No Regrets!

Just before getting on the bus to leave Aït Ben Haddou, I offered some of my festering leftover food to a couple of stray dogs in front of our hotel. The first one was enthusiastic and got jumpy as I approached with a food container. She got the remains of a chicken pastilla and absolutely loved it. The second dog looked just as hungry but scampered off any time I got close, so she missed out. The first dog became my best friend and wanted to follow me back into the hotel and onto the bus.

The drive to Marrakesh took us through the Atlas Mountains, a mix of igneous, metamorphic, and intricately layered and folded sedimentary rock. Several sections of road have been closed off due to what looks like recent rockfalls, maybe due to the earthquake last September. There’s no snow here during the summer, but Mohamed says there’s lots in the winter. (more…)

A mini-bus picked us up for our early morning journey to Essaouira. As we crossed desert scrubland outside of Marrakesh, our driver had a hard time staying awake. He would frequently stretch and slap his face or get distracted by fiddling with his phone or reaching down for his bottle of water, causing the bus to wander across lanes and occasionally veer into oncoming traffic. Yikes.

We made it to Essaouira in one piece, turning to drive along a hazy beach covered with sunbathers and kitesurfers and seagulls. Hopping off the bus, we were greeted with a refreshing ocean breeze. It’s a cool 76° F here on the coast, 25 degrees cooler than Marrakech. (more…)

Somehow, Lindsay found the energy to wake up early and visit the local CrossFit gym in Marrakech. Apparently, getting the t-shirt from locations around the world is a big deal, kind of like it was back in the day for Hard Rock Cafe. I’m not a morning person in general, and with a tummy still a bit rumbly, it was an easy choice for me to stay at the hotel, sleep in a bit, and start packing our bags. Lindsay went absolutely nuts with the shopping and leaves Morocco with about 20 new dresses in a variety of colors and patterns. Finding room for them and our souvenirs and oils and other gifts was a challenge, but we did it.

We took a taxi to the beautiful Marrakech airport and checked in. My checked bag was slightly over the limit, but the friendly Royal Air Maroc agent gave me a wink and said it was OK.
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The heat, the sand between your toes, the hotel pools, the smells of the medina… It all feels real in the moment, but when you get home, it all feels like it was just a dream.

Now that I’ve been home a couple of days, I’ve been able to collect my final thoughts on Morocco:
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So my friends Scott and Dave were talking about taking a trip to Hawaii this year to celebrate their impending 50th birthdays. Over the course of 2024, as drinks were shared and group chats grew from playful ribbing to X-rated irreverence and vicious character attacks, we bonded and found our group friendship growing and pulsating with love and affection. I waited for the most opportune time to ask… “Can I come to Hawaii?” (more…)

View out the left side of the place was unspectacular, no Waikiki or Diamond Head. Dave’s flight landed 10 minutes after ours, so Scott and I headed to the gate to meet him there with smiles and hugs. We couldn’t have timed this any better.

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In the car to the airport, we contemplated booking massages at one of the local spots and talked about the concept of a “sad ending.” What would be the saddest song to get a massage to? Contenders were:

• “All by Myself” by Eric Carmen
• “Send In The Clowns” by Judy Collins
• “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M.
• “Alone Again” by Gilbert O’Sullivan
• “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton

The playful banter is constant. I get ribbed for being Canadian, Scott gets it for not making weight for the helicopter ride, and Dave gets it for being scared of heights. More raunchy toilet humor than you can imagine. I quite enjoy Scott’s pattering little giggle and squinty eyes, though if you really get him going, he’ll go silent and point his gaping mouth upward.

As we prepared to take off, Scott set the over/under on actual airtime of our flight at 24 minutes, I took the over, but he won the bet with a time of 20:53. Everything is a game. As we landed in Kauai, we were treated to a gorgeous sunrise over the ocean. Clouds dappled the mountains in all directions.

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Woke up and and walked over to our local Waikiki massage parlor to spoil ourselves first thing in the morning. Not much English was spoken, but after 1 1/2 hours, we were all feeling loose and limber. Scott paid up to get some additional rubs, meeting up with us at the hotel pool and joining us for some fancy cocktails a bit later.

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After landing on the Big Island and picking up our sweet rental SUV at Hilo International Airport, we headed into town. Hilo feels a bit more jungly and less developed than the other islands. Lunch was at Pineapple’s Island Fresh Cuisine, another fantastic find on Tripadvisor. Nondescript place on the corner of a nondescript intersection, but the food was fresh and fantastic. The poke tower, coconut encrusted ahi tuna, and ginger lemon drop hit the spot perfectly.

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After waking up on the North Shore and allowing Scott to motivate us to hit the resort gym for a workout, we hopped into the car to start exploring the beaches. Dave’s been dreaming of seeing these North Shore waves on these North Shore beaches for 20 years.

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