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It’s pronounced, Fesssss, not Fezzz. Fez is a red hat men wear with a tassel. Fes is the city. I feel better now. We had a packed day today! First we went to the Palace and saw the 7 arches. This is the largest palace in Morocco and no one is allowed inside, except the king. We continued with a walk through the oldest Médina in Morocco. It’s indescribable! If you try to go in your own, you will get completely lost! They sell absolutely everything under the sun! It was fascinating to integrate all five senses into this experience. Clothing, leather goods, spices, jewelry, instruments, baked goods, the list goes on! After seeing the Médina in all its glory, we returned to the hotel and I showered and had a quick bite to eat before heading out again. We went to a place that makes ceramic and pottery. It’s truly an art form to see how they make mosaic items. Afterwards, we drove to a place called Bhalil. Here, people have created caves that they make into their homes. We were able to go inside a family’s home and see how they live. It was an unforgettable experience to see this community of people living in caves within a mountainous area. I sent a video to my mom of how these women carry water in their heads and she reminded me that she too carried water in her head when she was young. It was a humbling experience to say the least. We headed back to the hotel and then had a small bit of time to relax. We then headed out to dinner as a group to a Riat. We enjoyed beautiful views of the city as we dined outside. We had an array of appetizers and enjoyed a beef dish with cous cous for dinner. This cous cous; however, did not taste like the cous cous we have back home. That was much more delicious! Random story: in speaking with other members of the group, I met a couple from Sydney that did the Greek tour last year as well. It turns out we had the same tour guide, Dina, for our tours! I have to remember to take a picture of us and send it to her!! I love this small world!!
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I slept like a baby! At least 8 hours! I got ready and went downstairs to breakfast and enjoyed an omelette. Our bus left promptly at 8am and we drove to a beautiful Mosque that took 6 years to build. It is next to the ocean because apparently, most Mosques are next to large bodies of water. It had gorgeous arches and reminded me of being in the south of Spain with all the Moorish influences. We continued on to Rabat where we went to a Kasbah and the Blue city. It’s literally all blue. So pretty! We also went to a mausoleum. The walls are intricately made of thousands of pieces of ceramic and tile. En route to Fes it began to rain a bit since we were approaching the Atlas Mountains. We arrived to Fes and went to our hotel where we had about an hour to freshen up from the day. I went to the bar and had a glass of wine before our whole group headed to an Arabian Night! We went to a restaurant which was a converted home where a family lived where a man could have multiple wives. Morocco no longer allows polygamy, but these homes made specifically for multiple wives still stand. The evening was really great! We ate an authentic Moroccan meal and enjoyed a myriad of entertainment. A couple people from our group were chosen to be “married” and some women from the restaurant dressed them up in traditional wedding attire. I had the opportunity to dance as well with some of the musicians and dancers. It was a great way to end the first full day in Morocco! I stopped working less than a week ago, and no matter how much I try to sleep in, I can’t. I was ever so grateful for this on Thursday morning... I woke up at 5am and couldn’t fall back asleep. I looked at my email and I’m glad I did! I received a notice from Delta that my flight from LAX to Paris was delayed by 2 hours. This would absolutely make me miss my connecting flight to Casablanca. Immediately, I got in the phone and I was able to get a seat on a later flight from Paris to Casablanca. So that worked out. Next was contacting the transportation company I had booked to pick me up at the Casablanca airport and take me to my hotel. I called them and they were not able to rebook me. So I had to find another transportation company and I was able to book transportation at my new arrival time. So that worked out! I’m going to backtrack a bit to packing. I am for the most part a light packer. I was able to fit everything for my trip in my carry on luggage. My good friend Jane was just in Morocco so she told me to bring extra luggage. So I fit my carry on suitcase in my regular luggage. Boom! At the airport, I had a nice lunch and hung out a while until boarding time.  In the plane I sat next to two ladies. They seemed cool until they asked for ice to put in their wine. I was SO done with them! The atrocity!!! this was a two level airplane, probably the biggest I’ve ever been in!!  It was cool to see the border of Morocco as we entered the country! I finally landed and my driver met me and took me to my hotel. I was able to make it to dinner and I met my Travel Director. I slept like a baby!
