We (at least me) tearfully departed Beirut to continue on to Morocco where we rented a car and traveled through Marrakesh, drove through the Atlas mountains, watched the sunrise over the Merzouga dunes, and ended up in Fez, an amazing city where the giant ancient market maze is enclosed by miles and miles of walls. Even the locals get lost in the markets so we hired a trusty guide to walk through the alleys and visit spice stands and perfumeries. And countless rug shops, where you sweat away as the merchant serves you hot mint tea and has his guy unroll a thousand rugs offered at a special price "just for you because I like you."

We ate something bad. We got so incredibly sick. I will spare the details but suffice it to say we were holed up in our dinky hotel in Fez and thought we were going to die for a couple days. After several days of this, we rallied enough to make the drive to Tangier, ride the ferry to Algiers, drive to our hotel in Torremolinos, just in time to hole up and ride out our illness for a couple more days.