Marrakech to Sheffield – 9th January

Our flight back to Manchester from Marrakech on Friday 9th January was at 4.05pm. Unfortunately, news from Manchester and Sheffield said that all trains had been cancelled which meant we would not be able to get from Manchester airport to Sheffield, as planned. It was a bit annoying and I got a little upset as we were going back to Sheffield to celebrate my sister’s 50th and my birthday, with my family. It had all been planned and booked in and I was disappointed the trains were cancelled due to snow, especially when the snow had not yet appeared.
My sister cheered me up by saying she was sure the celebrations would still go ahead, in fact she had booked 3 different places just in case. She also sent me a photo of page 25 of my planner, ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, as I had a panic that I’d not spotted and changed a mistake – it was fine though. Captain Caveman and I both had our last breakfast at the riad rooftop and I was definitely going to miss the mint tea in Marrakech.

We went back to the room and packed our hand luggage, before leaving our bags at reception. We paid our bill which included the bottles of water we had got and our city tax. The government takes a small payment for accommodation in Marrakech and it has to be paid directly to the hotel on check out. The amount depends on the type of accommodation but ours was £4 per night. We also decided to book the airport transfer which cost just over £18 and well worth the money if it meant Captain Caveman and I didn’t have to have a fall out over walking to the airport! Incidentally, he did suggest we had time to walk it as check out was 12 noon and we didn’t need to be at the airport until 2pm!
We decided to grab a quick treat for lunch at a local crepe stall. I was sure I’d end up with a bad stomach as, the stall lady wore gloves but touched money, the crepes and a man’s hand while wearing them. However, I was pleased to find they were very tasty for just over £2 for the both and all was well!

We grabbed our bags and walked to our pick up car with the hotel receptionist, who made sure we were safely in the vehicle – it was rather fancy, not a taxi. We got to the airport without incident and had quite a wait once through to the gate. I went for a wander and saw lots of choice of places to get food (no alcohol) and came back to give Captain Caveman the low down. He went next and came back with 2 baguettes and water from Paul’s. They weren’t overly pricey for an airport and were very good sandwiches.
We went to get in the queue to board, our plane was late and I got stopped for a full bag and body search. Captain Caveman made a fuss about being ushered in to queuing when he liked to be the last on the plane. I got peeved when he started arguing with the staff member as I was sure he was trying to get us in to trouble. It turned out, the airport staff wanted us out so they could update the data to say we had left the building. We then stood outside for ages, waiting for everyone to board.

The flight was good and I watched some Netflix instead of typing up my blog!
When we arrived at Manchester airport we rushed to get to Manchester Piccadilly. The machines let us buy tickets to Sheffield and mine cost me £27.80 – there had better be a train!!!

All the boards showed trains were cancelled but Captain Caveman found a train and we got on it, it was empty but it was going to Sheffield. In all the faffing we were quite stressed and I was really looking forward to seeing how deep the snow was. We had a train tin and chilled out, the train was cold and we did see a tiny sprinkling of snow at Edale. I didn’t moan too much about the train situation as I didn’t want Captain Caveman to have to send the train company a strongly worded email. They were definitely in the wrong to have cancelled the trains. There was no snow in Sheffield and we got a taxi to my parents, who were waiting up for us. We had wine and my mom cooked us a pizza as we were hungry. I was just so glad to have got to Mosborough as I’m not sure what we would’ve done if Captain Caveman hadn’t spotted that train.

Gratitude List
1. Having had an amazing holiday in Marrakech
2. Getting safely back to Mosborough
3. That rogue train!

Marrakech – 8th January

It was another breakfast for one on Thursday 8th January, as Captain Caveman stayed in bed. It was very nice and the chocolate cake was on again. In the morning I did a bit of work as I had a couple of customer queries to look at for forthcoming trips. I was also pleased to get notified by Facebook that they were going to be showing my content to more people due to them recognising my quality content! I still didn’t have 500 followers on my business page yet and I was aiming to grow it. If you’re not already following, please do!
https://www.facebook.com/share/17yF5UwTN2/

For lunch we decided to go back to Chinguitti so that we could take advantage of being in the sun on their upstairs terrace while we ate lunch. Captain Caveman was in a bit of a strange mood but he said he wasn’t – we were meant to be trying the briouette and sharing them but he forgot and I had to ask for one before he’d snaffled them all. I had the harira (soup) which was fine but not a patch on the soup we had at Andalucia. We drank water, coffee and mint tea and our bill for the both of us came to £14 – given the views, it’s a bargain.

