At 6:30am we gathered at the entrance to the Sofitel Rabat to kick off our journey through Morocco.

Many of us were staying here, but a few needed to travel from other hotels or houses so had already been up for quite some time.
There are 13 of us (including the Bride and Groom) in a sleep deprived haze cordially saying “hi” to each other. Some struggling to remember names, or perhaps actually finally learning names from the wedding and the days proceeding.
We all know Mike and Mimi (of course) and some people know (or at least have met) a few others, but there is a great deal of “getting to know each other”  that will likely last throughout the 7 day adventure we are embarking on.

Our driver (Hamid) was patiently waiting and loading up his steed – a clean, relatively new VW 16 seat passenger van. There was a row of 4 in the back, Then 3 rows of 3 divided with an aisle (so 1-2)

Then 1 row of 3 at the front in one line (no aisle).
For a total of 16 seats.

There was some talk of car sickness, good seat positions and Dramamine but I think everyone was too tired to put much effort into that thought so there didn’t seem to be a strategy to the seating. Couples grabbed seats next to each other – others filled in empty seats with a few spares so we were not crammed in. I got on last and there was a single seat above the back wheels.

The day plan has us going from Rabat to Marrakech which should be a 4 to 5 hour drive.

Once underway at 7am most promptly fell asleep while David snapped pictures.

The first stop was a modern highway stop 2 hours into the drive.
We filed out of the van and swarmed the counter. Mimi translated the breakfast menu. Both Matti and Mimi helped the group get settled and we launched into our first group meal. This was the most activity and talking we had done so far as tea and coffee (e.g. caffeine) helped enliven the group.

Moroccan pancakes, eggs and bread with honey powered us up as well.
Maati noted that we were being served differently then the locals since we were a group, but some discussion between him and the server (and an extra set of pancakes later) – all was fine.

There were a couple of cats floating around and Teresa was first to point out that as cute as they are we probably should not pet them.
Being “free range kitties” they could have diseases that none of us would want.
That didn’t stop everyone from providing the cats with some attention.

We were there for about 45 mins before Hamid appeared and encouraged us (with a smile) to re-board for the next part of the drive.

Once on the bus Mimi organized a numbering count-off system so we could quickly take “role” in the future.
Mimi is #1 Mike is #13 and we all picked numbers in-between.
Cute and symbolic.
The numbers we ended up with:
1-Mimi
2-Erica
3-Teresa
4-David
5-Bruce
6-Coco
7-Peter
8-Else
9-Moira
10-Matty
11-Davey
12-Heather
13-Mike

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Now the van was awake and everyone chatting – at least for a bit.
We skirted Casablanca then made a turn east.
The scenery is shifting from coastal arid to more rolling hill arid and we are climbing. Ears have popped a few times.

It’s very sparse with villages of 5 to 30 structures surrounded by farm lands and cattle grazing.

There are small groups of up to 30 cows, lambs or a combination with a Shepard. Even a small group of 3 cows has a Shepard in attendance since there are no fences.

They seem to slowly walk though the plains grazing.

We are on the main road which is a 2 lane divided highway like you’d find in the States. The side roads are single, partially paved roads (no markings) but most are dirt roads.
Near some of the towns there appears to be an open trash area. For a kilometer around there are blue plastic bags wrapped around foliage. Clearly garbage management is not a priority.
We continue to climb with paddle cactus as a regular site. In some cases it actually looks farmed.
Some land areas are divided with paddle cactus instead of fences or stone walls – but even with these any kind of physical barrier is rare.

The ground is a red-ish color.
Most of the structures are the same color and frequently look unfinished but clearly lived in.

Each settlement area surrounds a building that has a tall cubic spire.
This is the Mosque and the tower where “call to prayer” is performed several times a day by the Imam.

The sky becomes a pale bright blue and we continue to casually climb.
Cresting one of the hills you could make out the shape of some large mountains on the horizon and at the base of those Mountains (through the haze) we could make out the city of Marrakech.
Palm trees appeared everywhere and we entered the outskirts.

Marrakech is known for it’s Palm trees and “Marrakech Red” structures which is actually building code here.

Our driver skillfully navigated the streets of the city and soon we arrived at the edge of the Medina which is the heart of what Marrakech is known for.
Not knowing the plan we all tried to sort out what to do, but eventually it was clear we were at our place for the night and time to get off.
We exited the van on a bustling street. A man with a cart started loading up our bags and we met our guide who will be with us for the rest of the trip. (Kahlid).

