Morocco.... A love story - (days 1 - 2)

I didn't mean to fall in love with Morocco. It just happened. Originally, I just thought of this trip as another adventure Jim and I were going to experience. One filled with fun and exploration. Meeting new people. Taking lots of photos. Eating new foods. Laughing a lot. Just like our other travels. But then, without warning, it happened. I fell head over heels in love with Morocco.

When we travel, I try to immerse myself in the local people and local cultures as much as possible. I try to imagine living their lives and understanding their way of living. I wasn't sure what to expect in Morocco. Or Africa as a whole. Six years ago, we had a trip planned to South Africa but we had to cancel due to my breast cancer diagnosis. Five years later, when we went to reschedule, the prices had almost doubled. I decided to look at other areas of Africa that would be more affordable and found that Morocco seemed perfect. However, I knew nothing about Morocco. I had researched South Africa when we had that planned, so I had an idea of what to expect. Going on a safari, seeing Cape Town, gazing at Victoria Falls and observing lots of wild animals! When I looked at the description of the Morocco, the trip just seemed like going from city to city. With the exception of spending the night in the Sahara. The surprise I had waiting for me was unimaginable! I had no idea what I was about to experience.

Days one and two were basically travel days. After leaving Nashville on Sunday afternoon, we arrived in Casablanca late Monday afternoon. After retrieving our luggage, we made our way through the airport and headed outside. The airport was a crazy, busy mixture of people, different languages, different smells and signs with words I could not read. I loved it.

Gate 1 was the tour company we were traveling with. We had used them previously when we had traveled to Peru and were very happy with them. We walked outside to try to locate our contact. Again, there were so many people. Everyone seemed happy though. Jim spotted our contact first. He had a Gate 1 sign so it was kind of hard to miss. He led us to where two other people on our tour were waiting. He said there was one other person we were waiting for and then we would head out. We stood and introduced ourselves to the other two people (Sherry and Reza). We liked them immediately. They were from Alabama so not that far from us. We continued to watch the driver until he found the last person we were waiting for. Ellen. He helped her with her luggage and she joined us. Ellen was from Florida and an absolute delight. She was a widow and I admired her zest for travel and life. I was intrigued.

We all got into our bus and headed for Rabat. Rabat is the capital of Morocco and about an hour and a half away. Off we went!

Driving in Morocco is an experience in itself. Jim and I sat in the front seat of the bus. That was probably a mistake. I had not had time to adjust to the "rules of the road" in Morocco and was not prepared for what I saw. Basically, there are no rules. People drive on people's bumpers. People drive in more than one lane at a time. People use their horns a lot. They drive all different speeds even on the highway. Anything from 30 mph to 80 mph. I just tried to hold on not worry.

Amazingly, we made it safe and sound to Rabat. Our driver was good. Very good. He dropped us off at our hotel and bid us farewell. We made our way into our hotel. It was a path through a wide trellis of beautiful greenery that formed a tunnell. We couldn't see the hotel yet, but the entrance was amazing.

We made it into the hotel and were directed to our rooms. I had no idea I would ever encounter such a beautiful hotel in Africa. I don't know what kind or room I thought we would be staying in but I certainly didn't expect what it was. We were both blown away by the beauty.

The colors were soft and warming. The furniture was solid and sturdy. The decor was homey and Moroccan. I felt so welcomed. So warm inside.

We went down to the lobby later in the evening to meet the rest of our group and our tour manager. We had a welcoming meeting followed by an amazing dinner.

During the Welcoming Meeting we all told a little about each other and got to know our tour manager, Abdel. Abdel had us write our names on our name badges and then he wrote our names on the opposite side in Arabic. Arabic is written and read from right to left. Very interesting!

Some other terms I learned that evening:

Assalamu alykoum - Hello

Shokaran - Thank you

Hamdu Lillah - God willing

I am fascinated with the language.

We went to dinner in the hotel and sat with some of our tour mates. My first Moroccan food.

There were menus at each place setting. The waiter came around and asked us each what we wanted. As we told him, he would mark it on the menu that was in front of us. I had Moroccan Harira (soup) Chicken Tajine and Fruit for dessert. I wasn't really hungry after all of the traveling but I had to try some of each of my meal. The flavors in the soup sent me to heaven. I have never tasted anything so delectable. Next was the Chicken Tanjine. I have had a lot of chicken in my life but this was different than anything I had ever tasted. The seasoning was gentle and cinnamony. I didn't eat much but knew I would have it again.

We went to bed that night exhausted but happy. Looking forward to the next day touring Rabat!