After an unexpected and uncommunicated time change to our flight, we arrived to the airport in Cairo just 20 minutes before our flight was supposed to take off. After being ignored and avoided by airport security, Pete and Ben demanded to see someone in charge and were taken up to an office of the airline. After evidence that our confirmation from last week said the flight was 8:30 not 7:30, they arranged for us to fly a different airline out to Morocco that night. So, us girls spent the day reading and resting at a nearby hotel, while the boys had to run all over Cairo and back to get paper tickets.
It was an uneventful flight and we arrived in Casablanca late last night. It was cool and breezy and clean and modern, and there was no crazy driving and it was a very welcome change. We arrived at our quaint, cute hotel around midnight and went upstairs to freshen up and get dinner. There was the unfortunate event of me slipping out of the shower and landing on my back. I was able to get it together and head out for dinner. We walked the safe downtown area, and were pleasantly surprised as two different locals offered to walk us to a good restaurant without asking for money. The first was closed, and the second was a little hole in the wall roteserrie. We ordered chicken sandwiches which came on great French bread with spicy mustard and green olives, and French fries. It was very good and satisfying and less than $3 a couple!
We woke early to catch the train to Fes. I was really feeling the pain from the fall in my shoulders and back, and took some Motrin to get me through. The train ride was great, going up into the mountains and offering views of surrounding farmland and crops. We arrived at Fes with no problem and were taken to our hotel. Our hotel is in the Medina here, which is the oldest medieval city in the world. It is a walled off area of the city that has 2,900 alleys and walkways. Many of them are only navigable by foot and lined with different shops and stalls serving spices, clothes, purses, and shoes.
I decided to take a Vicodin to ease the pain that kept getting worse, and we were off. We stopped at a Moroccon place for lunch and had a great meal. We started with traditional Moroccan soup, a chicken/tomato based broth with small noodles and chickpeas. I then had a vegetarian tagine, which is named after the vessel they cook it in. About halfway through the meal, I started feeling dizzy and weightless because of the Vicodin. I was having a pretty good time, but trying to eat plenty to lessen the buzz. After the meal while waiting for coffee, I became pale, sweaty and nauseous. Pete led me up the small, windy staircase to the disgusting squat toilet to puke. My wonderful husband held me steady and I felt instantly better. After some mint tea I was back in business and we were on our way.
We spent the day exploring streets, shopping with success (Pete got a hat and I got two new pairs of leather sandals), and commenting on how this little medina and the people that walk the streets could be straight out of a movie. Almost every person you see is picture worthy. We took lots of photos, got lost (which is almost inevitable) and were led to a spice/medicine man.
It is a father and son, the father is an herbalist and his son sells the spices. They were nice and gave us their schpeal, as well as some free samples (we snorted Nigella seed which is supposed to be great for the sinuses and actually worked), and I asked him what to take for headaches. He asked me some questions about my headaches, and then laid his hands around my head and told me to tell him “when you feel it”. I waited and his very presence made me feel calm. Sure enough, after a few minutes, I felt “it”. All the sudden, I felt a lightness and openness to my head that I haven’t felt in a good two weeks (I’ve been having pretty bad sinus headaches with the dust and climate change). He then rubbed some oil on my forehead and temples. Next, I told him I fell yesterday and was having lots of backpain (I am off using Vicodin at this point). So, he did the same healing technique to my back which did give temporary relief. He gave us a bottle of oil to rub into my muscle that smells like BenGay and he says will lessen the pain. It was a great experience, and as a health practitioner, something very cool to witness.
We then headed into the City Center of Fes, outside the Medina. Cute, bustling, with great restuarants. We found a pizza joint and called it an early night.
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