MOROCCO TRIP Sep 29 to Oct 13, 2023

This was our trip that was to happen prior to COVID but finally arrived.  We had booked through G Adventures for the “beach and dessert” tours in Morocco.  Beginning of October, we flew from Montreal, transferring in Casablanca, arriving in Marrakesh where we would begin our tour.  One month prior to leaving, a great earthquake shook the Atlas Mountains and the coastline surrounding Marrakesh.  The Medina, the heart and UNESCO site of Marrakesh, absorbed some damage but was still able to welcome visitors, after much work repairing most structures.  We were able to settle into our quarters within the Medina, a lovely villa, three stories high, owned by a family.  The dining room was on the top floor open to the sky and protected by a curtain.  There we had our cooking course for Tajine, a type of beef stew in a clay pot, the original recipe containing mainly oil, garlic, preserved lemons and spices.  This recipe can be altered to include vegetables with chicken or fish or just vegetables.  Our first sample of Tajine was awful but when we tried it another time, made at a family residence, it was delicious, not oily, cooked in a woodstove and served with naan bread.  Our first tour was to the dessert to camp for two nights, once in a large tent complete with a bench, table, two beds with sheets and blankets.  Our next night was a tiny single person tent to fit two, which included a mat and blanket pulled from our dining section for each person.  Most of us ended up sleeping outside under the stars near the dining tent.  Our second tour travelled the coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, stopping for two nights at a hotel by the water’s edge.  The highlight of my journey was riding the dromedary (one hump); however, Cathy with her leg still healing and tending to wound care, found it stressful as she carefully guarded her leg, keeping it clean and wrapped.  Both tours involved lots of sand, so she did amazingly, cleaning her wound every day and wrapping it.  Despite these challenges, she was able to enjoy the trip.  Our group was lots of fun and we all got along well.  Morocco was worth visiting.