After another great sleep in that fabulous bed, I woke up wondering what my next surprise was going to be….

After breakfast we went off for a last walk around the square in Marrakech then back to Dar Soukaina  to wait for our Taxi.

The taxi arrived and it was one hell of a journey getting out of Marrakech, totally amazing the way they drive, and one place I would not want to be driving in.

 We finally left the city behind and started driving into the country side… getting a running commentary from the the taxi driver, about anything he thought we would be interested in.

It was not long before we started to see the Mountains and what fabulous looking mountains they were.

After about an hour we arrived in a small village called Imlil, we were dropped off in the center, as the road did not go up to where we wanted to go.

We decide to walk up to The Kasbah , although we were offered a mule to carry   our stuff we declined….. after 10 min’s I thought maybe we should of had that mule it was quite a steep walk and I was breathing heavy….

When we arrived they booked us in and took us upstairs for some mint tea… I can  tell you my mouth was wide open I had never ever seen such a beautiful place.The views were just stunning…..never in a million years could I ever imagine I would ever come to a place like this.

After a while we went to see about booking a trek up Toubkal… while Geoff sorted it I listened but didn’t really take it in at the time.

We then walked back down to  Dar Imlil , which is where we were staying, situated on the outskirts of Imlil village,it was just as beautiful as The Kasbah.

While we un-packed and settled in Geoff talked about our Trek up Toubkal , and it slowly hit me what it was we were actually going to be doing.

On my Birthday we were going to trek up the Highest Mountain in North Africa, we had our own guide, plus 2 mules, a cook and a mule boy…

The ascent was 4167m and it would be the highest either of us had ever been.

That night I fell asleep feeling very excited.

After such an exciting day I slept like a log in a bed fit for a princess … but did wake to hear the sound of torrential rain during the night.

Morning came and it was still raining, but we spent a great time chatting and laughing with lady M,over a fantastic breakfast fit for a king.

Poor lady M could not sample this fantastic breakfast as she was sticking to the rules of Ramadan , which you have just got to admire her for.

Before we knew it , it was past mid-day and it was suggested that we go off and try the Hammam out. Lucky for me Lady M told Geoff he should take me to a spa for my first visit rather than go to a public one.

So after big hugs and good byes we set off for The ISIS Spa.

Once getting there we decided on having a hammam for couples… which included a full one hours massage. Now for me this was going to be a great experience especially as I am doing a massage course at college.

We stripped off and first had water thrown over us then we were washed and scrubbed , covered in henna, then washed again before being covered in clay and then left in the hot room for a while.

Now let me tell you I have never been washed and scrubbed like that before and I could well get used to it.

We were washed once more then taken off for our massage.  

Now the massage was pure heaven, so relaxing that Geoff fell asleep and snored away, after a few minutes I could not help myself and got the giggles, which started the masseur off too.

All I can hope is that when I finish my course I can give a massage as good as that.

Now I knew we were moving on the next day…. but it was yet another surprise, I knew we were going into the mountains but little did I know what was in store for me……  

And I will keep that for another day…..

The Gorgeous bag and Scarf that Geoff treated me too in Marrakech….

 The wonderful dinner that lady M treated us too.. 

 The breakfast to die for… 

The fantastic spices and dried fruits…..

The Market Stalls….

After a 4 hour flight we arrived in Marrakech, I was still totally over whelmed and not quite believing where I was.

Once we got off the plane and the heat hit me it all began to sink in.

We eventually found our taxi driver who took us to where we were staying.

The taxi ride its self was an adventure, I don’t think they have any rules for driving they just make it up as they go along.

Everywhere looked so busy and so full of wonderful bright colors.

We arrived to a warm welcome at our Riad called Dar Soukaina and was greeted with fresh orange juice and dates.Our room, Girofle was just off the small court yard and was absolutely beautiful .

Once we had settled in we went off to explore, it was amazing so busy and full of life and I loved all the bright rich colors that were everywhere. 

We made our way to the Square where we had some lunch , I had a Moroccan Salad that was delicious .

Later that afternoon while sitting in the court yard at Dar Soukaina  enjoying a glass of mint tea, I got my next surprise…

Another guest arrived , at first I paid no attention then I realized she was making a fuss about us just having to be English, next she seemed to know our names I looked at Geoff and he just smiled I looked at the tall elegant lady  with the beautiful red hair, she looked back at me as if to say “come on sally you know who I am” then all of a sudden I thought Oh my god its has to be Lady macleod .

I was so overcome I could not help but shed a tear or two.

If you read here you will see what happened next……

What an amazing week I have just had, it was the week of my mystery holiday.

We arrived at Luton airport and I still did not know where I was going….3 flights left at 6am I was told to guess which one we were booked on….  all I saw was Paris and Marrakech.

I am sure my heart stopped beating while I tried to guess, I thought it would be Paris, Marrakech seemed far to extravagant for a birthday trip, but then I should have known better, if Geoff is going to do something he certainly does it in style.

Once I realized we were going to Marrakech I was in a state of shock and had the biggest smile you have ever seen, and that smile just got bigger and bigger all week.

Little did I realize then Just how many surprises I was in for during the week.

More to follow tomorrow……..