From Dominican Republic to Morocco :-)

I began writing this blog about 10 days ago in Istanbul. Since then I have flown to Bangkok, now on the island of Koh Chang and the writing of the blog became delayed being in a new location, new things to see, and new things to do. Tomorrow I travel to Cambodia. Hopefully I can get this blog completed today and posted before I travel on my next step.

This is going to be interesting as it is my first post since beginning my travels around April 8. I had decided around February that it was time to head back to Sydney Australia, to do more teaching. When I began looking at my normal route of flying from Dominican Republic where I had been living in my apartment for 15 months, through Los Angeles back to Sydney, I discovered that air fares were very high. US $900 for a one-way flight LA to Sydney which translated into AU $1 350. This got me thinking. There has to be a more economical way to get back to Sydney I thought. Then I remembered that many Europeans travel to DR and some had even told me about cheap tickets from Europe. I began investigating. The first option I found was US $300 to Germany from Punta Cana which is on the other side of the Dominican Republic, so a bus journey would be required. But it looked like a pretty good start to me. I then began thinking about how I could leg my way back to Australia and see sites along the way. Sounded like a good plan to me.

When I tried to book the flight for US $300, I discovered that the company would only accept US, Canadian and European credit cards, which I did not have. My search continued, and it just kept getting better. I found another company to fly me to Germany and now the ticket was US $200 and the flight was departing from Puerto Plata, the airport 10 minutes from my apartment! How fantastic was that!

I then thought about the places I would visit. The flight was going to land in Cologne Germany, a place that I had visited before, so there was nothing much I wanted to see there again. I booked a fast train to take me to Amsterdam where I stayed three nights. Part of the deal of taking a long break away from work that I made with myself, was that I would do everything as economically as I could. So, my thinking about Europe was that I could have a short visit there, but basically, I would be getting in, doing what I wanted to do, and then getting out! Thus three nights only in Amsterdam, and in a shared room at a hostel. That turned out to be a good plan in lots of ways. More about that later. For the first time, I looked at Airbnb, where people rent out a room in their house to visitors. After Amsterdam, I would travel by train to Brussels where I would stay for two nights at the house of a Belgian of Moroccan descent. That was a pretty awesome situation given that my next real destination was to be in Morocco! He also had a roommate who was Canadian but of Haitian descent, so that was pretty amazing given that I had just come from the Dominican Republic where I have many Haitian friends.

The rest of the plan turned out to be flying from Brussels to Malaga, Spain on Good Friday, then catching a bus to Algeciras, which has a ferry terminal for Tangier, Morocco. As I am writing all of this, so many memories return to me. At the time of planning all of this adventure, there was so much uncertainty and lack of knowledge about all these places, connections, how to get from A to B etc. But of course now, as I recount this adventure, everything has worked out great. I think this has been the best journey I have ever taken, and it’s not over yet. Not only is it not over yet, but I now have so much more confidence about planning future journeys, and being more trusting and knowledgeable about different destinations in the world. Prior to this journey, there are many places that I would not have considered going to, out of caution or fear. Now I realise that the world is much safer, provided you do some research and have good common-sense.

Before leaving the Dominican Republic, I realised that Internet is not always going to work well so a good idea was to book all flights before departure from the DR. I also booked all my accommodation, although some of those bookings had cancel options. Now that I know many of these locations that I have visited, it would be feasible to know which options are best to book in advance, and which ones I might do upon arrival. Booking in advance for travel and accommodation usually guarantees a better price, but not always. It gives peace of mind for knowing that you have a place to stay and sometimes it prevents people trying to take advantage of you. If you are able to say I already have a booking, some people who are seeking opportunity, will back away, and for westerners it is so important to understand that the developing world is a dog eat dog place with many people struggling. Having lived in the Dominican Republic, meant that my travels in Morocco and other places too, have been managed with me having a lot more insight. I am not so much a nice Westerner because I have come to understand that there is a time for being nice and a time to be clear. Most people in the developing world do not have the luxury of always being nice, and are usually totally okay when you say no to anything they propose. It is very important skill to operate with clarity and firmness, and with that way of communicating, it then becomes possible to develop amazing friendships.

