1979 Going Home (9/21-22/1979)

Friday, September 21, 1979

I’m heading home! We left early, taking the bus to Tetouan, and then one to Tangier. We passed the usual rugged countryside, rocky hills and mountains with scrubby trees. The bus stopped in the middle of nowhere to let off passengers. Two passengers were apparently smugglers since they spread their things evenly throughout the bus. After arriving in Tangier, we first stopped at the tourist agency to get the Royal Air Maroc address, then stopped at a bank to cash Kathy’s paycheck. At the Air Maroc office, they reluctantly agreed to keep my baggage in the storeroom for the day. Then we went souvenir-hunting and Kathy did an admirable job of bargaining when necessary. She bought book covers for her parents, a wallet for Aldo and a hand-of-Fatima charm for Pina. I got one of the charms for my sister. We were bothered only a few times by guys wanting to be our guides, but usually a “la, berekolofic” put them off. However, one guy insisted on knowing where I was from…

We had lunch at a restaurant where the fresh meats were displayed out front. We sat in a hotel garden until the stores opened up again. We were bothered again by a couple persistent “guides,” wanting to take us anywhere! Gives a bad reputation to Morocco. Finished our souvenir shopping and returned to the Air Maroc offices to pick up my bags. Kathy finagled them into getting a taxicab for me. Kathy and I said our goodbyes Moroccan-style, and we parted company after two months! It was a 15-20 minute drive to the airport. I had a two-hour wait, plenty of time for checking in and going through customs where bags were thoroughly searched and our clothes (the ones we were wearing!) were patted. After the quick body search, we were allowed on the 737 plane. Just before boarding you point out your luggage which they then put on the plane. Once in the plane, you could take any seat you wished! The plane left at 18:10 and we were served a dinner of a turkey sandwich, fruit cocktail, pretzels, cake and cookies with a tiny plastic bottle of water. We landed in Madrid 50 minutes later, but 20:00 local time. Went through customs and checked my baggage. Spent the evening exploring the international terminal of the airport. Found the souvenir shops and TWA desk. I read an Italian newspaper I found, and a magazine. Caught up on my declarable item list, journal, and game-book Kathy got me in Granville. There was no hassling, only a couple hisses. A lot of people were sleeping in the airport, so I joined them. At this airport was a specially designated “meeting point” such as one we had seen in the München railroad station. There was also a message board like one I had seen in the Tangier airport.

Saturday, September 22, 1979

I went to the souvenir shops and bought a cross pendant, then I checked in with TWA. Some guy wanted to sit and talk to me in Spanish. Later it looked like they were either taping a film, or waiting for a famous person to arrive. I think the former, because of the super-huge lamps, the single camera, the bunch of old suitcases, and the same old people waiting for hours at the luggage claim area, and the lack of huge crowds of curious on-lookers. I picked up my luggage and went through the procedures before boarding the plane. Our 747 took off by 12:00 Madrid time. I rented a headset and listened to the latest U.S. hits; I guess I didn't miss much! We were served lunch of chicken, beans, a roll, piece of cake, and a salad, etc. That was after a snack of peanuts and crackers! A while later the movie began, “Lost and Found” with George Segal and Glynnis Jackson. Kind of funny but halfway through it got cloudy (the film) and then it stopped altogether. A crewman pulled the projector down from the ceiling and loops of film spilled out everywhere. He pulled out the loose film and started the projector again. Twice again it stopped, and finally they didn't bother trying to fix it, so we will never know who got tenure.

TWA booklet cover (look familiar?)

TWA booklet: Duty Free info

TWA booklet: Menu

TWA booklet: Beverages and Duty Free info

I continued listening to my headset, and seven hours after take-off we landed at Kennedy Airport, NYC. It was only 13:00 local time, a relative flight of only one hour! We had a long wait for baggage. I breezed through customs and only had to pay $2.30 for duty. I took the bus of the JFK Subway-Bus Express to Manhattan to a parking lot where I caught the subway to 42^nd Street. Ended up hiking along 42^nd Street (I wasn't bothered by a soul!) to Port Authority where I called the family, and then took the bus to Mahwah, NJ where Mom, Dad and Kathy met me. A short walk to Suffern, NY and home again! (Although Suffern wasn't my home originally, it became my home for the next year or so!)