Virgin Voyages Cruise

My first Virgin Cruise is on the Valiant Lady on the Dominican Daze: Halloween Edition. Even though I’ve been on many cruises, it is not always my first vacation choice. I am excited about this one to celebrate my friend’s birthday and to visit the Dominican Republic for the first time (Spoiler Alert – Hurricane re-routes us to Mexico).

I start with an evening out in Miami and some Cuban food brunch before we sail off for the adventure.

Bon Voyage. It’s time to explore the ship and sail away from the port of Miami.

Fun music choices in the room. Can’t hook up your own music but this is next best thing.

We are here for my friend’s birthday and we have sail away birthday celebration for her in another’s rockstar room. The rockstar rooms are fantastic if you can afford it.

The wall of the elevator changes. Also the pool bathroom with a view.

Evening Dinner at Extra Virgin, an Italian theme dinner. A big group here is ideal because I get to try a bunch of things and not feel like food is being wasted. We ordered every appetizer on the menu.

Trying to find activities that did not involve drinking alcohol – friendship bracelet making

I was the only one in my group with any interest so I briefly attended a workout dance class and a Salsa class on my own.

My friend and I attended a halloween themed show. We didn’t arrive early enough so we watched the show standing against posts. Unfortunately this made us targets for the show host and we were called up on stage for a game where she had to mummy me with toilet paper. I wore this toliet paper like a badge of honor for as long as I could. So sorry to the cleaning staff at Virgin for my path of trash I laid walking to my next location – trivia.

We have a birthday dinner tonight at Pink Agave where some have splurged to Splash Your Bash. It is a stepped up dinner experience that involves some champagne, food specials and an instant camera. It is a fun experience.

After dinner a few of us reserve a karaoke room for an hour. I don’t think the walls are thick enough to hold all our noise in. I feel bad for people roomed next to us.

Due to the hurricane in the Caribbean we are re-routed to Cozumel instead of the Dominican Republic. I have been to Cozumel before and remembering partying hard there, not being excited about doing that again so I am glad when a couple of my friends want to do a day in Chichen Itza instead. We book an excursion that takes us the long drive to the pyramid complex.

Alter a long hot bus ride where the air conditioner is broken (they actually switched us to a new bus part of the way back) we end up back at the spot where we take the ferry back to our boat. I forget to mention the ferry, which normally sways quite a bit, was extra sway that day due to the hurricane in the area. This caused the bottom level to be unusable unless you had a gut of steel or were heavily drugged. We sat on top trying to not toss our own cookies while we watched others tossed theirs. Let’s just say the transportation portion was not the highlight our day.

Back on the boat we get ready for Scarlet Night which is known for its pool deck party where the majority are dressed in some sort of red attire. But first is dinner and tonight we are at test kitchen. Test kitchen is the Virgin Voyage version of a Michelin type restaurant with small experimental portions of food. At one point in our meal we score a set of free drinks because there is a slow drip from the ceiling onto one of my friends at the table. The food is decent and we have a good time but I hear they don’t really change the menu up as originally intended. It is a dining experience not for everyone.

The party continues to the pool deck where we try to sneak in to see the show but my short self is unsuccessful. Note to self next time get there early.

After the show it is onto the pool deck where some dance in the water. I decided to participate in this tradition, although I didn’t fully submerge even though strangers were encouraging me to do so. I briefly continued the party to The Manor but the crowds were so thick I decided to call it a night.

The next morning we do a caftan brunch at The Wake. It is a nice way to start our day at sea.

I take it easy at brunch because my cabin mate and I signed up for a bungee fitness class. It is not as easy as it looks and we are very unserious for the 30 minutes we are there.

I got out of class just in time for happy hour at The Dock. It was almost impossible to get a seat but luckily I eventually found a couple, even if I had to practically fight someone for the seats I had already claimed. The happy hour includes mediterranean small bites, the downside is there is a limited area that serves the food (the bar is not is not part of it). The food went so quickly that I only have this cocktail picture to show for it.

