Haere Ra Morocco

Well today was our last day in Morocco and as we type this, we’re waiting for our shuttle to pick us up and take us back to England, where we won’t be experiencing weather as beautiful as this anytime soon.

We’ve had a great time in Morocco and definitely recommend it for a sun-filled holiday that is a little bit different. While Thailand is cheaper with better food, Morocco is an experience all on its own. We’ve had to pinch ourselves on so many different occasions, particularly when climbing up Saharan sand dunes on Saturday. We’ve never heard such silence ever before and it’s definitely an experience that will stay with us for a lifetime.

We spent our last day making the most of the weather (by far the hottest day since we’ve been here) by swimming and playing Yahtzee in the sun, followed by a beachfront stroll to the Marina.

We also decided to head beachfront again for our dinner, which also provided an experience we’ll never be able to forget – no matter how hard we try! Even as I type this my stomach is gurgling away making all kinds of ominous noises and I suspect it might be a long journey to London! After ordering what we thought were fairly safe dishes – a Cheeseburger and a mixed fish dish – we were left speechless at what arrived... My Cheeseburger was literally purple (much like the breakfast porj), and Brad’s plate consisted of deep fried fish parts – including tails, solid chunks of belly (guts included) and skeletons. All we could do was laugh – especially when I tried to cut into a ‘mystery’ piece of fish, only to find what looked exactly like a row of fish teeth! But hey – at least the toilets were free at this place, but after using them I left with the sneaky suspicion that the meat used in my burger pattie may very well have been something else entirely. Judging by the state of the toilets, if I were a gambling woman I would hedge my bets on the fact that I was actually served an after-birth burger! I know you’re probably all dry-reeching right now and I thought long and hard about whether or not I was going to include this comparison, but at the end of the day I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t inform you of the utter horridness of our last meal!

After our repugnant dinner, we headed to our ice-cream store (anything to get the taste of umbilical cord and fish anus out of our mouths) for a wee double-scoop treat. Like most places, Morocco certainly has it’s beggars and poverty and after witnessing a young boy eating an old ice-cream cone he found in the trash, only to be pounced on by some other boys who wanted the old cone for themselves, we were left feeling speechless. We decided to buy them all an ice-cream cone and when presenting them with them they were so grateful it was hard not to cry. One boy was so speechless he just grabbed it and ran, only to turn around and run back, hit my leg and wave before running off again. It was a very humbling moment and we were reminded of just how lucky we are in New Zealand.

Tomorrow we’ll head to a local pub to watch New Zealand’s first match in the World Cup. We’ll also spend a fair chunk of our day at the bank I suspect, setting up internet banking and transferring funds into our new landlord’s account. Back to reality, but not to worry as I imagine we’ll soon escape it (I can already feel my feet starting to itch!).

Arohanui

xx