We had a walk around the Medina and souks so that we could explore more of Marrakech on our last day. We had almost spent our budget so we decided not to do any paid tourist things today. Instead, we had seen a riad for sale for £80,000 and went on a research mission of what it would take to be able to move to Morocco.
We decided to have one last visit to the Balcon Du Café Glacier where we sipped mint teas and paid over the odds for our pees! The tap water was off so the toilet attendant was using a bottle of water to pour on to our hands to wash them. I had a bit of a chat with him and we laughed when the water came back on after he had poured water on to both mine and Captain Caveman’s hands. We sat at the edge of the roof top terrace and spent hours watching the comings and goings of the Jemaa el-Fnaa square. The monkey men looked the dodgiest so we were glad we had avoided them but we are sure we witnessed some drug deals going down between a ‘disabled’ man and a tuk tuk driver. The sunglasses sellers were also doing some strange formation stances which looked to be synchronised with other vendors. We also saw a bit of a skirmish between what looked like a legit stall holder and a dodgy one. It was definitely the best place for people watching, despite us spending almost £12 on hot drinks and toilet visits!

Captain Caveman and I had quite a few recommended eateries left on our list to try so Captain Caveman chose L’Mida. It had a great rooftop area and was quite busy – we were told they needed the table back in 2 hours, which was fine by us. We both had lemon water and a main course which came to a total of £30. My Makhani beef tagine was a bit heavy on the carrots and peas (which should’ve been green beans) so it wasn’t my favourite meal in Marrakech but was still very nice. Captain Caveman had a shredded lamb dish which looked fantastic. Back in the riad, we forced down the last of our spiced rum and totted up that we had enough cash to be able to get a cheap lunch tomorrow before our flight home.

Gratitude List
1. Facebook informing me they will share my quality content!
2. People watching above Jemaa el-Fnaa
3. More good Moroccan food on our last full day.

Photo Credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Marrakech – 7th January

We had just 2 more full days and nights left in Marrakech on Wednesday 7th January. Ordinarily, today would be weigh day but I didn’t have any scales. Although I had taken my tape measure away with me, I didn’t get it out to take the measurements – I would wait until I was back next week!
Neither of us had the breakfast at our riad this morning and decided to have a wander to a cafe which Captain Caveman had picked out. We sat upstairs at Mandalay Society and ordered a brunch sharing board, water, coffee and tea. It was one of those fancy places where the menu had their values written on it but I was more interested in 7 men and 2 ladders outside. It looked like repair works to a sign were being done so there was much chatter and watching while it got started.
Our food was good and we got more bread when we ate it all up but we spent £33 when we could have had the included breakfast back at the accommodation. It was a lovely change, though, and Captain Caveman preferred it over the sweet breakfasts.

Our sightseeing mission today took us to Bahia Palace which was fantastic. We walked round it together for the most part but, at one stage, Captain Caveman went ahead of me and I got lost. It reminded me of the time I got stuck in the maze at Longleat Safari Park and I got a bit panicky. I kept following the signs for the tour, which mapped the route, then followed the signs for the Exit but I don’t really know what happened as I just couldn’t find the exit door. I had no WiFi, I’d been in there a good while and I decided to retrace my steps by checking my phone camera and following the route of the photos I’d taken. It took me ages so I definitely got my money’s worth on the £8.33 ticket! When I finally got back to the door that I came in to the palace through, I was so relieved that I cried! Captain Caveman was outside on a bench and thought it amusing but did admit he found it a bit concerning when I didn’t appear after a while. He then pointed to the exit door, which was in the same room as the entrance door and explained why the tour and exit signs just kept going round! I felt a bit foolish but wiped my tears and Captain Caveman suggested we walked to Kabana for a glass of wine.