Costume night

It’s back to the room to relax and get ready for costume night since we are celebrating Halloween. We put on our costumes, some face masks and have some drinks on our verandah.

We head down to the promenade area to watch the costume parade/contest and to people watch. Lots of creative costumes. We take some fabulous group photos in a Photo Booth but unfortunately many of them never make it to our emails due to poor technology.

Tonight there is also a costumed dance party with an 80’s cover band. We have fun dancing and people watching from the balcony.

The day wouldn’t be complete without a late night stop for pizza dressed as pizza.

I start our last full day with Ramen from the Galley and a walk around the deck. Today we are stopping in Bimini Bahamas. Instead of visiting the beach club or booking an excursion we decide to rent some golf carts and create our own adventure.

The line to take the trolley to the main area is very long. We decide to walk instead, it is not too bad of a walk. My friend has a name of a company recommended for the rental. It takes us a few minutes to find the right company but when we do we easily negotiate a good rate for two carts.

Our first stop is at a conch restaurant. No one is hungry yet but I watch a guy demonstrate how conch is harvested. We plan to stop by later.

We stop at a restaurant to enjoy the view and a drink. Fish parts are thrown in the water to cause an impromptu shark show. We watch the birds and sharks for a little bit then move on to a partially secluded beach. We spend the rest of our time hanging out and admiring the bright waters.

We return to the ship. Some in the group have reservations at Gumbae, the Korean restaurant on the ship. Gunbae is an interactive restaurant where the food is cooked in from of you and a series of drinking games are played. Each player will forced to drink Soju. I even won one round which the prize was the rest of the bottle of soju. Usually the patrons are seated with people they don’t know and the drinking games are ice breakers but they let our group sit together, perhaps because we are a larger party.

Dinner takes a while so it’s late when we get out. There is a dance show tonight. I stay out for a little bit to watch the bizarre show.

Despite my late might I once again wake up before sunrise. I take a walk and have a breakfast before we disembark and start our journey home. I had an amazing time and would do a Virgin Cruise again if the opportunity arises.

Wet Marrakech

After we eat our prepared lunch we leave our group and take a short walk to the Le Jardin Secret, a 19th century courtyard garden. It is slightly wet here and very overcast. It is nice but probably better to be enjoyed on a sunny day.

We then head into the heart of the medina. We plan to do some shopping as we each have a list of souvenirs we want to buy. We practice haggling with the salesmen who start off very high for us tourists. We attempt to drive a hard bargain but some will not budge much in price. We get some sellers to agree but sometimes with attitude. It’s all a little dramatic. We probably don’t get the optimal price for all our items but at least we don’t walk away feeling severely ripped off.

I buy a purse that I’ve been looking for. I am aiming for a purse like I viewed at the tannery shop in Fes but I had a hard time finding the exact colors I wanted. In one shop I find a bag in a lighter blue but they are able to make it darker before my eyes using some special kind of oil that may have been a vegetable oil. I think I’ll be happy with my unique bag that was made around the corner by the salesmen’s father who I also met today.

We walk down the busy corridors as we browse. There is extra bicycle and motorbike traffic that we need to dodge while we walk. Perhaps they are also trying to avoid the rain outside.

We also take some time to say hi to some more kitties.

Later that evening we have reservations at the popular restaurant Safron by Koya. It is a nice dinner environment that after 9:30 PM has periodic belly dancers, a dj, and even some live music performers. We are seated in the section they seem to put the less fun people since we don’t have as much action or show in our area. Despite our location it is still good fun. They have a strict two hour limit for each table but luckily we are ready to head back to the hotel after two hours. They do give you an option of watching from the bar though if you wish to stay. I took a chance on a new Moroccan dish and it was delicious. Our appetizers were quite good as well.

The next morning we have reservations for the famous Marjorelle gardens (Yves Saint Laurent gardens) and we go hoping for a break in the rain but we are initially miserable there, rushing through the wet gardens so we can stop getting soaked. We have raincoats but they aren’t enough. We spend some time in the Berber Museum and shop towards the exit. We plan to leave the gardens when the rain temporarily lets up. Luckily since it isn’t too busy today they let us tour through the garden again instead of exiting. It is still overcast but it is a much more pleasant experience this time.

