Exploring Morocco: An Enthralling Journey with Pablo Juarez

Welcome back to Destination Morocco podcast. For today's episode, we're sharing a replay of one of our favorite episodes from last year. Pablo Juarez and his partner, harmony, traveled with us to Morocco in mid-October 2022, exactly a year ago now. They experienced the incredible variety that came with their tour from Festum Erzugha Desert over the Atlas Mountains, through Wajzat and Eid bin Haddu and ending up in Marrakech. After they got back to Canada, we had Pablo on the podcast to talk about their experience, the amazing sight and some surprising and unexpected discoveries along the way. Pablo describes the beautiful yards in great detail, with hot tubs, pools, rooftop harryoes and lounges where he can meet other guests. The conversation was full of revelations about experiencing Morocco in comfort and flexibility of a small, personalized tour. Pablo and Harmony routinely bypassed mega-group tours with busloads of people, giving them unique one-on-one and interactive moments that they would not have had otherwise. They visited Wawzgheit Wags Cooperative in Wajzazat and learned how these hand-wound wags are made, and discovered tenurt, a stone-baked bread, not in a touristy spot, but very much off the beaten path. It was such a great episode that we felt we should do it justice by sharing it with you again. This is a great episode not just for those dreaming of going to Morocco, but for those who have been, it will rekindle fond memories and nostalgia and will probably get you thinking about your next trip to Morocco. Thank you so much. Enjoy this episode.

It was a really nice feeling to feel like we weren't tourists. It felt like we were guests, and we felt that way pretty much everywhere we went.

Welcome to the Destination Morocco podcast, the show that takes you away to the beautiful country of Morocco. I am your host, Azdean Elmoustaquim. In each episode, we explore Moroccan culture, history, attractions and activities real and practical information coming from experienced travelers and native Moroccans like myself. And now let's go exploring. In today's episode, I'll be talking with Pablo Juarez. He just came back from his trip to Morocco and he's here to share his experience with us. Would you please introduce yourself to the audience, pablo?

Yeah, my name is Pablo and I'm from Ottawa, Canada. This was my first trip to Morocco. I've done quite a bit of backpacking through Europe, a little bit of Central America and Australia, Southeast Asia, but it was my first trip to Africa.

Oh well, why did you choose Morocco?

For us. You know, we've been in the pandemic for over two years and this was our first holiday. So we really wanted to plan something that was a little bit different, more outside the box and something with a bit more sense of adventure. So we had thought about going to Europe. Portugal seemed to be pretty high on our list. So as we were looking into this Portugal trip, the more we researched and you know we could see how close it was to Morocco we thought maybe we could go into Tangier, hop into Morocco for a little bit. So we started researching into Morocco as well, and the more I researched, the more we found that there's a lot to see in Morocco. As you know. It was really interesting because it was completely different than what we had in mind for our holiday. So we decided to take a little bit of a leap and we put Portugal you know, maybe we'll do that another time or next year and we focused on building a trip from Morocco.

You know the funny thing, a lot of people, when they reach out to me and they always want to go to Portugal and Morocco. It's kind of weird, but the exact same thing that you have said. At least two or three people that I can remember have said the same thing they want to go to Portugal, they will spend a little bit of time in Spain and then, because it's close to Morocco, they'll spend a day, a couple of days and stuff. So it's very interesting to see the way people think sometimes when planning that big of a trip In terms of research. What type of research have you done, pablo, knowing that you're going to be traveling to Morocco for 18 days? How did you look into the lodge and the resorts, the hotels, the transportation, the taxis, the buses and all that stuff? Was it easy for you? Was it difficult? Walk us through your process, please.

Luckily we had a few friends from home who had been to Morocco before, so we were able to pick their brains a little bit just to understand what they did. A few people had a desert experience. A few people just had a couple nights layover Marrakesh and Casablanca, so that was good information to start when I started to do a deep dive into Morocco. For me. I'm someone who I really like my podcasts, so I listen to a lot of podcasts every day at work. It's crazy Sports podcasts, all kinds of stuff like that, and travel podcasts. So I searched Morocco for some podcast episodes and I found a lot of episodes from a whole bunch of different podcasts which were really useful, but each one had a different perspective, they had a different itinerary and it was a little bit tricky. It was useful but it was tricky. And then I found your podcast and I think I finished every episode up into that point. Maybe there was like 10 or 12 episodes, I'm not sure, but I finished them in like a day and a half, like I just binged straight through them. So I'm not sure how much knowledge I retained listening to one right after the other, but it was really fascinating and I thought really early on in your episodes there were some really interesting guests and everyone was just speaking with so much energy and affection, I think, for Morocco. So it wasn't until I found your podcast that I realized, ok, there's a lot to this that we need to understand. And even before I reached out to you guys at Destination Morocco, I had listened to podcasts, I started reading some blogs, but it really wasn't until we finally connected that I think it all came together, so that was the most helpful thing for us.

