We were so fortunate to be accepted to a Friendship Force Global Journey with 20 others from the US, Canada and the UK. The coordinator was a seasoned organizer, Vicki Vance, along with husband, Doug, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was quite an experience even leaving our area because 2 days prior Hurricane Milton was barreling towards our coastline of Florida. What to do? Should be "hunker down" in Punta Gorda or should we evacuate to the Miami area where our flight was to take off?
Since the predictions were grim, we boarded up our house, stacked furniture upon furniture, rolled up area carpets, put "things" up high, moved our cars and finally decided to go early to our hotel about 20 miles outside of the airport. We spent our time glued to the tv trying to ascertain if we would even have a place to come home to from all the flooding and destruction predicted.
We received email instructions to come to the airport 4 hours before flight time. However, the flight was not to be - not because of the hurricane remnant hitting Miami, but because of "technical difficulties" and flight crew regulations. This was our first experience with Royal Moroccan Airways and it was not a favorable one.
They delayed, delayed, delayed, finally boarding us past midnight onto a very hot warm airplane. After sitting there for well over an hour, they announced our flight was cancelled and we should reclaim our luggage. Finally obtaining our luggage at 1:30 am, their flight crew was deplaned and sent to sleep at a nice local hotel.
Unfortunately, for us passengers there were no hotels available at that late hour - and no help from Royal Air Morocco. No Royal Treatment for us! We spread our raincoats and flight pillows on the hard dirty floor and tried to rest. Finally, the airline told us that the flight was not cancelled, only RESCHEDULED to noon the next day. After more than a 15 hour delay, we were boarded, took off and finally landed at Casablanca in the early hours, pitch dark around 2 am, where our driver found us and took us on a long journey to our hotel.
Postscript - I wrote letters to Royal Moroccan Customer Service asking for at least a partial refund and food allowance to no avail, weeks later. I also wrote the US Dept of Transportation. No reply yet.
Casablanca
Today we viewed the African side of the Atlantic and visited Hassan II Mosque built in 1993 at a cost of $500 million. It accommodates 25,000 worshippers inside and 80,000 more outside. It took 7 years to complete with round the clock labor! We have a personable guide, Lahcen, who will be with us for the next few weeks.
Rabat
Rabat, Morocco's capital, impressed us today. It is so clean, surrounded by trees and the streets decorated with lovely lamp posts. It is known for the landmarks of Hassan Tower, King's Palace, and a famous mausoleum of Moroccan kings guarded by sleek Arabian horses. We also enjoyed French designed gardens and great scenic overlooks of the Atlantic Ocean. We continued our journey to Chefchaquen, a city in the Rif Mountains known for its striking blue buildings.
Chefchaquen
Today we are in the blue city of Chefchaquen. This is a must to see! Gorgeous day in the 70's with blue skies to match the city. We enjoyed viewing a 600-yr old olive tree and enjoyed our hotel Casa Hamon and our amazing suite with an antique bed fit for kings! The sunset was breathtaking from our balcony that we shared with friends, Maureen and Linda. We were given an extensive walking tour of the city with fascinating details of life in this Moroccan hideaway.
Volubilis, the Archaeological Site of the Romans
The ruins of the Roman city of Volubilis was an interesting stop on our way to Fez. It is the best archaeological site in Morocco. Here we found a Japanese photo shoot among amazing preserved mosaics and remains of arches, pools, etc. Those Romans really got around Europe and Asia!
Fez and a Homestay in New Town, a close-by suburb
After an interesting tour of the ancient "medina" marketplace of Fez, we went to school! Yes, we learned some basic Moroccan Arabic words at an educational institute. Afterwards, we were transported to a 3rd floor walk-up apartment of a local teacher who lives with her sister and niece. They had a lovely calico cat, too! This homestay gave us a small idea of how the people live and we got to know our family on a more personal level. This is what our Friendship Force Club is all about - trying to understand other cultures in pursuit of peace between all peoples of the world. Salam!
Erfoud and traveling across Middle Atlas Mountains
A variety of landscapes greeted us as we left Fez and began our ascent across the Middle Atlas Mountains. We saw nomads herding sheep, stopped at a Cedar Forest to view monkeys, glimpsed magnificent snow-capped peaks in the distance, a huge reservoir, interesting jagged cliffs, thermal springs and more until we began our decent into Erfoud, the gateway to the Sahara Desert Region. Kasbah Xaluca was our hotel, quite a treat with musicians greeting us as we checked in and of course, the ever present hot mint tea.
Glamping in the Sahara Desert
"Glamping" near Erfoud in the Sahara Desert, Richard and our group riding camels, listening to melodic drum beats and dancing around the campfire under stunning night sky with full moon has to be a highlight of our trip! Richard enjoyed the hour camel ride and upon exiting the camel, the group was greeted with tea and cookies. Later, we all celebrated "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere Happy Hour" with appetizers from home - Pringles! - and local Moroccan wine.
Ouarzazate, Morocco traveling to Marrakech
As we made our way in the bus to the Imperial City of Marrakech, we viewed the beautiful Toudra Valley and their apple city, Midelt. We stopped in an area that reminded me of Petra with huge sandstone clay mountain passes. This is the area of the high Atlas Mountains. It is also a place of interesting fossils that were buried from eons ago when the Sahara was covered with water. We traveled past kasbahs and mountain passes probably at an elevation of close to 4,700 feet.
Marrakech
Marrakech, the imperial "red" city or "Alahambra" is home to one million. The international vibe is apparent with many FRENCH restaurants and beautiful shops, pretty gardens and of course, traffic! Here we crammed in many activities, e.g., a fun cooking class given by a woman co-op where we learned how to bake 2 varieties of flat bread and cookies. We loved touring the beautiful Al Bahia Palace, viewing 11th century mosque, and the Square where we saw snake charmers. We also enjoyed a lovely dinner at a wonderful French restaurant.
Berber Village
We stayed overnight at a Berber Village where we experienced their culture and food. Our host family, Mohammed, his wife, 3 daughters and one son welcomed us. Richard helped plant peas and I made almond butter. We learned so much of the kindness and friendliness in the hearts of the people. From the children to the elderly, we experienced the trust, warmth and generosity of the Arab and Berber people who live here. Morocco is a country of tolerance and respect for all. It was such a good lesson to learn!
Flying Home
We made our way back to our starting point of Casablanca and rested one night before heading to the airport for our return flight on Royal Air Moroccan. This time we encountered no delays and good service. Before we left, we were surprised when our guide related that his tour company has many cancellations because of the Middle East Conflict involving Israel and Palestine. Morocco is in north Africa, 5,200 miles from them. We felt very safe here! It was an 8-1/2 hr non-stop flight to Miami, about the same distance to fly from Spain or France. We would highly recommend going to Morocco.
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