Travelling to Morocco, Post-Earthquake

Welcome to the Destination Morocco podcast, the show that takes you away to the beautiful country of Morocco. I am your 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. Welcome back to another amazing episode of Destination Morocco podcast. In this episode we have Ceasha Micallef, and she's going to be telling us her story. She just came back from Morocco and the time that she went was right at the earthquake. She's going to tell us how everything really went with her trip and what to expect, what not to expect, and also for a lot of people that they have a lot of questions should they travel back to Morocco or not? Should they just cancel or postpone their trips? So Ceasha is going to answer all those questions for us. Ceasha, welcome to the podcast. We're so glad and happy to have you as a guest and tell your story.

Thank you, Azdean. I'm actually quite excited to talk about my trip to Morocco that just ended and now I'm back home.

Wonderful. Why Morocco Ceasha Please?

Well, that's a good question, because Morocco was actually not on my radar, but I wanted to celebrate my milestone birthday in a big way and I was looking for an experience of a lifetime that could incorporate my spirit of adventure and my need for solitude as well. I was looking for some peace, so I'm not sure why Morocco came to my mind, but it did last minute and I started getting excited about choosing such an exotic and beautiful country. In hindsight now, I'm glad I made that choice.

We are glad that you have made that choice and also we're very glad that you have chosen us to plan everything for you, Ceasha. So we're very grateful and extremely appreciative. So when you arrived you live in Canada. You flew through France. You were in Paris actually when you heard the devastating news of the earthquake hit in Morocco 6.8, it's pretty massive, it caused a lot of damage. What went through your mind at that moment? I know you'll probably have received tons and tons of calls from the transit family, so can you share with us what has gone through your mind, please, seisha?

So I think the earthquake happened while I was in flight from Canada to France. So when I arrived at the airport in France I connected to my wife Phaie and I was just shocked when I saw a text from my niece notifying me of the earthquake in Morocco. And I was just floored when I saw her text and she wanted me to call her because, like you said, people were worried about me, being that I was heading for Morocco where this earthquake happened. So after I saw her text I quickly turned to the news just to confirm what she's saying was correct. And sure enough, on the news it talked about the earthquake in Morocco but surprisingly I deemed panic.

That's good.

Yes, and I wanted to reach out to destination Morocco through the WhatsApp group that was created for my tour, but I just thought that I'd hold off because I was thinking more of the people on the other end and what they had to deal with. So I was holding off as much as possible, but my curiosity did get the best of me at some point and I did send a text to the group Destination Morocco just to show my concern, see whether everything was OK and sort of get an idea of whether I need to head back home or what. After a while I did hear from my driver. He basically sent a reassuring message saying that everything is OK now and this was less than 12 hours after the earthquake. But he said that everything was OK and that he'll see me at the airport.

Absolutely yes.

So that was reassuring.

Yes, I mean I remember the first few moments. It was just we all were shocked. We really did not know what to expect, how to act, what to do next. So, but thank God, I mean you're extremely brave for my canceling your trip and still going. So thank you for that, because that's one of the other ways that you have supported us and the people that got hurt during the earthquake. So it's really, really important for a lot of people to know that Morocco depends quite bit on tourism. It's the number one income for the whole country as a country. So for us, the itinerary is we mostly use the east side of Morocco most of the time, and when you travel to Morocco as a new destination or any country, you definitely have a perception about that country. So, between before you got to Morocco and after you got to Morocco, what was your perception of Morocco versus the reality, what you have seen in the country of Morocco?

To be honest, I didn't really have a perception. The only perception that came to mind is how to dress.

Oh I see.

So, knowing that it is a Muslim country, I was reading articles on how to dress and there's a lot of information out there. In hindsight, some of it was quite inaccurate because I think, as you mentioned, you know, it's a country with a lot of tourists and the Moroccans are used to the tourists and how they dress and I don't think they have any expectation of tourists need to dress and I think they just sort of accept the way you dress. So I had no issues with my clothing. So that was the perception that was on my mind is the clothing. But when I did go to Morocco, I was just pleased and happy to see, you know, the sand dunes and the Sahara.

Yes.