Oh, thank you so much for that. Really really appreciate it and we're glad we have connected. So, traveling to Morocco obviously the one in your homework you have perceived Morocco to be one way and then, when you got to fast, when you got to Morocco, how was your perception versus reality?

I went there with no expectations, to be honest. So I travel with my partner, harmi and I and we're both from Canada, we like to travel, we enjoy traveling, but this is actually our first international trip together. So you know, in a way like it's great to read blogs and look at social media posts, but at the same time I really like to be surprised. So I didn't go too far into reading about absolutely everything necessarily. I tried to just get a little bit of the gist of what's important, what's significant, what we might want to see, and then that way I didn't have any expectations. So when we showed up, we flew to Casablanca. We had one day there and it was a little bit of a little bit of culture shock at first, I think, because it was a very busy, busy city. We got right off the plane, we took the train into Casablanca, we went to the Hassan, the second mosque. It was beautiful. Just seeing that and having the explanations by a local guide of the architecture and the history and everything that's involved there. It was just really fascinating. That was a really good start to understand that there's going to be a lot to uncover here in Morocco.

Oh, absolutely. The mosque is its masterpiece. Once you go inside, then the amount of time that it took to build it, the craftsmanship and people from all over Morocco has chipped into, help and build it. So it's a pride that we all feel and share with the mosque of Casablanca, the Hassan, the second mosque. Tell us a little bit more about it. When you went inside, how was it like for you?

This is one of the largest mosques in North Africa and it's so important because it's one of the only ones that you're actually allowed to visit if you're a non-Muslim person. So I think there's different tour times every day. We were kind of scrambling. We knew we had to get there for the three o'clock or one o'clock, whatever it was, so we got there really quickly. They have guides in German, spanish, french, english, italian, everything. So you go and stand in the English queue, the guide takes you in and just from outside, like it's unbelievably huge and I think, maybe because it's by the ocean, when you see it in photos you don't think it's that big. And then you get in a cab or you're in a taxi or a bus, whatever, and then you see it and you're like, oh my god, this thing is massive. So the site itself you could spend a good solid hour just walking around and exploring before you even go inside. Once you're inside, the architecture is unbelievable. It's fascinating. I think it's French architect who designed this. Yes, but no, it's absolutely fascinating, and the way the light comes into the spaces is beautiful. It's so vast. The chandeliers inside are incredible and it was very interesting to hear and understand and learn what the processions are in the mosque, and then we went downstairs to the washing areas as well.

Yes, the ablution, area.

Yeah, which was really cool. So it was just fascinating to see and learn and soak it all in. It really felt almost like in Barcelona. I have the same feeling visiting the Sacrada Familia. It was just so impressive, such an accomplishment, and I'm glad that it's open for everyone because Moroccans for sure they should be proud of that.

Oh, absolutely, I completely agree. I completely agree. So for a lot of people when they go they want to see the mosque, the tour guide, can you tell us how much was the cost of it, please, if you remember?

There's a combination ticket you can get for the museum and entrance. Off top of my head, I mean for some reason, I'm thinking maybe it was 140 dirhams. That might be about $14 US.

Yes, that is correct. Yes, about 14, 15. Yes, that is correct. Yes.

So that was per person.

And it's worth it yeah.

Oh, absolutely. I mean, you have to see it. It's incredible. So it was super worth it. I could hear all the languages that were being spoken by the guides. You can do it in about an hour to see the inside, and then you have time to go and explore the garden and everything else that's there. So, yeah, I highly recommend.

Thank you, Thank you for that. During your trip, you booked four days with us, four days desert tour from Fass to Marrakesh, going through Ifrand, Dez, Valle, Skoura, the Atlas Mountains. Where is the Zatenayt ibn Hiddu? How was your experience throughout all those stops, if you can remember it?

Just looking back now. I mean we've been home for about, you know, just over a week now. We did so much Even before we got between Casablanca and Fass. That was already a lot. We went up to Tangier as well. So we had a good experience and I think that helped because once we got on board with your tour and with Elias, it was great to have a little bit of our own knowledge of the country already, because we had been doing walking tours in other cities. That really helped. And now it was time to explore the interior part of the country. It was fascinating. So when we left Fass, our first stop, we met with the tour leader, elias. I can't say enough about him. Like he's really a really a fascinating person, like he was an interesting component of our trip for sure, and I met our driver, who was excellent as well. So they were a very good pair to be traveling with. So our first date we left Fass. We drove for about an hour very early in the morning because we had that huge itinerary, a lot of things we wanted to see and do along the way. Elias took us for breakfast. About one hour outside of Fass there was a small town. We had been eating pretty good in Morocco up until this point. But one thing we didn't have yet was the beef jerky.

