Goodbye Africa

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Marrakech to Paris

Heather and I woke up early this morning to head to the Marrakech Airport. It was sad leaving the riad. With both of us on different coasts, all grown up, and competing demands there is precious little time together anymore. One week of crazy adventures every two years is not enough.

On arrival the airport is scattered with tourists. It is the low season but flights for Nice and Marseilles are being called. At check in I discover my luggage is 3 kgs overweight and I must pay a fee. This being a European system it involves another line and another queue. In line I pass the time chatting with a friendly pilot. No, he is not from Marrakech he informs me. He is from Belgrade. I tell him I was in Northern Yugoslavia before the war and Slovenia and Croatia after but never Belgrade.
“It is very nice and all the young people such as you like it very much.”
Seeing as the pilot looked to be about my age it made my day to still be group with the “young people”.

Heather and I pass the time before our flights buying a few last minute trinkets and then my flight is called. Final hugs and kisses and I am walking across the tarmac to a large Royal Air Moroc plane shining in the bright African morning sun. It will be a very hot day.

The scene on the plane is very different from that which I arrived to Morocco on. The plane is filled with French tourist headed back to Paris and a few Moroccan businessmen. It is quiet. No one is talking. I miss my traveling Moroccan family.

As we start to taxi out to the runway the realization that I am leaving Africa hits me. My heart drops as the plane takes off and the wheels leave African soil.

As we climb I view the new construction of little pink palaces for French buyers on the outskirts of the city. Houses fade out into rows and rows of olive groves then red desert. Higher and higher, the sky starts to envelope in a heavy cloud cover. My journey to Africa ends the way it began two months ago on arrival to Cape Town, in a white blanket. It has always amazed me that despite a cloudless day on the ground, Africa from the air always seems to be covered in a heavy white blanket of clouds. Its as if to keep her secrets only for those who dare land.

Good bye Africa. Thank you for everything. I will try and remember the lessons you have taught me and will keep my memories forever.

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