Family Visits

Another day! We had breakfast in the lovely dining room and I ordered scrambled eggs. What a treat! After the meal, I took photos of the dining room and other picturesque spots around the riad. We left at 9:30 for our visit to the country.

We met and walked to the other side of town to pick up our bus.

It took us about an hour and a half to arrive at our destination.

Mohammed showed us how to make mint tea The man of the household has this responsibility. After tea we went to the garden to pick vegetables for our lunch.

Mohammed is wearing the traditional hat for those who live in the area.

Once back inside, the cooking begins with several volunteers.

This couple met at a religious festival and it was love at first sight, according to Mohammed. The second time they met was when he offered a proposal of marriage to her family. He built their modest home with the help of family They now have two daughters. Their life is a simple one, blessed by Allah. The fruits and vegetables from their garden provide income. The OAT people also provide them income for hosting travelers like us.

The girls seem very independent and happy. The oldest one went to her second day of first grade when we were there. She came home from school at noon. .There are eight students in the combo first and second grade class. The village provides education through high school, but students must move to a bigger city for any other post- secondary training, such as university or trade school.

We returned to our hotel mid afternoon for a bit of free time and I washed my hair, a long overdue task! What an exhausting ordeal!

At 5:00 we had a lecture by Fatima, who told us about life as a Muslim woman. She has a BA in English and an MA in tourism. Unfortunately I did not get her photo.

She discussed the role of women in today’s society.. The country is very progressive with birth control and offers abortions as needed for rape or incest. Her views seemed more liberal than Mostafa’s views but both admitted that their young King was very modern and that Morocco served as a role model for more conservative Muslim countries.

Several group members climbed the trail at 6:30 to watch sunset from the top of the hill , but I stayed, did some retail therapy, people / cat watching and chatted with a young artist I liked his work and bought some magnets from him..

I returned to my room to edit photos and see the sun set over the pool.

At 8:00 we left for a surprise home visit! Mostafa’s in-laws live in town, and his wife and baby were there, so we stopped by for mint tea, treats, and a chat.

The two blondes are both Lindas – Linda from Florida with the black capris and Linda from Windsor, CA in the jeans. Both are traveling solo and are a delight!
The father- in- law is making tea with Karen and Dave from Delaware.

What a day! To end the evening Ann and I finished off our first bottle of wine on my balcony over the pool.

It’s now 6:35 am and my alarm is set for 7:00 We leave at 8:30 for an optional tour of Tetouan. We’ll be having lunch gazing at the ocean, we’ve been told.