Frankie's Travels - Day 2 Rabat

We drove out of Casa and towards Rabat.

We arrived in Rabat in time to see the Casbah city wall and the Main gate and minor gate and walk through the Casbah a short way to look at the sunset and the ocean... As well as the Moroccan locals discreetly conducting their love affairs on the beach at sunset.

I have found a new way of evaluating foreign cities based on how much it looks like my home town (Oh Johannesburg/Joburg/Jozi I will always call you Home) or looks like places in South Africa. Marrakech looked a little like Yeoville... Casablanca like central Jozi and Rabat like Cape Town... In general None of Morocco looks like my home town. I was interested how green Morocco is - it actually reminded me much of the scenery I saw on road in Germany and Italy. Rolling green field with sheep and cows and farm building. The national road way traffic is far less sedate than Europe. Car hooters are used often and all the time... So glad we have a bus driver.

I am now sitting in the reception of my hotel in Rabat waiting for the rest of the group to come down to walk round the corner for dinner. I might try more chicken today.

I will start looking my own Tajine when I return home. They are hand painted and beautiful here but far too heavy for my luggage.

Frankie's Travels - Day 2 Casablanca

We left Marrakech and headed North(ish) to the ocean and Casablanca.

Casa (as the man at the airport called it) is a big ol' city. Very modern and city like with cars and people rushing and bustling about. But not an ugly city. The main roads are lined with palm trees and even the security bars on the gates and windows have pretty twirled and flourishes.

We visited the Hassan II Mosque. It is the most beautiful religious structure I have seen since visiting the Dommo in Florence. This mosque however is a couple of centuries more modern. It is a colossal structure adorned from top to bottom in intricate carvings and marble and tiles and patterns. The minaret is 200m tall and has pretty green patterns around near the top.

Yes, I went tourist-crazy and snapped tons of pictures that I will unlikely print. I will not reel off all the facts of the mosque, you can read it yourself. Just know it is well worth passing through Casa for a look.

What is amazing is that the mosque is built mostly from locally sourced materials. I should hope that it was built by Moroccan labour. If you're going to spend a lot of money on a big landmark structure of great beauty, you might as well get the whole entire country involved.

One of the girls on tour with me remarked that it is really that big religious structures of equal beauty to the cathedrals of Europe are still being built.

I think I agree.

Frankie's Travels Day 1 Marrakech

So I found my airport transfer and we travelled to the hotel where I met my tour leader who sent me off in a big hurry with the local guide to catch up with the group. So I dropped my bags in my room - threw on a fresh shirt and ran.

I joined them riding in horse drawn carriages. We stopped off at the tombs of a previous dynasty of Morocco and then the Palace of Bahai and I got my first views of the beautiful building designs and carvings and marble tile work that I wanted to see.

One day when I am wealthy, my house will have a beautiful road with a fountain and tiling and trees.

Then we went through the market and visited a herbal pharmacy. Moroccans have a herbal or mineral remedy for everything! And I had my first glass of Mint Tea (another trip objective Tick!)

We stopped at a souk. It was not as exciting as I expected - but this is day 1 so I am open to be impressed again.

The market is busy and packed at easy to get lost in. The store sellers are constantly calling at you and often with rude names Some of the others on tour with me were called Big Feet, Small Breasts and Slow One.

In our free time, I was wandering the market with two others and we were tired so we stopped off for Dh10 mint tea and talked. I really enjoyed this because I got to have a really interesting discussion with someone from Canada and the UK. I am always fascinated by hearing how people from other cultures think.

This first day was a good day for getting to know the group. There are 10 of us. I am the only South African and I thought "Yeah cool! I am the only Saffa! I am interesting" this was a bit of an ego-over-boost on my part because the group has One Canadian, Two English (one originally from Ghana and One originally from Nigeria), One American, One Italian and Four Australians. So we're all pretty unique. So I am not any more special than anyone else here... But we're a proper interesting mix of cultures! (yeah yeah it never is all about me)

Once we made it back to the hotel we had an hour before dinner. And I did the one thing that I had been thinking about for 3 days... I brushed my teeth. Hurrah! It was so good - I brushed my teeth again. (I had looked in the mirror midday and was horrified by my dirty teeth - 2 and a half days of travelling will do that) Then I did the second thing I was dying to do - I had a shower. Second Hurrah!

For dinner I had chicken kebabs with chips and fresh OJ. One of the things I had worried about before the trip was about the food - would it taste funny? Would I have to eat lots of lamb? Would it have a weird middle eastern flavour? So far the food has been simple, tasty and quite deliciously edible. (I had couscous and veggies for lunch) I haven't been adventurous but I am not an adventurous eater anyway.

Finally back at the hotel I trudged up to my room and did the greatest thing all day. I slept... Horizontally... In a bed... Not an aeroplane seat Not a departure lounge chair but a big soft warm bed... And you know I was dead to the world for the next 8 hours. Third Hurrah!

