by the people.

Naturally, we exited by the gift shop. We found many Yves Saint Laurent LOVE posters. He began making these as greeting cards in 1970 that he would send to friends, collaborators and clients until 2007. They were fascinating!

We also found a café, and the FIRST decaf coffee in all of Morroco. We also found French smokers, of course.

Sasly, our time in this magnificent garden was coming to an end. Mostafa took a group shot of us.

Next stop: the water museum. This museum is not a tourist attraction, but it is a very important teaching museum, which explains the history of water conservation and plans for the future. There were also quizzes to determine if you understand water conservation. School groups visit this museum.

LUNCHTIME! Mostafa took us to the university area and we ate at one of his student hangouts: grilled beef and French fries, with green tea and sweets for dessert.

Our last stop was a surprise! We had asked Mostafa about the treatment of animals during our tour, so we dropped by the local SPCA, and were given an impromptu tour. This is what I love about OAT: much is unscripted. He knew we were animal lovers so he thought we would appreciate this visit. We did!
This is a no kill shelter.

We went back to our riad for a brief rest, to pack, and to get ready for our final journey: to the south for the post trip with a new guide and driver, or to Casablanca for our final day there before leaving for the airport the next day.

We spied a cat on our walk back through the old town.

Ann had a swim in one of the little pools while I napped. She and I explored other areas of the riad. She’s in a separate building, which is ultra-modern. We loved the details.

Our last activity together was the Farewell Dinner, held at the Red House, a beautiful home that was turned into a riad by a French company.

We started out with a chat and farewell drink of orange juice, pomegranate juice with or without vodka and tasty snacks, then adjourned to dining room tables for our tagine with cornish game hen entree. Dessert was an orange/ cinnamon/ sugar combo with pastry. Decadent and delicious!

We headed home for our last night’s sleep in Marrakesh. Tomorrow we split up. Who will go where? You will find out.

Our first sightseeing exploration was a visit to the Bahia Palace, built by a vizar to honor the woman he loved. The architecture was Andelusian, as seen in southern Spain The details are magnificent.

We wandered over and around the mosque and met a coffee seller and his cart, and learned the art of coffee making. I did not partake, as im not a caffeine drinker and so far haven’t found any decaffeinated choices in the country.

We wandered the souk and went to a rug seller, who explained the art and craft of rug making. and we ooed and ahhed over the gorgeous rugs. Of course salesmen swooped in after the talk. A few people bought, with Mostafa’s help. The prices were reasonable based on the quality of the merchandise.

Outside the shop we had a close encounter with a friendly cat who ”belonged” to one of the shop owners.

We had two free hours to wander the square We had lunch. Ann got her garden tiles and I got a cute camel magnet. I also got a pillowcase but had to haggle for it. I don’t enjoy bargaining and I am not sure I got a deal. We stop for sorbet.

Back to the riad for R & R. I had a nap and met Ann on the rooftop for a drink.

As with the other guest houses, the decor and architecture are beautifully appointed and the views are magnificent.

We left for a horse drawn carriage ride, which took us through other sections of the city.. Parts are over-the-top opulent. New Marrakesh has the shopping malls we’re used to in the states. Starbucks and other chains are here. We eat at a restaurant owned by two Moroccan guys who lived in the US, then opened a restaurant here. It’s called the Caspian. Highly recommended. I had spinach- ricotta ravioli Delicious. Ann and I split a small bottle of sémillion blanc, which was very affordable.

Back to the riad to rest up for our last day in Marrakesh.

Good night!

We spent another glorious day in Marrakesh then came to Casablanca. I catch a plane home tomorrow but will report on other jewels from Morocco, including the Majorelle Gardens of Yves Saint Laurent and the Hassan II mosque, the second largest in the world. I may have to rest up a couple of days, though

Stay tuned.

The sun rises on a new day as we leave the tranquility of the countryside behind for the glitz and glamour of the big city.