And the Atlas Mountains were so beautiful. So I'm glad I didn't have a perception of Morocco, because sometimes you think of something so great and sometimes it falls below or I'm not sure. So I was not thinking of what I should expect, but when I got there I was very pleased with what I saw. Even Marrakesh is quite modern. They see New City and I actually enjoyed the old city better because of the history that the old city has. It's just a beautiful place.

Thank you. Thank you. Yes, we do get a lot of those questions asked what to wear. In Morocco we have done an episode about what to wear and stuff like that. I always tell people where what makes you comfortable. You don't have to dress in a certain way, but just where whatever makes you comfortable, the way that you dress back home it's the same when you go to Morocco, you don't need to change it again. Then the other question that a lot of people ask me is is Morocco safe? It is very safe. You know, in our last visit we traveled quite a bit. So the system in Morocco and safety in Morocco is very different, the world that I've seen it in the US and the way that you might think of it in the West, or the US, in my case, in your case, in Canada. So safety for me, I pay attention to there's, you know, like checkpoints. There's checkpoints less than a mile You'll see police cars. They're stationed everywhere inside the city and there's, you know, we call them barrage, which is checkpoints again, when you outside the city, when you're going out of the city, then when you're coming to the city, then in between cities, so in terms of the police and Sholdan or the army, they're always there. So it's a very safe country in that regard, especially for women. You know solo travels and so forth. So that question keeps always coming up Is Morocco safe? Did you pay attention to those police cars? Tisha, you traveling from Marrakesh, you know, to the desert, to the Atlas Mountains, did you feel safe as a solo traveler or a female solo traveler in Morocco as well?

Yeah, I did notice a strong presence of police, but, yes, I felt as safe as I was in Canada, so safety was not an issue for me at all. I mean, the only time is, you know, in the nighttime, when I had to leave the riad. It's the same thing as living in Toronto, you know. A woman just needs to be a little bit more cautious because you may have some people, just like any other city, that may hassle you a little bit, but that's it. The people in the riyadh that I was staying with were very nice to actually walk me to my car if it was late at night, but if not, there was no problem for me to walk alone.

Absolutely, absolutely. And I know, sisha, we had to change your riyadh in my cash because the one that originally we have you booked on sustained some damage from the earthquake. How was that experience for you? Moving to a different riad, and I think we did the same thing in it been had two words as that we had one riad, but then we had to switch it, so how was that transition for you, please?

Well, I can tell you the first and foremost, the earthquake did not affect my experience in Morocco at all. I guess you know in some minor ways. Like you said, I moved from riyadh to riyadh just because of my tour, so the first riad needed to be changed, but it wasn't a problem for me because it was all done through the back end. So Destination Morocco took care of it and it wasn't even on my mind. I still got to stay in a beautiful riad. So that was one thing that you know, a minor thing about the earthquake. The other thing is the Casbah, one of the Casbahs, I think it's the Casbah to. Telouet had some damage from the earthquake so we went to visit it but we couldn't go inside because of the dangers you know it could have been unsafe. But I did see other Casbahs so I didn't feel like I was missing out on seeing, you know, a Casbah. And then I think because the time that I was in Marrakesh so early after the earthquake there was not a lot of activity in the Medina.

Yeah, that is true.

yes, yeah, and that's because you know a lot of people. Obviously they weren't, you know, back to their usual activities, so that's the only, but I still, you know, do you feel like I missed out? But that was it, but other than that, I wouldn't have really thought that there was such a you know, huge earthquake that happened. So, yeah, I was not affected.

Thank you for sharing that. That's really, really important, and I remember the first days literally everything was shut down in Marrakesh, but then, afterwards, everything is back to normal. Right now, it's still. It's still back to normal, everything is back to normal. They are just starting on the renovation of some of the historic sites that have been affected. Yeah, marrakesh, marrakesh is back to normal. So, moving on, Ceasha, you did the hot air ballon in Marrakesh. How was that experience for you?

It was really nice. That was the first full day that I was in Marrakesh. I had to wake up really early because we were going to watch the sunrise, but it was actually a beautiful experience. I got a drive into the area where the hot air ballon was going to take off I guess as the word. It was still dark, there was a fire pit, we were met with mint tea and it was my first time being in a hot air balloon and it was enjoyable and the pilot was so friendly and funny and then I got to watch a beautiful sunrise.

