A loving, gentle people

Judy. Morocco was such an overwhelming experience that we decided to do several short blogs covering the experiences. I so fell in love with the country that I wasn’t sure where to start—so I’ll start with what’s closest to my heart:  People.

We arrived in Marrakech late at night, and waited an hour to get through passport control (we’d been warned it could be a bear, and with three international flights landing at the same time, it was a grizzly). Ted texted our riad to tell them we were late, and got a “Don’t worry, the driver will wait for you” reply. Sure enough, he was there. And we were exhausted. We drove past the king’s palace (well, one of them), through parts of the new city, and into the medina, which, at midnight, was still active. We pulled into dark, narrow lanes, and stopped at a dead end, where our driver unloaded our bags and took off into a shadowy, covered lane. As an automatic light came on, I saw a sign over an old door: Riad Romance. What had Ted led me into?

And then the door opened and Youness greeted us like long-lost cousins. With an inviting, open courtyard, we had to keep our voices down so as not to wake other guests, but Youness led us into a small lounge to fill out paperwork while Adil, one of the staff, brought us hot tea. After a hectic travel day, it was a real gift.

Sam, Youness, and Danny the cat

The next morning after breakfast we met his partner, Sam, who gave us a map of our section of the city and warned us not to buy anything in the souks on the first day. Then she handed us a cellphone with her number programmed in and sent us on our way.

Over the following two weeks, we grew to adore Sam and Youness, as well as Adil, who stayed at the riad all night and served us breakfast each morning.  Any questions, whether about Marrakech or other cities were either answered right away or after they did research. Fatima, who spoke little English, greeted us every morning with a big smile and kindly taught me how to wrap my hair in a scarf to keep it out of my face and off my neck. 

Fatima & her handiwork

Sam took us to a local herboriste to learn about herbal remedies, as well as to a shop she trusted; and Youness recommended

Teaching us about natural herbs

cafes. Once when we returned from an outing, we saw a couple we assumed were new riad guests. They were given tea, and we saw Sam huddled with them, talking. Turns out they were a German couple who had gotten lost and been directed to Riad Romance instead of their own hotel. The woman was crying in frustration. Our two hosts calmed them, called their riad, and made sure they got back safely. Sam, as you can imagine, believes in karma.

And, of course, Linda.  Remember, we met her in Botswana where she was a Peace Corps volunteer. We spent one afternoon together, but really hit it off, and continued the friendship online. Her service is coming to a close, so we invited her to join us in Morocco for a couple of weeks. I know that sounds nuts, but remember, we believe in saying yes. What a wonderful choice that was! Linda

Dinner in the desert with Linda

and I went exploring when Ted wanted to sit in the courtyard or on the roof and read, and then we all went out together. We laughed over our mistakes, enjoyed meals, and all headed off to the desert together. We respected each other enough to give space when needed, and delighted in shared experiences. End result? A friendship for a lifetime.

Abdoul was our guide from Desert Majesty who drove us over the Atlas Mountains and all the way to the end of the road, where the Sahara began. At first, he was professional but distant, but by the end of the first day, we were laughing together, comfortable enough to share what we did and didn’t want to see. In the days to come, he opened up to us about his family and his adopted son, whom he adores. When we

On the road with Abdoul

asked to change the plan and spend two nights in one camp instead of moving on, he readjusted plans and took us to see some unusual sights. On the way home, over the Atlas Mountains again, a storm hit. When we were caught in a traffic jam, he jumped out of the car and got information that “the road is broked.” The agency office was closed, but we sat down with him while he laid out options to get us back to Marrakech. When we decided that turning around and going through Agadir was the best bet, he drove another six-plus hours to get us back to Riad Romance (where, of course, Youness was waiting with tea). While he was probably ready to be rid of us, saying goodbye that night was hard for us.

Kaseem, who ran our desert camp, Caravan del Sud, made delicious dinners and made

Kaseem

sure we were comfortable in our tents. Since we were only three the first night, he played drums and sang for us. (The second night a group of Berber singers came in to play and sing.)

Even the people at the Tuareg Kasbah restaurant were lovely. When Abdoul requested it, we were guests at a tea ceremony before lunch. Afterwards, we had a tour of the Kasbah, dressed in traditional Tuareg costumes.

Tuareg tea ceremony

Us as Tuareg

Robin and Gabs

When we took the train to Fes, we shared our delicious dates with others in the train car, and I’ll never forget the little boy who gave us gum in return. Two Australian sisters, Robin and Gabs, made the ride down easier with their travel stories and book suggestions. We had some laughs, too!

On the way home, Ted got into a conversation with a Moroccan professor of international tax law, and learned a lot about how he sees the world.

 Mohammed, the host at our hotel in Fes, also met us with tea and set up a tour for us around the city. When we returned the next day after our tour, too tired for a big dinner, he insisted on bringing us soup to warm us up after the cold and rain.

Achmed was part owner (with Youness, as we later found out) of a café that served tasty and inexpensive food. Ted ate there almost every day, and Achmed regaled us

Ted and Achmed

with the history of the building as a caravan inn, and of the artisans that worked upstairs in the studios. One day we had lunch on the terrasse upstairs with a killer view of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains, and he told us about the history of the Ben Yussef Madrasa next door, now under reconstruction. When we passed him in the street, he always spoke to us.

These beautiful, gentle people showed us a love of their country and their religion with wide open arms. We hope to see them again, to which we add, as they all did, inshallah. God willing.