Airport Oasis

We are close to wrapping up our Moroccan journey. We left Marrakech this morning by train. Shared a compartment with a young couple plus baby from Montreal. Turns out they will be on the same flight as we tomorrow morning.

And then transferred to a local commuter train in Casablanca which took us directly into the airport. And then called our Riad, located only 10 minutes from the airport, to come pick us up.

Riad Hamdani is surrounded by gardens. Quiet. A goat farm between the Riad and the road. A lovely place for a last night. We sat on the terrace, gazed at the pool, watched the palms sway, the peacocks peck.  We seem to be the only guests. The rest are family. I don’t think we will hear any call to prayers out here.

Out through a back gate is the family farm. They grow their own produce. And chickens. And a couple of rescue monkeys – rescued from abusers in Marrakech. In a couple of years, they will try to put them back into the wild.

Tomorrow morning we fly. Casablanca to Montreal to LAX. Getting in very late so we overnight at a hotel by the airport and then Friday morning catch a nonstop Southwest flight to Albuquerque.

We remind each other…water heater went kaput the day before we left, we need to call a plumber during our layover in Montreal. Will our cars start? It’s been a month and the temperatures have dipped below freezing. Grubb says, no problem, if they don’t start, he will walk to Smith’s for groceries. It’s not very far. We did peek at the election news and it’s not as bad as it could have been. Oy, re-entry.

I am still not sure I could quite describe the Moroccan feel. A king with absolute power, an elected PM, who, despite being elected, could be removed by the king at any time. The overbearing police presence on the roads, who can check anything and everything. The highly proscribed laws, in part, dictated by their faith. 

From a tourist perspective, unless you talk to a local willing to share (we had our driver, Ali, and lots of time on the road), it is easy to miss the level of monitoring and control exerted by the government. 

As tourists, we experienced welcoming, superior, efficient and friendly service. Every train on time. Riads excel at arranging whatever you want when you want it and it will be there, on time. Many people were warm and welcoming. Although there was a scamster at every turn in the Medinas. We learned quickly how to refuse politely or simply ignore and move on.

Bargaining is the name of the game. We didn’t buy much (although way more than we ever do): a rug, some pottery, some desert attire, but we still have a ways to go before one could say we are skilled at it.

This trip was educational, sometimes challenging but overall, I am happy to have experienced Morocco.