Azdean Returns to Morocco!

You've heard him share his passion for Morocco, tell stories of his childhood and Berber culture, interview riad owners and restauranteurs, and chat with his own clients who have been to Morocco over the past couple years, including even podcast producer Ted.

In all that time, our host Azdean has been at home, in Houston, patiently waiting for his turn to go back. Countless times since 2019, plans have fallen through, reservations have changed, intended trips have been pushed back. 2021 became 2022, and then 2023, making it four long years since he had seen family and friends, visited his home village, wandered the medina of Marrakech and sipped tea at his favorite hangout overlooking the Jemaa el-Fnaa square.

Today marks the beginning of Azdean and family's long-awaited return to their home country. Leaving from Houston, they must first make a stopover in Frankfurt, Germany, before connecting a few hours later to their flight to Casablanca. It is from Frankfurt that we catch up with Azdean, including a cameo from Imran, sharing with us live this special moment for them that has finally arrived.

Feel the palpable excitement as Azdean talks about the plans for their return, the reunions and introductions, and the plans to document it all for the podcast. In the coming weeks, we'll be visiting Berber villages and hearing the Ahwash style of drumming and dancing, heading back to Essaouira to check in on Xavier at his stunning riad and to visit the vibrant fish market, and touring the souks of Marrakech to chat with shop owners and tour guides.

This and so much more. Camera and audio crews will be accompanying Azdean throughout Morocco to document a typical Destination Morocco tour, showcasing the best of what the country has to offer.

We wish Azdean and his family a safe and happy return to their native land, and Destination Morocco podcast will be there throughout the adventure.

Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

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Transcript

(Promo):

 Do you dream of exploring the enchanted land of Morocco? Discover the magic with Destination Morocco, the ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires. 

If you are a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, then visit destinationsmorocco.com. That's destinations with an S, morocco dot com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

TED CRAGG:

So, Azdean, where are you right now?

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM:

Actually, in Germany. Frankfurt, Germany. At the airport, at a hotel, we are on our way to Morocco. We are beyond thrilled and excited, so we're going to be here for about 10 hours and then we catch our flights around 11pm to Morocco, and we get there a little bit after midnight and then from there in Casablanca we're going to drive all the way to Marrakech. So a lot of fun.

TED:

So wait a minute. That means that you'll get to Marrakech at like 3 in the morning or something?

AZDEAN:

That is correct. Yes, we'll get to Marrakech at about 3 in the morning, so everyone's going to be asleep. Just going to sleep for a little bit, and you know, just, it's good actually, because we're going to fall asleep and, you know, wake up at the same time with everybody, so there's no jet lag, which is nice.

TED:

That's true, and so you left Houston last night, is that right?

AZDEAN:

Yeah, we left Houston on Monday, so today is Tuesday and we'll get to Morocco on Wednesday. So it's just… yeah, it's a long trip.

TED:

Yeah, well, this is incredibly exciting. You know, I'm so happy for you and to share this with you, and thanks for letting us in as part of your journey here, because just remind us in the audience, when was the last time that you were actually in Morocco?

AZDEAN:

The last time was actually July of 2019. That was the last time we visited. It's almost four years ago and you know, through the pandemic, through everything, it's just been a roller coaster of emotions and things, just like everybody, yeah, but it's been a long time coming. And this is the longest that we have been away from Morocco, me, Imran and Khadija. We waited for this moment for a long, long time.

TED:

So this is what I think people may not realize. Steady listeners of the show may have pieced together some of your story, but I think a lot of people assume that you're either in Morocco or you're often there, or certainly that you've been back, you know, fairly frequently. But this is really a remarkable thing: when you think about all of the guests you've had on this show, the people who've taken your tours, and even myself and my family - we've all been to Morocco. And you've been waiting for your turn and now it's finally here. This is incredible.