That's amazing. Just to give the audience, the listeners, an idea, the balloon it's an offsite, it's not outside the city but it's a little bit of a drive. It's not in downtown, it's not in Medina, it's in a specific area, it's just like looks like a flat land and that's what all the companies do the hot air balloon experience and I know sometimes they pick you up at four o'clock in the morning, sometimes five am, it just really depends. I wish I could have done it. We wanted to do it when we were in summer but there was a little bit of conflict and schedule so we couldn't do it. But it's an incredible experience if you had a chance to experience, and definitely I highly highly recommend it. The other thing that I want to ask you about Ceasha is when we were building your itinerary, there's one thing that he kept mentioning in time and again in specification hey, merzuga, merzuga, merzuga. So you really, really wanted to experience everything there is to experience in Merzouga can you tell us why Merzouga?

Well, you know, growing up, you learn about the Sahara and the sand dunes and then you watch it in the movies as well and you know, I don't think it's a wonder of the world, unfortunately. I think it should be on that list because it's pretty amazing to see the sand dunes, and so when you go into a country that has something so unique, it's important to go to it, and I was so happy. Firstly, the drive to Merzuga through the Atlas Mountains was beautiful, and the journey itself to it was was amazing. So it wasn't even the destination of Merzuga, it was. The journey to Merzuga was beautiful. I was looking to de-stress, to find peace and to connect spiritually to the earth and to God and to myself. I think you know, with COVID and, yes, you know all these things that sort of happened to me personally. It was I sort of lost my path and I lost myself and I wanted to reconnect and I thought you know something to do with nature would help me reconnect, and it did. I found what I was searching for and I've come back home with a great sense of peace, and I think it was because of my visit to Merzuga. In fact, a lot of my pictures and videos that were taken in the Sahara has green orbs. I've let the audience research what green orbs means, but it's a representation of a spiritual connection to have that on your pictures and videos. It's something. So research green orbs and what it means when you see it in pictures and videos, and I had that in Merzuga. That's where they showed up oh my goodness, that's incredible wow yeah, I'm really speechless.

I don't know what to say. This is the first time that I hear that somebody found what you have found in Merzuga. And also Merzuga really doesn't get enough credit in many ways, sometimes by us as well, because when we plan a trip or a night tenary, we always, you know, say one day, day and a half maximum too. But I know you stayed a little bit longer in Merzuga. Can you share with us? It's a lot of questions in one question, but the camp for you have stayed with Sahin. Then we did an episode with Said. He hosted us you know, me and my group last summer and he did an amazing job. I love him, I love his staff, just incredibly experienced that he provided for us. It's once in a lifetime really. Then you know Emron wanted to do the quans. That's what he wanted to do for the whole trip, so he got it set up for him and the experience was just beyond incredible. So can you tell us, if you will please, and say share with us everything that you have done during those few days in Merzuga? And also, is Merzuga good enough for one day, for two days or even longer?

so I stayed in Merzuga for three nights for me. I think that was perfect for me. I think people should at least at a minimum stay there for two nights. It really helps you escape and de-stress because you're just so out there in the it's so, just so remote in nature, of course so, firstly, in in the days that I was there, in the three nights that I was there, the most important thing is I got to relax, yeah, and just reconnect with myself. There was a time where I just sat in the camp from the sun just sitting there and just staring out in space, but that was, it was sort of like a meditation. But while I was there I got to do camel riding, sand surfing how am I goodness? quadding and the quadding. It's not just quadding on straight land, it's quadding up and down the dunes, the sand dunes, which was beautiful. I had a cooking class in the camp Nice and I had a tour around Merzouga and visited a nomadic tent, which I think is amazing, because imagine people still live with so little and so simply, with no electricity, and it's amazing. And that's what I was looking for, just a simple way of living. So that's what I did and I enjoyed every part of it. And, to add, the luxury tents that I stayed in was very comfortable and the staff, like you said, treated me very well. They treated me like family, in fact.

Tell me about it.

In fact, they fed me so much food I had to tell them to stop. I used to who was bringing the food? I'm like I can't eat this much. I don't like it yes, so it was lovely.

I'm so glad to hear that, but I want to add something else to what you have just mentioned. Ceasha, the quad I mean Imran made fun of me because I could not move that quad. I did not know how to drive it, and it is quite an experience. It's very adventurous and it's a lot of fun. And the other thing is those sand dunes they move. They are not in the same location all the time. Then, when you get all the way inside, sand surrounds you everywhere. For me, I'm glad that we had those instructions with us, because I honestly would not know which way to go back to the camp.