Back at one of our favourite roof top bars, we really pushed the boat out after my traumatic morning getting lost in a Bahia Palace. We had soda water, 3 red wines, 3 pints of lager with a portion of parmesan and truffle french fries for a whopping £59! But we really enjoyed the afternoon and the french fries were fantastic. We had a laugh at my terrible sense of direction and how I must’ve kept missing the exit door and going back round the palace again. I can definitely vouch for it being a very beautiful tourist attraction – and there’s evidently no time limit!

Along the same road as Kabana was a trendy shop (one with prices on things) so we went in for a look around. If we didn’t have just underseat hand luggage and liked to buy stuff, this would’ve been a great shopping opportunity. They had some fab clothes and shoes as well as some really lovely decorated plates and cups. Captain Caveman tried on a couple of jackets which really suited him.

For dinner, Captain Caveman had took the liberty of pre booking us a table at Cafe Arabe just before sunset. We really liked Café Arabe and not just because the wine is half the price of that in Kabana. It turned in to quite a boozy evening and we got chatting to Dan and Mary who were very entertaining. We spent £49 on 3 red wines, 3 rosé wines, 1 white wine, 1 pizza and 1 portion of briouette which was quite the bargain. Dan and Mary ordered the tagines which looked amazing but were massive portions.

On the way home, Captain Caveman had a crepe at the same stall that Hugo had eaten one from, earlier in the week. I had a little bit and it was delicious. I was quite squiffy when we got back to the riad and I was definitely ready for bed after a great penultimate day out.

Gratitude List
1. Bahia Palace
2. Great food
3. Having a boozy Wednesday.

Photo Credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Marrakech – 6th January

Tuesday 6th January was a lovely day where Captain Caveman and I would have a Moroccan breakfast, an Italian lunch and a Lebanese dinner. Marrakech was proving to be quite cosmopolitan with lots of food choices. We ate breakfast on the rooftop of our riad, earlier than usual as we wanted to make the most of the sunshine which was due. We’d missed out on seeing Jardin Majorelle as it was already booked up. Because of the predicted rain and less people going on other trips, this famous attraction had got full fast. Instead, we had decided to see if we could turn up at the Secret Garden and pay on the door. We got slightly lost at first as there is a cafe called the Secret Garden which is down a dead end alley way but it was quite interesting to see inside some of the open doors to local homes.

The Secret Garden had a big queue when we arrived and I already suspected it would take too long to get to the front. We waited and noticed that we were very close to Café Arabe, another recommended eatery which served alcohol so we earmarked it for lunch. The queue went down quickly, we paid just over £23 for the 2 of us for the normal ticket plus the guided tower tour and I really enjoyed the Secret Garden. It’s one of the biggest riads in Marrakech and I even found the film about the irrigation process interesting. Although he was feeling better, I saw that Captain Caveman had nodded off during that bit.

The tower turned out to be the highlight of the day as rain had stopped, the sky was atmospheric and the views were great. We also had a French couple on the tower tour who were hilarious and were either not listening or deaf. Every time the guide mentioned the 16th century, seconds later they asked when it was dated from (several times). The doors in the tower were beautiful and, as we were leaving, a rainbow appeared across the floor.

We decided to chance the cafe which was next to the tower and had lovely views over the garden. We just had a drink, which on the menu it said came with free water but we never received that. Instead we paid £5 for the tea and coffee but didn’t leave a tip.

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful spot so we left there and went to Cafe Arabe. We sat in the area which has views over the rooftops and towards the atlas mountains. We decided to share a pizza and had a glass of wine each. The pizza had smoked turkey ‘ham’ on which was really good. Café Arabe was very nice, lovely views and deceptively big. We got chatting to a couple, Colin and Jess – he was a bit of a one, but she was lovely (an American who had just moved to London to be with Colin). We ended up having another wine each and our total bill came to £27 for 1 pizza, 2 glasses of rosé and 2 glasses of red wine, which I thought was excellent value.

We had a mooch back through the streets of Marrakech and decided to use our free ticket to the Music Museum. As a music lover, I found it very interesting and even had a quick go on some bongos (as you do). I thought it was a well laid out museum and complemented the Photography museum – plus the bonus of the combined ticket made it cheap.