AZDEAN:

You're right. A lot of people, when I talk to them, they think and they ask me “Hey, are you in Marrakech, or are you in the US?” And I say, “Well, I'm in the US and we also have an office space in Marrakech,” which is unique for us. So now it's been four years and I'm looking forward to it. Then it's just, it's just going to be amazing. It's just, we have so much stuff in plans for the listeners and I cannot really thank them enough because we're really, really, really doing this program and they pushed us to do this, to be better, to do better and to improve everything that we're doing in terms of experiences, in terms of where they stay and everything that you can think of when it comes to duty of care, when you know when the guests arrive from the, the moment they get to the airport and in the moment we drop them off. 

So this is one of the things that we're going to be doing in the north side and also in the south side. We're going to be going to new properties, we're going to visit the ones that we already work with just to enhance the, you know, the, the networking experience, just to the relationship, just take it to the next level and we're looking for more experiences. You know things that we suggest for the guests and when those guests leave, they live with memories. You know that would last a lifetime.

TED:

Oh yeah, whether it's your guests you know, the people taking your tours or, of course, the people there in Morocco who benefit from tourism and exposure to people from around the world who come there to see life in Morocco. It's a fascinating thing. So lots of stuff happening. For starters, you have these fam trips, familiarization trips, and that's going to be happening over the course of the next few weeks.

AZDEAN:

Yes, it's actually almost two weeks in the south and the tour will start on the 16th of June. We start in Marrakech with the two day immersive experience in Marrakech, with local guide/ tour leader and everything the same way that you have experienced it. It’s just now, we're going to do it and we're going to document it in audio, we're going to document it in video and that's something that we're going to utilize as a new platform. You know, a youtube podcast. Yeah, that's our goal. We're documenting everything from A to Z In terms of the south tour of Morocco. In each stop we have two or three interviews, minimum a day. So, in terms of content, we're going to create a lot of content and also, I'm going to really focus on Instagram. We're going to do some lives and we're going to share quite a bit on Instagram, because that's what I see a lot of the audience tend to follow us.

TED:

Yeah, I think that's a good place to be. Instagram is great for travel, travel content, and it's a nice way for people then to keep up with what you're doing on your trip, because you know we publish episodes every two weeks, so to have something in the meantime and that's just exciting. Talking to you today, because this is live, like you're really on your way right, and we want to follow you and really be part of this journey that you're on, since it's been so long since you've been there. So how does it feel after all this time to actually be going back to Morocco?

AZDEAN:

You know it's funny. This is the first time that I come through Frankfurt, Germany. I always go through France, Spain, but it feels, it feels surreal experience and I'm being very honest, I'm still in disbelief that it's actually happening. And Imran is beyond excited. He wants to record his own things on his own. He was complaining, actually, when he finished his school, like, “Hey, what are we still waiting here? Let's go to Morocco right now. We don't have to wait until June 12!” So it's building up. It's for me, for Khadija, for Imran, for the friends, the family, for the crew, for the office staff that I haven't seen in quite some time, the new members that I haven't seen. 

So it's going to be just amazing and we're going to document it and we have a couple of photographers with us. We're going to have a drone, so we're going to take quite a bit of videos, pictures with it. So it's going to be really, really nice and at the end, the ultimate goal is to put a really good documentary about my personal experience in Morocco this summer, and it's something I know that it's been done, but it's probably have not been done the way that we're planning it to be done.

TED:

Yeah, well, that's a good point. We've chatted about this over time, about how when you think of Morocco, I mean there's lots of people go to Morocco and there's other tour companies and so on who do tours, but you guys are probably the only native local Moroccans doing something like this, whether it's a tour company, and especially the podcast and the media side of it. So to hear Morocco and to see it being explained and presented and documented by Moroccans, it sounds obvious, but it's not really that common to see people actually do it - Moroccans from Morocco. So I think that's a big part of what makes you guys stand out.

AZDEAN:

I totally agree, Ted, because there are companies here and there, I mean large tour operators in the US, and then they have their offices in Morocco. But we're different. You know, you have traveled with us. You see who we work with. You see the people that we support, the communities, we support little people, we support the small people, we support the underdogs, and that's who we are too. We do change lives. You know, when you go to Casablanca and Khalil gives you the tour, I mean it's just that experience in itself. It's beyond incredible. The same thing with Siham when she does the henna tattoo and the experience, and she's a single mom. You know Khalil is blind. Then we do the same thing with single father, single family. It's just the people that we help. Probably a lot of people would not even pay attention to and that's what makes us who we are.