Oh my gosh, I can't remember the name of this.

Maybe you can help. It's called Gideed. Okay, so I had seen on a menu somewhere this is prior to our trip on a breakfast menu. It just said omelet with drippy meat is what it said. Yes, and I'm like I have no idea what that is. I don't know if I want to tempt fate, so I didn't order it when I saw it. And then so Elias takes us to this one town and he says, okay, well, we're going to have a more traditional style breakfast. Let me order for you guys. So he took care. He ordered some things pancakes, all of pancakes, and some of them were prepared with honey. Really really good, yes. And so we finally got to try the omelet, because I saw these in Fass, a lot of markets in the soaks they'll have these little plastic containers. You'll see the oil because they're preserved in fat, I think. Yes, it doesn't look appetizing when it's in the little jar, but we got an omelet with them and it was actually delicious, because once you cook it, once you cook the beef, it just unlocks all the flavor, and with eggs it was perfect. And that's something that I honestly I think I would have missed out on that had you know we not had Elias there to help us navigate, just the menu items, right.

Oh, I totally agree. That's one of the delicacies in the Moroccan cuisine. The good news you didn't get sick because it's really, really strong. So if you had a weak stomach, I promise you you would have felt it. The funny thing for me when I eat it, I can't eat more than two bites. It really makes me dizzy. For some reason it does make me dizzy, but I love it. I love it.

Yeah, it was good and we did get really lucky. We ate so much amazing food in Morocco and maybe I'll touch on the food a little bit later in our conversation but we didn't get sick at all. I was prepared. We had brought some medicines from Canada with us just in case, but we got really lucky.

That's incredible. That's incredible. How was the Riyadh in Fass? How was it experienced with the Riyadh? Because Fass has some of the best Riyadhs in the country.

It was special. We had a Riyadh that was right in the Medina. And everywhere we went in Tangier, in Fez, in Marrakesh and Esawira we tried to stay in Riyadhs. I think this is the number one piece of advice I would offer travelers, because I think you mentioned in one of your episodes earlier on that Riyadhs don't really exist anywhere else but in Morocco Absolutely, and it's strange that you would have your accommodation as one of the important things to do while you're in Morocco. But in Fez we researched quite a few Riyadhs through a bunch of different websites. We found one in the Medina we really liked, and the Riyadh, of course, you know, has a courtyard, typically one or two levels, but limited rooms, so you're only there with maybe eight, 10, 12 guests at the most. There's usually a rooftop, sometimes a hot tub, which is really nice, and then sometimes a pool on the ground floor, so you really feel like you have this oasis, this place to call home while you're visiting in Morocco and, as you know, in Fez. They're absolutely beautiful. We had one in Marrakesh which was incredible. I would not recommend doing it any other way. Please try not to stay in hotels. I know that may suit certain travelers better. I totally understand, but the Riyadhs were incredible, so we had a really good one in Fez.

I always say the same thing when it comes to Riyadhs versus hotels. If there's a large or medium-sized group, you don't really have a choice but to stay at a hotel. But if it's two people, four people, six people, I would absolutely 100% go always for the Riyadh. So because the experience is just, it's very different. You know, last time when I went to Fez this is kind of strange the Riyadh was. It was mind-blowing for me. I was very, very surprised in the most positive way. Then the funny thing they were under construction but they never cancelled our booking. So for the length of time that we have stayed, they have the staff just for us. Wow, and it was kind of strange, but we were very grateful. There's something in Fez that you feel, especially in the Riyadhs, that you're not going to feel anywhere else, even in Marrakech sometimes, and Fez is absolutely one of my favorite cities.

Yeah, absolutely, the hospitality you get in the Riyadhs. It's unbelievable. It really it feels like you're visiting with a family member or a friend that you know really well and they really want to take care of you and show you a really nice time for you. So, yeah, it's just unbelievable. The hospitality in Morocco.

I'm glad to hear that, thank you, thank you. So the next question that I have for you in those four days, we picked some accommodations for you. How was our selection? And I know that you had one favorite, and if you can tell us about it please.

Yeah, so when we started our trip with you guys, we left Fez. We saw a lot along the way, but ultimately our day one destination was Merzuga. So I think we drove through the Ziz Valley, which was beautiful, absolutely stunning, just amazing pictures and I have so many photos on my camera, like I'm still going through a lot of them Like it's absolutely incredible and mind-blowing some of the stuff that we saw. And then we stopped in a place I think it was called Middelt yes, middelt, middelt, okay, and I think this is where they do an Apple festival every year, something like this. And we actually stopped there briefly because we had seen somewhere along the road this setup for the Fantasia show.

Yes, yes, with the horses, and yes, and that was really interesting.

