Day 15 - More Ourzazate (fun in the snow!) & my beloved Riad Boussa

In the morning we all greeted my father with a few rousing editions of Happy Birthday before heading out to a second kasbah fairly close to the center of town- Taourirt Kasbah. This particular kasbah is UNESCO protected, and there is a charge to enter that helps with restoration.

The entire area (& its kasbahs) are famous for being featured in such films as Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy and Star Wars. Walking through the area was in some ways, quite different from the old medinas.

Confirmation that Obi Wan is alive and somewhere in Ourzazate...he left his robe behind.

The birthday boy harassing his family members. Just like everyday.

You'd never guess we woke him out of a dead sleep moments before to see if he wanted to play in the snow.

After getting back mid-day, our driver Hamid dropped us all off near Djemma el-fna, where we were seamlessly met by a porter from Riad Boussa (our final stay in Morocco).

Look who was overjoyed to hitch a ride!

I had high hopes for Riad Boussa, as it has hundreds of extremely high traveler ratings. It definitely lived up to the hype. Only a 5-7 minute walk from the heart of the square (though there is the usual, almost desirable by now twists and turns to get there), it is owned by Bridgette (a delightful and warm French expat), who also makes the riad her home. Even though we'd enjoyed our other riad experiences, Riad Boussa was a huge step above in comfort, class and beauty.From the moment the door opened to a smiling Bridgette offering us cookies and mint tea...her riad was a delicious-smelling, restful oasis filled with flickering candles and scented rose blossoms everywhere.

Simply put- I was captivated- by the architecture of the Riad, with Bridgette's (perceived) bubbling social life, with the ambiance...everything. I loved knowing that were safely nestled in the quiet and serenity of the riad, but right outside our thick walls, just a few steps away- was chaos. Motorcycles whizzing by, working donkeys and horses, smoke-filled restaurants, stacks of fruit piled onto carts, loudspeakers blaring the adnan, kids banging on drums, merchants hawking colorful leather shoes, etc. I don't think I've ever enjoyed another stay (in any corner of the world) as much as I did at Riad Boussa. I already have visions of returning for our 20th anniversary, if not sooner. But I'll stop babbling and let you see the pictures (which do not do the riad justice)-

The roof top deck

There were blooming olive and pomegranate trees on the deck

The view of the courtyard from our room

My parent's bathroom area

Ryan had a ball in my parent's tub

The ladder in my parent's room up to Joey's separate bedroom (Ryan was envious...so was I)! ;-)

Joey's hideaway lair

And now...our room!

Our double front doors (I loved the metalwork more than anything else there)

The view from our bedroom into our bathroom

Our bathroom

Later that night, we headed back to the square to watch it come to life. Hundreds of food stalls seem to open up all at once and soon thereafter, smoke fills the air. Every booth also employs a number of hawkers all forcefully yelling and frantically beckoning at you to come to their booth. It's all quite chaotic.

Nearly ever booth looks like much this...displaying their fare for the night. (I do not think the Board of Health monitors the meat temperatures or insects there.) ;-)

The birthday boy slurping up some harira with a wooden, hand carved spoon. I later found him and my mom a pair to take back home to remind them of the trip.

I know I haven't talked much about how grueling it was to be there at times...so in the interest of honesty, I thought I'd use our dining experience that night to segue into it.

We sat next to some American teachers visiting from Spain, who got totally fleeced (they were served more food than they had ordered and overcharged as well). We advised them of what was happening (they had just arrived and it was their first meal out), but I think they were too polite and intimidated to battle it out. It's deplorable, but it happens all the time. I got into a mini-yelling match with our own waiter over being deliberately overcharged for things we hadn't ordered (I assure you, not a coincidence when you only have 3 patrons) and finally stomped out with threats to call the police. (Note: I did not pay the over charge. Mama ain't no 'foo.) 

It definitely wasn't our best dining experience (bland food, small portions, overcharged), but I still really enjoyed the energy of the square at that hour and have accepted that people trying to separate you from your cash is part of the overall experience. We were routinely harassed and overcharged by petit & grande taxi drivers, restaurants, porters, food stands, guides (not official ones) who walked us back to our riad, even children selling bread (we were charged 10 dirhams per piece on our first day, and found out it's 1 dirham everywhere). And that's just a short list of what we caught. :-) I'm not even including the hard fought haggling we had to engage in each day.

We had to constantly remind ourselves we were also treated fairly by an equal amount of honest people, and that much of the population struggles to get by there. I felt bad for the gentleman that I insulted at the Taourirt kasbah for asking him to give me an official receipt when we were asked for a fee to enter the kasbah. Not only was it three times the amount listed in my guidebook, but the employees there are unidentifiable. Unlike many first world countries where staff sport name tags or uniforms, he could have been just anyone asking for a 'fee'. I could tell he was a little huffy about it, but I apologized and explained that we were wary and suspicious after dodging other people demanding 'fees' for other reasons. 

While there, we tried to patronize the extremely rare shop that posted prices, or from people who started the bargaining process reasonably, or from women directly that were selling their own handicrafts. Even then, we were not always treated with the same respect. But if the roles were reversed, and I was struggling to feed my family, I have no doubt I would be employing the exact same tactics and even probably relishing the occasional sucker.

So we tried not to get jaded and still made sure that Ryan gave money to the sick (adults) and hungry children. It was the first time we really tried to make him pay attention/understand how other people live. I think he got it when one little girl in Casablanca sitting outside a grocery store forcefully ripped a large bag of candy out of his hands that he was about to give to her). I explained to him that she was not greedy, she was just fighting to eat something that day. I think he got it in that moment. I hope he did. 

Because that's what travel is all about right? Not just the artsy riads or massive monuments- but in finding empathy, love and respect for others (even when they despise you), seeing the beauty and art of other cultures...being inspired to live more simply or more exotically. It's all out there waiting to change your life if you open your heart and mind to it. *Bows dramatically, steps off podium*