The Trip Spent on the Toilet // Morocco: September 2015

Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

Now for a quick review of our trip to Morocco last fall...

We travelled with our friends, Rachael and Alex. They planned most of the trip, luckily, because we ended up being sick the entire vacation. Morocco will always be remembered as The Trip Spent on the Toilet.

Two days before we flew out to Casablanca, we had our friends Laura and Larisa over for dinner. The meal was a group effort: Larisa made soup, Laura brought salad, and I provided bread and drinks. There was nothing particularly memorable about the dinner at the time, but fast forward seven months and we are still joking about it. Two days after dinner (the night before our early morning flight) Jake was in bed with a fever all night, and making trips to the bathroom. I didn't think too much of it, besides that it was unfortunate timing, as we would spend the majority of the next day in the air. After hearing that Laura, her boyfriend, and Larisa, were all sick as well, we began to get suspicious.

Typical Moroccan tajine

On the flight the next morning, I nearly passed out, at least that's what it felt like. I was sitting on the plane, between Jake and Alex, and we were waiting for what felt like forever. It was hot, loud, and I began feeling nauseous and sweating profusely. I had no energy to even move, or tap someone to let them know. Finally Alex and Jake noticed and asked me what I needed. They helped get my sweatshirt off, and then I was suddenly freezing. I am not sure I have ever felt worse in my life. It probably all happened in a matter of minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. At one point my vision and hearing started fading out...I was freaked out.

Attempts at looking happy, exploring ruins

As soon as we got in the air, I went to the back of the plane and the flight attendants were very kind and accommodating. I was curled up on the floor in the fetal position. They gave me their seats and brought me water, food, and 7up. I spent the whole flight back there, before we began our descent into Dubai. At this point, Jake was feeling better...and this pattern continued for the next three weeks: Jake and I taking turns feeling terrible.

Turns out we had eaten bad salad. It had to be the salad because Laura's boyfriend, hadn't come to dinner, but had eaten some of the lettuce. That was the only food that all five of us had eaten, and we all got it...bad. Laura and Charlie flew to India and spent the entire week sick. Larisa flew to Austria and did the same. Jake and I spent most of our time in Morocco on the toilet, or looking for a toilet. And that is how Morocco received the unfortunate title of The Trip Spent on the Toilet. The worst part is that it wasn't even Morocco's fault, and we hardly got to enjoy the incredible Moroccan foods.

Thread in the Fez Medina, which dates back to 789 AD!

All of that being said, we enjoyed ourselves as much as you can under those circumstances. Chefchaouen, a blue village in the mountains, was one of the most unique villages I have visited. The West African coast was beautiful, and it was our first time to be on that side of Africa. People were friendly and hospitable, as we learned when strangers spent an hour or so jumping our car on our first morning there. The food looked and smelt divine...the couscous and chickpeas...unfortunately, I never was able to enjoy it without being terrified of the consequences of putting food in my body.

Chefchaouen

Rachael and Alex were lifesavers. I am not sure we would have made it through that trip without them. Not only did Rachael book three of the coolest Airbnb's we have stayed in, she spoke Spanish when we needed it, and Alex did the same in French. Rachael even had to venture to the local hospital with us to get shots. That was quite an experience! We walked down the sheep filled streets for about ten minutes and into an old hospital. After waiting for a little while, we were each given a shot in the butt, and a few prescriptions. You can imagine our surprise at paying nothing at all for medical care in this old hospital in rural Morocco. I will never forget that.

We stayed in four cities in Morocco: Casablanca, Fez, Chefchaouen, and Asilah. And ended up driving through a few more, including Rabat, the capital. We never did feel any better on that trip. Whatever we put in us, had about enough time to run to a toilet before it'd come right out. We felt better at certain times, but overall we were in pretty bad shape the whole trip. We ended up going to two different clinics, but we weren't in either town long enough to send off any samples and wait for results. When we got back to Doha, Laura and Charlie visited the hospital, provided samples, and weren't given much in terms of results. At that point we must have been feeling a little better because we decided to wait it out. After twenty-one days, I can say that I finally felt back to normal, something I had doubted would ever happen again. I had spent much time dreaming about ever having a regular bowel movement again. I am sure that is a bit too much information, but it seemed like a miracle when everything returned to normal. Never take for granted healthy bowel movements! I try to remind myself ;)

Well that may not have been a quick review, but I am happy to have some of these memories written in the books so they aren't potentially gone forever. We have thoroughly been enjoying five weeks of vacation each school year, even when we've had to spend them on the toilet. Why not spend them in good company surrounded by beautiful scenery?