Based on my plans to return to Sydney for teaching, I figured that if I returned about mid-June, this would be a good time to pick up substitute – casual – relief teaching. As winter kicks in, teachers are going to various courses and some sickness happens. And that is when casual teachers are needed the most. So, I realised that I had a couple months or three, to meander back to Sydney, having time to check places out properly. Not the whole world, but basically a few places that I had always wanted to visit.

I could have flown direct to Morocco from Europe, and there sure are some amazing deals for that too. But one of my wishes had always been to cross the Mediterranean from Spain to Tangiers. From Europe to Africa. There were a few places in Morocco that sounded worth visiting, part of my thinking about my journey, was to spend enough time in each particular country, to have a good feeling about whether it be a good place to spend a few months in, in the future. So, I booked for three weeks stay in Morocco. I had wanted to visit Lisbon so I booked a flight to travel there after Morocco. From Lisbon, I would go to London, staying there four nights, and travelling from there eastwards to Istanbul, Turkey, staying there two weeks. From there the last leg of my journey continues with a flight from Istanbul via Moscow to Bangkok Thailand. Three weeks in Thailand and Cambodia before flying down to Sydney on June 21.

As this journey has progressed, I have seen so many sights and sites, had so many different experiences and met so many different people. Not always good experiences, but I believe travel helps us grow in many different ways. We learn about many things and we learn to deal with many situations. Travelling on my own has made me very responsible and of course has given me a lot of freedom to do different things. Travelling alone can be lonely at times, but also often allows different friendships to form as well. People who travel with a friend or partner or in a group can make new friends, but what I have observed is also that people travelling together, usually stay in their group, and it is not always so easy for an outsider to interact with them.

When I began the journey I had been living in the Dominican Republic for 15 months. I had a pretty nice place to live there, but I also found like it was time for change. Most days I would do various computer tasks and meditation in the morning, and then go down the road to a local comedor where I would have my lunch: rice, beans, chicken and salad. It was always a big meal and good value. Often, after this, I would meet a friend for coffee, then return to my apartment, swim 30 laps in the giant pool at our complex, and then relax in the evening. One of the issues of living in the Dominican Republic where most of the people are poor, is that whenever I made friends with local people, sooner or later, I would be asked to help them with money. And given that I was on a break from teaching for over a year, I was not really in a situation to be helping others. So as far as making friends with locals, it ended up being better to keep to myself a lot more. As regards the other tourists, I had a couple of good friends while living there. Some were seasonal and came for the northern winter. But I also found that many of the long-term tourists were a bit problematic in various ways and were better to keep at a distance. So, after a year in the Dominican Republic relaxing and doing a little writing, it felt like it was a good time to head back to the developed world, do some more work, and earn some more money.

Prior to leaving the Dominican Republic, there was a lot of cleaning and tidying up to do in my two apartments. I have left the keys with another owner at the condominium and she will hopefully find people who wants to rent them. I also placed one of the studios back on the market, as I realised that having a second place there is not so important. One idea had been to join the two studios together, but as time has passed, I realise that living in a studio apartment in Sydney for 10 years has made me totally okay with living in a studio in the DR.