I love the Berber blue and all the cacti.

We buy the ticket that includes the Yves St Laurent Museum. I know very little about fashion but the museum is very informative. I had no idea on the impact the designer had on history nor that he was formally a designer for Christian Dior.

The ticket we purchased also includes a visit to the onsite Berber museum. While the museum was a great place to escape the pouring rain, it also is a good historical museum of the Berber people. No photos are allowed but there is a good selection of historical items such as clothing and jewelry from different regions.

It seems like it is about to start to rain again so we hop in a taxi for the souks once more. We both have more shopping to do. I purchase a tagine bowl and a lantern among my purchases and my friend has a very successful shopping day as well. Multiple times prior to this vacation we are told to drive a hard bargain. I don’t know if it’s all for show or that we really do negotiate hard but I know this bargaining activity exhausts me emotionally and physically. I am happy we are heading home soon due to being tired and all the rain. We finish the evening with a quick dinner, trip to the grocery store and spending the last hours here trying to fit all our purchases in our luggage. Wish us luck.

We’ve discovered it snows in Morocco and it can be wet when it wants to, even in the desert. Some of our days traveling have been plagued with rainy weather – mild sprinkles and some all day rains, like most of our stay in Marrakech. Luckily we already decided to skip some of the outdoor activities in Marrakech due to the similarities of the sites to places we visited earlier in our Moroccan travels. Our exploration did include two wet visits to famous gardens and shopping at souks that are partially covered but with the constant rain streams of water flow on the ground of the very old souks making it hard to stay entirely dry.

Since there are places to still visit in Marrakech and other parts of Morocco I might be coming back. We have a not so terrible direct flight from Atlanta now to make it easier. Only time will tell if/when I return but it was a good trip overall.

Marrakech

We arrive at Marrakech in the afternoon. The long winding drive has many on our tour exhausted but there are still some hours of daylight left today; plus there is a threat of rain the rest of our travels so it’s best to take advantage of today for seeing the city. My travel companion and I grab a taxi to the Medina. We have a struggle at first obtaining a taxi but somehow we end up in a taxi share situation where a very nice man in the passenger seat used to live in a city two hours from where we are from agrees to share a taxi with us. I missed the transaction happening but he pays for the taxi ride for us when he gets out of the cab.

We walk around the Medina expecting to watch the sunset on a terrace with a cocktail but apparently not many terraces allow alcohol so we just have a coffee and a snack and watch the sunset from the last one we try; we don’t want to miss the sunset.

We decide to go elsewhere to have a drink but on the way we get caught up in the evening excitement of the Medina. There are food stalls, musicians, games, and the regular cast of scammers out to make a buck. You definitely have to be alert but at no point do I feel unsafe while walking around. After some shopping we find a cafe terrace with a view of a side street where we relax and watch people walk by. After a drink or two we decide we want to head back but we can’t resist a detour through the souks. Shops are closing up for the night and it forces us to go back to the hotel and rest. We have a hard time finding our way out and end up down deserted alleyways since we have no sense of direction here. Luckily we are able to backtrack to the main area. We try negotiating with tuk tuk drivers on the rates that our tour guide suggested but none of them are budging so we end up agreeing to a higher rate. Perhaps our guide doesn’t realize how much inflation has affected the tuktuk community? We later realize we misinterpreted the advice. Apparently we have been lowballing tuktuk and taxi drivers all over the city. Locals are probably surprised with tourists driving such a hard bargain. In the grand scheme of things the amount we are saving is only a couple dollars. I’d just be happy we aren’t getting grossly over charged for services.

The next morning is our last group activity. We have a Moroccan cooking class at a riad in the medina. We learn how to make two types of salads and a lemon chicken tagine. We put together all the Moroccan spices or Ras el Hanout and as a group prepare our own tagine dish. I can’t wait to try these recipes on my own when I get home.

We say goodbye to our group and head on our own adventures – as much that is possible in the rain. More on that later.

