For Sam's February school break we went to Morocco. We were looking for warmth and also ready to explore beyond Europe. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency (amazing resort) in Taghazout, a small fishing village that is south of Marrakesh and north of Agadir.
More Morocco photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/eATCUb6Cc4rRoyLYA
February 17: As per usual we opted for a flight that was not ideal so we could save money. It was a later flight with a connection through Casablanca, arriving in Agadir airport close to midnight. Sam slept on the car ride from the airport to the hotel but perked up when we found out we had been upgraded to a room with an ocean view (thanks to friend Jasper!!). This kid continues in his quest for only the finer things.
Very elaborate towel and curtain art!
View from our balcony at night:
View from our balcony during the day:
February 18: Today was dedicated to nothing except exploring the hotel and immediate surrounding area including the beach. We had a lovely walk on the beach until Sam was confronted with a small wave and ran away from it (screaming) and straight into a large rock on the beach. That resulted in several small scrapes on his shin. Each scrape produced a small amount of blood but there were a lot of scrapes creating the appearance of gushing blood. This caused Sam to panic as he thought he must have severely injured himself (he did not).
Ryan also had to run into the ocean after Sam's flip flops which he insisted on wearing on the walk but did not stay on his feet during the wave incident. I think he may have also been injured but Sam's bloody leg took priority. So, the lovely walk ended and we went back to care for the injuries. My summary of parenthood is lovely moments quickly followed by screaming and sometimes blood.
This is before the incident:
February 19: Today Ryan and I had surf lessons scheduled while Sam was going to be in the hotel kid's club. We had never been surfing before but Taghazout is well known for surfing so we thought this was a good place to try. I was not optimistic for myself given I have an aversion to being submerged in cold water but often I think I am more adventurous than I actually am.
The first thing that I had concluded about this trip, even before coming, is that we needed to "roll with it". This was especially difficult with the surfing because we had left Sam at the kid's club and needed to be back by a certain time to pick him up. We were definitely delayed which caused me a bit of stress during the lessons compounded with the stress of actually surfing (see below). In the end Sam was not taken into Moroccan child protective system so I suppose it all worked out.
For surfing, as suspected it was very challenging to me, although the actual surfing part wasn't the worst thing ever. The worst part was actually getting myself and my surf board out far enough in the ocean to actually surf. The waves pushed me back to shore so I made little progress, while I was often being hit by either my own surfboard that I had lost control of or other surfers crashing into me. The surf coaches were very patient with me which is saying a lot as I had an early meltdown related to these challenges. They kept pushing me and sometimes I did this:
But mostly I did this:
Ryan annoyingly has declared himself a "natural" 😒:
February 20: Today we had a half day trip into Agadir to explore the city a little. We went to Agadir Oufella (a fortress, or kasbah), Mohamed V Mosque (largest Mosque in Agadir), a place to learn about Argan oil (healthy oil made only in this region of Morocco - it's everywhere!) and the Souk El Had (huge market).
We also did a quad bike excursion in the desert. I was not anxious about this until we got to the place and I realized we would not be getting the level of safety instructions I was hoping for (again, needing to roll with it). However, it was easy and fun and a cool way to explore an area outside of the luxury of the hotel (fact: we really liked that luxury). We encountered some of the locals, mostly kids along the route. This prompted a lot of discussion with Sam about different cultures which is a much needed reality for the kid that demands business class and ocean views.
The pictures are deceiving because Sam did not drive his own quad - he rode on Ryan's. Our guide thought it would look cooler if he was on his own bike for the pictures. 😎
February 21: Today Ryan had a cooking class scheduled nearby so Sam and I hit the pool. Ryan learned how to make tagine which I look forward to him making in the future:
We also had camel rides scheduled in the early evening. This was one thing I definitely wanted to do as it seemed like a typical Moroccan experience. There were in fact many camels around, including on the beach in front of the hotel. As it turns out, it is very uncomfortable to ride a camel. Maybe I don't know the proper camel riding technique but my body was flung back and forth for the entirety of the 1 hour ride. Sometimes our guide would have the camels run and it is comical how uncomfortable and unstable I felt when that happened. I also have blisters on my hand from holding on so tight to the handles and the constant rubbing. So that will be my first and only camel ride. Sam did seem to enjoy it.
February 22: Today we took a tour to Paradise Valley. This is a valley in the nearby Atlas Mountains. The ride there was one of those frightening drives up a mountain with amazing views but constant fear of falling off the mountain and drivers who are used to it so drive at speeds that I don't enjoy. 😱 But very beautiful and there was a moderately challenging hike involved which, other than a complainy kid, I was happy about.
After the Paradise Valley tour we went into the town of Taghazout for lunch and some shopping. It is about a 30 minute walk from where our hotel was. It's a very quaint town with a lot of cafes along the beach. A very popular place to stay for surfers.
February 23: Our last day was a hotel day - pool, beach, sunset and room service. Back to the rain in Amsterdam tomorrow.
I lied, another sunset picture from our balcony:
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