So after writing the first post, I can definitely say this feels like a diary. Great feedback, thanks, everyone. Hopefully, it will continue.

18 hrs later and here we are in Marrakesh, Morocco. You wouldn’t know it from the inside of the airport though, it looks clean and normal (I have no idea what we were expecting- I never do!) Do a quick small currency exchange here with some USD (for the record we could have brought CAD but the forums are so all over the place with this topic. Not sure if you could exchange at a small exchange but here at the airport np). We head through customs and security- no visa required (I love Canada!) We head out past the no return sign and I am looking for a bank machine and sim card… where are these things? No luck. Ok, we head towards the light.

It is sunny and 4pm on Monday. There is a 4-hour difference between Morocco and Nova Scotia. We slept a lot on the overnight flight and are feeling pretty good and excited to see what is to come. Sunglasses already on, lugging our wares we see the sign SO MOROCCO. This is where we meet Amed our driver for the tour. We head to the SUV, throw the luggage into the back and hop in. I am always a little nervous in this moment, what to expect? Here is the first great moment. Amed tells us we’re friends.

We are friends and no topic is off limits. To let him know if we have concerns, questions etc. Ryan and I look at each other and have no idea what in the world this means but it sounds promising. I laugh and say well great cause I’m pretty straightforward so I will tell you whats what the whole way through. If we’re going to be friends this is going to be a great trip. Amed is warm and welcoming and I am still not sure but I like where it is headed.

Off we go. Morocco is a large country with every type of landscape imaginable as you will see along the way. We see some familiar things like mopeds that think they’re big off-road trucks weaving through traffic, pedestrians almost getting hit, you know the normal SE Asia stuff (from our last trip) and actually feel a little comfortable. On our way to the riad in the medina, we sidetrack to a money exchange which feels a little sketchy. By the end of the trip it isn’t but right now we are a little too nervous about our surroundings. Or maybe it is me. Ryan can walk down dark alleys and not jump out of his skin, so yeah maybe it’s me. Either way, after navigating crossing 5 lane traffic without getting hit four times as I forgot my wallet the first time…lol… we are on the way. We talk about getting a sim card but forgot about it. If this is anything like our SEA trip, wifi will be everywhere, and since Derek is home this trip what do I really have to worry about?

The Medina:

I’ve read about them, I’ve obviously seen pictures, but like many things you don’t get it until you see it. We drive through the smaller regular city streets. Donkeys pulling loads, a lot of people going about their business. I am happy I have my three layers on. It’s a little warm but not warm warm. In the end, this is how it will be the entire trip. Usually, cool outside the car and warm inside the car with the sun beating down on you. We come up to an area that is smaller, congested and see wooden luggage carts (like wheelbarrows but for luggage?) all in a row and one with our Riads name on it.

Now for definitions. A riad is a house that was turned into a guesthouse but with an open common area to the sky in the middle. For simplicity picture a box with an open spot in the middle. All around the sides are rooms. A Dar is similar also known as a hotel. Medina, crazy place. Small long passageways where cars cannot go inside a protective wall of a city. In Fes, there are over 9000 streets in the medina. Even those who have grown up there have not been everywhere.   It is a labyrinth.

So out of the SUV we go, feeling the need for a little exercise from the long flight there Ryan carried the bags instead of using the porter and we start to walk… passing people, donkeys and lots of cats 🙂 Into the Medina, through the passageways, past doors, lots of not so nice smells… There are street name signs, hotel name signs etc. We are supposed to explore this? Who knows where we are? What happens if there is a fire? I’m going to try not to think about this. NB, later in the week we download maps.me and I will use this everywhere forever. If it can get you through a medina, it is priceless. Google maps worked ok, not so much.

So our porter knocks on this random door and it opens and we step in. You could never tell what is behind a door from outside. Walk in and our host invites us for tea. The beginning of a hundred cups of mint tea on this trip. Mint tea for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, arrival, departure, bored etc. They love their tea. It was actually one of the first things we bought when we arrived back in Canada. It is really good! They pour it from a high height to make bubbles. When I do it I spill it everywhere. I think it’s an art.

Riad Star

Riad Star Paris Room

“Luggage Cart” Not our picture . See the long passageway in the background. A Medina street.