Our journey today takes us over the High Atlas Mountains through curvy roads, testing the skill of our driver. Fortunately, Mohammed is up to the task.

After several hours and a couple of rest stops, the city comes into view. Mostafa puts on the Crosby, Stills and Nash recording to welcome us as we immerse ourselves in yet another new culture.

We are in another guest house, the Riad da Vinci. It’s charming but there are many floors, no elevator, and is not convenient to the City Center. Mostafa leads us through the winding alleyways of the medina. We tromp up three flights of steep stairs to the rooftop terrace, where we have a delicious lunch. We are given our room assignments and time to settle in. I am in bleu, on the patio / poolside level, two flights down from the roof. The rooms have names, not numbers. Each room is different.

I like my room. The plugs are convenient to the bed and I can open the shutters to see the pool area. I settle in and watch the live stream of the queen’s funeral..

We leave for the Secret Garden at 5:30 , about a ten minute walk through the souk, and spend time there and later walk on to explore the food market stalls for dinner.

As it turns out, there’s a spot at the beautiful secret garden for drinks and we can order alcohol! Ann and I order a Casablanca beer, perfect on a warm day. The weather has been perfect, by the way.

We’re given time to wander the gardens.

Mostafa knows a guy who makes the best nougat in town…we taste. Many of us buy.

Our street food consists of harissa soup, a specialty we’ve had before, followed by the sweet dessert. that accompanies it. I forgot the name of it. Another stall offers us a hard boiled egg sandwich with olive oil. I get a quarter sandwich. We taste perfect calamari rings. We finish off with ginsing tea – not at all to my liking. Mostafa touts the health benefits. Ann described it as tasting like cough syrup.

We finish our exploration by riding home in tuk tuk vehicles Each car holds four passengers. We find the street leading to our riad by the presence of Mama Kitty and her babies cuddled up in a pot.

Time for bed. More explorations and adventures in Marrakesh will continue..

We have three days here, then many of us (Ann and me included) return to Casablanca and fly home. Others will continue to the Atlantic coast for the post tour with one more week of exploration. It’s sad that we are almost done with our Moroccan adventure.

We leave the desert behind at Merzoga and move on to the area of the ksar, walled Berber villages, where we meet new people and learn more about this magical country. Our 8 hour bus trip is filled with stops which show us the diversity of the area..

During our two day stay, we have a ” Day in the Life” experience where we spend time with a family and go to the Imik Simak Foundation, to learn about the Grand Circle Foundation’s efforts to help women become more self sufficient.

We get off the bus at our first stop to meet a man who shows us the ancient water system and go down a well. Ann gets help up and makes a new friend.

We visit a ksar, a walled Berber settlement, where we have lunch at a restaurant owned by a woman and drop in on a pre-school.

As it’s Linda’s birthday, she is given a makeover at the small gift shop. The restaurant also made her a birthday cake!

Later in the afternoon we arrive at the town of Ourzazate, where we discover that our guest house is also in the middle of the walled Berber enclave. Each room is unique. My room has a view of the mosque. The decor is gorgeous. The stairs are steep but hand railings help. The view from the rooftop area is magnifent. We have dinner on site.

The next day we visit a family with the help of a local guide.

The family consists of a mother, a father, who works three jobs, and four kids. The eldest boy is the product of a first marriage. We learn how to make bread, and the guys on our tour make a brick. We chat in their olive fields as we have mint tea and ask questions. The family believes in education and the eldest daughter, Fatima, is very articulate and asks us questions. She is in boarding school but comes home for the weekends. Every one of us falls in love with this charming young lady.

We have couscous lunch served in the large room we saw when we came in. This room is locked and is only used when visitors arrive. The neighbor kids sing the Moroccan national anthem and Fatima and her sister dance for us It is quite a show. I give her some school supplies and wish her well in her future endeavors.

