Day 157 - Goodbye Europe, Hello Marrakech

What a monster of a travel day.

Kia and I had alarms set for 5am so we could get ourselves up before the chaos started. Final coffees, final pack-up, the last random bits shoved into bags, and trying to make sure nothing got left behind. We let the kids sleep until about 6, then got them up, dressed, pyjamas packed away, toiletry bags sorted, and somehow got everyone moving.

Before leaving, we dropped our leftover food off to our Norwegian mates who were staying another week, which felt like a fitting little goodbye after the friendships we’d built there.

In the middle of all that, sirens started going off around the resort. Ambulances, police, people running up and down the street, even one of the resort golf buggies flying past with a defibrillator sitting on the front seat. It was pretty wild and definitely added a strange bit of tension to the morning. We never found out what happened, but hopefully whoever it was ended up okay.

By about 6:50am we were up at the entrance, bags piled up, ready to go. The shuttle turned up right on 7. One last quick photo at the resort’s little selfie spot, keys handed back, bags loaded, and that was it. Europe chapter temporarily closed.

Everything we’d read said allow around two hours to get from Lake Garda to Milan Bergamo Airport, but being Sunday morning with barely any traffic, it only took us about an hour. Massive win.

We’d been hearing nonstop warnings about the new non-Schengen visa exit procedures and how long it could all take, but honestly, it was smooth. We had a small baggage weight drama where one staff member said it was fine, then another said maybe not, then another desk got involved, but somehow we scraped through slightly over our 80kg allowance without extra charges.

Milan Bergamo Airport honestly feels less like an airport and more like a giant shopping centre with planes attached. You drop your bags, then walk what feels like forever through stores, food courts, and more stores. Our gate was about a 14-minute walk from bag drop. Then came the non-Schengen checkpoint… which had basically no line.

We also double-checked the Schengen rules while we were there because we wanted clarity. We’d done our 90 days, now we needed 90 days out, and then we can return. Knowing Europe isn’t off limits for long was a pretty good feeling.

Once through, there was more walking, more shops, and eventually breakfast at the gate with about two hours to spare.

Boarding, however, was chaos.

It took forever. By the time everyone finally got on, we’d missed our runway slot and ended up sitting on the plane for another hour before even taking off. Not ideal with kids and a full travel day ahead, but once we were finally in the air, things settled.

The flight to Marrakech was about three and a bit hours, smooth overall. Kids did schoolwork, we all half-dozed, and before we knew it, Africa.

Stepping off the plane straight onto the tarmac in Marrakech was a bit of a shock in the best way. Warm, dry air, around 26 degrees, and after weeks of European spring, it felt like a proper shift. We were all still in long pants dragging backpacks though, so it got hot quickly.

Visa checks were pretty straightforward. A few questions about where we were staying and what I did for work, and then through.

Then came the drone issue.

Turns out Morocco doesn’t allow drones in without declaration, so ours got taken into long-stay customs storage until we leave the country. Bit of a sting because desert drone footage would’ve been incredible, but rules are rules. So now we pay 350 dirham when we leave and collect it then.

After that, bags came quickly, which was a relief, and then came the airport admin marathon… ATM, cash, SIM cards, Wi-Fi dramas, hotspotting from Kia’s phone because mine wouldn’t connect. It probably took another hour before we were functional enough to move.

Eventually we made it outside, organised a taxi through the airport booth, hauled all our bags across a chaotic car park, and loaded into the cab.

First impressions of Marrakech traffic? Absolute madness.

Horn beeping, swerving, weaving, pure organised chaos. Honestly, it felt a lot like Vietnam all over again.

Our accommodation is right near Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakech’s massive main square, so the taxi could only get us so close. From there, we dragged all our bags another 10 minutes through the edge of the medina.

And what an entrance to Morocco.

Markets setting up. Monkeys. Cobras. Juice stalls. Narrow alleyways. Crowds. Heat. Noise. Smells. Chaos.

It was sensory overload in every direction.

At one point, Emmett stopped to look at one of the monkeys and before we knew it, the guy had brought it straight over and it jumped up on Emmett’s bag. The monkey was wearing nappies, chained up, and yeah… not really our thing. We’re definitely going to have to keep Emmett moving when he spots those setups because we’re not keen on supporting that side of it, no matter how curious he is. Cobras though… maybe from a slight distance.

By the time we finally found our way through the maze of alleyways to our Airbnb, we were absolutely cooked.

The host’s wife came down to let us in and show us around. First impressions… actually really good.

Not spotless, but comfortable.

Kia and I have our own room, which already feels like a luxury after some tighter setups, and the kids have this massive room with their own single beds spaced well apart, which is always a win. There’s a nice little lounge area, a small kitchen, and then one of the more interesting bathroom setups we’ve had so far… you open the bathroom door, the shower is immediately there, and then you literally walk through the shower to get to the toilet. So that’ll take some adjusting.

But the whole place is tucked down this tiny little alleyway, and honestly, it feels a bit like stepping into Aladdin. Hidden doors, narrow paths, little turns everywhere. Pretty cool.

We dropped the bags, immediately swapped out of long pants into shorts, sandals, thongs and Crocs, and headed back out because by then it was around 5pm and we were starving.

We found a nearby little restaurant serving traditional Moroccan food and figured why not, first meal in Morocco, let’s do it properly.

The kids got chicken salad wraps and chips, Kia and I ordered chicken and vegetable tagines, and we all got mixed fruit juices. They also brought out little breads and small dishes on the house, which was an awesome surprise.

And honestly… the food was unreal.

Super tasty, full of flavour, and a pretty cool first proper taste of Morocco.

But… rookie mistake.

Two juices came out missing, so we mentioned it, they brought two more, and only after I’d already paid and left did I realise we’d been charged for six juices instead of four. By then it just felt too hard to go back and explain, so I let it go.

That said, once we roughly converted the bill, dinner was close to $80 Australian, which definitely wasn’t the “cheap Morocco” intro we were expecting.

Maybe that’s just Marrakech tourist-zone pricing. Maybe we got stitched up a little. Maybe both.

Either way, lesson learned… I need to get much quicker with the dirham conversion.

After dinner, we headed straight back to the room, all had showers, and attempted to just crash out with a movie. But between dodgy Wi-Fi, old TV systems, poor security warnings, and our Simify eSIM running painfully slow, nothing worked.

So in the end… we gave up. No movie. No Netflix. No big night. Just bed. Honestly, probably for the best.

It would’ve only been about 8pm Italy time anyway, we’d been up since 5am, crossed continents, navigated airports, customs, SIM cards, Marrakech markets, monkey ambushes, and accidental juice scams.

So yeah… monster day.

From slow mornings in Lake Garda to stepping into the chaos of Marrakech in one massive push, Day 157 felt like one of those full reset days where the whole adventure shifts gears again.

Tomorrow we properly explore Marrakech before heading off on our desert tour.

Rested eyes, rested legs, and hopefully fewer surprise monkeys.