TED:

And this comes back to the podcast too, the role that this show has played now over the past year and a half or so, giving exposure to those people. They get to learn some of their stories and hear about them in various episodes. So they're the people who are looking to go to Morocco, of course, and book one of your tours. They'll request those guys, they'll request those activities that they wouldn't know about if it wasn't for this show.

AZDEAN:

So we're so fortunate to have this platform and you know we have so much stuff for the listeners. You know I want to share my story. I want to share my people, my village, the people that I grew up with. The thing is, what we have found is, when we get those appointments or people want to talk to us or their interest, one thing that always comes up, the number one thing, is Berber culture. And we are Berbers. I'm Berber, Khalil is Berber, Sam is Berber, the people that work with are Berber, so most of us are Berber. Nobody will give you the best taste or feeling or experience when it comes to Berber culture than us. No one hands down, no one, because I live in the US, so I know what the audience is looking for when it comes to that. 

Then we have everything back home - the network, and the network is very trustworthy. When you are with one of us or one of our affiliates or freelancers, you're in good hands. You don't have to second-think hey, they're gonna rob me, they're gonna offer a job, they're gonna do this. No, you're in good hands.

TED:

Absolutely. Yeah, you feel safe and comfortable 100%.

(Promo):

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This is not your typical budget vacation. This is an experience of a lifetime. Visit destinationsmorocco.com, that's destinations with an S, morocco dot com and start planning your unforgettable Moroccan escape today.

TED:

What's something that you are really excited to do when you get back to Morocco that you haven't been able to do in four years.

AZDEAN:

Okay, this is kind of touching and kind of deep, and it's painful sometimes for me and I'm being very honest, the Berbers are my ancestors. We live in the mountains. Until my uncle built his own independent places called Asgzal, which is in the bottom of the hill. It is a beautiful, beautiful property, farm, incredible. So for me, we grew up watching Ahwash and trying to dance and sing and play with the drums and all that stuff. But I'm not a professional, I could never do it, but it's fun doing it as kids. That's where we grew up doing it, just playing and practicing. And it's like when you play soccer you want to play in the World Cup or major league or whatever. But for us, that's what I really wanted to do when we grew up. 

Last time when I visited it was in 2019 and again when I went to the mountains, I attended one of those Ahwash celebrations and it was just incredible that moment. It really touched me. It was very painful for me because the last time that I attended a ceremony like that was 27 years and I just looked and I was like, oh my God, I can't believe that I waited that long to see this or feel it or so forth. So it was kind of heartbroken. But that experience we're going to add for anybody who's going to do the south side of Morocco, everybody who's going to Telouet, and we get those requests, who want to have lunch and have an experience with the Berber family, and we're going to include the Ahwash experience.

TED:

Yes, so is that something you're going to do again?

AZDEAN:

Oh yes, oh my God, I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to it. I'm probably going to have it live on Instagram, at least, when we get there. It's going to be fun, it's going to be - that's my music, that's my origin, those are my roots. It's going to be a lot of fun.

TED:

How connected do you feel to your culture, your country, your family? Living in Houston, so far away, all this time? Do you feel as connected as you used to, or as you'd like to, or what's that relationship like now?

AZDEAN:

It's tough. First of all, you're never completely satisfied, slash probably happy, because when you're here you're thinking about there and, yeah, you miss your friends, you miss your family, you miss the people you grew up with, you miss that culture. But it doesn't get easier with time, it gets worse with time. And the worst part of all of this, all the trips, is the goodbyes. When your trip is ended, whether you're going for a week or a month or whatever, the goodbyes are very painful because you know a lot of those people, they may never see you again. You may never see them again. So I look like I'm not affected, I look cool, I look okay, but deep inside I'm really not. But I mean, that's just the way it is. 

