Back home

Not a lot I can do with a broken leg but I can do my blog, which I neglected to do much of in Morocco.

A lot of the time was spent getting documents ready for the visa application. Finally we went to Rabat. We took the bus from Merzouga to Meknes and then the train to Rabat. I met a nice little bissy at the station with huge whiskers. It canme onto my lap and was very happy there and having that moggy made the time pass and was a lovely way to spend the time.

Once in Rabat we tramped round finding a cheap hotel - using the Rough Guide to help us. We settled on the Hotel Galulois. It was fine and the next day we set out to get the marriage document translated. Stupidly we went for the one that's near to one of the official places. It has an advertising board outside and has touts too to bring in business. Try to hide your documents round there. Anyway I was charged 410 dirhams for a both job - we found no end of mistakes - particularly in our names. Then we had to go to another place to get it stamped and there the said that the translation place hadn't signed the dsocument. So I looked at it again and found another mistake, we Ammar did - it said that we had married in 2010. They changed that and there were still mistakes. Anyway they rectified them and then we returned to the government office and got it stamped and signed. We then went to another government place for another stamp. No queue but when the woman looked at the original document she told A,mmar that we had to go back to Er Rachidia to the court to get it stamped and signed by the court president. So back on the train to Meknes and a visit to Youssef's place to while away the time until the coach at 9.30 p.m. Then we met up with Mustapha and Ahmed (former students) and they chatted to us with Youssef and Idir.

Back to Merzouga and the next day to Er Rachidia to the court. It was simple, not a lot of waiting round. We spent the est of the time at the home of Ibrahim, one of Ammar's cousins. There was a wedding going on outside and we were able to see some ahidous - young men standing round the grooms with tambouirs. The grooms were getting hennaed and clothed in the wedding clothes. They wore the same clothes as at a Merzouga wedding but in a slightly different way. I wasn't allowed to take photos but I can remember. The red cloth was put around the forehead and not covering the face, as in Merzouga.The grooms also had tassels a bit like Merzouga brides. Didn't get to see the brides but apparently they don't wear tassels and their veils are longer. This tradition is from the area of a town between Rissani and Tazzaine - Alnif I think.  The tent wasn't a traditional camel hair one but a plastic white one, fully enclosed.

The bus took us back to Meknes and we caught the train again to Rabat. Actually I think it was on this trip that I met the whiskery cat as on the last trip there were people that Ammar knew at the station.

Decided to stay in another hotel - Hotel Berlin. Got the marriage document translated in another place and the woman was fantastic. She charged less and was not stroppy when we pointed out a couple of errors. Back to the first stamping place, then the second place, all went well, and then to the third stamping place. A great queue was outside, one of men and one of women. We were called eventually and given a ticket with a number. Then we sat downstairs until we were all called upstairs. Ammar went to get the document stamped and signed. That being done the next task was to get a photocopy of it.

Finally Ammar had to get a new photo and where it was done the man was very nice and chatty. He even gave us a large copy of the photo for nothing.

Our next task was to do something for one of Ammar's brothers. We went to the address given but they had moved premises. After lunch we took a taxi miles and miles to the new premises of the pension department of the government. A super bouilding but we werer going to have to wait for hours to get to see someone. We waited an hour but nothing was coming our way so we gave up.

Friday 22nd October was the day for Ammar to give in the documents we had collected and to get a biometric photo and fingerprints done.  Early in the morning I went to the toilet and on my way out I stepped down to the floor of the room and slipped on a shiny tile that had water on it. I went down with a bang and knew at once that I had broken my leg.