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Morocco, marhaba - here we come!
Posted on 9-10-2008
If beginnings are anything to go by, this tour will not be short on surprises.
The first one awaited us right after we stepped off the plane at Casablanca's international airport. No sooner have we taken our suitcases off the luggage belt than something that can only be described as a human tidal wave surged past us, engulfing each and every member of our little delegation and carrying the whole lot forward.
This unstoppable force consisted almost exclusively of countless white-clad pilgrims just back from Mekka, their trolleys overflowing with baggage, and their nerves visibly frayed after a long and tedious journey, which was best evidenced by the readiness of the hajjis to engage in minor scuffles and verbal challenges with fellow travelers.
After some unavoidable exercise in pushing and shoving, we finally managed to squeeze through the customs and newly liberated, drew the first breath of fresh African air (in case of Driss mixed with long-desired dose of nicotine, of course). Colleagues of Driss from SNE were kindly there to take us to the hotel downtown, which is where Radha found out that the familiar looking blue suitcase she took for her own in fact belonged to somebody else.
As I write this (around midnight) I still do not know whether Radha is being reunited with her precious piece of luggage at the airport but I very much hope so - for her sake, and the other unfortunate victim of the mix-up's too. Besides, we have no less than two ministers to meet tomorrow and a journey to Fes to take to see the SNE's famed program of school drop-out prevention there, which is not exactly compatible with a potential suitcase chase.
Let's just keep our fingers crossed - here as well as across the Strait of Gibraltar - that everything ends well, OK?
Pavel and Nadia
If beginnings are anything to go by, this tour will not be short on surprises.The first one awaited us right after we stepped off the plane at Casablanca's international airport. No sooner have we taken our suitcases off the luggage belt than something that can only be described as a human tidal wave surged past us, engulfing each and every member of our little delegation and carrying the whole lot forward.
This unstoppable force consisted almost exclusively of countless white-clad pilgrims just back from Mekka, their trolleys overflowing with baggage, and their nerves visibly frayed after a long and tedious journey, which was best evidenced by the readiness of the hajjis to engage in minor scuffles and verbal challenges with fellow travelers.
After some unavoidable exercise in pushing and shoving, we finally managed to squeeze through the customs and newly liberated, drew the first breath of fresh African air (in case of Driss mixed with long-desired dose of nicotine, of course). Colleagues of Driss from SNE were kindly there to take us to the hotel downtown, which is where Radha found out that the familiar looking blue suitcase she took for her own in fact belonged to somebody else.
As I write this (around midnight) I still do not know whether Radha is being reunited with her precious piece of luggage at the airport but I very much hope so - for her sake, and the other unfortunate victim of the mix-up's too. Besides, we have no less than two ministers to meet tomorrow and a journey to Fes to take to see the SNE's famed program of school drop-out prevention there, which is not exactly compatible with a potential suitcase chase.
Let's just keep our fingers crossed - here as well as across the Strait of Gibraltar - that everything ends well, OK?
Pavel and Nadia