So, the flight left Puerto Plata Saturday night, and arrived in Cologne Germany Sunday midday. Immigration was pretty straightforward, and then I enjoyed the experience of finding a big supermarket in the airport and buying lots of snacks and food and drinks that had been unavailable in the DR. The train from the airport to Cologne Central was very difficult to make sense of, and information about timetable or track number was very unclear. But, a couple of great people helped me and before long, I was at Cologne Central Station which is a very big place, with lots of people. From there I caught the ICE train to Amsterdam which was a great journey. It was no longer snowing, but the air was pretty cold. I arrived in Amsterdam just before 6 PM and then found a tram which took me near the hostel where I was booked. Unfortunately, I was at the wrong end of the street, so I had to drag my bag a fairly long distance. I was already regretting that I had a 20-kg bag to travel with, but when you are travelling to another place for such a long time like 15 months, it is a lot more challenging to travel with just a small bag. For my next journey however, this is exactly what I plan to do. By travelling with a small light bag, which can go in the overhead on the flights, you save on baggage fees, you can travel around so much easier, and there are some flights that are even restricted to carry on only, and some of those flights are great bargains. I had not slept much on the flight, and although it arrived midday in Europe, it was more like 6 AM from where I had come. So, by the time I got to the hostel, I felt pretty wrung out. I knew that if I could hold off sleeping till after dark, that would be the best plan, so about 9 PM I went to sleep. Being in a shared room, with about 10 other people, I had visions that people would be slamming doors and turning on lights all night long, but I hoped for the best anyway. And the best was how it became. The other people staying in the room were generally younger, and from many different countries, but all with good attitude and respect for others. The bathroom was a bit of a nightmare but it was only for three nights. As part of my budgeting to travel home over 2 and a half months, my time in Europe was to be short & accommodation generally shared, to keep costs down. A hotel in Amsterdam would be $100-200 a night, and that was not in my budget plan.

Monday and Tuesday, I explored Amsterdam. It was not as much fun as I had hoped. By April the tourists were in Amsterdam in huge numbers. Everywhere you went, were hundreds of people, and having some space is something that is always important to me. But, if I have a nice large Starbucks Coffee, and a lovely park to sit in, life improves a lot. I went to Vondel Park at least twice and this was an interesting place to watch the combination of tourists and locals especially dog walkers. The air was still very fresh so sitting outside was not something to be done for long periods of time. I explored many shops and streets and pathways and canals. I also got lost a bit and unfortunately my feet got very sore as it had been so long since I had been wearing runners. All the time, I was in the DR I tended to get around with my jandals or bare feet. My plans to visit the tulip gardens was revised. I was dealing with sore feet, cold weather & crowds. The idea of walking around in a big giant garden lost its appeal & same with cycling. So, I downscaled on the plans to make it work for me.

Traveling within budget often conflicts with systems that are operating in major tourist locations. I was to encounter similar issues in Marrakesh, Fes, Lisbon, Istanbul and here in Thailand. Many companies and individuals make their living through tourism, and situations are not always favouring competition or best deal for the tourist. Many tourists travel for only a few days or a week or two and often spend up big. This was not how I was going to be for 2 ½ months. I have encountered people who are not always happy that I don’t want to pay them lots of money! Lol! Over time, people get used to spending habits of tourists and start to regard it as normal. Many places struggle especially during low season or when tourism is in decline, so there is some desperation going on as well. But I can’t be responsible for that 😊.

Anyway, after a couple of days in Amsterdam, I caught the train to Brussels. My feet were sore and the weather was getting colder. After DR, I was suffering. I schlepped my bags from the local metro to the house where I was staying. I was shown all over the house and then it was so good to have my own room again. The next two days were kind of like simply taking care of myself, walking as little as possible, and keeping as warm as possible. The weather continued to get colder and winter was returning. I was not impressed! However, I was impressed with the lovely house I was staying in. There was a lovely hot shower and the bed was comfortable for sleeping. The host was a friendly guy of Moroccan descent so he gave me lots of tips in my preparation of going to Morocco. His roommate of Haitian descent was also very kind to me and helped me print a boarding pass for Friday’s flight, thus avoiding some ridiculous 30-euro fee to have it done at the airport. I discovered a lovely park near the house. It was muddy in places, with winter still deciding if it was over or not. But the sun appeared there on a couple of occasions and part Dominican that I now was, I sat there and absorbed as much warmth as I could. Some plants had new blossom emerging, and many geese swam on the pond. On the other side of the park, was a row of shops, which would be heaven to anyone who has just stepped out of the developing world. Until you have spent some time in the developing world, it is probably difficult to conceive how restrictive the experience is as a consumer. Many things are not available and if they are, you pay two or three times as much, because they are imported, and only a small percentage of the population can afford them. Walking into the supermarkets near where I was staying in Brussels, was so enjoyable. Chocolate in 10 or 20 choices for one or two Euro, ridiculous that chocolate will cost you two or three times as much in DR, while cacao is being grown there!! But that’s the way of the world.