Back to Riad Star. Linda at So Morocco picked all of our guesthouses. They all came highly recommended on TA. However, I was not expecting the level of beauty and intricacies of  Morocco. It is absolutely gorgeous! The attention to detail everywhere you go is amazing. Beauty is very much appreciated. Ryan makes a comment on how my mother would have loved this country. It makes me sad.

It is so cold! I need my fourth layer. Inside the medina, there isn’t a lot of light or sun.We have tea and go up to our room. Oh and we got the wifi password. It is the first thing they give out. SO sad we are so connected. Amed says he will see us bright and early tomorrow for a trip fo a lifetime. Grin on his face and he is gone. Now what?

I was pretty wary about how cold I would be on this trip. I had my handwarmer (nice addition), Ryan brought me a compact sleeping bag in case of emergencies, I wore 3-4 layers every day, we both had a hat and gloves and it worked out extremely well. Some places are warm but some are not. Our locations were all over the place so we came prepared.

Riad Star had a nice size room (Paris room) with a small seating area, extra blankets (in love!) and a heatpump. At 6:30 we emerged to find food. It surprised us to learn we were a little early for most restaurants?   Supper is usually closer to 7:30 because of prayer time.  But they recommended one around the corner, Le Trou en Mur, if we didn’t want to wait. We were lead to the restaurant through the maze by our host who was on his way out. I am still feeling a little uneasy. How are we getting home thought this maze? I am so caught up in this place I did not pay attention to the multiple turns. Anyway, we go into the restaurant, up some stairs and it’s just us. Oh boy, we are keeners lol. We haven’t really had Moroccan food before, and I joke with the waiter (the language here is Arabic, French, Berber and many know English) about not knowing what to get but I read about the tagine. We aren’t overly hungry and we opt to share a dish. Vietnamese spring rolls (Ryan laughed but I do love them from last year’s trip!) and a lamb Tanjia, which is a speciality dish of Marrakesh and is different from Tagine. I’m back to being nervous and I know Ryan was a little too. Lamb? hmm. In Canada, it isn’t good. And I’m a picky eater. I agree to the order. The waiter says it will be phenomenal. When in Rome right? I also opted for a glass of Moroccan wine. This is a Muslim country and many people here do not drink, at least not in public. We can hear the call for prayer in the background. It becomes a familiar staple as the days progress.

Well, this is a very welcome surprise. We either don’t have good sheep in Canada or we cannot cook because all the lamb we had in Morocco was fantastic. As we ate our appetizer, olives, bread and Tanjia (you’ll notice the difference in the pot shape from the next meal) the room filled with other foreigners. I am sensing a trend. After our meal which costs about $400 Dirham (7DH=$1CAD) they walked us home through the dark passages, few street lamps to help along the way. Don’t trip. The cobbled roads can be uneven and there are stairs. PS don’t’ forget to tip the porter.

Tipping in Morocco is a way of life. You tip to everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY. The porter, the waiter, the guy who you asked directions (don’t do that and don’t take advice, I’ll explain later), the guy that is in the parking lot, the bathroom. and it is hard because the rumours are true, getting change to tip is impossible as a tourist, IMPOSSIBLE! So here is what we would do next time. Go to a bank and pay for change. Even if it costs you money. If you don’t have change either you end up tipping high because that is all you have, or your shortchange your bills which we also had to do because the locals do not want to give you change back. They do not want to break the 100’s and 200’s the bank machine gives you. Even if the bill is 230 DH. We recommended to the tour company to give out change bags. Tourists love convenience and Ryan would pay a premium for that service if it cut out some frustration and embarrassment. He was the one who suggested it. The most valuable bill is 20DH, for coins 5/10 DH is great for small tips and when the bill goes just over a rounded number.

The riad was warm and comfy. It was really pretty too. We didn’t get to enjoy any of the amenities as we were quickly in and out but we’d go back. It had an amazing rooftop view. Breakfast the next morning became the common staple of the trip; small yogurt (which I ate everyday. I am working on my tasting skills), fruit (their oranges are to die for), breads (we are going to try and make the mainstay at home), crepes and/or pancakes, a nice assortment of jellies, honey, butter, etc and mint tea (plus coffee if you are into that kind of thing). You will never go hungry in this country I promise. Amed showed up after breakfast and we were already packed and by the door for our porter. Into the cart our stuff goes, us trailing behind wondering what is next.