At long last, Sharolyn and I have settled in Taroudant. First, the backstory.
We were the lucky first pair to leave the main group, and were dropped off at the bus station in Casablanca for an overnight bus ride to Taroudant. Luckily for us, there was a Caesar's Club Sheraton hotel right next to the bus station, so we were able to go next door and enjoy drinks, wifi, and 5-star bathrooms before we departed. On the way back to the bus station, Sharolyn stopped at a pay-phone to call home for her daughter's birthday, and we were approached by a few (clearly drunk) older men who made some moderately coherent conversation with us. This didn't last long, as a couple of guys sitting in the doorway of the nearby bus station came over with their dog, who barked at the old drunk guys. They said to us, "I'm sorry!" and basically drove off the old drunks. I could discern that they were saying to each other in French, "The poor people just want to use the phone-- they don't need this!" It was quite nice of them to come to our rescue.
Shortly thereafter, our bus was late in boarding, and Sharolyn and I were beginning to be afraid we had missed it. We walked around the station and tried all the doors. It wasn't long before and older man in a traditional Berber gown approached us and assured us, in English, that we hadn't missed the bus. He had been living in Australia for the past 30 years (a very interesting accent!) and was coming home to Taroudant to visit his brother ofr 3 months. I think he was a bit concerned about us because he certainly made efforts to take care of us for the rest of the trip. Another example that travelers can usually take some comfort in the goodwill of people to help out.
At long last we arrived in Taroudant, and our host, Hassan, was not yet at the bus station. Our self-appointed caretaker lingered a bit to tell us where our hotel was, but had to leave before Hassan arrived. I think he was clearly worried about us, but we were certainly fine-- Hassan arrived within 10 minutes and showed us to our hotel, Palais salam. A gorgeous place-- it was formerly the residence of a pasha, and is built into the city's medieval walls. It has extensive, lush garden, and is divided into 12 suites for the pasha's wives.
After napping away the morning, we met Hassan again and toured his school, met the headmaster and several other teachers. Again, the hospitality and consideration shown to us has been very touching. Tomorrow we will observe several classes.
This evening we toured the city and had another excellent meal-- Tagine Pigeon aux prummeax. That's pigeon with prunes-- and it was exquisite.
We were the lucky first pair to leave the main group, and were dropped off at the bus station in Casablanca for an overnight bus ride to Taroudant. Luckily for us, there was a Caesar's Club Sheraton hotel right next to the bus station, so we were able to go next door and enjoy drinks, wifi, and 5-star bathrooms before we departed. On the way back to the bus station, Sharolyn stopped at a pay-phone to call home for her daughter's birthday, and we were approached by a few (clearly drunk) older men who made some moderately coherent conversation with us. This didn't last long, as a couple of guys sitting in the doorway of the nearby bus station came over with their dog, who barked at the old drunk guys. They said to us, "I'm sorry!" and basically drove off the old drunks. I could discern that they were saying to each other in French, "The poor people just want to use the phone-- they don't need this!" It was quite nice of them to come to our rescue.
Shortly thereafter, our bus was late in boarding, and Sharolyn and I were beginning to be afraid we had missed it. We walked around the station and tried all the doors. It wasn't long before and older man in a traditional Berber gown approached us and assured us, in English, that we hadn't missed the bus. He had been living in Australia for the past 30 years (a very interesting accent!) and was coming home to Taroudant to visit his brother ofr 3 months. I think he was a bit concerned about us because he certainly made efforts to take care of us for the rest of the trip. Another example that travelers can usually take some comfort in the goodwill of people to help out.
At long last we arrived in Taroudant, and our host, Hassan, was not yet at the bus station. Our self-appointed caretaker lingered a bit to tell us where our hotel was, but had to leave before Hassan arrived. I think he was clearly worried about us, but we were certainly fine-- Hassan arrived within 10 minutes and showed us to our hotel, Palais salam. A gorgeous place-- it was formerly the residence of a pasha, and is built into the city's medieval walls. It has extensive, lush garden, and is divided into 12 suites for the pasha's wives.
After napping away the morning, we met Hassan again and toured his school, met the headmaster and several other teachers. Again, the hospitality and consideration shown to us has been very touching. Tomorrow we will observe several classes.
This evening we toured the city and had another excellent meal-- Tagine Pigeon aux prummeax. That's pigeon with prunes-- and it was exquisite.
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