So this was an on our itinerary. This is a little bit of you know, making it up as we go. Elias said you guys like horses and we're like sure, I guess. So we stopped there briefly to have a look at the horses and some of the caregivers for the animals that are really friendly and really nice with us. Harmony actually caught up on a horse with these really decorative saddles, which was really really cool. They even let her hold the gun that they used in the shows and that was really cool and that was just a really neat thing that had we been on a tour bus with 40 or 60 people like we're not stopping there, you know, that's not something that I think we could have gotten with a larger group experience. So it was really nice to have a guy like Elias who was flexible but also kept us on schedule as well, because that was a great stop, very memorable. Funny, you know, we got some great photos Just going back to our yard for the first night. I think we say that the Kazba didis, that is that's Valley? Yes, yeah, we packed so much sightseeing into that day. It was nice to get to the Riyadh finally, and that place is beautiful. There's a pool, there's gorgeous, gorgeous views of the valley, like it's unbelievable. So once we settled in, we went downstairs for dinner a little bit late I think it was around like maybe 7.30 am and they just prepared this amazing feast for us. It was probably one of my favorite meals in Morocco, because they made a couscous for us which was so good, and I had had couscous once on the trip in Casablanca, but it wasn't as good. Something was missing. I don't know, maybe it was just on a different way or a different style. Something was missing there, but this one was legitimate. Like it was absolutely amazing. We're eating this couscous and then they come out and say, well, we also have this extra tagine, you know, if anyone wants it. So here's a beef tagine as well, and that was like, oh my God, that was probably the best tagine I had also. But the one thing they had, they had some bread, which was unbelievable. And Morocco, like, there's bread everywhere. Yes, I don't know how everyone in Morocco stays so skinny, because there's always bread on the table.

They walk.

Yes, exactly, but for me it was really tough because I love bread and I just want to eat it all the time. And these guys, they had the most delicious bread to go with the tagine and the couscous, so that was just an unbelievable meal and they were so happy to feed us and they were wonderful to interact with. So I think that was one of our favorite stays as well. On the entire trip. It was just so beautiful, scenic, the food just ticked all the boxes. It was really great. So I really appreciate their hospitality.

Oh, absolutely Absolutely, and I'll give you a little bit of behind the scene. Sam knows the owner of that place. The owner, he does all the marbles of all the palaces for the king. He's super nice, super generous, and you know some of the things that Sam does. Nobody sees and we don't talk about it. He's always a day ahead of you. He makes sure that, whatever you're going to be staying, that everything is good, the reservation, everything is good in terms of the food, in terms of everything. So when Elias goes and gets to the location, everything is pretty ready for him to do whatever he needs to do. He made some calls and that's one of his really, really, really good friends and he said you know, these are, we have some VIPs, please just take care of them. It's really the Berber hospitality and the couscous is different because there's over a hundred different ways to make couscous and they all taste different, but this one is the Southern Berber couscous, really. Then the tagine it's slow cooked, it's incredible. So they have expected you for a while, so they prepared everything for you ahead of time, for five hours before you got there, which is really, really nice of them, and we do appreciate it as well, yes, because we stay in contact all the time. He did tell me that was your favorite spot, so, and I'm glad you, you felt that way and the funny thing is I stayed and I don't remember if he was the same Read or not. Back last time I was in Morocco and the service was just incredible. I was just amazing, unbelievable the dinner, the breakfast, so I was, for me, really, really above and beyond what we have expected. So I'm glad that you got to feel that and experience it with harmony and dance ballet.

It was honestly unbelievable. So it was great hospitality and when we had done the desert camp as well, they really took care of us. Also, it's such a long drive to get to your Sahara desert camp that it was nice. You know you have a little bit of mint tea when you arrive Because you know you take the camel ride over to the camp and that was a little bit uncomfortable for me, but you know I did it. I think it was like 45 minutes. It felt like a lot longer, but I know, yeah, because there's no, there's no stirrups on the camels and harmony she was natural, like she really was comfortable, and she took to it quite well. And then me, I'm just like hanging on for dear life trying to get some photos. But anyway, once you arrive to that desert camp as well, they took care of us. I think that was called San Mau. Yeah, san Mau, yes, yeah, okay.

Yeah, the owner is a friend of mine and very good friend of Sam as well, and that's the good thing. When you book with us, we know almost everybody. We have a relationship with them. If it's not me, then it's Sam. If it's, we know somebody. That knows somebody, and that's really, really the way to travel to Morocco you have to know somebody. It makes such a huge difference, including the food, if you want to, you know, just spend 20 bucks for breakfast. You got to know somebody. But that desert camp, it was incredible, and I wanted to ask you about the Cameride. I felt the exact same way you have felt. I was really scared, I was sweating, I was really uncomfortable, but we took a little break just before the sun went down and they gave us an opportunity to take a little break and take pictures. The sunset was just incredible. How was it for you, pablo? If you can share that with us please?

