Testimonials

Letter 1

Dear Mr. Ghadouani,

Thank you so much for your support in making my accompanying the Yuval 
Ron Ensemble's Musical tour to Morocco possible. The hospitality I 
received along the way was tremendous, and I am very grateful.

The story is finally up on the site, including a link to your office:

http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/article/content.

article/morocco_bus/en

All the very best,

Nili Belkind

www.nilimusica.com

Letter 2

Dear Hamid,

I am terribly sorry that it's taken me so long to contact you regarding our
trip to Morocco.  We've already been back over a month, and we've been
caught up in a whirlwind of spring activity, work, etc. but every day we
dream of going back to see all the wonders of Morocco again...

We LOVED Morocco and the arrangements you made for us.  First of all, our
driver Hamid Khalfi is a wonderful man, so easy to be with, kind, honest and
funny, too.  We really laughed a lot with him!  The car was so comfortable
as well!  He understood all of our needs and took really good care of us.
On top of all of that, he is a great driver.  We hit some hairy weather
(snow, fog and rock/mud slides!) crossing through the High Atlas on the way
to Marrakesh, and he handled it like a pro - I felt very confident with
him.  When we told Hamid that we wanted to get off the "beaten path" and see
less touristy things, he was always cheerful and willing to show us things -
we had meals in several places that were wonderful, and we were the only
non-Moroccans.  We loved it.

The itinerary was a perfect mix of big city and country/small city.  In Fez,
La Maison Bleue was an amazing place to stay - we were treated like
royalty.  Our city guide, Jawad, was such a nice man, showed us everything
we wanted to see and more, and knew quite a lot - we really enjoyed him.  He
was also very easy to be with.  Shopping opportunities abound in Fez!  Of
course, there was plenty of opportunity to shop, as much as you want.  I
really enjoyed trying out my tiny bit of Arabic on people, and they seemed
to really appreciate it - everyone for the most part was super friendly and
happy to see us, as Americans, in Morocco.

In Marrakesh, Riad Mosharrabiye was amazing - we were made to feel like we
were at home.  We even helped  Fatima in the kitchen with her cooking, and
had long talks with people who worked there.  I LOVED Marrakesh.  I want to
live in Marrakesh!  I hope to go back next year with my whole family if we
can swing it.

I don't mean to skip our experiences between the two cities - the desert was
spectacular, and sleeping under the stars was quite an experience.  We were
there during a wind storm, so we ended up having dinner in an auberge where
we had fantastic food and then a cool show of sorts - all the guests at the
auberge ended up playing the drums with the guys, we had a great time.  Our
4X4 driver Hmad was a sweet guy, too. - everyone we dealt with with very few
exceptions was wonderful.

The hotel in Erfoud was fine, too, although a bit too big and certainly full
of European tourists!  Busloads of them! But it was perfectly fine.  The
only other place we stayed was in the Gorges du Todra, which was a
fascinating geological formation, I'm glad we saw it - parts of Morroco look
like the American Southwest!  Spectacular!!

I have to admit that I cried when we left Marrakesh - but Hamid showed us
some interesting things in Casablanca including the Hasan II mosque and some
fantastic restaurants.  We were sad to leave our friend Hamid and Morocco,
but we shall return!  and soon!!

Mr. Mernissi, thank you so much for making our arrangements for us.  I still
want to write a travel article on our trip - and we got some fantastic
photos (it's difficult not to).  We loved Morocco, and even though I waited
close to 30 years to see it, it was worth the wait.  We would definitely use
your services again, and would highly recommend you to our friends.

I hope that you and your family are well.  I think of you and your beautiful
country every day.  I only apologize that it's taken me so long to contact
you!

Sincerely and with very best wishes,
Diane Sakakini-Rao and E. Krishna Rao
Newton, MA

Letter 3

Dear Yuval and Hamid:

Before the glow wears off, I wanted to thank you both for all your  work in putting together our fantastic tour of Morocco. I look back at our pictures and can't believe we were really there!   We both had a fascinating and informative look at Moroccan people,  culture and music.  I will always treasure the time we spent in  private homes participating in Sufi ceremonies, in the uncomfortable  seats of our camels, watching the sun rise over the Sahara and dancing  at the party in the Marrekesh palace.  One of the best times, however,  was the concert in Fez where we sang to the people of Morocco --  though I don't understand a word of Hebrew, I was singing along with  the Ensemble about peace and brotherhood.  Rather than feeling only  like a tourist, I felt as though we had a purpose for being there. My hope is that we will be able to travel to Morocco again.  Though we  managed to endure a hectic pace and see an incredible amount of  places, it seems like our ten days was too few to really take in as  much as we wanted to see of this beautiful country. Thank you again for making this journey a great success! Peace and love, Janice Parakilas and Roy Baker Redway, California

Letter 4

Dear Hamid,

The tour now complete, it is time for some of the quieter people to be heard.  Hamid, thank you for orchestrating a trip of a lifetime!  Your knowledge and effort tastefully opened many soulful and adventuresome Moroccan doors for us, from the awesome camel/desert experience to the Gnaouan musical magic.  And thank you for safely delivering The Yuval Ron Ensemble  to their triumph in Fes.

We were saddened that negative undercurrents developed within the tour; we were saddened to see your sunbeam smile get lost in the darkness.  Group members seeking a rigid precision may have missed the heart of Morocco and a goal of the tour ... living life in Sufic harmony and peace.  Perhaps Morocco is simply not for everyone.  Know that we were not alone in these thoughts.

Brother Hamid, we wish you peace and happiness.

Linda and Dennis Wilkins

Letter 5