No Regrets!

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.

As we waited at the gate, Lindsay and I both shared that dreaded “I don’t really want to go home” feeling. We wanted to keep going. But I must admit that the heat and sweat and gastrointestinal situation has taken its toll. I’d be more willing to keep going if my body was in better shape. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Our lives and schedules mean that we have to head home.

Our first flight was a turboprop hop to Casablanca. We had seats 6A and 6C, and I was surprised to find them together. Our row consisted of seats labeled 6A, 6C, 6D, and 6F. Why do they skip letters like that? Once again, ChatGPT to the rescue!

On some small prop planes, certain letters are skipped in the seat labeling to avoid confusion with numbers or to account for specific seating configurations. For example, the letter “B” is often skipped to avoid confusion with the number “8.” Additionally, some planes may skip certain letters to align with industry standards or to keep consistent with other aircraft in the fleet, where the seating configuration might differ. This practice helps maintain uniformity and reduces potential errors or misunderstandings in seat assignments.

Then the long-haul flight across the Atlantic back to DC. Annoyingly, we had to go through security a few more times in Casablanca, and then we were not allowed to bring the water we bought at the gate onto the plane. Neither Lindsay nor I like to be wasteful, so we both chugged an obscene amount of water before boarding. As we headed down the ramp, there was raucous celebration in the airport as Morocco defeated USA in Olympics soccer.

We found ourselves in the dreaded middle bank of seats, not ideal. And then we sat in the plane without moving for about an hour without explanation, though it might have had something to do with a passenger smoking a cigarette in the bathroom and getting busted for it.

Finally, we were off. I’m still shocked these Royal Air Maroc transatlantic flights don’t have wifi. We passed the 7 hours by watching movies, eating two meals, and discussing future trips. Lindsay and I would like to travel together again sometime soon, but where? Turkey? Japan? China? Brazil? It’s not our motivation but our lives and schedules that will be our biggest obstacle.

After a smooth landing and a combination of metro and Uber, we were home. Another amazing trip in the books. Final thoughts on the trip coming soon.