When we arrived in Mersuga, the clouds were rolling in, so by the time we got on the camels it would have been perfect timing for an amazing sunset, but it was cloudy, oh my goodness. Yes. So we did stop and get a few photos, and it's still beautiful. I mean, the red sand dunes are incredible. They look endless. Honestly, as you look over the horizon, like you just see sand dunes. That night there was actually a thunderstorm, so I was really hoping to be able to take some nice nighttime photos of the stars and the Milky Way, because I've seen so many of my own friends' photos as well. Right, and this is one of the things I was looking so forward to. Oh my goodness, it was a completely cloudy night and then it started to rain a little bit and then overnight was actually a thunderstorm. So this type of thing happens to me honestly all the time, like I'm always the one that goes to the Sahara Desert during a thunderstorm, but that was a neat experience as well. Unfortunately, the next day it was also cloudy for the sunrise. We did wake up at like 6am, 6.30 to try and catch it, but it was cloudy. So one thing I would recommend is we had four days with you guys in our portion of the tour, but it's so hard to pack in how much we did in those four days. Looking back now, I really would have liked to add an extra day to the trip because whether you leave from Marrakesh or from Fez, I think you need that full day to see everything in between, get to your camp and then one full day to actually enjoy it and be able to go out walking and hiking Just the way things and dates and other ideas on our trip, the way it lined up. We didn't get to do that, but looking back now it's like, oh shoot, I really wish we had. But it was still like I said. They took care of us at the camp and even though it was raining we made the most of it and we had a nice fire and it was beautiful.

So you did the music on the fire camp after dinner, right?

Yeah, for sure. They came out and played some music and you can hear the music too in the background from other camps. It's an interesting vibe, you know, because you can walk around and even in the moonlight it's so bright so you can see where you're going, and it's nothing like I had ever seen before. Really a unique experience.

And how was the weather? Was it hot? Was it okay? Was the change of temperature at night time versus daytime?

I didn't notice it too much. I thought the accommodations was wonderful, so there was extra blankets and the tent. It was chilly enough that you know you wanted to probably sleep in your tent, because some people do sleep outside the tent on the sand, which is really cool, but we were there in mid-October so it was nice. It was perfect in the daytime, maybe a little bit chilly at night, but it was overall beautiful, especially compared to the Canadian winter I'm just about to walk into now.

Oh my goodness. Yes, I really really appreciate you sharing all the information with the audience, because I know it's going to help a lot of people planning their own trip or trying to go to Morocco and they want us to help them book everything for them. So this is very valuable content. And in Morocco, like you said, there was a little bit of a cultural shock for you earlier in the episode, but how was the culture and the hospitality of the Moroccan people during your 18 days of staying in Morocco?

This was a very memorable experience for me, because never in my life have I or have we, harmi and I, experienced so much genuine hospitality and we were messaging a little bit throughout our trip. I think I mentioned to you that it was a really nice feeling to feel like we weren't tourists, it felt like we were guests, and we felt that way pretty much everywhere we went, whether it was at our riyads in Tangier or in Fez or in Merzouga. Just the whole way, everyone was so hospitable and friendly and even though, you know, not everyone speaks English, they try their best to understand you. That is something that I'll remember forever, because I've never experienced hospitality to that level before on a trip. It really was like a family atmosphere, because I come from an Italian family, so growing up we had a huge family and anytime you go to an aunt's house or an uncle's house or a grandparents house, whatever there's always lots of food and they want to feed you and they're so happy to do it, and then that's just how it felt like in Morocco. It was absolutely unbelievable. We stopped one place before Merzouga. It was just the side of the road. Maybe Efran, efran, yes, yes, maybe it was there, so we stopped on the side of the road and Amma just ran out the door and he goes in this little shop. It was just like a cafe with a little shop there and I came back to the van with a box of dates.

Oh, my God.

Yeah, and the dates. So I don't like dates because I've had them before and they're like what is this? So I had one of these dates and they're almost like the size of golf balls these are huge, I ate it and it was like this explosion in my mouth of like really gushy, but like good and different.

Oh, wow.

And so it was like it really was, like I had a date for the first time. Harmony loved them, so the whole rest of the next few days are just like picking at these dates in the car. Right, it was a nice treat.

Oh, that is so cool. I remember when you sent me that text for me. It really took me I wouldn't say by surprise, it was one of the most beautiful things that I've heard or somebody said to me as a person or to the company, because, you know, being a guest is our goal. We treat you like a guest. You're not a confirmation number to us, you're not just a client, and it takes a lot to do that transition from just a regular tour or a trip to becoming a guest and becoming a family member, and it really means a lot to me and it means a lot to the whole team. So I'm very grateful that you have felt that way and we really, really appreciate you, you and Harmony. We had so much fun.