In the evening we went a little off piste and chose to try Naranj for our meal. There was a bit of a kerfuffle as we hadn’t booked but we managed to get what looked like the last indoor table on the ground floor. I went upstairs to the toilet and noticed the balcony dining area looked lovely but it had started to rain again and was a bit blowy for those diners. As we ordered, it was getting closer to 7pm and we were so glad to have come early as people were queuing to get a decent indoor table. We chose a mixture of meze style dishes, a chicken with feta dish and the usual soda water, coffee and mint tea. This Lebanese restaurant didn’t sell alcohol and our total meal came to £30 which I thought was good as the food had been amazing. As we left, it was raining a little harder so we hurried back to the riad for a spiced rum nightcap and some much needed sleep.

Gratitude List
1. The Secret Garden being a good substitute for Jardin Majorelle
2. The Music museum
3. Amazing food and drink.

Photo Credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Marrakech – 5th January

Captain Caveman still felt unwell on Monday 5th January, his belly was swelled up like a football and he was in a bit of pain. I went to breakfast on the rooftop by myself and the breakfast was slightly different again and very nice.
Back in the room, Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone and rested while I logged on to the laptop and did a bit of checking on Resort Experts things. Most people I knew would be back at work today after the Christmas holidays so I was grateful to be able to work flexible hours.
Around 2pm we decided to leave the room to see if Captain Caveman could manage some food, I suggested trying the harira (soup) may be a good idea. We chose Andalucia, a cafe not far from our riad which had the soup on the menu. We ended up ordering quite a bit of food; 2 harira, chicken skewers and briouette (savoury pastries like samosa) and it came with bread. Of course we had soda water to share and I had a mint tea. We paid cash for the lunch which was very reasonable and I’d say probably cheaper than when I eat out in Turkey. The harira was fantastic and it was just what we needed.

Our next stop was to the Photography Museum – Captain Caveman is the better photographer out of the 2 of us. I’m more the point and press type, whereas he actually takes time to get the right shot. We’d not booked to do anything today with him being under the weather so this fairly small museum was ideal for a couple of hours or so. It cost just £6.67 each for a ticket and as we were leaving, the staff member told us to keep our ticket and it would give us free access to the Music Museum which sounded right up my alley! We were going to be too late getting there to do it justice today so the man said the ticket could be used tomorrow – we were impressed by that. When we came out, I tried to go to the loo but the attendant told me it was closed and to go outside. Luckily we were walking distance to our riad and I could wait. We had a loll on the bed as it had started to rain heavily and we checked out some of the ‘must do’ attractions for tomorrow. The weather forecast didn’t look great and we put off buying tickets to the famous Jardin Majorelle so that we weren’t wasting money if we couldn’t go.

In the evening we went to Anasia which had an upstairs restaurant with lots of cats. It had started raining hard and the place was busy. We shared more briouette, burrata and tortilla but Captain Caveman enjoyed the food more than I did. There was sauce on which I wasn’t keen on and I thought the tortilla egg was a bit runny. The staff seemed like they’d not worked there before and it smelled of cat pee which was a shame. The food wasn’t that cheap and we had to pay cash then it took ages to get our change. It’s the only place we thought we’d not return to and had only gone there as it was close and raining. Back at the riad, Captain Caveman was still a little delicate and didn’t drink but I had a spiced rum to finish off the evening.

Gratitude List
1. Harira (Moroccan soup) being delicious
2. Museum of Photography
3. Captain Caveman not being too ill to eat.

Marrakech – 4th January

On Sunday 4th January I’d taken to using my work phone (which was on silent) to take the photos. I managed to get photos of the breakfast, the roof terrace and a grumpy cat who had sat in my seat. Today’s breakfast didn’t have yoghurt, which neither of us like, but it did have fruit salad and a different type of bread product which reminded me of pikelets crossed with pancakes, these were called baghrir. There was also chocolate cake which Captain Caveman didn’t have and I had only half of my piece despite it being very good.