It seems like I have had some type of event every weekend in June. Lots of road trips for back-to-back weddings, and seeing good friends. I drove up to Sacramento on June 7th and had an amazing time with my good friend Karla. She had just been at my house two weeks prior so I was excited to hang out in her home town. We went to The Rind and had delicious wine and a wonderful meal! We walked around downtown and went to several restaurants to find a good dessert, but we ended up returning to The Rind. It was a great night! On Saturday, my cousin had her wedding in a beautiful church. Some of the family drove up from LA for the occasion. I am incredibly happy for her and wish all the happiness to her and her husband! I was was happy to see my family and also my nieces and nephews, they have grown so much!! The weekend following, my good friend Evelyn has her wedding reception in Chula Vista, so off I went again. I left LA and drove to Carlsbad first where I met my friend Dani for brunch at a beautiful restaurant called Chandler’s. It was great to catch up with her and enjoy a beautiful view!  After brunch I drove to my hotel and took a disco nap. I woke up and got ready for a super fun night!! I went to the reception and I sat with Evelyn’s family from Mexico. It was lovely to meet them and I enjoyed speaking Spanish with all of her family. I loved the food, it began with meat and cheese, then dinner was delicious tacos! I was stuffed!! By 7pm, the music started and I danced for about three hours non-stop! I had a blast!!!!! My buddy Gerry and I had a wine night! It’s what we do when we watch wine movies. On this particular night we watched SOMM III. As always, a great night tasting wines and enjoying proper glassware for our tasting! In early March I began working for a public real estate firm. Early in I could tell that it was probably not the best place for me. Regardless, I did my best and earlier in June I decided to leave. My last day at work was on Friday. I enjoyed working with talented people and hope to keep in touch with them. For now I feel called to another road. I received little treats on my last day, so grateful for the relationships. Yesterday, I had the honor of doing a photo shoot with my friends Doug & Tomoko. I’m humbled that they trusted me to take pictures of their beautiful family. I can’t wait to edit and see the final results! It was a perfect day as it was also Chris’s birthday and it was great to spend it with good friends.
I will be traveling soon, looking forward to writing about more adventures abroad! Headed to my 6th continent, it will now only leave Antarctica to visit. Let’s see what the year brings! Due to a packed schedule, I didn’t have time to keep up in this site. I hope things will change now that I’ll be home (sort of). I started May cramming for my final exam, did pretty well overall in my class and felt a huge sense of relief when the semester was done. In the process I made some new friends and I know I’ll keep in touch and see these friends again! The same weekend that that I finished school, I was supposed to host a baby shower for my good friends, Doug & Tomoko. However, the baby had other plans and arrived earlier than expected. Baby Kaylee was born on May 17th, and my good friend Gerry and I were the first to meet the baby just an hour after being born. What a truly special day!! Since I knew Doug & Tomoko were not completely prepared for the baby’s arrival, I decided to cook several meals for them and stock their fridge so they wouldn’t have to cook for a week, and focus on Kaylee and Tomoko’s recovery. During Memorial weekend, my good friend Karla drive down from Sacramento and spent the weekend in LA. We had a great time and enjoyed some much needed girl time! We went to the Arts district, and ended up getting some drinks and apps at 71 Above in downtown LA. We enjoyed the amazing views then headed to a grocery store where we bought meats and cheeses to enjoy at home with wine. We had such a blast!!! The last weekend of May, my family and I drove up to Cambria for the weekend for my mom’s birthday. First, my parents and I drove up in Friday. Had a great time stopping at random spots and enjoyed an amazing dinner at The Sea Chest on Moonstone Beach! We got in line early to make sure to get a table at the front and have a view of the beach and sunset. It was quite a treat! I was able to take some pictures of my parents, they still crack each other up! Saturday, my brother and his wife arrived and we all spent the day together. My parents raves about the dinner they had the night before so my brother, sister-in-law, and I went to the Sea Chest for dinner. Another great meal! For the most part, that wraps up May’s activities. I am grateful for all the fun and food I enjoyed!
 Chris would have been 39 today. I think he enjoyed every birthday we spent together. We had some really wonderful adventures, not only on his birthdays (picture above from INK in LA 2014), but whenever we had the opportunity. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!
I want to go back to February when my friends Natalie and Erik came to visit LA. I met Natalie last year when I was touring Scandinavia. She was so easy to connect with, we became instant friends! Natalie and Erik flew into LAX and rented a car. They drove to my house and slept in my guest room. The next day they went around LA, but the evening was going to be for me to take them around! First I took them to the OUE Skyspace and glass slide. We enjoyed amazing views of the LA skyline! It was amazing! After the sun fell, we drove around the Arts District in downtown. I love my city!!! No visit to LA is complete without eating some serious street food! I drove to the nearest tax cart that pops up on a street corner just north of downtown. Natalie and Erik really loves these tacos!!!! I had them only eat two tacos since we were going to head to an institution: In N Out! In addition, I took them to the oldest operating McDonald’s!! I had so much fun touring my friends, I hope they come back soon for Part 2 of LA Adventures!!!
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AuthorHave passport, will travel. Archives
November 2022
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