The funny thing is, the further I have been from Morocco, the more I appreciate it. This is my personal experience. I cannot speak for other people, but I did not want to be in Morocco. When I was in Morocco as a teenager, I just wanted to get out as quick as possible, as far as possible, but I had no qualifications. I could not go anywhere. I don't qualify to go anywhere, not even at the location I left the country. I feel very fortunate that I made it to the US. The more I made it, the more I live here and I meet people. “Where are you from in Morocco? Oh my God, what are you doing here? Oh my God, that's exotic, that's beautiful. Can I look at this?” I say, hey, what are they talking about? But the thing is I've never seen it that way, but then, because of them, I stopped seeing it that way. This is one of the blessings of being a foreigner or an immigrant. 

So I'm very connected to the culture, to the music. Oh my God, I love the music, the Berber music. It's just beyond incredible. I think this goes for a lot of us as humans. In the mountains, for the longest time we didn't have lights, there was just, you know, the candle lights. That was the light at the night. People just leave their houses with candles. That's how they live. There's no power, there's no light, nothing. So I remember in early 80s vacation time I used to go with my grandfather. He used to listen to the radio, just Berber music. So many great, great musicians, the founding fathers of the Berber music, and it stuck with me to this day. I mean, I forgot it for a long time but it came back to me, and I think that's the kind of stuff that comes back to us when we do stuff when we're eight, nine, ten years old. It comes back to us when we're 30s, 40s or even 50s. I'm beyond thrilled.

TED:

Well. So it's so exciting because now you have the opportunity to be there with the equipment and you can document it yes. And like I kind of I was excited to give that little taste of it back in Essaouira and we did that episode, which is great practice for all of us and kind of putting it together and for the listeners, a real taste of what's to come. 

So it's that kind of style you know, you're walking around, you've got the recording device, you're capturing street sounds and there's music playing and there's people talking and bartering and all the rest and all that hustle and bustle right, and we capture that in audio and you'll have some video. 

But this is another good point too, because there really is a place for both, I mean video - obviously you've got all these different sensory exposure and you know there's very visual colors and lights and all of that and that's cool. But there's definitely a place for audio and people listening. You'll hear it in that Essaouira episode where you can really close your eyes now and immerse yourself in that moment. You know and imagine that you're walking around the Medina of Marrakech or you're following. You hear maybe your footsteps as you're walking through the hills of your village right, stuff like that. And like you can really imagine being there. You can use video, and there will be some video clips, for sure, but there'll also be a place for the audio where people can kind of put themselves in that position too. And that's the whole thing we're trying to get across here is that you can do it too. You can book a tour, you can go and visit Morocco there's lots of ways to do it and build your own tour, your itinerary, like you guys did for us. There's just so many opportunities to go and see things and get people excited for it.

AZDEAN:

Your episode in Essaouira. I loved it. Oh my God, it's one of my favorites. And again, because of your hearing, by the same time you're visualizing it was like, okay, the ocean, the sound. And then when you go to the Place Moulay Hassan and you hear the bargain, and you hear, you know, hey, belik, belik, you know, get out of the way, get out of the way because somebody's you know pulling something or whatever, yalla yalla. Yalla, yalla. Exactly, it's the emotions and it's just when I listen to it I feel like, oh, I know exactly what he is standing, I know exactly where they're going. Oh, my God, I know exactly what that is. So it's just it's. I love that episode. It was just incredible, yeah.

TED:

Thanks, yeah, it was fun to put together and you know that's a good point too, the episodes that we'll create. That'll be fun for people who've been to Morocco. Your guests, some of who've been on the show, and anyone else who's been on your tours because it helps you revisit and reminisce. You know, as I say, whether you're walking in Fès or in Marrakech or anywhere else and like, “Yeah, we know where that was. We can really imagine and remember ourselves being there.”

AZDEAN:

Definitely yes, 100%.

TED:

Is there a particular food, let's say, or delicacy, that you're looking forward to, that you haven't been able to taste in four years?

