{"id":15054,"date":"2017-11-01T01:13:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T05:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=15054"},"modified":"2020-09-03T17:05:42","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T21:05:42","slug":"3-ms-mom-mohammed-morocco-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/3-ms-mom-mohammed-morocco\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 M\u2019s \u2013 Mom, Mohammed, & Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 3 M\u2019s \u2013 Mom, Mohammed, & Morocco.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Travelling with Mom is a future travel guide for the newbie traveller that I will publish one day. \u00a0It will be full of must-know tips that my wise mother shares with me during every trip we go on together. Plus, the lessons can be applied to everyday life. \u00a0It\u2019ll be a real winner and offer advice like:<\/p>\n

Put your seatbelt on. Zipper your purse. Pack a snack so you don\u2019t get hangry.<\/p>\n

Once a mom, always a mom, I guess! \u00a0Although at 27 years old and still receiving constant reminders, my mom is one of my favourite travel companions. \u00a0She\u2019s a fairly new traveller to places outside of Florida and some Caribbean islands and has opened up tremendously to off-the-grid excursions. Hiccups and snafus are typically encountered along the way, making for entertaining stories afterwards…but regardless, she\u2019s a good sport.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Mom on our way to northern Africa!<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier last year, we were in the planning phase of our July trip to Portugal. \u00a0My mom was going to meet me in the Algarve, and from there we were planning to explore Lisbon, Sintra, and perhaps Porto and the northern part of the country. \u00a0Although a fairly small country, between the castles, wineries, tile museums, and beaches, we could easily fill our allotted 1 week with something to see and do.<\/p>\n

However, after a few weeks of coordinating our agenda, she threw a curveball at me. \u00a0She asked if we could go to Morocco for half of the week. \u00a0After watching the romantic scenes in Casablanca and hearing about her friends\u2019 exciting experiences, she \u201cwas curious,\u201d she told me. \u00a0I visited Morocco a few years earlier and was apprehensive to say yes. I know my mother, and I am fully aware that she prefers mild summertime climates and talking to everyone in English. \u00a0Morocco in July meant blazingly hot temperatures and not many tourists.<\/p>\n

But we went anyway…<\/p>\n

And wow was it something. \u00a0Exciting. \u00a0Empty. \u00a0HOT. \u00a0Frustrating. \u00a0Educational. \u00a0HOT. \u00a0Beautiful. \u00a0Historical. \u00a0And oh, did I mention hot?<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Travel advise for everyone reading this: Have low expectations when you travel. \u00a0That means you\u2019ll be wildly impressed when your expectations are exceeded. \u00a0And you won\u2019t be as frustrated when it doesn\u2019t work out as planned. \u00a0As often as I remind this to my mom, it seems that the bar is always set high.<\/p>\n

Day 1 in Morocco:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We had a lovely time in Portugal and we’re looking forward to jet setting to Morocco for mint tea and the expansive deserts. \u00a0Despite being behind schedule due to travel delays and being the very last 2 people through immigration, we arrived at the Marrakesh airport in the late afternoon. \u00a0Mohammed, our driver for the trip, was waiting on the other side of the gate.<\/p>\n

He quickly greeted us and hurried us out the door while bumbling away with our luggage. \u00a0We were keeping a quick pace to keep up with him as he explained, is a strong Arabic accent, that we had to hurry because the sites we were going to visit were closing soon. \u00a0The following day was Friday, so the attractions would all be closed. \u00a0We had no choice but to follow our pre-arranged itinerary and see everything that day. \u00a0My mom and I glanced at each other, giving the \u201call I want to do right now is unwind by the pool for a bit\u201d look. \u00a0But Marrakesh was our first stop on a 4-day Moroccan whirlwind of Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, and Casablanca, and we had no time to waste.<\/p>\n

We hopped in the van, waited for the AC to kick in, and let out a sigh of relief. \u00a0We finally made it. \u00a0Mohammed found us. \u00a0And we were on our way.<\/p>\n

We had an intense itinerary for the next couple of hours. \u00a0There were 3 points of interest (library, Bahia Palace, and the tannery), all of which we could have easily spent hours in – well, with the exception of the tannery. \u00a0But we were on a tight schedule and had no time to do more than breeze through the sidewalks and building corridors.<\/p>\n

Mohammed parked the car on some desolate side street that he convinced us was a safe place to park, even with all our luggage and electronics in the vehicle. \u00a0He started racing down the street and my mom and I jogging to keep up. \u00a0We were heading to the library, he told us. \u00a0Navigating through the medinas and side streets, and the occasional quick stops to take pictures of the incredible doors, we eventually made it, only to spend a few minutes inside.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