Of the places that I visited during my short visits in Europe, being Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and London, Brussels is at the top of my list for a revisit. I liked Brussels a whole lot. There is a lot of history and museums. I learnt of them on this visit, but seeing them has been held off until my next time there. Given Belgium’s history in Africa, to discover that there are museums and various sections of Brussels connected to the African experience, is not surprising.

The metro in Brussels is a fantastic system, but I have been finding this equally the case in many other places I have visited on this journey. The systems in Lisbon, London, Istanbul, Bangkok, Casablanca are all amazing. If you can spend some time to study the maps of the system and which lines will get you to various locations, getting around in these cities is totally amazing. It does take a while to understand each system though, and one of the biggest challenges for me, was learning the names of different places, pronouncing them, and trying to remember them. Now, that I have been travelling for two months, looking back on the experience in Brussels with names that seemed totally foreign to me then, now seem like a piece of cake. Dealing with names in Brussels is nothing compared to place names in Istanbul! And now Thailand where many places and sites are written just in Thai writing, well that is way more challenging!

So, it was Good Friday of Easter as I travelled on the metro to the main airport of Brussels. I had already triple checked that my flight was from this airport! lol! Imagine going to the wrong airport… How stressful would that be! So, I gave myself an extra hour or 2 to get to the airport. That has been my rule during this journey travelling through many countries, especially when it comes to flights. If I am going to an airport that I have never been to before, using a train or other network that is new to me, I like to have time up my sleeve, just in case something goes awry. I think this is a very good strategy and it ultimately reduces stress when travelling. I had no idea how busy and big the Brussels airport was and extremely high-tech as well. Even your on-board items that gets scanned, get connected to your passport, which I found interesting. I got checked in for my flight, checked in my bag, and got ready for my first flight using Ryanair to fly from Brussels to Malaga, Spain. The two girls sitting next to me on the flight, were returning to Malaga and both spoke little English. I spoke to them in my basic Spanish acquired from living in DR, and they were extremely impressed 😊. As soon as the plane landed, and we were allowed to exit, down the steps to the tarmac and across to the terminal, the warmth of Spain was noticeable and delicious after the five days of trauma that I had experienced in Amsterdam and Brussels. It was good to be somewhere warm again. The sun shone on my face and I loved the feeling of warmth. There was a bus from the airport to downtown Malaga where I had an hour to relax before my booking for a bus to Algeciras. I had never heard of these towns before, but Malaga is the main airport city in the south of Spain, and the region where ferries travel to Morocco from. I think Malaga was especially quiet that afternoon being Good Friday. The bus journey took an hour or two and along the way there was a view of many holiday resorts and I also got to see Gibraltar. When I got to Algeciras, the bus station was only five minutes from the hotel I had booked. But I still managed to get confused, and a bit stressed, lugging those bags and feeling confused by the streets and layout of the town. But, before long I was at the hotel, and what a wonderful place it turned out to be. The hosts were Spanish locals, but had spent a lot of time living in Germany, spoke English perfectly, were friendly, kind, generous and extremely helpful. The room was wonderful and the shower was fantastic. The bed had a nice firm mattress, which is very important for me, as I get a sore back when I sleep on soft mattresses. After having a shower and sorting out my things which seems to be an important part of travelling at every new location, I went for an explore of the town. I found some great places selling Arabic food. I was not sure if all the people were Moroccan, but there certainly was a big Arabic population in the town. There seemed to be some areas that looked a bit poor and maybe not so safe after dark, but I felt very safe as I explored. I found a Chinese store selling many things at cheap prices. I was in heaven. There were many bags, and I had been increasingly strategising about how to travel in Morocco and beyond. It seemed to me that the best idea was to get a bigger back pack to take some weight out of the main bag, and change my main bag for a smaller one. So, I managed to buy a medium-sized bag and a medium-sized backpack, and gave the large bag and small backpack and bag to the hotel owners as well as some other things. Giving away a few things here and there along this journey, has been essential to controlling the weight of my bags. Reorganising my things into these two bags was a great thing to do, and has made the rest of the journey much better. But as I said earlier, next journey I will travel just carry on! I know this will be a challenge, but it will be worth it.

