The Birthday Adventure

Seville, Spain

Last week Kim and I had an "adventure" on my birthday.

Dear M,
I am writing for Kim who made a reservation for tonight and tomorrow. The ferry to Tangier left hours late. We are on a bus from Tangier to Meknes. We left Tangier at 18:00. I have a mobile phone that sends email but cannot call. We think we will arrive at the bus station around 23:00. If someone from the Riad can meet us that would be great. I will try to access email again when we are closer to see if you have sent a response. In any case, please hold on to our room. We are coming. Thank you!
~ Jennifer

Dear Kim and Jennifer,
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the ferry. Please could you tell me which bus station are you arriving at? Is the bus company a CTM or another one?Let me know as soon as possible to facilitate the pick up.
~M

Dear M,
Hello! The name of the bus company on our ticket is Nejme Chamal. If we stop somewhere we will ask the driver or ticket taker the name of the station the bus is going to. Thank you for your quick reply. You made our day!
~Jennifer and Kim

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
I think that the bus station is Sidi Said. When you get the name of the station give it to me and tell me when the bus arrives.
~M

Dear M,
We have been told the name of the place where the bus will stop is Hamriya. The time it is expected to arrive is 10:30. If you need more information we will ask more questions.
~Jennifer

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
Hamriya is the new city part of Meknes; it is quite big. Try to get the exact name of the place where the bus stops and i will be waiting for you there. Could you give me your phone number.
~M

Dear M,
We can't find out more specific information. I'm sorry. There was a big fight happening outside the bus. The police came and now we are moving again. Is it possible to take a taxi to your hotel? If not maybe we should take a taxi to the train station and meet you there. Because of the fight the bus will probably not arrive before 23 or 23:30. My phone number is +1 504... We are so sorry that this has become so difficult.
~Jennifer

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
Your trip seems to start in a very exotic way. When you arrive to Meknes take a taxi and tell the driver to drop you at Bab Mansour; that is the biggest touristic attraction in the medina and that is the place where we can't miss each other.It is just five minutes walk from the riad As soon as you arrive to Meknes send me an email ; a member of the riad staff will be waiting for you there.
~M


Dear M,
That sounds like a wonderful plan. We will email you when the bus arrives. Hopefully we will have no more exotic stories to tell.
~Jennifer and Kim


Dear Jennifer and Kim,
Fine. Have a safe trip.
~M

This is the point in which the woman sitting in the middle of the aisle (next to me) begins to vomit. Copiously. The bus pulls over by the side of the road at a restaurant and the ticket taker procedes to flood the bus with several buckets of water.

About half an hour later we get told by some passengers that we´re in Meknes. The bus pulls over at the side of the road on the outskirts of town. The driver gets off and helps explain to a taxi driver where we want to go in the city. The taxi gets to the city center faster than my thumb can text a message to M. With creative gesturing, we beg the non-English/French/Spanish speaking taxi driver to let us wait in the taxi with the meter running until someone can come find us.

Dear M,
We are at the Bab. We are waiting with the taxi until someone can come.
~Jennifer and Kim

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
He is coming right now; three minutes.
~M

Dear M,
Great! We are in a taxi next to the open plaza.
~Jennifer and Kim


Dear Jennifer and Kim,
TWO MEN WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY; CONFIRM WHEN YOU MEET THEM;GOOD NIGHT AND SEE YOU TOMORROW.
~M

Omar and Abdul found us. I don´t know if I´ve ever been so happy to see two men in my whole life. They took us to the guest house which could have been mistaken for a palace. It was gorgeous. There was even a midnight feast waiting. It was a fairy tale ending to an unexpectedly dramatic day.