No, I appreciate that. Yeah, no, thank you. You guys are a great help and really what it is is a comfort as well, because what you get when you go with a company like Destination Morocco is, you know, you have Azdeen, who's, you know, based in the US, but he has someone who's in Morocco overseeing everything at all times, and that's beyond your tour leader and your driver. They're with you all the time. But it's just that peace of mind, that reassurance, because one of the reasons why we chose you guys is because we wanted to do and see a lot of the interior of the country, but it was very tricky to try to plan that ourselves. So we wanted to put our faith in a good company, someone who could take care of our needs, and you guys nailed it. So I really appreciate that. Thank you, thank you.

I was going to ask you about, I know especially fast to Mizzouga. That could be about 10 hour drive. For a lot of people when they see Morocco on the map they don't think it's that long of a distance, but it is. It is a long drive. So one day just driving sometimes when you don't have the time to stay an additional light in between fast and Mizzouga then it's just going to be driving all the way until you get to that valley, like you did it is a lot of driving and in Canada and the US I think we're a little bit more accustomed to long drives because we have very long highways, huge stretches of road, so for us the driving was okay.

But you're also going through the high Atlas mountains, the middle Atlas mountains, the anti Atlas mountains and there's a lot of hairpin turns. So luckily, you know, I'm at, he was a great driver. So thank you very much for taking care of us. I don't think I could have driven on some of those roads At least I wouldn't have liked you on vacation. So you really do need time, you know, to go and see the desert and then to do everything from whether it's Marrakesh to Merzuga or Fez to the desert. There's so much to see. Luckily, we had a good structure and Elias was fantastic. I mean it just seemed like everywhere we were stopping he was running into people he knew from being a guide or someone from his village. It was pretty funny. It's just everywhere we went he knew somebody. But also to have the flexibility to pull over to a stop, this is a really interesting one, one that sticks out of my mind. Maybe you know the name of it, but there was one stop we made along the highway where there's these mounds on the side of the road, and this is where the underwater aquifers are. They dig from the mother well and then they deliver the water underground to the end destination.

Yes, oh, I know exactly what you're talking about. Yes, and the reason why they did that? Because of the heat, they did not want the water to evaporate, so they have underground wells. It's a unique. I actually have been underneath. Have you gone underneath?

Yes, yeah, we did.

Oh, oh, my God, tell us about it please.

I didn't even know these existed in Morocco. So I mean, this is just the benefit of having someone like Elias with all the knowledge, because I never would have found this and had I been driving on that highway on my own, I would have said, oh, that looks interesting, maybe it's a house or a settlement or something, and I would have probably just kept on driving. But we stopped and along the way some people will build staircases and you know, have a little, maybe a cafe or a little shop or something there. So maybe you can pay something and then you can go down and underground, and I highly recommend you do, because it's basically an underground cave that's hand carved and, if I remember correctly, I think there's a very gradual slope from the mother well to the end destination, but it stretches for miles. Yeah, it was impressive. So you're able to go down and walk, you know a little bit of the length of the underground tunnels and it's just fascinating to see and you can see how high the water levels must have been over time, because obviously they're empty now. But that was something that was a really fun surprise to find along our trip.

Absolutely, absolutely. Do you have any type of advice or hack or a tip for people that are gonna be traveling to Morocco anytime soon?

Yeah, two things. Number one is stay in Riyadhs. Eating a meal at your Riyadh is gonna be a very fun and interesting experience for you as well, so try to pick one that maybe has a good review in terms of the food, because, as you mentioned earlier, everything in Morocco is fresh. So if you're going to eat dinner at your Riyadh, you typically have to let them know in advance, so either the night before or the morning of, because they have to go out and buy the ingredients and get the food. So it doesn't matter if it's a tagine or couscous or something different, whatever you want, they need some time to make it. I would say research your Riyadhs, find some ones with some good reviews, maybe even get into contact with them. Is everyone so happy to help you? And every time you ask a question, it just seems like they're more than happy to spend a few moments with you and really find some places where you know you're gonna be happy. After a long day of walking around in the Medina or doing your excursion or your shopping, whatever it is, you really wanna have a nice home oasis to come back to where you can feel comfortable and relaxed. And then the second thing, I think is you have to listen to Azine's podcast. I mean I can't explain how helpful this was and it was really fascinating to go back now that I've gone there with the perspective of, okay, I've seen things that we're talking about. It's really interesting, because it's tricky when you're listening to podcasts know you haven't been there yet, you forget the names of things, because I had to re-listen to a couple episodes just before our chat today. Two of them that I wanna listen to was the one with Ilyas, because I didn't realize till halfway through our trip together that, oh yeah, I kind of know you already because you did an episode with Azine. So that was really interesting to see. And Ilyas, if he's listening to this, I just wanna say thank you again. It was really fun to learn about the Moroccan history, culture, the traditions of Berber and just his stories, because he's done so many tours and he has a very fascinating, interesting way of speaking. So we learned a few sayings from him. A good one was when we slapped the hedgehog. I don't know if this is a saying from Moroccans or if this is just a saying for Ilyas, but basically I think that means when you try to do something but it doesn't go right. You slap the hedgehog a little bit, at least that's my understanding. So when I think of that thunderstorm in the Sahara, maybe we slapped the hedgehog there, but that's okay. And then the other episode I listened to was the one with Xavier in Esoira, which is on the Atlantic coast, two hours from Marrakesh.

