Today, we left Marrakech, Morocco, to return home to Los Alcazares, Spain.
Return to Spain from Morroco.
When we woke this morning, we had breakfast in the riad's courtyard and then spent a few hours relaxing around the splash pool. I read my Kindle before packing my travel bag and getting ready to leave. At mid-morning, we checked out and asked what we owed them for the extra mint tea we had drunk a few times. We were told that the tea was complimentary and that if we wanted to return, call them directly so that they could arrange for us to have a better room and a better price than we got going through a third party to book the stay.
When we left, we waited in the square. We were supposed to be picked up by our pre-booked taxi, but it didn't arrive. While I looked for the cab, Lisa spoke to a nearby taxi driver who agreed to take us to the airport for less than our pre-booked taxi. We climbed in the cab and were soon dropped off outside the airport departure area.
When we went in, we were a bit confused because one sign pointed us in one direction, but when we got closer to departures, we got sent back to check in even though we had nothing to check in. We were seen relatively quickly, and the lady at check-in offered to get a wheelchair to take me to the gate. While I sat and waited for the wheelchair, Lisa used the bathroom. She had been back about 15 minutes before we gave up waiting for the wheelchair, and I slowly walked back to departures. We went through several security stops, customs, and immigration before arriving at the departure terminal. We found somewhere to get a drink and sat down.
Ryanairs app had messaged me to check the app for up-to-date gate details for our flight. The app told us about one gate, but the airport signs told us about a different gate. Luckily, we were next to the gate from which the airport signage told us we had to leave. From where we were sitting, we could see the plane and people queuing for our flight. When nearly all the people had gone through the queue to get on the plane, we joined the back of the queue. We were soon seated on the plane, ready to fly back to Murcia.
We knew there was a chance of bad weather in Spain but hadn't realised how bad it was. As we flew over Spain, I saw large black clouds out the window. We touched down in Murcia and were soon through customs and immigration. We met Archie, who had come to pick us up and take us home. We had only just left the airport when the heavens opened. The rain was tremendous, and we could see and hear lightning coming down a short distance away. We managed to stay ahead of the worst of it and outpaced it. By the time Archie dropped me off at my apartment, the sky had cleared up, but it didn't look like it would stay clear for long.
I got into my apartment, unpacked my case, put my clothes in the washing machine and sat down for a drink. As I sat down, the storm arrived, more potent and heavier than we had already seen. The lighting was terrific, and I sat in my apartment, watching it over the square outside. The rain got so heavy that I couldn't see further than the edge of my balcony. The heavy rain formed a grey sheet that hid the square and everything else. The lightning lit up the sky occasionally, and the thunder threw heavy clashes out to welcome me back home.
Summary.
I had a great time with Lisa in Marrakech. We had great fun exploring the medina and riding the camels and quad bikes in the desert, and I loved flying over the desert in the hot air balloon. The people in Morocco were amicable, and I never felt in danger. I would highly recommend a trip to Marrakech to anyone, and the stay in the Riad was very comfortable and nicer than a busy, impersonal hotel. Lisa was in great company, and we got on well. We plan to go away together again.
I got a full refund for the taxi that never turned up in Marrakech. I think that now I know how much taxis cost, I would be happy to get a cab outside the airport in the future and negotiate a price rather than book in advance. Never trust the Ryanair app. Follow airport signs.