Morning was a lazy start with breakfast by the pool, after which we headed out. It was our free day, to do with as we chose, and we headed back to the square.
The food stalls had miraculously vanished and buskers were sharpening their act for the evening.
We walked into the lane leading into the souks. We wanted to walk around and browse at our own leisure, something we had not gotten to do the previous day.
We visited a few shops on our list, after which we looked around the babouche shops as Gordon wanted to buy a pair.
We finally managed to find him a pair, and then wandered around. It was close on lunchtime now and we started looking for a place to eat.
The Caffe Arabe materialised suddenly along a lane that we were walking on, and we stepped into a cool courtyard, wonderfully done up in shades of red. After a great pasta, we relaxed and decided what to do with the rest of the day.
We ended up deciding to head back to the riad for a siesta, something we had not gotten to do a lot on this trip. The next day was going to feature two back to back 8 hour flights, and we wanted to catch up on some rest. There was no point simply wandering around the souks.
After a wonderful afternoon nap, we woke in the early evening, and finished our packing, only to come to the realisation that we were too lazy to head out even for dinner. We asked the riad to put together a simple meal of pastillas and french fries for us. We ended up watching "Invictus" in their movie room with beer, sodas and snacks before dinner.
Dinner was in the cocktail salon, and the staff had gone out of their way to lay out a great table. We were the only ones there and we saw no one else, which made us feel very, very special.
After dinner we sat out by the pool. Gordon went off to reception to settle the outstandings, so that we could have a fast exit the next morning, giving me time to sit and look back on all the wonderful things this trip had help us experience. Morocco is a great place, one most people undeservedly tend to tag on as an extra excursion at the fag end of a trip to Spain, when it fact, it clearly deserves a visit in its own right. We saw some wonderful places, met some wonderful people (and yes, one horrid one). We almost did not make it here, and are glad that we did.
The next morning was a flurry of checkout, goodbyes, drive to Casablanca, the first 8 hour flight to Dubai, followed by the second to Hong Kong. As we entered the house, everything seemed the same, except for us, newly touched by the desert. As I write this, looking out of my window onto the green hills in Hong Kong, it is somehow comforting to know that the sands remain there, waiting for all eternity, waiting for me to rediscover the Sahara someday.