Oh, Xavier, yes, yes, yes.

And he was totally bang on. Everything he said about Esoira was very accurate. We only did two nights there. I think a third would have been really cool, just to maybe get a car drive around or something. Absolutely absolutely. We had booked our accommodation in Esoira before you connected us with Xavier, because after our trip had ended, it was really nice to have yourself and Ilyas still be a part of our trip, even though we had departed from one another. I told you that we were gonna be in Marrakesh and Ilyas connected us with someone who did the henna, which was a really cool experience. We got to learn how it's made. We had some done on ourselves I think mine is washed away by now, but that was really cool and fascinating. And then you connected us with Xavier, which was unbelievable because he has a gorgeous Riyadh and you were able to have a meal there as well seafood and it was unbelievable. So I went back and I listened to that episode because Xavier's very interesting individual oh my gosh yeah. Very fascinating, very fascinating. So it was very cool to hear what his impressions were of Esoira as well. You know, I can't say enough. Just the podcast. It was a lot of information, it guided us in the right direction and I really, really wish that what you and Ted are doing here with this project. I wish more people were doing it and there are some really really good ones out there that are catered to specific regions or countries. That I've heard and these episodes are timeless because you have guests on that share a lot of information about Fez, about some of the cities and the history. This, hopefully, is gonna help a lot of people plan trips to Morocco in the future. So even though I don't have a trip planned to Morocco as soon, I'll still listen to the episodes because you know why not.

Thank you, thank you and everything we do, any feedback that we can get from the listeners, the kind of topics they want us to cover. We create episodes for that. You know me and Ted. We talk quite a bit. Me and Sam, we're on a daily conversation. We talk all the time how to make it better, how to improve, but the feedback is very crucial for us. Pablo, I appreciate you and I appreciate how many, because from the first time when we connected and we created it, I tell you for you, we know the value of time. You know you said we picked you up earlier than fast because fast, if we stayed, they're going to serve you breakfast a little bit late and we're going to lose an hour, an hour and a half. So we'd rather gain that an hour, an hour and a half on the road, knowing that it's going to take us about, you know, nine, 10 hours to get to the destination and making a stop that you'll take you maybe 30 minutes to eat your breakfast.

No for sure. I mean when you're with a company, like with Azzin Destination Morocco. There's a couple moments when I kind of knew this differentiates so much between your cookie cutter tour, your big tour bus company. And there's two moments that stick out in my mind. One is when we went to Aitbin Hadoo, which is absolutely unbelievable UNESCO World Heritage Site is just incredible. I think they filmed Gladiator there, Game of Thrones, Lawrence of Arabia I love movies, so I was enchanted by that. It was amazing. But at the entrance, once you get through the fake gates that they built for Game of Thrones there, once you get into the actual site, it was kind of early in the day so it wasn't quite busy yet, but there was one lady who was just kind of off the side. She had a little shop where she was baking something, some bread and we saw this and, like you know, a lot of people were walking by taking pictures, but no one actually stopped to actually talk to her, and so we went over with Elias and Elias sat down and said hello and asked what she was making and, from what we could understand, all it was was just an oven, a stone oven. It was a space that shared between some of the women in the village and she was making maybe you know the name of this. I only can refer to it as Moroccan pizza. Basically, what she was doing was she was making the bread and then she was stuffing it with carrots and peppers and onions it was a vegetarian and then she kind of rolled it together, put it in the oven for a few seconds, pulled it out and then, you know, we sat down in her little shop there and we shared this meal together and it was just unbelievable and we just had a huge breakfast that morning. But this was so good and so fresh I mean, like you're not going to get fresher than this like cooked right on the stone, and we were just having a moment there. She served us some tea, which is really nice, and you could see all the group tours just walking by us. You know they weren't going to get this experience. That was a really special moment for us and on our way out we passed by one cooperative that's run by also some women in the region where they make the rugs. So we went inside there and you know because I've been on tours where at some point the guide is going to take you into a shop whether it's his buddy shop, and you know you, sometimes you feel a little bit pressured to buy something. But this was totally different. We went there. It was a cooperative, so we had one of the owners explain the shop, who works there, and then we got a demonstration you got to do it ourselves of how the women actually make the rugs on the looms. Oh wow, it's an absolutely insane process. Like they kind of explained, there was one rug that someone was working on that's going to take at least eight months to complete. I tied a few threads the way that you're supposed to do it, and I don't have the thumbs or the fingertips for this, the fingers, I don't know. It didn't work, so I can't imagine how long that would take me. But it was cool to learn about it and then to also have the opportunity to buy a rug. So actually we bought two rugs and I'm really happy that we got them home safely. Oh nice, and that's just an amazing souvenir, because we were at Aitbin Hadou, a beautiful place. We loved it. We were at Helios having a great time, and it's a wonderful souvenir to have.

