Dr. Carol C. Mukhopadhyay Professor, Department of Anthropology San Jose State University

Dr. Carol C. Mukhopadhyay

April 20, 2000
Dear Hassan,

Following up on our conversation last week, I wanted to reiterate what a wonderful trip we had, what a fabulous country Morocco is [we just got a "glimpse" and want more!!], and what an excellent job you and your associates did in planning and carrying out all the arrangements for the trip. Morocco is...well...incredible...far beyond our wildest expectations. Two weeks just "touched the surface". although your itinerary did allow us to get a "taste" of the diversity and richness of Morocco landscape and culture. from the Atlas mountains to the desert! Incredible natural beauty!! And cultural diversity and richness! And architecture & design..."imperial" and "folk" alike.

Casablanca Travel & Tours met and exceeded our expectations

Re: all the "logistics" overall itinerary, hotel, guide, travel arrangements, your keeping in touch with our guide, and honoring all your commitments as per: the original contract. The final touch was the birthday cake for Dyanne! Abdullah was a delightful, warm, sensitive, accommodating, and knowledgeable guide [and we loved meeting Karima, his sister]. He mediated our group of independent-minded, assertive, seasoned travelers beautifully! Abdul, our driver, was a gem--and got us through the most incredible and unexpected weather--what a wonderful drive--and human being!

Our accommodations were far more elaborate than what we expected...some were like art museums. We were surprised at the number of French and German tourists...and rarely encountered a non-European. Asok & I, personally, would have preferred a more "international" flavor and more Moroccan [vs. French/German] food in the dining room [and Moroccan music in the hotel-- live & piped]...but it was a revealing insight into the Moroccan tourist scene! And...our rooms...and the grounds were generally quite beautiful and very luxurious!! Each hotel seemed to surpass the previous one. culminating in the beautiful setting, complete with choruses of birds, in the hotel in Marrakech!!

Re: guides-- Abdullah was an excellent guide and was knowledgeable
generally as well as familiar with the specific cities/places we stopped
at. Among the local guides, Moheeb, in Fes, was by far the best. He was fluent in English, knowledgeable, friendly, comfortable with groups