AZDEAN:

Oh my God, so much, so much. The street food, obviously, and it always does taste different than whatever you cook at home. So I'm looking forward to taste some good stuff in the square Jemaa-El-Fna, and also I'm looking forward to taste some food in Essaouira, for sure. One thing that I'm looking forward is actually the seafood in Essaouira. I talked to Xavier we're gonna meet. Xavier is just - he's on his own when it comes to hospitality. 

TED:

He's a really nice guy. 

AZDEAN:

I have never experienced somebody like him when it comes to his guests or our guests in the way that he takes care of him. So I'm looking forward to staying at his riad and absolutely tasting his dishes. I still remember when Pablo said, hey, that was the best seafood that I've eaten in my life, and he's like, oh my God, that's incredible. So definitely Essaouira. I want to eat also in the fish market. When you go to a Essaouira, the fish market, it's a must-do. You gotta go through the hustle and bustle in your own fish and they grill it for you and they fry it for you and they serve you at the table. What I'm looking forward to is, we're gonna have when we go to the mountains on the 18th, the 18th or 19th, we're gonna have couscous with the Berber family and we're gonna document their experience. We're gonna do one day with the Berber family from A to Z and we're gonna document as much as we can, and that's something I'm looking forward to.

TED:

How far is it then from Marrakech to basically your home villages in that area that you were talking about?

AZDEAN:

We're talking 120 kilometers. It's not the distances. It should be about an hour and a half drive, but the challenge is the curves when you go through Tizca. The pass is in Tizca, which is very tricky, and the road in the mountains. It's not a straight line, it's, you know, you go around and around and around the mountains, but you have to respect the mountains and you have to know those mountains. So that's why it takes a little bit longer to get to it versus a straight line, for example, if you're going to Casablanca or stuff like that. So it's been a long time coming. I've been waiting and waiting, and waiting, because so long that it's finally here and I can't wait.

TED:

Well, I'm really happy for you, and we're all happy for you, all the listeners you know, again, just to realize, to really realize just how long has been. You know, even I wasn't quite grasping it, but geez, you think about the past four years and everything's happening between now and then and I'm sure, all of the moments when you were close to going and you kind of had plans and dates in mind, right, but it fell through and like push back and push it back some more and and watching other people go, and now it's your turn.

AZDEAN:

Yeah.

TED:

This is really neat. So I'm really really happy for you guys, and Imran must be super excited.

AZDEAN:
Oh my gosh, he's counting the days, the minutes, the hours. He's just beyond thrilled. 

TED:

Does he want to say hello? 

AZDEAN:

Let me see. “Imran, you want to come say hi?”

TED:

How excited are you to get to Morocco? 

IMRAN:

Well, more excited than anyone else has been in this world. 

TED:

Cool. What are you excited to do once you get there? 

IMRAN:

Meet my cousin, if I can, because he's in Morocco.

TED:

Mm-hmm. Are you excited to see Marrakech? 

IMRAN:

Oh, yeah, definitely. 

TED:

And is there any food that you're looking forward to? 

IMRAN:

Couscous.

TED

Nice. Well, we're excited to hear what you've got to say during your trip, so I'm sure we'll talk to you again.

IMRAN:

Thank you so much.

AZDEAN:

Thank you Ted, really really appreciate it.

TED:

Say hello to Sam and everyone in the office for me, and have a wonderful time, and we'll see you on Instagram. So everybody listening, follow along. You'll get lots of updates from Azdean. It's his return to Morocco! 

AZDEAN:

And to follow us on Instagram, it's @destination Morocco. It's really, really easy, one word. 

TED:

Great, perfect, thank you. 

AZDEAN:

Thank you, Ted. 

(Promo):

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Let us craft an itinerary that unlocks the secrets of this mesmerizing land just for you, for a luxurious, bespoke Moroccan adventure of a lifetime. Visit destinationsmorocco.com that's, destinations with an S, morocco dot com, and let us turn your dreams into reality. Your amazing Moroccan experience awaits.