We go to the Imik Simak foundation to discuss its aims with the director. My camera has lost its juice as has my portable charger.so I didn’t get any photos of this event.

Our last stop was to the Atlas Film Studios. Did you know that films are made here? It is the largest film lot in the world. We saw the sets for ” The Game of Thrones” and several other films. Many locals work as extras. Commercials are also filmed here. With the help of our guide, we also made a small video, which I will get and send out later. This was sooo much fun. I was able to get a few photos from Ann. You can google Atlas film studios Morocco for more information. I could have taken a million pictures here!

We had dinner in town, at the oldest Greek restaurant in the city, then took an evening stroll through the area, ending up at our gorgeous hotel.

Ourzazate is known as the ” quiet city” and I understood and appreciated this area for the simple pleasures of life and beautiful architecture. We’re on to the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh next.

Ann had been debating this moment for months now: do I ride a camel? I wasn’t too worried. After all, I rode a mule in Sicily, so a camel wouldn’t be THAT much different, right? We had an 8:00 am camel riding appointment. It was time to find out.

She did it!
She was the leader of the pack for her group and I was the leader for mine.

I wish I’d had the nerve to take pictures while I was actually on the beast but I was hanging on tightly. Our 89 year old friend Robert decided not to ride the camel, but walked alongside us, up and down the dunes. He is a force of nature! Mostafa and the camel driver walked along side taking photos. We were on the camels for almost an hour. It felt like I was doing the splits. Going down the dunes elicited some squeals from me as well as a few choice expletives!

Our camel ride ended at a fancy hotel, where we had a ( nonalcoholic) drink and went on to our next morning activity: music school.

Our instructor taught us about various African musical instruments and we practiced on drums.

After our lesson, we went into another part of the school to listen to a concert and have some – what else? – mint tea.

Then it was party time! One lounge lizard watching us decided not to participate.

Our next trek over the sand took us to the abode of Omar and his family. Omar had been a nomad but as his family grew, he decided to stay in one place. He has built a modest structure but still uses his tent. The children don’t attend school, as it is too far away. The children help with daily chores and learn about life from their grandfather. Their social and cultural life enters around the weekly market.

We see his enclosure where his grandson is preparing vegetables for lunch, then go to the tent for tea and talk.

He answers our questions about his life. He is essentially a squatter and he can be kicked off this land unless he can find ten witnesses who can swear that he has lived here for ten years or longer, not an easy task. Mostafa says that this way of life is rapidly drawing to a close, as progress overtakes those who followed this traditional lifestyle.

We return to the camp for a late lunch, then rest during the heat of the day. I am reading a book on the kindle app but also fall asleep.. We have a late afternoon lecture/ discussion about being a Muslim and then check out what is cooking in the kitchen. After dinner we have musical entertainment and then Mostafa points out the stars in the sky.

We leave the desert tomorrow morning. It is the end of the desert safari, but not the end of the trip. We have more places to go and people to meet ..

My sleeping schedule has been crazy but it seems to work. I usually crash between 10 and 11 then wake up at about 4:00 wide awake, when I write between 4:00 and 7:00. The internet isn’t as busy then. I sometimes fall back asleep but often not.

Tomorrow we leave for Marrakech. I have two days of catching up to do with this blog. Our time spent post desert in Quarzazate was very interesting, and we stayed in a unique hotel.

After three days in Marrakech, the group splits up as some take the post trip to the Atlantic and others are taken to Casablanca to the airport for take off on the 23rd. Linda the nurse from the Santa Rosa area and I are on the same Air Canada 9:00 AM flight from Casablanca to Montreal. We will probably leave for the airport at 3:00 AM. Ann flies back to London at around noon. Mark also flies at that time, but he is going to Egypt on another OAT adventure.

It’s not over yet. Hot air ballooning anyone? Ann and I are thinking about it..