Being Good Friday, I was not quite sure what would be happening in the town, if anything. In the Dominican Republic, Easter is more significant in some ways than Christmas, and many people have a week off work. They do however tend to sit around in swimming pools drinking alcohol, and most swimming pools in the Dominican Republic are toxic for the week following Easter! I had a feeling that Spain would not be this bad. What I discovered instead was something glorious. The hotel manager told me that there would be a procession at 9 PM and 11 PM up at the Plaza. The first one at 9 PM was interesting but nothing amazing. There were lots of people though gathering in the Plaza. I went back for the 11 PM procession and this was way more interesting. There were lots of interesting costumes and floats, but the most amazing experience to me was when a statue of Mary travelling on a truck stopped in one of the little narrow streets, and out of the crowd emerged a woman who began to sing the most incredible aria to the statue of Maria. The crowd was silent as she sang, and the experience felt very religious and moving. My mother’s name was Mary, so the love in Catholicism for Mary is something very special for me.

The next day was to be my travel from Europe to Africa, from Spain to Tangiers Morocco. I began the morning by exploring more of the town. I found a large market selling many different things. There was a huge Arab presence, and a real sense that this town was a meeting point between Africa and Europe, between Spain and the Arab world. It was my first insight that this connection has been existing for hundreds of years. After I had had some lunch, I went down to the port for the ferry. Very few people spoke English and things seemed very confusing. The ticket that I had bought online for the crossing had a different time to the one that I was going to be getting. The time that the ferry would arrive would be after dark, and I was cautious about arriving in Morocco after dark. Now that I know things better, I would not be so cautious, but at that, it seemed a silly idea to be getting somewhere in the dark. Not only is there a concern about danger, but also you then become potentially at other people’s mercy with expensive taxi fares etc. I voiced my concerns and was told that my ferry ticket was not such a good one anyway as it was taking me to a different place than old Tangier. I was recommended to pay another €13 and then would travel on the company bus to Tarifa port where there would be an earlier ferry, which was also a fast one. This was the ideal solution. I waited a little while and then the bus took me and many others to Tarifa, and then after a little wait, we boarded the ferry and then were off crossing the Mediterranean. Crossing to Tangier is not such a long journey but was something that I had wanted to do for a long time. I got my passport stamped on board the ferry as instructed. When we arrived in Morocco, we exited. Our passports were checked, and then we were free to go. Many people tried to talk to me, as I left the terminal, but I kept my headphones on and kept walking. I had studied the location of the Hotel compared to the port, and was pretty sure I knew how to get there. I got close to the Medina before it started to seem a little complicated. About that moment, someone appeared, asking where I needed to go. I knew this was the moment where it would be necessary to take someone’s help, and need to pay something back later. But that was okay. Within three minutes the guide had me at my hotel. He told me he would wait and see if it I needed anything else. That is how these places operate, and things are generally okay, especially if you are clear about what you need and how much you are willing to pay for guidance. The hotel was amazing. I was paying about 20 Euro a night for a beautiful room with my own bathroom and a beautiful breakfast included. It was right in the Medina in such a fantastic location with so many things close at hand. It backed onto the grand mosque so 5 AM wake-up calls were going to be part of the deal. The first morning was just amazing. I remember opening the door to the terrace and sitting there listening to the sound of the Imam. I really loved it.

