Day 148

We had another early day today but it was worth it. We were picked up to go to the Ouzoud Waterfalls and stopped for breakfast on the way. It is low season for tourism which meant we had the park around the waterfalls almost all to our selves.

We took pictures of the falls from every possible angle, we fed monkeys, and Cam helped row us under the falls.

At the end of our ‘hike’ around the falls there was a platform full of monkeys. We took more pictures and enjoyed watching the monkeys for a little bit.

For lunch we enjoyed sharing tajines. Before we headed back to Marrakech we purchased some souvenirs from the stalls around the entrance. (Cam haggled for the first time and got himself a new belt!)

Then we headed back to the car for the drive to Marrakesh. We all fell asleep but we woke up when the car stopped suddenly because our guide was getting a speeding ticket. Afterward we learned a little bit about Morocco’s speeding laws from our guide.

 

Back at the AirBnb we enjoyed some more mint tea and chill time before heading to dinner. We went for Italian food because we’re cooking tajines tomorrow in a cooking class and wanted something different.

Day 149

Another AirBnb experience was on the docket for today. We have really enjoyed the experiences so far and hope to do more in the future. Today we learned to cook different kinds of tajines at a Moroccan family’s home. It was fun to interact with the whole family as we learned.

First we had breakfast with the family and it was an amazing spread of food.

Our host took us to the local market to do the shopping that was needed for our lunch.

When we arrived back at the house, our host’s mom was preparing the bread for the day. It was amazing to watch how quickly and efficiently she worked.

After we put on our adorable aprons, we were immediately put to work. There was lots of chopping and cutting and slicing to be done.

All our hard work paid off. We had more mint tea and then enjoyed lunch with our hosts.

We took the local bus back towards the souks with our friends from the Airbnb experience. We went to a cafe at Jemaa el-Fnaa. Even up on the roof terrace there were a lot of cats running around.

Today is our last day in Morocco, so we went shopping for a few more souvenirs.

Day 150

Today began a long adventure to get to Thailand. We said goodbye to Mom very early in the morning but we had a later flight and went back to sleep for a bit.

When we arrived at the Airport there was a security check before you could even go in the doors. Our check-in counter wasn’t available yet so we got some food. In the restroom there were signs saying not to throw the tissue in the toilet. Which made us wonder what that would be like in Thailand.

Eventually our check-in counter opened. Then we went through security and then passport control. All in all, we were asked for our passports/checked by “official” people seven times before we were headed to our gate. We finally arrived at our gate as the flight was boarding.

 

We made it to Stockholm and didn’t really know where we were supposed to go (other than knowing we weren’t allowed to leave the airport because we had stayed in the Schengen area the maximum amount of time before Morocco). Eventually we found a sign and a button that we needed to push. Then a TSA-type guy came through and opened the screening area to scan our bags. After passing through security we headed downstairs to our home for the night. We watched the Terminal and tried to sleep.

Day 151

Sleeping in the airport was a little rough. A little after twelve the last flight boarded and then we were the only passengers in the terminal. Around one AM the woman working at the cafe stand in the gate area told us she was closing/leaving and said good night. A few people were in and out of the area cleaning but overall it was eerily quiet.

We woke up when security opened and people started filling into the terminal for the first flight of the day but we still had a while to wait for our flight. We had two more meals from the airport cafe, played some cards and waited some more. Eventually we were finally able to board our flight and we were headed to Thailand!

Day 152

With the time difference, we arrived in Bangkok around seven AM. Security and passport control were pretty painless (or we were too tired to notice). We were able to buy a phone card at the airport which was very convenient and not something that we had done before. We got a taxi and arrived at our hostel.

It was too early to check in but we were able to drop off our bags and then we needed coffee. After coffee we explored and ate lunch at a place near Khao San Road.

Cam’s cousin Matt lives in Bangkok and suggested we meet up for dinner. Matt and his wife are amazing! We had so much fun with them at dinner (Meaw ordered so many amazing dishes), we enjoyed our first coconuts and walking around Khao San Road. It was a spectacular first night here.

We are in Bangkok for a week and then we are heading down to the beach. We can’t wait to see what Thailand has in store for us!

Thailand