Morocco ... the Sequal

Okay, I know a lot of you have been waiting for me to post pictures of my recent trip to Morocco in April. My Mom and I had a fabulous time and we have so many wonderful memories of the time we spent with Hicham and his family. Here are the highlights of our trip:

Al Mogar (Agadir)

We stayed in Al Mogar, a beautiful resort by the beach. The days were warm and the evenings were chilly enough to wear a jacket. Our daily program included shopping, sampling the local cuisine and walking after every meal. We also played at the beach near Tagazout, visited Hicham's family and travelled to Casablanca, Marrakesh (twice!!!) and Essouria. Mom and I both bought jalabas as well at the tailor. They are both beautiful and I can't wait for cooler weather to wear mine!

Camel Trekking (at the Kasbah - Agadir)

No trip to Morocco is complete unless you visit one of it's many kasbahs! We took a taxi up to the mountain in Agadir so my Mom could check it out. Low and behold ... we were getting out of the taxi and the next thing Hicham and I knew ... my Mom was on a camel and taking off! By the way ... the guy in this picture told my Mom that she owed him nearly $15 (U.S) since she took her picture with the goat! Yeah right ... while it is customary to pay someone if you take their photo, he was way off base!!! I don't think this is an experience she will soon forget!

Marrakesh

We made a short day trip to Marrakesh so that Mom could experience the souks and the Jema Fna. As always it was lively there. We also went to an artisan souq and got to see how they make carpets, pottery, metalworks, etc. I couldn't believe the size of the cloth loom below. It was quite amazing to see the guys working on them. Of course we broke up the day with some mint tea! I think you'll agree that Hicham is sporting quite the style!

Other fun Pics

Camels hanging out at the kasbah in Agadir

Mom at the port in Essouria -- it was freezing that day!

This made me laugh outloud ... this picture would make a perfect cell phone ad ... showing how the world keeps connected!

Hicham's Parents & Mom

Me & Hicham

Crazy Brothers & Sisters - Bouchra, Hicham, Abdo and Laila

Hicham & Me

Hicham

Hicham & Mom

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More Pics from Morocco

Okay ... I'm finally updating the blog to show you all how beautiful Morocco is! Here are just some of the places I visited ...

Marrakesh

We spent two days in Marrakesh and it was everything you see in the movies ... absolutely AMAZING! The one thing that struck me about Marrakesh is the how big it is and how many people there are. There were tons of tourists and I so many people sped through the narrow alleyways on motorcycles! Of course, like in other areas of Morocco, the doorways to the medina and the front doors of homes were gorgeous!

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Rock the Casbah!!!

Salam from Morocco! Okay ... before I get in too much trouble ... this REALLY is the first time Ive been able to get to an internet cafe! Now I have soooo much to share but Im on a funky French keyboard and all of the letters are in different places! Sooo ...the deal is that I will blog until I get frustrated! LOL!

Ahhhhh Morocco ... Morocco really is as beautiful as I remember! The scenery ... the people ... the music and the traditions are all so spectacular. Of course I have some fun videos and pictures to share so grab your beverage of choice and hang out here for a bit.

When I first arrived Hisham and Momo met me at a the airport and took me to the flat where Im staying. To say that the view is gorgeous is really an understatement! Its right on the beach and you can see the surfers every morning catching the first waves of the day.


Cascade in Emmouzar
We took a trip in the mountains to see one of the most famous waterfalls in Morocco. Close your eyes and imagine going on the craziest road course youve ever seen ... add mountainess terrain and NO guardrails! In case youre wondering --Dobratz and Perugini --I didnt lose my lunch and I was even in the back seat! When we finally got to the waterfall it wasnt at all like I expected. The waterfall is mostly dry with exception of water droplets falling into a small but deep pool of water at the bottom of the falls. When winter comes ... snow from the mountain will melt and the falls will be in full swing again. A couple of the locals showed off their Olympic diving talents ...

COMING SOON -- cascade jumpers video

Local favorites
No trip is quite complete without mint tea and of course Momo to demonstrate the right way to serve it! This was actually taken in a small village cafe on the way to the cascade. We had some of the local argon oil. Its widely known as it promotes good health whether eaten or applied to the skin. We also had some thyme honey with the argon oil. You simply dip the bread in the oil and honey and enjoy!



Okay ... just lost a ton of stuff I blogged ... guess I will try this again later!

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Reality has set in ...

Okay ... I know this shouldn't be a surprise but tomorrow is the LAST day I have to get anything done before my trip! I had planned to get everything done in the evenings last week but I obviously didn't anticipate being laid up with a bum knee. The good news is that my knee is feeling much, much better! Hamdoallah ... yes I'm practicing my Arabic ... LOL. Hopefully it will all come back so at least I can understand some ... and better yet ... so I can bargain shop in the souqs! Well, I'm off to do some shopping for my trip ... on the bright side, at least I'll have sassy toes even if I don't have everything I need! And for those of you who haven't seen me, I had my first-ever pedicure and the girls convinced me to get "tied-around-your-little-finger" pink. It was a little out of my comfort zone but I'm pretty jazzed to wear sandles for once!

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5 more days ...

I can't believe it! Five (count 'em FIVE) more days until I leave for Morocco! This is definately going to be a wonderful trip. So far on the agenda is Agadir, Fez, Casablanca and then Marrakesh for an archealogical dig. This is one things I wished I would have done while I was in Bahrain. So I guess I'm getting a second chance. You can bet I'm also looking forward to all of the shopping!!!

Right now, my big task at hand is keeping off of my knee for the next few days since I twisted it on Tuesday. I'll hope you'll come back and visit my blog while I'm away as I'll be updating it with pictures and stories from Morocco!

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