Today we decided we would have a walk around and venture a little further. We aren’t ones for shopping (we only had underseat luggage anyway) but we did wander through the souks. We found walking with purpose (Captain Caveman is not a dawdler) and not touching any items, meant we had zero hassle from anyone. We did see tourists touching items which then lead to the stall owner thinking they were interested in buying. Nothing has prices on so haggling and bargaining are expected. Marrakech is a traditional Muslim city where most of the local women cover their hair, tourists don’t need to but it’s still a good idea to dress appropriately. I did see a woman in very fitting yoga pants almost give a stall holder a hard on!
It had rained quite heavily during the night so I was definitely glad of sensible footwear today as the streets were a bit grubby. Our lunch stop today was Café Des Éspices which, by the time we left, was very busy so we were glad to have gone early. Service was quick, it had the tiniest (but clean) toilet I’d ever been in – and I’ve spent a lot of time in small toilets! We just ordered a falafel wrap for me and a köfte sandwich for Captain Caveman with hot drinks and a bottle of soda water for just shy of £20. The dishes were great but I had food envy for the harira (traditional soup) which all 3 people on the next table ordered.

We visited Dar El Bacha, the Museum of Confluences, which barely had a queue and cost under £10 for the 2 of us. I was really taken with the patterns and just how much work went in to the buildings. Every wall, floor and ceiling was amazing but we avoided the coffee shop as it was extortionate! As we were leaving, the staff member told us to keep our ticket and it would give us free access to the Music museum which sounded right up my alley! We were going to be too late getting there to do it justice so the man said the ticket could be used tomorrow – we were impressed by that.

Our wandering had taken us outside of the Medina walls and we found a rooftop bar that had been recommended, Kabana. We did have to look carefully as it was a small doorway which led up to a massive rooftop bar. We had 2 glasses of red wine & 2 pints of lager for £35 so it wasn’t cheap but the Moroccan wine was palatable and they had excellent toilet facilities – this was also the second place we’d been where men and women use the same toilets so there are no male and female signs to look out for – very modern!

Our next stop was another bar on the roof top of Riad Monceau. It was very nice and we just caught the Happy Hour. We sat at the bar where Captain Caveman had a pint of lager and I went mad and ordered a Pina Colada. The bar man was friendly, made a great cocktail but they certainly knew how to charge in the Jungle Bar – £21 for our 2 drinks at Happy Hour.

We hurried back as we needed to be back at Jemaa El-Fnaa to meet Suzanna and Hugo. They were keen to watch the football but I could already tell from the crowds of supporters in the streets that it was going to be busy wherever we went. As we got to the Grand Balcon Du Café Glacier, I could see it was rammed and there were staff on the doors. I get claustrophobic and am a little over the top on health and safety so I told Captain Caveman to go in without me. I sat downstairs on the outside terrace and ordered a mint tea. I also observed more and more people squishing in to the downstairs space where the football was on the TV. I envisaged getting trapped in there and didn’t want to be part of a Swiss New Year’s Eve scenario so refused to go inside. Captain Caveman came back when he realised Suzanna and Hugo weren’t there anyway and he joined me for a mint tea.
We met just as the match was finishing at a place called Address, the prices there were high (no alcohol) and the staff not as welcoming so we didn’t stay after the match finished.
For dinner that night, we chose a lovely little restaurant which was almost full (always a good sign). La Cantine Des Gazelles was very pink in décor and we all ordered Moroccan food. My chicken tagine was amazing and we had lots of the soda water we were now partial to. When we ordered extra bread, we didn’t get charged for it and our total bill for 4 of us came to just £32.50.
I was stuffed and could not have managed a dessert but Hugo fancied a crêpe from the street seller. There was quite a queue but it went down quickly and we then said our goodbyes. It had been good to finally meet them both and we wished them well for the rest of their trip.
We wove our way back to the riad but didn’t have any rum tonight as Captain Caveman had started to feel a little unwell.

Gratitude List
1. Great food
2. Meeting up with Suzanna & Hugo
3. Rooftop bars.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Marrakech – 3rd January

Breakfast was included at our riad and was served on the rooftop terrace each morning between 8 and 10am. Our first breakfast on Saturday 3rd January consisted of several bread based items, yoghurt with a sauce in, a piece of cake, juice and a choice of coffee or mint tea. I tried to take a photo of the spread and the photo was there, but later disappeared from my phone. This was to be the start of my phone deciding it was going to delete photos just minutes after taking them, with no warning! Captain Caveman had his coffee which he said was alright but didn’t eat the cake or the yoghurt. I tried a bit of everything but it was very sweet for a breakfast. We both liked the dosa type bread which we later learned was called Msemmen. I ordered the mint tea and it became my drink of choice throughout the week. At first I thought it was simply a healthy mint tea but it’s actually made with gunpowder green tea and plenty of fresh mint and sugar!!! The Moroccans pour the tea from the pot at a height to aerate it and it looks a bit like dirty water or whisky.
Captain Caveman had only exchanged £50 at the airport, ironically so that we had cash for the taxi! We decided to walk around the Medina and get our bearings a bit. Captain Caveman had marked a route and the way to an ATM on his offline maps. Neither of us used WiFi or a SIM once out of our accommodation as it can be expensive, plus we didn’t really need it.

