galmc2Report

This may end up being a bad idea (as in way too unwieldy), but here’s a diary of our inaugural attempt at doing an actual organized tour in Morocco. We’ll update this as we go.

March 26: That’s a wrap for Marrakech, Morocco, and our time with the Intrepid Tour and all our new friends. We’re feeling very fortunate that we had such a great group of people to explore Morocco with, and a fantastic tour leader that made sure we got where we needed to go safely.

We had previously used train travel, and then the Intrepid van, to get around. In order to go from Essaouira to Marrakech we travelled on the good old passenger bus! Too bad we never got on a boat here.

As we had previously travelled most of the route to Marrakech we all just zoned out until we got to our destination. Once checked into our final hotel, we headed out to explore the famous Djamal El-Fna, one of the largest public spaces in the world. Full of vendors, street food, cafes, and other tourist attractions (yes, snakes), we settled in at one of the street food stands and were brought our meal as we watched the organized chaos unfold around us.

The next day was a day of exploration for us as we just did our own thing before meeting the whole group for a final dinner (and watch the much-hyped Morocco vs Brazil football match that was taking place in Tangier). We went back to the square and got ourselves lost in the Medina, ultimately escaping with a new compact checkers/backgammon that will entertain us in Europe.

Now our goodbyes have been said, we once more move on. Now it’s onto Portugal, via our first time with the famous/infamous RyanAir. Our first two phases of the trip complete (SE Asia and Jordan/Morocco), it’s time to chill out in Lisbon for a few days as we await the arrival of Madeleine who is coming from NYC to join us for a week.

Thanks Morocco for having us and sharing your many aspects with us. It’s a gorgeous country that lives up to the hype.

March 24: Doing some catch-up in the lovely seaside town of Essaouira, We arrived here in March 22, with an overnight stop at Aroumd happening before we made it here.

Aroumd is a small village on the doorstep of the Atlas Mountains. We parked the van in Imlil, took an overnight pack and proceeded to do the 90 minute hike up to the village.

This leg of the trip provided us with another fantastic look into Morocco. The area here is “ground zero” for hikers and climbers wanting to tackle Mount Toubkal, which is the 3rd highest mountain in Africa.

Sadly for me, I had to miss the planned 4 hour hike into the mountain area due to some stomach issues that befell me and a couple of others. Thankfully Heather was able to go and get a closer look at the area.

After that concluded we hiked back down to the van and headed for Essaouira. Very epic van ride day which I think started to test our collective endurance somewhat. We stopped on the way for a tour of an Aragon oil collective, where locals harvest and sell these unique (as the seeds are only in Morocco).

Once we got to Essaouira the groups energy was restored. It’s a very cool old seaside fishing city that has been used by many films . We were able to walk around the old city (where we stayed) and fishing port with a local guide, who told us about the historic importance of the city (once the gateway to African trade) and also the productions that have visited it (including Orson Wells’ “Othello” to John Wick to Game of Thrones).

Our guide also explained why there were so many cats around the city. They were brought in to deal with the rats during the plague, and ever since are just considered to be part of the city. The locals treat them with respect, and there is now even a program to spay/neuter stray ones.

After the tour we had a nice chunk of free time so a bunch of us went to a local spa for a hamman and/or a massage. Heather opted for both and I just did the massage (along with 2 other ladies in our group where we surprisingly ended up in the same room…but that story stays in the room). It was very nice to have a chance to catch our breath before we head to Marrakech to finish the tour.

March 20: Another day, another drive. Our destination today was Ait Benhaddou, which back in the way old days was an important stop for caravans carrying salt across the Sahara. Today it’s a vibrant community with a super cool lookout spot for sunsets and a thriving film scene.

On the way we also toured Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate, where many popular movies and shows have filmed.

The tour continues to move pretty fast. We are off to the Atlas Mountains tomorrow to hike into a homestay for the night.

March 19: We passed on the chance for a exhilarating 10km hike in the sun (with a Grouse Grind like incline) to instead walk the oasis valley and get a closer look.

We followed the irrigation canal through the communal farmland. With all our Canadian rules and regulations it was interesting to see that the farmers take their turn to divert water that they need and then block off the water once they are done. And by block off I mean just some clay/mud and rocks.

We made it into the local city and followed the canal back to its source. Along the way we came across a few rock climbers, which is apparently a very popular activity in this area

March 18: Woke up early after an interesting attempt at sleeping in the tents on the Sahara. Heather and I were split up for the night (not quite sure why both married couples were split up), so our first sleep without the other in a long time (apologies if that is TMI).

We were supposed to get back on the camels and head back into the desert to watch the sun rise. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas, and the cloud cover that was in place last night to limit star gazing also impacted seeing the sun rise. But undaunted we set back out. After all, one doesn’t get the chance to ride a camel in the Sahara every day!

From the Sahara we headed west (at least I think it was west) to Todra Gorge, which would give us the chance to stay in an oasis. Before getting there we stopped and learned about irrigation techniques and visited the oasis museum of El Khorbat.

March 17: Happy St Patrick’s Day!

March 16: Bit of a travel day as we left Fez behind and headed for Midelt. We made our way through the middle Atlas Mountains, stopping for a visit with a local iconic lion, some furry friends, and a nomadic market before setting up for the night at Ksar Timany. There we got to hike through local farming fields, learn a bit about death and burial in Morocco, and brave a very seasonally heated pool.

Tomorrow the Sahara awaits!

March 15: Day 4 and it’s time to explore Fez. Nice to not have to pack and check out this morning. The day had us at the entry door/plaza for the Royal Family (where we happened to again see a plethora of storks perched on the fancy wall). A visit to the ceramic factory where we were wowed by the craftsmanship and we were off to the (funky cold) Medina.

Now it’s back to the hotel for a quiet night. Big travel day tomorrow in our swanky van!

March 14: Made it to Fez after a day exploring the Meknes mosque, Medina and even a golf course.

We were picked up in the new Intrepid van and made our way to the ancient Roman ruins in Volubilis, where we were guided by an awesome tour guide who shared the site and other nuggets that were thought provoking (like how much sense it used to make to have the year start in March and not January).

After that our tired group made it to Fez, the intellectual centre of Morocco. We’ll be here for a couple of days exploring the massive Medina (aka place to buy stuff ) and other places.

March 13: Up early to pack and be ready for the 8AM departure to the train. Usual morning mayhem of inventory/packing and determining if anything should be left behind. Heather bought a new dress yesterday so sadly the old dress from Chiang Mai is a goner (it got 2 holes in it quickly from a biking mishap).Today’s our only train day. Success criteria is simple. Make sure we get on and off when we are supposed to!

The good news is no one (especially not us) was left behind. The better news is the day was great. Good to get back on trains and Rabat (the capital of Morocco) was fun to wander around in, especially the old town area and the Kasbab.

Also good that most of us had a good nap on the train to Meknes, where we are spending the night!

March 12: We had the first group meeting. Our biggest fear was being in a group filled with high maintenance people. I don’t think that will be a concern. We have 14 people, with representatives from Germany, Switzerland, England (ironically a couple named Paul and Lynn – Heather’s middle name) and two women from, wait for it, Vancouver (Burnaby and Cloverdale). I think the England couple are the oldest, and there is a brother/sister duo from Germany who are the youngest. And they are both students, he doing his PHD in Design Math and she is a medical student. So we have a doctor on board!