That's incredible. Aitbin Hadou is one of the best places to buy rugs. In terms of the markup, it's not a lot of markup. They tell you this is what the price is. They make a little bit of profit, but they're not making a lot of profit like you would get it from Sawera, from Marrakesh or Fass. And that's the reason why we don't really focus on shopping experience. But if somebody wants to do that, we go with them with precaution. If we see something that it's not right, we just say, hey, just walk away, this is too expensive, they're scamming you and stuff like that. And Ilyas has done it many, many times for our clients and I personally appreciate that, because one of the tools that we did with Rachel I believe it was in September she went too fast and she wanted to get some scars I think three of them and the bazaar guy said that it's going to be $100. So we went to Marrakesh and we did the stop with Billy and she got to meet Sam and Billy and then they showed him the picture and said you know what? I'll be back and he got him for $15. That's the benefit of having a tour leader with you. He's not a tour guide, he's above a tour guide. He puts them in check. If a tour guide is taking it to a shop and they're going to take advantage of you, they're going to get their cut or their commission. He's not going to let them. He's going to prevent that from happening, to protect you, and that's the value of the tour leader. You're saving a lot of time, and time is money. So when you have a tour guide with you a local tour guide then you have a tour leader with you from the moment you set foot in Morocco until you leave. That's your insurance. That's your protector. He does everything for you. So I know it's an amazing place. And back to the lady who was baking the bread. We call it tenurt. That's what we call it, and as kids, I love that bread. It's unbelievable the way that it's made. It's cooked on top of rocks, so it's not a flat bread. You can see that it's got a little bit of holes throughout the bread and normally, as kids, they make one. It's probably 24 inch that's how big sometimes they make them and they split them for us as kids. They just give us a little bit of a slice and then they put fresh butter. Oh my God, I can taste it right now. It's just an amazing experience. So the way that you had it it's very different. I haven't had it that way, but it just sounds very, very delicious.

Yeah, very unique experience. That's tricky to find and typically, you know, we are like the people who like to figure things out on our own and do our own thing backpacker style a little bit. But I'm really glad we were able to work together, because Morocco it's different, it's unique. And to have someone who speaks the languages because in Morocco you have your classic Arabic, you have Berber dialects, you have French, and then a lot of Moroccans speak different languages as well so to have someone to navigate you through that, that is looking out for you it was a huge comfort for us for sure.

Absolutely. What else would you like to add?

Do a little bit of planning in advance. You know, if you want to be able to drink, to have some beer or some wine or some spirits, that is something you kind of have to maybe plan for if you're going to leave the cities, Because it's tricky, You're not going to find a lot of bottle shops, you know, along the highways. So you got to plan a couple of things in advance. But I think the most important thing for me is just when you do decide to go to Morocco. You really have to travel, I think, with an open mind, because you're going to experience so many different languages. There's different ethnicities, religions, traditions it's so rich, everything in Morocco. So you really have to keep an open mind. And then I think you also have to keep an open heart as well, because you're going to meet so many incredible people along the way, whether it's someone who is working at your Riyadh and the hospitality you get from them, or someone like Elias and Ahmed and Sam who are going to help you along on your tour. You're going to make some great connections. So open mind and open heart is really all you need when you go to Morocco.

I completely agree. This is the end of our episode, Pablo. Thank you so much for being a guest Really, really, really appreciated.

Yeah, thank you very much. And with the World Cup in Qatar, Morocco and Canada they're in the same group, so I wish both of our countries the best of luck, because Morocco is a very soccer crazy country. They love their soccer there.

Yeah, the Moroccan team looks solid this year, so cross fingers, we'll see.

Absolutely. I was wearing my Alfonso Davies jersey and the Medina and Marrakesh and I got some funny looks. It was all good fun. Yeah, I think there may be a bit of rivalry now between us, but hopefully you both do well.

Oh, absolutely yes.

Thanks for being a fun part of that and for this. I'm sure we'll talk to you again soon.

Absolutely, absolutely. Thank you, pablo.