So yes, you can easily get lost there.

Oh, 100%. Then the other thing that struck me very different and very unique, but Said is also the chef.

Yes.

And the food that he cooks. We were shocked. We were surprised and it's like, are we in the desert? Because it felt like we were in a four star, maybe five star, hotel. The food is very different and it's made very different. Everything is organic. There's a farm behind them. He has the animals, if you like, if you eat meat and stuff. I mean, the whole experience was just amazing, and we did not know that he does cooking classes until he mentioned it to us when we visited him. So I'm glad that you had that experience as well. This is a question that I get quite a bit from people. They want to stay in camp, but they also want to feel like they're not too crowded. The tents, they're not next to each other. The sky does have camp with Sehaid. It's very unique because you have your own place and space and between you and the next neighbor there's a lot of trees. You cannot even sit next to you. The place is massive, it's pretty big, so there's no issue of crowds. There's too many people in one spot. No, everybody has their own privacy, which is really really nice.

Yeah, definitely, I do feel like I was crowded at all.

Yes, OK, yeah, I'm feeling the whole experience again. I just it's incredible. We had a lot of fun.

I have to tell you I think I mean everything was really nice, but I think I mentioned to you I think I'm a speed demon, so I really enjoyed the quadding the most. I mean just the quadding on the sand dunes. In fact, the first dune that I went up I didn't know that I needed to accelerate up the dune. I mean, I was going but I didn't know you had to go full throttle, oh, wow. And so I got stuck, slanted and I was like I was trying to like go hit the gas and nothing was happening. I wasn't moving and I thought I was just going to topple over, which would have been funny and I would have liked to get a video of that. But the guide came and helped me out. But after that I learned that if you've got to go up those sand dunes, push the gas all the way to go up and over.

And we had the same experience. I was behind one of the instructors and Imran was behind another one, so they do like they'll get to the edge of the sand. Then they do like 90 degree descent and I'm scared and Imran is just like screaming yeah, I love it. I was like it's crazy. So but you know, after we finished he said that they was the best of his life. So I know that you wanted an itinerary that has a lot of adventure and we feel very fortunate and grateful that we were able to deliver that to you, Ceasha, and I know that Merzouga means so much to you and you know, now we can say, hey, you can spend more time in Merzouga, because when you said those nomads, those villages, we've been there. You see people living in properties less than $5 a day and it's a big family and they welcome you, they'll get you tea, they'll serve you. You know they have a special. It's not like it looks like honey, but it's different. It's honey and oil, if you would, but it's made out of dates and it's yeah, it's just, it's incredible. The experience that we had was just amazing. It's the same experience you had, because we booked it through Said and him and his brother, and you know it's like a family business really. So they take really good care of us and I'm sure they have taken really, really, really good care of you, Ceasha, as well.

Yes, absolutely they did, and I came back home a couple of pounds heavier.

How was the overall accommodations for you? You know whether it's in Ait Binhaddou, whether it's in Merzouga, whether it's in Mahakash. How was it for you, how was that experience? The staff and also how was the hospitality of people? I mean, after the earthquake we've seen the hospitality of one more walk-ins coming together as one, and how was that for you? How was that experience for you, seisha? If you can share?

that Everyone was very nice, even in Marakesh. But as you go out of the city and I think it's just with any country to go out of the city the people become more and more friendly. And so, yeah, they were just so friendly. And you know, there was this guy, I think his name was no, abdul.

Abdul.

He was a guy we stopped at. He had two camels when we stopped and we met him and he dressed me up at like a Berber on me. He was hilarious. I was telling my driver you need to bring everyone and stop here with Abdul, because Abdul is the highlight it was. You know, everyone was so Nice.

I'm so glad to hear that. That's really, really amazing. So any advice that you might have or tips for people that are traveling to Morocco, what would you tell them?

