I have written two previous pieces for this blog noting my enthusiasm and appreciation for running in Marrakesh, Morocco. I have never brought up political issues in these blogs. Intrinsically, politics are tied to this one. I'll try to tread lightly. April 3, Shannan and I joined another couple for a long leisurely lunch on the terrace of the Argana restaurant in the main square of Marrakesh. The café came highly recommended by tour guides and hotel staff for first time visitors. And so it should. The food was great and the view was astounding. The upstairs terrace looks over the Djemma el-Fna Square, one of the most culturally rich and fascinating places on earth, home to indigenous dancers, snake charmers, henna painters, souvenir vendors and more.
During lunch service April 28 a bag exploded in the very same popular tourist destination killing fourteen people and injuring more than twenty others. News of the explosion left us unsettled mentally, psychologically and spiritually. I truly felt sick to my stomach as the reality of the event became clear, the act of violence, terrorism, loss of life, the whole thing. Something awful had happened in one little corner of the world in a far away place. We had been there. It could have easily been us. We had been to Egypt, but long before and the riots there. Make no mistake, the recent North African revolts gave pause to our friends and family as we traveled to Morocco. We assured them no indication of such a thing existed that far west.
I am so grateful to have experienced Marrakesh and would happily go back in a minute. Shannan and I will not be imprisoned by terrorists. We will continue to travel. We’ll have long leisurely lunches. I’ll run on dark streets.
Life is precious. Live it.
Tom
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