We called for some lunch on the rooftop dining area of Chinguitti restaurant in the square where the spices are. The sun was shining and I actually had to take my hat and hoody off. They didn’t sell alcohol so I ordered a mint tea, Captain Caveman a coffee and both of us chose tagines for our meal – a minced meat and egg for Captain Caveman and a chicken for me. The waiter was friendly and spoke french, we can get by in french too (although I’m a little rusty, food is my forte). The menu was in French and English so it was easy to order. A selection of olives with a basket of warm bread was given for free and we ordered a bottle of water as it was getting quite hot on the upstairs terrace.
The food was excellent and I really enjoyed my mint tea, this time with no sugar! Our tagines were around £8 each and were filling. The most expensive drinks on the nenu were about £2.50 for a juice. Our next stop was at the ATM, which you can choose English as the language before you start your transaction. This time we got 12 Dirhams to the pound so was a better rate than the airport, of course. The queue was long and the likelihood of people trying to push in happened but we stood our ground. A french lady told us that this ATM didn’t give the best rate and that we should walk to the post office to get money, we were fine to use this ATM as I was there now. Captain Caveman had transferred £500 to me, which we had allotted for a 7 night holiday and then, because I had Wise, we would use it all from my account.

We had more of a wander round the Medina and then I needed the loo! Everywhere I go where I eat out, I often end up with a dodgy tum but it didn’t last long and I was ok after a cafe visit. I ran off to the top floor of Argana in the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, shouting back to Captain Caveman to just order me anything to drink.
When I came back down, Captain Caveman was drinking an Espresso and had ordered me a freshly squeezed orange juice – probably not the best choice in my predicament and I didn’t have any imodium on me. The drinks were reasonable and the cafe nice (good toilets that were free for customers) – we paid £2 for coffee and £2.33 for the juice, which Captain Caveman had to finish off.
Our next stop was to meet Captain Caveman’s sister-in-law and nephew at a rooftop cafe. Le Grand Balcon Du Café Glacier was the perfect spot to watch the goings on in the square below and meant we could avoid watching any potential animal cruelty. A small amount of snake charming and monkeys for photos is still going on but my theory is to not give it any attention, so that it will eventually die out as an attraction. It was my first time in 14 years of knowing Captain Caveman that I had met Suzanne and Hugo, so it was great to spend some time with them. We sipped soft drinks or mint tea (they don’t have alcoholic drinks) on the roof terrace and caught up. The excursions they had booked already had cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions Morocco was experiencing this week and were staying in Marrakech for one more night before taking the train to Casablanca. Le Grand Balcon Du Café Glacier had an interesting toilet arrangement that I thought worthy of note. There is a toilet attendant who pretends he doesn’t have change so you can end up paying more than you should – like I did, twice! Captain Caveman went in for a free one and said I’d already paid for him just to even the score up a bit.
We walked past a snack place called Adam but we didn’t choose there to eat. Instead we went to a place near to it, that I forget the name of. Suzanna wasn’t hungry so just had soda water – which is excellent in Marrakech and cheap for a large bottle. Hugo had a local sausage dish and an Orangina, Captain Caveman ordered lamb, roasted veg and couscous tagine and I chose chicken shish and chips to be kind to my stomach. The food was good and cheap, it started raining as we were leaving and the restaurant we were at filled up quickly. We walked back to our respective riads with arrangements to meet up tomorrow to watch Morocco play football. We got back to our room before the rain got heavy and had a spiced rum for a night cap! Our first day in Marrakech had been surprisingly lovely and very relaxed.

Gratitude List
1. Riad Lalla Khadija was very comfy and in a good location
2. Having some really nice food and drinks
3. Meeting up with family in Marrakech.