I think the biggest thing is something you sort of mentioned tips, yeah, tipping. I think you know if I wish I had a redo because I don't think I tipped appropriately at the times I should be tipping, but I think it is important to mention that it. Tipping is important, especially after the earthquake as well. Firstly, when you get the cash and you get your money exchanged, it's important to keep the small amounts, like for tipping, and I would say the 50 DRMs get a lot of 50 DRMs and 100 DRMs for tipping for the important stuff, and I didn't have that. I was always looking for change for smaller bills like the 50, especially the 50s. So I think it's just a matter of being fair to the people in the Moroccans who are looking for their you know livelihood from tipping and I can't say that I was always. But I wish I could go back and do some things over again in terms of how I tipped and how much I tipped. There were times that I think I did it quite fairly and well, and there are times where I don't think I did it well. So I would just encourage anyone who does go to Morocco to just tip fairly and that's it, you know, yeah.

I totally agree. You know we did an episode and I think even then we have to redo those episodes. Then we talk about, you know, the scams, the tipping, the expectations and stuff like that. So tipping it can really be very tricky. Like in the US, you tip it's a percentage based on the sale, in this case your itinerary. But sometimes you cannot do it that way because you're going to over tip. If you have, for example, an itinerary to people traveling two weeks, that's a lot of money. What do you have? Four people and six people. You cannot say, hey, I'm going to tip 10 to 15% because it's just going to it's a lot of money to tip. But sometimes instead of 10%, 15%, maybe 4% is good, maybe 3% if the amount is high, you know, and 3% still looks good if you have a high ticket. You know Somebody spending 20,000 dollars and you do 10%, 15%. That's a lot of money, but I would say that the average again, depending on itinerary, whether you have a tour leader with you that travels with you, with the current driver as well, and those are the constants throughout your trip. You leave them at the end. That's how you tip them. Then you have local guides, for example, in Marrakesh, then you get somebody in FAS, then you get somebody in VoliBuris or Rabat because of Blanca. 20 bucks, which is 200 dirhams, is more than enough. It's a good tip for the local guides, for the driver, for example, you know, again, it depends how many days they are traveling with you, but maybe eight days, it should be, maybe around 300. Then you have your tour leader. If you're itinerary or if you're requested to have a tour leader, then you know 450 is starting, 450 is good, but if you go on nine days, 10 days, then you just add a little extra to those. But those are really decent standards because now, marrakesh, everybody depends on tip and it adds up. You know, at the end of the month that's an additional income. So it helps. We did a really good tip, susha.

Yeah, and that's the other thing. You know you can't always tip 100 dirhams because, like, it does add up to the person who's traveling as well. That comes to about $13 Canadian and you know, if you're tipping 13 here, 13 there, that becomes a large amount. So I think it's just about sort of getting an idea of what you're going to tip and what is there and how would you tip if you were back in your country and use that same formula? I think yeah.

Yeah, morocco is a little different, because if you go to the coffee shop, you know how much you expect. If you go to the restaurant and then the restaurant, there's different labs of restaurant. There's, you know, the high end and there's the casual and again it just really depends. But you really have to use your judgment and a lot of the people that travel with us we tell them hey, this is, you know, for today, for the local guide, this amount is fair. Or for the driver, this amount should be okay for you, 10 day I, 10, ready for two people, for example. And that's how it just makes sense and it gives the clients an idea where they are stands and they can either increase that tip or decrease it or keep it as suggested. So but they have an idea versus over tipping or under tipping, because I know a lot of people they feel the same way you have. So she'll say well, you know, I met you guys here and there, but I think I didn't tip them enough and stuff like that.

So yeah, that's my tip, but um well, I wanted to talk about my driver. Yeah Mohammed, yeah Mohammed. So I can't say enough about him. You know, mohammed was professional, polite, genuine, trustworthy and always prompt and, as a solo female traveler, it was so nice to have someone that I could count on and trust in a foreign country and I'm grateful to have had him around. And, as I mentioned, driving around with Mohammed has also become like a treasured memory and it just boosted my overall experience with destination Morocco because, you know, we became companions and it was important for me because I was traveling solo and to have someone there to be a companion as well was great. And he knew how to be a perfect companion because, you know, he knew when I was quiet, he stayed quiet. You know, when I was talkative, he was talkative as well, so it was just a perfect companion. So I really enjoyed having Mohammed as my driver.

