TRAVEL DAY BLUES

We have been advised via email that travel through Malaga airport can be slow due to passport control and security, and that all travelers should plan to arrive at the airport three hours ahead of their flight time, and not to linger in the shops before being cleared through.  It will take us just over an hour to get there from Estepona…….I have to do a couple of things to drop Little Ninja (more on that later), so we are thinking about leaving the condo at around 10:30 for our 3:30 flight to Fez, Morocco.  Just over a 1 hour flight, so by the time we clear customs and get bags, we will probably reach the hotel in time for dinner………..pretty long day for a 1 hour flight!

Packing for the return trip is always fun…….good thing we have the golf bags that can take the excess from all that shopping at La Canada.  We are flying Ryan Air for the first time, and have a smokin’ deal on the flight……..rumor has it that your fare does not include an actual seat, and you pay for it as an extra……..every other thing you want to take on the plane is pay as you go also.  We have pre-booked some luggage, but know there will be some additional charges.  There was also a bit of a hiccup because we did not book direct with Ryan, so they would not issue us boarding passes online……..a whole mess of crap that Jutta solved by walking behind the agent who was guarding access to the baggage check-in and strolled right on up to a very helpful gate agent who booked us in, charged us an arm and a leg for the extra baggage, tagged them, and took them off our hands.  Perfect…….off to security which was a breeze.

I booked Little Ninja from a local car rental agency that was recommended by the folks who rented us the condo……….signed the paperwork on the side of the road at the terminal when we arrived from Paris, jumped in the van and off we went.  They don’t have a kiosk or parking spots at the airport so they have devised a way of doing pick-ups and drop-offs that seems to work.  I have been told to ignore the rental car return signs and just go to general parking……….find a spot……..photograph the license plate and location of the car……..leave the back window open a crack……..lock the car, then drop the keys through the crack.  Works for me…….can you believe it!!!  

We had a short delay before taking off but are barely finished climbing before the captain announces we are starting our descent into Fez.  Short flight, and the delay causes us problems when we deplane……..passport control/customs in Fez is jammed……..apparently if we had landed on schedule there would be half the crowd that is there now.  Just over an hour to clear that hurdle, but our driver “Omar” is waiting on the other side and ready to whisk us away to the hotel.  Cosgroves are going straight to Michlifen Resort up in the mountains and hour away, and we will follow them there tomorrow.  Our plan is an overnight in the Medina (Old City) tour in the morning, and off to the mountains later in the day with Omar.

 

Omar can only get so far with his car before we run directly into the Medina……….no vehicles allowed……..but our porter is there with his squared off wheelbarrow……..loads the bags (we sent the clubs with Cosgrove’s) and we hoof it for about 15 minutes through narrow streets/walkways/souks to get to our hotel……Riad Laaroussa.  Formerly a large private residence in the Medina, it was purchased/totally renovated, and is now not only a great place to stay, but has a fantastic rooftop restaurant that attracts many non-hotel guests who are visiting Fez.  Only 8 rooms in the hotel, and we have the “Blue Room”………any questions after looking at the pic’s? 

Dinner upstairs is fantastico………oops sorry, we have switched to French from Spanish……..c’est magnifique.  Our guide is booked AM and we are bagged from the trip…….Monica has arrived in the mountains and it is like 3 degrees and raining up there……..sleep is all we want right now.