The singular joy of the Middle Eastern Road Trip

Tomorrow, we surf. Today, we drive.

Longer road trips get rarer and rarer as one ages or maybe as one ages in an American metropole. I remember a childhood filled with endless driving. Driving the seven-ish hours north, to Kent, Washington, to visit the paternal grandparents. Driving the fifteen-ish hours south, to Moreno Valley, California, to visit the maternal grandparents. Up and down, down and up, over and over again interspersing sleeping with staring out the window with letting the mind wander to wherever it might as various scenes slipped by outside.

Flying into Marrakech, Morocco, with the family, then driving five-ish hours south to the coast brought the glories of road travel instantly back. For some miraculous reason, phones were generally shelved and the various members went sleep, stare, wander in the old ways. I’ve always found the greater Middle East to be particularly hypnotic, maybe the best place in the entire world to drive. Switzerland with its postcard peaks and cows is simply too much. Australia (save parts of the west) with its road stop non-glamor too little. Bolivia’s roads are too messed up, Mexico is ok but also basic as well, Spain is horribly boring, Germany is too orderly, Italy is, also and surprisingly, too orderly, train is the only way to go, in India, making car travel stupid and America, oh America, is too big and also stupid especially inside a Love

Yes, the greater Middle East in the perfect place for longer road trips and is shockingly uniform from Yemen to Syria through Lebanon to Egypt all the way west to Morocco. The towns are spaced just right, their mosques a little treat for the eyes, and ears if one happens to be passing during a call to prayer. The road stops are culinary adventures featuring, without doubt, freshly grilling meat-on-demand plus cute kittens who may, or may not, carry deadly diseases plus cute puppies who certainly do. Vibes amongst drivers are generally chill with light flashes, finger signals and little beeps of horn spoken as a comprehensive language especially if some law enforcement or checkpoint business is near. The driving is slow, in general, but everything is slow and so time vanishes. There is no worrying about when one will arrive, just a pleasant feeling that one will eventually arrive, inshallah.

Tomorrow, we surf. Today, though, we drive.