Frankie's Travels - Casablanca in transit(almost there)

The rebooked flight from Beirut to Casablanca was a major fail in my book. As in worse ever.

My window seat was on a wing.
The toilet smelt so bad I nearly chucked my guts.
I would complain about the large chap next to me but he was very friendly and pleasant.
And no TV entertainment. None! For 6 hours of Flying!

Anyway the flight was otherwise uneventful.

it is however my new mantra to not jump to conclusions and not judge a country by their aeroplane food... Or else I would never ever go to Lebanon again.

I landed in "Casa" and proceeded to the domestic departures lounge. Which was packed wall to wall with people so I turned around and went to passport control and left the airport... To get on a shuttle and try find a hotel to get some sleep.

Shuttle operator said hotel was fully booked so I took my cold sorry tired self back into the airport.

I think this moment was the lowest moment of this entire air travelling adventure. Low on sleep Hungry and very Cold. I considered maybe getting my luggage, and buying a flight home and never leaving again. Instead I manned up and tried to console myself over a cup of Hot Chocolate. (which was luke warm small and overpriced booo)

Finally I decided to go take a look at the Departure Lounge Horror again and found it deserted. So I decided that the only option (other than taking a taxi to another hotel and hoping to find one with space) was to spend the next 10 hours in the departure lounge.

Unfortunately I did not dress very warmly for my air travel because I really didn't expect to need to be dressed warmly. (lesson: Morocco in winter is as cold as a proper Joburg winter. Which is Pretty chilly to me)

So I took out my scarf and wrapped my head and shoulders and took out my towel (homage to Douglas Adams) and spread that over my knees and put on the freebie aeroplane socks and considered wrapping my cold ears with my spare tshirt...

And then I shivered for the next 10 hours trying to get some shut eye.

The kindly guard woke me later and directed me to three seats together which was a marginal improvement.

It was mostly very unpleasant but I survived and at 8am I was in line and ready to hop onto my fourth and final flight.

They took out a 737-200 to transport 20 people 300 km to Marrakech. Needless to say... I had the best amount of leg room on this flight.

And then and hour later... I Finally... Arrived At My Destination... And when I found my airport transfer bus driver. (amazingly my luggage was waiting for me and had arrived at my destination without any hitch - this was a big relief) I was only just strong enough to not break down into weeping with Joy that finally I was no longer alone in being responsible for what to do and where to go.

Thus, Frankie's Moroccan Adventure Commenced...

Frankie's Travels - Hello Beirut!

So my missed flight was rebooked via Beirut.
Flying in I sadly did not have a window seat but I saw that the airport is Right On The Beach! It is the highlight of this insane flying non-sleeping day that I have a window seat flying out of here.

Sea on one side, Runway on other side, Sand strip in the middle. Gonna be a kick ass view!

The airport is manned almost entirely by people in army uniform. (based on my observation only) This is a little scary and intimidating. However after 3 flights I am used to the Take Off Shoes and Belt security routine.

Zoom Zoom Zoom in 5 minutes!

This post was written a full 2 and a half days ago... Sadly my window seat was on the wing... On the wrong side of the plane. Booo.

I am not gonna cry

... but I want to.

My flight was delayed by 2 hours. Which is exactly 10 minutes less than the time I had to get to my next flight.

So now I am standing at a Flight Transfers desk with hundreds of other people waiting to find out when I will be able to get on to my holiday. Since by missing this flight I will also be missing the third and final flight.

I am afraid to wonder what the fate of my luggage is. This hasn't happened to me before.

In hindsight, the lesson learned is to not book consecutive flights less than 4 hours apart.

Part of me wishes I could go home and forget this whole incident and live a boring two weeks instead of standing for another few hours in this stuffy hall that smells like a lot of people who have all been on long haul flights.

Trying to channel the Explorer enthusiasm again.

... This above was written at 3 hours past midnight and 4 cat-naps ago.

I have managed to get flights and arrange to arrive at my destination without missing too much of my tour. And with an assurance that my luggage will arrive at the same time as me. I will be travelling via Beirut except Ill be sprinting from one terminal to the next so no time to relish the additional destination.

Trouble is now that I have to phone and wake tour-leader people up to tell them that I will be late and I have to catch another 3 flights and hope for no further delays.

The only big risk on the horizon is that I have a 10 hour stop over night in Casablanca and I am not sure if Ill find a hotel. But at least Ill be almost at my destination by then :)

Second lesson of today is that Abu Dhabi is really cold. Colder than I remember Dubai being. I have dipped into my holiday pocket money to buy a scarf to stop me shivering and to keep my head warm.

So three more hours and I can zoom zoom zoom off to Beirut! (then sprint sprint sprint then more zooming... You get the idea.)

hmm Spoke too soon

I am still sitting in the Joburg Airport. It looks like I am going to be departing an hour late at least.

Not cool. Not cool at all. I don't know what I am going to do if the delay becomes longer than the time between my next connecting flight...

It's out of my control so I might as well go with it and hope for the best.