Thank you so much, Absolutely conveyed the message to him and I'm so glad to hear that. I'm really really happy to hear that, because it's really, really important when you're traveling as a solo to a new destination, a country that you don't know much about, it's very important for you to feel that safe, to feel that assurance, to feel that you're protected. We cannot emphasize that enough, because when you go with us, that's really what you get. It's the same thing as when you buy your travel insurance. Travel insurance it's really not an insurance, but it's a protection of your investment. So when you have the right people surrounding you and working with you whether it's your driver or local guide or recommendation or the owners that you get in touch with it's very important for you to feel safe, for you to feel everybody is a good fit for you. So thank you for sharing that.

And he was because I'm absent-minded, I guess. So he was checking to see whether did I take my credit card back with me, all these little things that I may have missed, and I'm like, oh, did I bring my credit, Did I put it back? He's like, yes, I saw you put it back into your purse. So he was my checker of things as well.

Absolutely. You mentioned the credit card. That I have to say, in our last visit. I just want to let people know we do recommend you bring in some cash, but also a lot of places now they accept credit cards. Just let your credit card company that you can be traveling to Morocco during that time, so if they see a transaction, they don't block your credit card or not let it go through. So, which is really good, especially for travelers that don't like to have a lot of cash with them. I still recommend again having some cash with you, but a lot of places now they accept credit cards, which is really, really amazing.

Yeah, but you know what, as Dean, if you asked me to, you know I wanted to go to Morocco tomorrow. I would pack my bags and be ready, because it was. You know, I visited more than 20 countries and this was my best experience. It just all came together even after the earthquake. And if people do want to help, as you mentioned after the earthquake, they should go visit Morocco because, as you said, you know their tourist dollars will really help the economy get back to its feet.

Oh yeah, 100%. Luckily for us. You know I've mentioned it before this month is our busiest month, so we do have a lot of people actually traveling. We have some arriving tomorrow, then the next day, then the next week as well, so it's really busy for us and, thank God, no cancellations, no postponing in the trips, in the tours, and we're very grateful. The best way that we can say thank you is to really take good care of you. We will rebuild and you know we're very grateful for everybody that has donated. So your donation really goes a long way. Don't think $20 is not enough. $20 is a lot of money in the village, trust me. So we were able to collect a lot of donations and we're very grateful. But also I will talk more about that on a different episode so that way, the audience will know what their money has gone and things that we have done with it and things that we're planning to do with it as well. So, yeah, any questions that I should have asked you and I did not, please, this has been really, really fun for me.

I think you covered quite a bit. But you know I got to talk to you about the car. You know I felt like a celebrity in the Mercedes Sprinter, so that was nice A really nice touch You're very welcome. Yeah, no, that was really nice. It was nice. It was a very enjoyable ride Absolutely, and we were driving. It was eight hours in total to go to like. It got broken down to four hours and four hours, but it was eight hours to Merzouka and, you know, eight hours back to Marrakesh. So having a comfortable ride was important.

Oh, 100%, it's very important and I totally agree with you because we traveled. So the other thing I mean I've mentioned it many times the map of Morocco does not really do justice to Morocco because Morocco looks really small than the map, but once you're in the car it's pretty big. There's a lot of driving involved. Yeah, it was very comfortable you know for me, when I came back in August, me and my family, same goodbyes. This time was the hardest since I moved to the US. How was same goodbyes to you, Secha?

It was hard. That last day was hard because, you know, I built a relationship with Muhammad and I guess, because I am, you know, alone at home, and so it was just really nice to have a companion for 10 days and you get attached. So it was hard, you know, I don't know. You know, maybe you can educate me. Actually, because I wonder, because at the airport, you know, I gave him a hug. Is that okay to do?

Yes, yeah, yeah, hug it's trust me, it's a I mean same goodbyes is really, really difficult, and I'm not surprised to say that. You know, morocco is a special place for you in your heart and a lot of people they have traveled everywhere, but surprisingly or I should say, not surprisingly Morocco they always want to go back, and as soon as I came to Houston, I really want to go back. I mean, it's just, I don't know what it is, it's just, it's everything is different the culture, the people, the business, the lifestyle. It's just. I can't even describe it really, but you feel like you're doing stuff. You're alive, versus here, just work home, work home.

Yes, it's a routine that it's nice to break from. And let me I have to tell you one important thing. The first day in Morocco, or in the continent of Africa, my sinus cleared up.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, so my sinus that's just been there for years and giving me eye problems. It cleared up the first night and you just feel better. I don't know what it is. You know the pollute, no pollution. I'm not sure what it is, but my side I was like, oh my goodness, I can breathe. It was nice, I felt healthy there.

