Last Day in Morocco

My last day in Morocco was as beautiful as every other day i spent there , except i knew i was leaving the day after and that sat in the back of my mind all day . It didn't change the mood as i was happy all day , but i knew and thought about it with each distinct sound or scent i experienced on this day . Khalid picked me up and we went to visit his mom . He wanted to show me around the area where he grew up , he took me to the morgue ( LOL no dead bodies please ) then we wandered around and at every corner people were approaching him . Khalid is a very popular person , helping everyone out around him .... it was really special to see him in his own element . We were invited into a house and were offered drinks and dates and i was given a sand stone carved for my gf . It was really beautiful and a heart warming experience . The house belonged to a police chief from a desert city not very close to where we were .... i guess its like a 4 hour drive or something like that . I wish i remember his name too , he is the second from the left in picture above :) 

Sayid came to meet us as he was at Khalid's house ( Sayid is on the left in that pic at the top ) . Sayid works for Khalid and is a funny character , he does not speak English . I don't speak Moroccan but i find many words similar to Maltese , they have the common tongue of Arabic making up both languages so i figured if i speak Maltese they can understand more then me speaking English .... it did !!! So the 3 of us headed out to the airport to see if my sticks arrived . They did but the bag is somewhat destroyed and the sticks are cracked :( not sure what happened to them but it looks like they had a rough night out in Munich reminiscent of my rough nights there LOL . I guess the machines were hungry and chewed em up , regardless we had to file a report ... show the people there the problem and then head to the office for Royal Air Maroc to deal with it . The office was near Mega Mall so it worked out for Khalid , he has to get some paper work to finalize re-registering the Moroccan National Team with the government there . So at the Royal Air Maroc office Khalid does the talking and to make a long story short , they are paying for everything in full back . That means new sticks , taxi fare , returning my payment for handling my equipment (oversize charge) . To be honest their staff at the airport were quite amazing and i would probably fly their airline over a few others on my next trip there .... of course i am coming back Khalid ! 

Next stop was to go have lunch at Khalid's house ! Couscous and the more i get to know Khalid the more i think he is trying to fatten me up because he is just feeding me constantly LOL . Really i am still full from the last meal and i am getting stuffed with the next one almost instantly . Eating food in Morocco consists of no cutlery either , you get these massive dishes and then you grab bread and attack a corner of the dish you are sitting near , bread bread bread ... stuffing me like a pig HAHAHA . So the couscous was unbelievable , really wow ! Next thing you know we are heading downstairs to meet Khalid's uncle , he was waiting at the corner . we met up with Sayid and Khalids buddy from earlier and we all head off to the market in Sale . I love it there , you are in open air with the people not the tourists ... there are a couple wandering but i do it proper going with 3 Moroccans to haggle for me LOL . I had to get Kathleen a belt ( i got her 2 ) , needed a patch for my backpack (acquired) and some magnets for my fridge (and Tara's) . Each thing i bought was haggled down even if it was dropped only 20 Dirhams (like $3 Canadian) the art of arguing over price is beautiful  !!! 

Its amazing being in this open air market you can buy anything , i mean we even came across a guy selling Turtles ... mostly as pets not for eating . The sights , the scents , the people .... this place was truly awesome . I am not big on shopping but i would have no problem going there again next time and i am sure Kathleen would stay for days in there looking around . The one thing i really noticed during my stay here is that the people really make Morocco what it is , i mean the people there are very very friendly and treat each and everyone with respect . If there is some social structure there i didn't see it .... take for instance , Sayid works for Khalid but he still offered to buy a gift for Sayid to give to his wife :) people there love each other and as the day goes on Khalid and myself have some really great conversations about the people there as i constantly tell him how the people there make this country so special .  He explains it is due to religion and shows me a bit about the Muslim faith . It is a very beautiful religion and as most of you know i am not the most religious person , but i have to mention that most people get the wrong idea about this faith on my side of the planet . You really have to be there to know that the people here are willing to open their doors and let you stay with them and they will take care of you . It was totally an honor for me to see and meet the locals there . Chokran .

After the market we headed to this fortified town and had a tea with cookies and had a few laughs , i seem to be picking up the language more and more through my knowledge of the shared Arabic words we know and some French ... merci beaucoup :P it was a beautiful setting sitting there looking over the water at the sun setting on my last night . After we walked to the car dropped the guys off near Khalids moms place and we walked back to Khalids place . They were dark streets and this young guy walked by us and said something to Khalid ... Khalid asked why did you say that ? , apparently the young guy said something along the lines of Allah be with you . The young guy told Khalid that he said that to him because he looked beautiful . Not on the outside but from inside . Yeah it was a special moment . This is the stuff that makes Morocco such a special place . You should have seen the smile on Khalid's face as he explained what just happened . So we arrive at Khalid's ( he gives me a giant bottle of pure olive oil from his farm ) all organic !!! ***too bad its in my lost hockey bag*** 

Next stop was this amazing Moroccan restaurant down near the market , it was hustle and bustle everywhere . We were greeted and headed up stairs , yes i  am still full from the couscous but here i am ready to be stuffed like a pig ...again ! It reminds me of the meat massacres i experienced in Brazil and Argentina ... the food here is excellent and basically needs no salt or pepper , everything i have eaten in Morocco is dressed properly . I have only used spices when offered too and told to , Khalid and his friends and family have all been gracious enough to guide me through eating there as the locals do . No cutlery and more bread bread bread LOL . The service at this restaurant was once again spot on amazing ! The waiters pour tea over their shoulders without a spill , the menu is on a rolled up piece of leather , the decor is like being in a tent in the desert ... really this place was awesome and i would highly suggest everyone eats here . The restaurant is called Dar Naji , look it up when you go there ! trust me you should all go there , to Morocco i mean . And if you do take your equipment and jump on the ice there . I know most of you reading this are dreamers like i am , and enjoy travelling to play hockey . Anyways back to the story , it was my last meal i was being stuffed once again with peer pressure around the table i was even talked into desert and then handed 2 bags of leftovers to take home to stuff into my face too . yeah WOW ! 

Back to my hotel room time to pack bags , the next day i had to wake up at 430 AM to meet Khalid to leave on my way home ... sadness is kicking in , thoughts of returning are fighting the sadness ... time to sleep .