We were then guided down a dark narrow ally, tight turns and through a simple door to enter a small courtyard with a pool.
Stunning dichotomy.
It’s quiet and calm.
This was our Riad for the night.

Khalid served us Moroccan tea and some dates as we sat around the pool with our feet in the water and generally just trying to catchup with the experience happening with / to / around us.
Kahlid shed some light on the next activities.

There was some paperwork we needed to fill out (after which we would not need to fill out paperwork for the hotels as he would handle it for us).
Then he schooled us on the city with the useful warning that cars and trucks MIGHT but motorcycles and donkeys will NOT stop for us. 🙂
He shared some history of the city and info about the souks we were going to visit with a local tour guide.
Also not to pay more then 10dh for a photo with a snake or monkey.
He gave us a good briefing and set the tone for the rest of the day. He let us know we had an hour to settle before we needed to regroup and head out into the Medina.
We got the keys to our rooms then spread out and took over the entire place. (We were the only ones there apart from one poor guy sitting in the corner looking overwhelmed by us).

After freshening up we headed off to the Medina (Old Town) and to the Souk (shops). It is a bustling confusing maze of narrow streets packed full of goods to be sold and bartered for.

Our guide pointed out some interesting spots such as the university, ancient prayer rooms, burial chambers, and some of the structures that used to house camels and people as they waited to form caravans for the 53 day journey to Timbuktu.

He gave us background info about the various areas we walked through (leather area, clothing area, metal area), and how to take photos in the square with a snake, etc. He also took as to a spice shop that gave us an overview of pretty much EVERY spice, oil, pigment, etc. Our local guide made it clear that there was no obligation to buy anything for this special spice tour but – we bought pretty much one of everything anyway. Smart business.

David was accosted by a belt salesman who was following our group.
He showed up once in front of the Spices place, then again at the leather area.
David purchased 2 belts from him and he continued with our group all the way to the center.

We had a free-for-all moment and scattered from a meeting point to test our skills at haggling solo.
I was on a mission for “desert attire” and found some leather sandals. Three pair actually. The guy started at 1200dh for all and got him down to 400dh ($40) for all three.
Not bad for 3 sets of leather sandals, we’ll see how they last.
David found a head-cloth and a robe thing and I followed with a head-cloth too.

Turns out we got the SAME color, but Kahlid made us feel better by saying blue is the very common Sahara color so we were OK with it.
We returned to the meeting spot 45 mins later with tales of haggling and newly purchased items that will sit on shelves collecting dust in all points of the globe.
There were tea sets, clay items, hats, and other trinkets.

As mentioned, the belt guy kept with us for awhile and even Bruce was also about to (or did) buy from him. Hard to tell with Bruce since he was sort of just talking to everyone who was trying to sell him stuff – sometimes long discussions with nothing purchased.
At the center, David was considering another belt purchase and I asked if he even knew if the belts he already got fit him. He tested and one was too small (of course).
I asked how much he paid for each (100dh) so I offered 50dh.
No deal, but I hope to wear him down before the end of the trip.

The Medina center was a sea of Orange Juice carts, snake charmers and other oddities. Fortunately we were early so it was not mayhem – actually quite calm. People paid their dirhams and had photos with snakes and consumed various citrus juices.

We eventually escaped the Medina and made our way back to the hotel dodging the constant flow of donkey carts and mopeds.

We hung around the hotel (showing off our new wares) for a couple of hours before it was time for dinner at 7pm.

The restaurant had an amazing view perched above the rooftops of the Souk.
We saw a fantastic sunset and ate a variety of items from the menu since it was considered the last place to eat non-moroccan food for the rest of the trip. Some opted for non-moroccan cuisine, where others stuck with the Tajine that we will likely continue to eat for days.

After Dinner – we divided.
Some hunted for what might be the last ATM of the trip.
Others headed out for a horse carriage ride -> which turned out to be top trip memory for those who did it.
And a few went for another pass at shopping in the souk (which goes late into the night).

Eventually everyone passed though the rooftop terrace of the hotel where David, Heather, Bruce, Else and myself were hanging out.

A long day ending between 11pm and 1a depending on the person.

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Today we traveled 326km.