I'm glad to hear that.

And although you know Said overfed me, I think I came back healthier just moving around often.

Yes, oh, 100%. Yeah, yeah, because of you move around, you do things, and also, everything you eat is organic. There is no chemicals, everything is it's in the backyard. Yeah, and then I totally agree with you, because that's exactly how I felt. I felt I'm a little bit heavy said so when I went to Morocco. We ate so much. It is insane how much food we ate and we eat many, many times late at night and then we go to sleep in a few hours but I don't wake up like I do in the US Because, again, the food is really different, the juices are different, the fruits are different, everything tastes a little different in Morocco. So, and I think that's one of the reasons, yeah, we ate a lot, but we moved around in here we don't really move quite a bit, but I totally agree with you. And also I wanted to ask you about the experience that you had at the restaurant. We did an episode about Les Ducières, the two skies complex, specifically their restaurant, le Patron. Can you share that experience with us please? It's one of my favorites. I love that place.

Well, so I got a surprise dinner. It was sort of built into my itinerary as well, but I was celebrating my milestone birthday. I won't say which one. Yeah, anyone. But it was a milestone birthday and, yeah, it was beautiful. The atmosphere, the decor. I took a picture of it. It's absolutely beautiful. In fact, I had my only drink there. I drink in old fashioned. That's my drink of choice and they made a really good old fashioned. It was amazing. The food was really good. The company I had, sam, also known as Hussein, supposedly, according to Sadine so Hussein was a really good company as well. It was just really nice and I got some surprise gifts for my birthday. So it's a beautiful place. I would definitely go again and it was the place that was recommended for my mom and, yes, it was very nice. It's very beautiful.

Thank you for sharing. I'm so glad to hear that.

Yeah, definitely go there again for dinner.

Yeah, dinner. I mean we had dinner there because we filmed a podcast episode. It was just. The whole experience was just beyond incredible. I mean the staff, the management and also even the setup, the way that the restaurant is. It didn't look like a Moroccan restaurant, it had that Western feel to it, but for me the service was just a wow experience.

Yeah, it's very beautiful the decor, like when I sent pictures back home of where I was. They're like oh wow, I guess people didn't expect that there are places in Morocco that are. I mean, there's a lot of places in Morocco that are beautiful, like the riyadhs are beautiful, everything. So, yes, that was definitely a surprise to see.

Awesome, ok, perfect. Cishab, we cannot thank you enough for doing this and it means a lot to us. I have not done an episode like this with a guest that traveled with us in a really, really long time, and to start doing it again is very, very meaningful, because a lot of people they think that we just have a podcast and we don't book tours, but we do. And also I want to thank you because the process from when he first contacted us, then building the itinerary, then the back and forth and we've done this for quite some time but the guest in this case you, for example, cishab you don't know what to expect. You're not sure who to trust, what to trust, because everybody's saying different things. That's what we do. We take all that stress out of the equation of planning your trip. So we're very grateful that you have chosen us and you traveled with us, and now we have friends in Canada. So Canada is just. We have so many travelers from Canada just amazing. Then also we have Nancy, which we did an episode with a few months ago. She's going back to Morocco next week, yeah so, and she's devastated because the project that she was working on got cancelled because of the earthquake. So she wants to do something, she wants to help, and that's why she's going back to Morocco to help, which is just going to be incredible. So we'll be along the way with her, making sure that everything goes according to Lin go smooth. So, again, I cannot thank you enough, cishab.

I'm glad I went with this tour with Destination Morocco, because, honestly, that also added to the fact that I didn't have to do much thinking, which was great. I mean, that's really important when you're on vacation and you're trying to de-stress. I was asking Mohammed, what am I supposed to do today? Mohammed, I just was. That's a sign of a good vacation. I had no sense of date time, what my itinerary was. I was completely relaxed and that is a sign of a really good vacation. When you're clueless, You're like what date is it today? So yeah, in that short time that I was in Morocco, I lost complete touch with the outside world, which is what I was looking for.

Absolutely absolutely.

Yeah.

Cishab, thank you so much for doing this.

You're welcome. No problem, Asdeen. Thank you for a great time in Morocco.

Absolutely absolutely.