With my toes covered in the powdery white sand, and images of kids frolicking in the Indian Ocean filling my mind, its tempting to just skip a bit of this journal blog.. just Be-In-The-Now.  Insistently, our story calls me to keep a complete account.    

But I can allow the sea breeze to persuade me to keep the prose short and stick to a more visual presentation.  

Acknowledging the fact that in general we are more of a rural-loving family rather than a city-thriving group we really wanted to optimize our time in the remote areas of Morocco between the must-visit cities of Fez and Marrakech.  A tour was really out of the question, price and freedom wise, and a good friend had informed us that he had no problem renting a car and driving himself when he visited a few year prior.  So we opted to rent a car in Fez ($34/day) and take 2 weeks to explore before dropping it off upon entering Marrakech.  I did read something to the effect that Morocco has one of the highest rates of car accidents in the world but really is it any more dangerous for Kiko to be driving than a hired driver?  At least with Kiko driving, we were the ones deciding the speed and risks we were willing to take when passing.  

Armed with the recommended Michelin map of Morocco and our handy google maps on our phones we headed south out of Fez towards the Sahara.  After a little adjustment as far as timing of pedestrians, bikers, and mules crossing the road, and getting accustomed to the fact that drivers tend to pass at times that seem totally inopportune, Kiko was soon driving with confidence.  We loved the freedom and the changing landscapes were truly breathtaking. 

One of the secrets to making our long car rides enjoyable for all, has been books on tape.  Funny right?, but it keeps us entertained and all eyes available to check out the ever changing scenes out the windows.  The best is when we are able to access free downloads from our home library, which pertain to our current travel.  We learned about the life of Da Vinci in Italy, and listened to Arabian Nights in Morocco.  

In my mind Morocco has always been shrouded in mystery.  Encompassing the fabled cities of Casablanca and Marrakech, and the setting off point for the renowned trans-Sahara route to Timbuktu, Morocco drips with the exotic; with countless oases, kasbahs, and mystics. Throw in camels, snake charmers, genies of the lamp, and flying carpets of Arabian folklore, and the kids’ intrigue peaks as well.  

Pre-arrival I was filled with emotions, a mix of excitement and anxiety, as partial images constructed out of the incongruent information gathered from guide books, fellow travelers, and my unbridled imagination, floated in my head.  I didn’t know what to expect and I braced myself and the rest of the family for the inevitable changes in language, culture, dress, and food.  Everyone seemed to warn of the “intensity” of Morocco, yet I remained uncertain as to how it would present itself.  

We had been advised by a fellow traveler back in South America that a good introduction to Morocco would be the Medieval city of Fez.   In an effort to reduce one-night stops, we avoided spending time in the boarder town of Tangier, instead opting to travel from Algeciras, Spain to Fez Morocco in a single day.  To my relief the high speed ferry from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco was a breeze.