And for how long?

This is the debate I have right now. I know that my assignment will be from October 11th to November 11th. And I know that I’d be stupid to not take advantage of already being in the continent of Africa and to not visit more than just one city. You only live once right?

It’s taken me a few days but I’ve gotten past the mental hurdles of taking a vacation that does not include my family. And extending the time in Morocco to beyond just the 4 week work assignment.

While there are many other tempting places to go to in Africa I feel a bit like if I don’t stay and really check out the rest of Morocco what message am I sending to them? “Hey it’s been great but I really want to go dance with this other hot guy just a little east and south of you?”

So I’ve settled on staying in Morocco. Now it’s down to where in Morocco to go visit and for how long?

I will be working in the city of Rabat. Which is the capital of Morocco and is right on the coast (which I love). From what I can tell there is much to appreciate about being in this city so I expect to get a real feel of the country in the 4 weeks I’ll be on assignment.

“Here’s looking at you kid”. Gotta go to Casablanca. I mean really. How can you not if you’ve ever watched that movie and been a hopeless romantic for two star crossed lovers. Fortunately it’s a little over an hour away so this should be an easy weekend trip.

Next I’m drawn to two destinations. The town of Chefchaoue and then a night in the Sahara Desert. The first simply sounds so quaint and beautiful. Just a little bit touristy but less intense than some of the other larger cities. And then to ride a camel into the desert to sleep under the stars. I mean really. How many people can say they’ve ever done that before? Ok probably a few million that live in Africa but not many who live in Canada!

After reading the Fodor book I”m ready to give up Chefchaoue but not the Sahara Desert. What’s great about this entire process is exploring. Discovering. Listening from others. Noticing when something intrigues me vs. causes me to go the other direction. While it can sometimes feel challenging in this this stage of the process I find relief in each new piece of information that gives me more clarity about the experience I want to have. Yes I want to to get to a final decision. Where to go and for how long. And at the same time I want to bask in the excitement of all possibilities.

And I want to avoid googling “Are there snakes in the Sahara Desert?”.