Ait Ben Haddou

The next morning we drive by a movie studio and tour the ancient village of Ait Ben Haddou. In the past many movies have been filmed in this area because of the ancient village atmosphere. However in the last ten years filming reduced because modern technology such as AI has replaced realistic looking sets. The good news is that recently movies are being filmed in the area again including one coming up with Matt Damon.

Aït Ben Haddou is a UNESCO site that is a former ksar (or village) that was a stop along the trader route for caravans. It is now primarily used for movies and tourism. It is a wet day from all the recent rain so we walk carefully to not submerge our shoes in puddles of mud in the dirt pathways of the old city as we slowly walk towards the top. It is at the top we have marvelous views of the city below. You really feel like you have stepped into the past from this view.

While in Ait Ben Haddou we watch an artist paint in saffron, indigo stone, tea, and sugar. The art is invisible until it is put over a fire. A secret message or painting will be activated by heat. This method was used during times of conflict to pass secret messages. I purchase one of these paintings as a keepsake of the day.

Before we leave we stop at a women’s cooperative to learn how moroccan women make and sell rugs for the area. We learn the different types of rugs that are made and the symbolic meaning of images weaved into the rugs. In the past I have so much anxiety with carpet sellers that I walk away flustered without purchasing a desired carpet from my travels, but these women make me feel right at home and I even purchase my first carpet ever while traveling. I am still deciding where to place my lovely carpet back home.

We next travel to Marrakech through the Tizi N’Tichka pass. We stop for lunch and pictures at the top and the high point.

We arrive at our lunch spot to ladies and children engaged in a snowball fight. An adorable little girl whacks me with multiple snowballs while she laughs. I play along like she’s hurting me with each hit.

We visit another women’s group to see how argan oil is made.

After a stop for pictures in the snow we start our descent out of the mountains. We watch excited kids sliding down snow hills in the process. We eventually arrive in Marrakech and spend our first evening in town on our own. More on that later.

Route of 1000 Kasbah

We start in Tinghir, one of the cities that is mostly populated by the Amazigh people (berber) and also along the route of 1000 kasbahs. The kasbahs are large structures that served as fortresses along this popular route but later turned into residential structures. The city is close to nearby gorges. These kasbahs held feudal lords that were in charge of surrounding lands. Tinghir is now expanding quickly due to nearby silver mines.

We drive through many oasis like towns that have mud built kasbahs during the route of 1000 kasbahs.

During our journey police frequently pull over tour buses to have a record of stops, seat belts, and sometimes look at the cargo. Mileage, speed, stops and more are stored on a disc that they view. This disc looks like a CD.

Ouarzazate Solar Power Station is a complex power facility that harnesses the power of sun and stores energy as heated molten salt for energy production at night. The power station provides energy for the region. It is quite impressive, I wish I could have seen a facility in person.

We get closer to the mountain range again as we can see the snow covered mountains in the distance.

Today is cold and rainy as we expected. We get a slight break in the rain when we stop to see a kasbah in Ouarzazate. We learn about the history of the building and what it is made of. The walls are a mix of straw, earth, and gypsum (or adobe).

The interior is an earth and sand plaster. The foundation is stone.

Then ceilings are made of reeds and interior rooms have tile floors and no windows for privacy.

We stop briefly at a Amazigh (Berber) pharmacy to learn some natural remedies. I buy some medicine and herbs for cooking here.

Ouarzazate used to be more of a tourist stop along the desert route but better roads have tourists choosing to stay in other towns. We are staying here tonight in a really nice hotel. Unfortunately the rain and cold have us not enjoying all the outdoor amenities the hotel has to offer. Also the constant rain has us getting soaked whenever we walk from our outdoor rooms to the main lobby. Netherless we find a lull in the rain and walk around town on our own. Commerce has come to a halt because of bad weather but we visit some souks and get in views before the rain starts up again. After some shopping we head back to our hotel and camp out in our room the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow we continue our exploration of the region and then head through the mountain pass to get to Marrakech. We are entering the last part of the tour. We must make the most of these last few days.