We said goodbye to our lovely hotel and pool in Erfoud and proceeded on to more adventures . We changed our bus to three 4×4 vehicles with very competent drivers. Before we headed off to the desert, we made two stops: one to see a fossil factory and another to visit a Berber lady who lives simply with her family.

Fossils in Morocco? Yes Prehistoric creatures lived here over 350 million years ago in a shallow sea that accumulated in the sea floor and were buried by sediment. Over the ages they were transformed into stone Devonian limestone, which can be seen in countertops and other items. This factory gets them from the quarries, polishes them and makes them into works of art.

And of course, we exit by the gift shop. These are precious artifacts, so I did do a bit of shopping here.

Our next visit was to a modest home of a Berber lady who described her life for us. This area is a ” different” Morocco, with only basic schooling and hospitals. The people here have no conception of a big city, unless they drive many miles.

Whenever we visit a household, we’re served the traditional mint tea. Normally the tea is made by a man, but this lady is a widow who lives with her children, so she makes the tea.She asked that her picture not be on Facebook, so I am respecting her privacy.

Her home consists of this main area, which is used as a living room and bedroom by night, as well as two other bedrooms and a very small kitchen.

We finally head off to the desert.
Ann and I are in a vehicle with Joy and Robert, and it is a wild and bumpy ride. At times we see no other vehicles and no roads, of course. How does he know where we are going?

We arrive at the camp. It is lovely, and much more civilized than I expected.

I feel like I am in a circus tent. It’s a funny feeling. The weather is HOT but much cooler than it was earlier in the week, in the low 100s.

There is also a shower; forgot to take photo. I was very happy to know that we have electricity, thanks to solar panels, There’s an indoor meeting area, shaded, and a dining room. OAT has another camp near by and the kitchen serves both camps.

We have lunch at the camp, then settle in for a few hours before venturing out late aftern to visit Mohammed, a former nomad who settled in to an area, found water, and created an oasis in the desert. He is completely uneducated but could teach a master class in gardening.

Our next activity was toasting the sunset. Sounded like a great idea. Mostafa lugged the wine glasses and we carried the bottles. The only problem? I didn’t know we would have to climb a mountain of sand to do it. Ann managed to get to the top; Mostafa helped a few of us – Linda from Florida and Andrea and me, bringing up the rear – to get to the second level. We were joined by young hawkers who wanted to sell us their wares. Mostafa uncorked my wine and carried a glass back up to Ann from our bottle. Mark joined us for a visit Andrea’s husband came down Joy and Robert were there.

It was quite the event, not to be missed.

We return to camp for a cooking lesson and a late dinner. The cook shows us how to make the tagine, with chicken on the bottom and vegetables on top. Our server says good night after we stagger to our beds. A few stay up to star gaze.

The next day we went camel riding, then visited a music school, did a little dancing, and visited a nomad and his family in his tent. Details will be forthcoming, possibly later today or in the middle of the night.

The birds are chirping and the sun is up. The weather will be nice. Another exciting day is about to begin.

We left beautiful Fez behind, as we climbed the Atlas Mountains to get to the desert for our next two nights at the desert camp. This is our last day of internet until Saturday.

Our journey yesterday began at 8:00 on the bus and we arrived at this lovely desert outpost at about 5:00 pm, with several surprises with our rest stops along the way The National Highway is a smooth two lane road.

It was a bit cool – in the 50s – when we arrived at our first stop, a fancy ski resort dubbed “little Switzerland.” Skiing in Morocco ? Who knew? Thanks to Linda from Florida for these photos, while I fought with an ATM machine. I won, but it left me no time for picture taking.

After we left Switzerland, we discovered another surprise: monkeys!

We took a little walk on the highway for fifteen minutes, just to stretch our legs and found a fellow traveler.

We had spectacular scenery on our drive. I did nap a little as well.

At our lunch stop, Mostafa showed us the map. Fez is at the top, and today’s destination is Erfoud, shown on the map as Arfoud. The Saraha camp at Mergouza.

