Charmed by Morocco and its people but now it's time to go

How did this happen? How is this my last day in Morocco? How can this possibly be when I start disconnecting from the beautiful people with whom I’ve ridden buses, camels and taxis? The people with whom I’ve shared my life? The people whose lives I’ve shared?

I’m not ready to go home but, then again, I’m not quite going home yet. There’s three full days in Paris to savour before I’m on my way home. At the end of my time there, the weather in Edmonton should be better, so I’ll come home. We did a little touring on our last day. After a leisurely breakfast (how I’m going to fit into my clothes ever again, I don’t know), we went outside for our transfer to the Bahia Palace. And as we walked to our bus, we got the very best surprise: our bus driver, Sameer, was our bus driver to the Bahia Palace. What a beautiful way to start our day, seeing his amazing smile! He lives in the Marrakesh area and, after we said goodbye to him yesterday, he went home to see his wife and little girl. He’s a great guy and always had a smile for us. So beautiful to see him again. We met our guide, Mustapha, near the Bahia Palace. The Bahia is not a palace for the king. It belonged to the "prime minister” who had a lot of wives, concubines (protected women) and kids. The palace was used briefly as a royal residence after Morocco gained independence from France until King Hassan II transferred it to the Ministry of Culture.

It’s a beautiful palace located just outside the square. Much of it is closed right now due to earthquake damage. The areas we toured were busy with tourists, which always created its own experience as we weave our way through crowds to keep up with our tour leader.

The areas we were able to see — the small riad, the concubine rooms and a few other courtyards — were simply beautiful. One of the many things I’ve enjoyed in Morocco has been the smells in the different riads and gardens we’ve toured. Orange blossoms, jasmine, almond are just a few of the fragrances that waft through the paths we walk. The Bahia Palace was no exception. After our palace tour, we walked through the Medina and did a bit more touring there. There are so many shops with so many goods and so many vendors calling out that it can be overwhelming — and tiring. I did eye a few places where I thought I might be able to buy the final few things I hoped to get.

From the Medina alleyways, we arrived at the square and at a place with the best freshly squeezed orange juice ever. It was a nice break because I needed to knock the last two things of my list: shopping and getting a picture with a snake charmer charming a snake. The end result of the snake charmer was less impressive but the beautiful, colourful mounds of olives I walked by on the way to shopping made up for it.

I spent a few hours by myself in the rooftop bar, booking a standby flight to Paris for tomorrow, and appreciating the warm Moroccan sun. My two new friends joined me for conversation and then it was time for our group farewell supper. We laughed, smiled, reminisced about our trip. It’s hard to believe I’ve known these people for only two weeks but I already feel connected to them and love some of them. The gift of sharing their time and their lives with me is one I’ll never take for granted. I can’t tell you how much this country has burrowed into my heart, how much I enjoy the landscape, the history but, most importantly, the people. I’ve learned so much about the world around me and even more about myself. 

The photo above is one of a beautiful closed door. It’s a great representation of the door to the Moroccan part of my adventure closing. I will be back though one day Inshallah. Tomorrow it’s on to Paris for the last three days of this trip.