Ma'a salama Morocco

This was the first exposure we all had to an Islamic culture and it was without question a pleasant, enjoyable, and memorable time. Literally everyone we encountered was welcoming and polite-even the locals on the street as we passed through their private space.

You could see smiles in the eyes of the veiled women, the slight uplifting of their scarves as their cheekbones rose. Even the guy behind the meat counter who yelled at us as we attempted to take a photo of his stall smiled and said thank you when we put our cameras down.

We asked questions about their religion and customs and they were open and happy to answer. They asked their own in return. We exchanged stories like old friends.

The food was good, although slanted toward a western palette, we did have opportunities to sample local cuisine.

The staff at hotels was overwhelmingly accommodating down to free laundry and turn down service. In Marrakech they stood at attention waiting for a napkin to drop, a water glass to be filled, a question to be answered.

Vendors are vendors but here they did not over hassle us and the shops had many amazing items as well as the usual assortment of junk from China...smile!

Our guides were terrific and our personal driver Ali was as charming as they come. We will remember him for a long time to come. He goes right up there with Monica from the Galapagos, Veronica from Buenos Aires, Nicholas and Mauricio from Patagonia and Juan Louis from Iquazu.

This was a short and wonderful time and we are all looking forward to Egypt and Jordan now with huge expectation. !