Photo credit – Captain Caveman, Suzanna, Facebook groups.

Manchester to Marrakech – 2nd January

I woke up having had a good night’s sleep at The Tribe hotel, Manchester airport, on Friday 2nd January. Our flight to Morocco wasn’t until 3.25pm and check out at noon so we had plenty of time. When we went down for breakfast it was very busy and lots more guests than average who didn’t know how the toaster worked. It turned out that there were about 500 people in the area who’s plane had been cancelled so had ended up in hotels for the night. The hotel was very cold but the breakfast was pretty good. I stayed in the restaurant while Captain Caveman went back to the room for his morning meeting. I caught up on some blogging and checked my social media posts for Resort Experts.
We checked out and walked from The Tribe hotel to the airport (it’s very close) and, as we only had hand luggage we were through security fairly quickly. By 1.15pm we had bought some Duty Free, paying £17.29 for a bottle of Captain Morgan’s Black Spiced rum. We knew Marrakech was likely to be expensive for alcohol so we could have a drink in our hotel room if we liked. Interestingly, Facebook sent me 3 posts to recognise improvements in my conversations and posts on social media – at least someone appreciated me chatting on in my unique way!
The airport was busy and we decided to get a drink in one of the bar/restaurants upstairs. The service was slow so Captain Caveman went to the bar and bought us a couple of pints for about £18.
Next we took it in turns to have a wander round and decided to go to the gin bar downstairs. It was quieter but the gin was pricey. Captain Caveman had a pint and I had a glass of red wine (less than £20 for the both). We got chatting to a couple who were going to Poland and had another round. Neither of us has been to Poland so it got added to our list of places to visit.
The Happier January chart that I was following said ‘Make time today to do something kind for yourself’ so a wine at the airport and a trip to Marrakech seemed a good start!
Our flight was delayed a little and on the way to the gate, Captain Caveman bought 2 meal deals at Boots for £13. Once on the plane, Captain Caveman put his headphones on and that was him done for the journey.
When we landed, it was gone 10pm, the main doors to the airport exit were cordoned off due to a problem with the facade of the building. We were redirected to the nearby domestic terminal and there were no taxis there, just a large carpark. I noticed that there were taxis still parked up where we should’ve exited but Captain Caveman was having none of it and we started walking. The temperature was quite mild but it was very windy as we walked down a dual carriageway. I’d had 3 wees on the plane but, as we walked, I started to think I might need another one. Captain Caveman had maps on his phone and was confident we could get a bus. I noticed that even when there were bus stops the buses were in different lanes, in the middle of the dual carriageway and weren’t able to stop. Of course, Captain Caveman wasn’t listening, I ran out of water, he had to carry my bag after an hour of walking and I really needed the loo. By the time we got to where a hospital was it was after 11pm and I started to worry our accommodation would assume we weren’t turning up. In the end I got upset because, as usual, Captain Caveman was determined for us to walk all the way and I was not up to it. My (previously broken just 4 months ago) foot hurt, I was desperate for a pee and I was frustrated at the speed Captain Caveman was walking. This happens pretty often and I never learn – I saw cars and taxis and insisted we get in a taxi. When we got dropped off after a journey of less than 10 minutes, which the driver still tried to charge us £20 for, Captain Caveman was miffed that we were almost there and the taxi was unnecessary. We managed to find the riad, which was in the medina, and a young boy was trying to con tip money out of us for showing us the way, even though we had maps. Captain Caveman was having none of it and told him to bugger off. I had to wait until we’d checked in and given our passports for a photocopy before being shown to our ground floor room. The bathroom was small, traditional and clean – the room smelled nice.
Finally we had arrived and we were in bed before midnight. I logged on to the WiFi to check the map and saw that it said our riad was 1 hour and 40 minutes’ walk from the airport! At least it was flat but I was pretty annoyed at Captain Caveman because he would’ve known how long it would take to walk it – he had the map! I couldn’t, and would never, understand why this always happens and he knows it always ends in tears, but does it anyway. The taxi would have only been £20 for the whole journey and was less than 20 minutes’ drive.

Gratitude List
1. A lovely breakfast at the Tribe hotel
2. Drinks and food at the airport
3. Finally, making it to our accommodation.