We hurriedly continued towards the next place, the Bahia Palace. \u00a0However, about 50 feet in front of the palace gates, my mom\u2019s sandal breaks and we stop. \u00a0She tries to re-attach the strings to the sole, but to no avail. \u00a0She puts a hand on my shoulder and hops towards the nearby bench to try to fix it. \u00a0Mohammed tells her not to worry about it and that we must go in the palace now because it was closing soon. \u00a0She didn\u2019t budge, and understandably so. \u00a0Can you imagine walking on Marrakesh streets barefoot? \u00a0No thanks.<\/p>\n

Mohammed took the sandal and told us that he was going to be right back and to stay exactly where we were. \u00a0Right, because where else we were going to hobble off to? So, we waited in the middle of a city we had only just arrived to and had no idea what Mohammed was doing.<\/p>\n

About 10 minutes later, he returned with a fixed sandal. \u00a0There was a cobbler around the block who was able to repair the shoe for a couple of dollars. Wow!<\/p>\n

My mom was relieved that her sandal was fixed and Mohammed was relieved that we were back on schedule. \u00a0Mohammed was able to work out some arrangement and we were lucky enough to spend additional time wandering throughout the magnificent structure. \u00a0The Bahia Palace was unbelievably beautiful and ornate. \u00a0Colourful mosaic tiles lined the floors, walls, and ceilings creating beautiful patterns and pictures. \u00a0The sunlight perfectly shined through the brightly-coloured stained glass windows, leaving grand reflections on the floor. \u00a0The palace was a masterpiece and each room, hallway, and luscious courtyard had a story. \u00a0Mohammed gave us the Sparknotes version, and then we were on our way.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

At this point, my mom and I were ready to go back to the hotel, but Mohammed said the tannery was on the list and we had to go. \u00a0To be frank, I had no idea what he was talking about and my mom didn\u2019t react, so off we drove.<\/p>\n

Imagine the absolute worst, most putrid, unpleasant smell you can imagine. Now, imagine it 1000x worse. \u00a0This was the odour that filled the car as we approached the local hasbah, where the tannery was housed. \u00a0Mohammed was telling us how families who live in this area are workers of the tannery and typically don\u2019t have long life spans because of the toxins. \u00a0Glad we\u2019re stopping in here then, my mom and I thought, as we were driving through. \u00a0We were content sitting in the car driving through the town and hearing the history, however, Mohammed mentioned there was one area we had to see\u2026 and we had to get out of the car to see it.<\/p>\n

We opened the door and the odour whacked us in the face even harder. \u00a0Reactionary, our hands shot up to cover our nose and mouth. \u00a0Mohammed led us around the sand coloured houses and narrow pathways lined with dust and dirt to an open area containing hundreds of open bathtub-looking ponds, each filled with a different coloured liquid. \u00a0This, he told us, is where the hides sit for months at a time to soak. \u00a0At this point, the stench was unbearable and my mom and I, neither of which really had an interest in this, had seen enough. \u00a0We asked if we could leave, and looking at us with a very confused expression on his face, Mohammed said OK and guided us back to the car.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

We arrived at the hotel about 30 minutes later, only to have room confusion. \u00a0After sorting through it, we unloaded our luggage, refreshed, and went downstairs for a quiet, relaxing dinner by the pool.<\/p>\n

We survived Day 1 and we’re bracing ourselves for an early start to Day 2 with Mohammed\u2026 a car ride to Ouarzazate \u2026 a fairly deserted, old movie town in the middle of the desert\u2026<\/p>\n

Here is<\/b> probably the most extensive ebook on <\/b>Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Eliminating Your Taxes, Protecting Your Assets And Regaining Privacy Over Your Life And Investments<\/i><\/b>. It is called<\/b> The<\/b> Ultimate Guide To Going Offshore<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0 Visit our bookstore to purchase it today!<\/b><\/p>\n

I hope you enjoyed reading this article: The 3 M\u2019s \u2013 Mom, Mohammed, & Morocco.<\/b><\/p>\n

If you would like additional information, please contact our office HERE<\/a>. I’ve also added some light reading for those that love to travel, enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Invest in Morocco<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

How to Stay Safe While You Travel<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting Full Tax Benefits Before Retirement Abroad<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cultural Customs and Must-Try Traditions of Marrakesh<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 3 M\u2019s \u2013 Mom, Mohammed, & Morocco. Travelling with Mom is a future travel guide for the newbie traveller that I will publish one day. \u00a0It will be full of must-know tips that my wise mother shares with me during every trip we go on together. Plus, the lessons can be applied to everyday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":425,"featured_media":15061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[71,233,235,258,451],"yst_prominent_words":[30672,30670,30669,23513,5429,5147,30675,30673,30671,7636,13889,30677,13890,30676,30674,7627,19256,23514,2198,2024],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/jpeg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/425"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15054"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40636,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15054\/revisions\/40636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15054"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=15054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}