Lunch was delicious we had the usual pureed vegetable soup, followed by trout or mixed grill.

These way stations are especially designed for travelers taking this trek, with many groups coming and going. Mostafa made sure we stayed ahead of the pack for a pleasant culinary experience.

Back on the bus! We did stop for photo ops as they came up.

We’re heading to the last leg of our journey.

We arrive at our destination

We’re greeted by musicians, given a welcoming tea and cookies, and get our room assignments. After we get in our rooms, we head off for the pool. The temperature is a bit over 100 but it is dry heat and doesn’t seem to bother me.

After our delicious buffet dinner, we’re given information about Thursday and Friday. No internet. Limited electricity. We spend the rest of the evening consolidating luggage and preparing for the Great Desert Adventure.

I’ll be in touch Saturday or Sunday.

As you can see, I’m enjoying the view of the pool as I type here. Dinner poolside is in an hour and the wifi doesn’t work in my room. I want to warn you that you may not hear for me for several days because tomorrow we leave for the desert. As we go further south, temperatures rise and wifi gets less reliable.

Yesterday we spent most of the day exploring the various sections of the huge old city historical district, where most of the people live. A local guide is needed to navigate the ins and outs of these mazes. Here are a few of my discoveries, taken among the hidden alleyways

We did have a break and ate lunch in a lovely restaurant.

After lunch we visited a tannery and saw many items of leather for sale.

We returned to the riad mid-afternoon to cool off and prepare for our home hosted dinner. We were divided up into groups of four or five and were picked up by a family. I went with ” new people”, Norma, Andrea and the couple from New Mexico who have traveled with OAT 58 times. He’s 88 and still flies planes!

We walked for a very long time, about 25 minutes, through back alleyways, all through the kasbah. I began to wonder how to get back in the dark but was told that we’d be driven back. Our hostess was Mariam, the daughter of Maria, who was in the living room. We were served a feast, the traditional meal to break the fast after Ramadan. We started out with a kind of lentil soup, served with dates and another kind of sesame sweet, followed by a huge lamb tagine, and fruit for desert. I told them that I was recovering from stomach distress and couldn’t eat much, and was regarded with scorn. Our hostess kept encouraging others to EAT! I didn’t take photos, unfortunately. After dinner, we were dressed up in fancy clothing!

Today we visited Volubilis, spectacular Roman ruins that rival Pompei and Epheuses. We had a nice lunch in a neighboring village. I’m runnung out of time and space but will include one more image

The ruins among the ruins..

Dinner calls I didn’t change. Others did. Oh, well..You see my priorities.

Yes, this gentleman from Fes ( note spelling!) is wearing a fez.

We had a nice bus ride from Rabat to Fes, and learned that we would once again stay in a riad, or guest house. We couldn’t believe it when we saw it because Mostafa told us to lower our expectations. We were staying in a palace!

This guesthouse was built originally in the 1600s and underwent an extensive reconstruction, which took sixteen years to complete. The result is a twenty room architectural gem with awe- inspiring public spaces.

We enjoyed lunch in an alcove of the riad while we were waiting for our keys.

As it was quite warm, we were able to settle in for a bit and had our driving / walking tour with local guide Mohammed in the late afternoon.

We were driven to two parts of the city to get a panoramic view of each. We also toured a ceramics factory to see how various items were made. One member of our group bought a tagine set to be shipped home.

Since we would be spending much of tomorrow in the markets of the Old City, we wandered the contempoary city and had a light dinner in a cute cafe. My chicken/ phyllo dish covered with cinnamon and sugar was delicious.

Several of us finished out the evening upstairs on the terrace with a libation of choice. Selling alcohol used to be forbidden but post Covid, establishments have learned that it an easy way to make money, and Western tourists demand it. There is red wine, white wine and beer. Ann and I both had a beer but I shared mine with Mark, to protect my funny tummy.

I am perfectly fine today.