After I had settled into my room and had a shower, I went and found the guide downstairs. We went to a local famous cafe and had some great Coffee. Sitting there watching the crowds for an hour or so. After this, and the conversation with the guide, the guide got irritated because he realised that this tourist was an economical traveller, rather than a big spender. He went off to look for greener pastures. I on the other hand returned to my room for a rest, and then later walked the main Street in the Medina checking out various shops and trying some new food.

I had read before my travel to Morocco that if you want to see the authentic Morocco, head south. Tangier is said to be a place that is kind of boring and just full of tourists. What I learnt is that one person’s opinion may not always be correct. Situations and locations can change. My experience of a town could be very different to your experience. For me, I found Tangier to be authentic Morocco, with very affordable options, a lot less hassling by vendors than Fes or Marrakesh. Compared to Fes and Marrakesh, Tangier to me is the place to be. It has history, it has markets, it has normal Moroccan people, it is my favourite city in Morocco. It has history through all the eras, long ago & recent. Not only that, but as you sit in various locations around Tangier, and look across to Spain, there is a real sense of the meeting place of different cultures and different worlds. Many famous novels were written here, and many famous people have resided here. Tangier in April, had quite a chill in the air. Not freezing, but cool enough to want to wear a jacket. The same would probably only be said for Fes and Marrakesh in the evening. Having grown up in New Zealand, and then lived in Australia for many years, I like warm but not really cold. That’s the Australian in me now, and the Dominican too. But having said that, I am not so keen on extreme heat either and to be in places like Marrakesh, well, that place gets hot. But I am getting ahead of myself. So, Tangier has a medium climate, which is another thing that I liked about it.

I had three weeks to explore Morocco. I have not seen all of it of course, but after four days in Tangier, I went to Tetouan where I stayed two days. From there I went to Chefchauen where I stayed a week. It is a beautiful little town nestled beneath mountains. It gets quite hot by day and cold at night. Lots of tourists come here. All the doors and buildings painted different shades of blue. If you come on a journey to Morocco you must visit this place. It is beautiful. Not many places in the developing world can guarantee clean drinking water but in this town, you will have no problem: there is a spring here emerging from beneath the Atlas Mountains.. There are plenty of markets for food and souvenirs. Tetouan has a bigger Medina, but the time that I stayed there it was raining almost the whole time. The wind was really cold as well. Eventually I realised I needed to buy a padded jacket because it was that cold. This turned out to be a very useful item later in Istanbul as well, where the weather seems to be very changeable. Ridiculously, the jacket is now travelling with me through Thailand and next Cambodia! lol! But as soon as I hit Sydney, I will be needing it again. I hear that winter is descending upon the town.

After Chefchauen, I headed down to Fes. It only takes a few hours by bus to get there, but what a horrible road it is. Lots of undulations on the road, so it often seems like the bus is rocking side to slide. Not a very good feeling on a bus if you know what I mean. Safely though, I got to Fes. As the bus came down the valley towards the city, the size and immensity of the city was incredible to see. It was hot outside too, so I realised that exploring this place probably would be a bit of a challenge. The time I was there I only explored the Medina which is huge, but if you go there you will know that there is a lot more to the city than just the old part.

The place that you stay, can make or break your visit. Most of the time now especially after the experience in Fes, I have learnt to read reviews on booking.com before booking a place to stay. If I had done this with the place in Fes, I would never have stayed at this dump. Imagine staying in someone’s house where the husband yells and screams at his wife and children and its feels like the rant in Arabic could soon turn into some kind of domestic scene that would require you to call the police… If you spoke Arabic and knew the number for the police…lol! Well, that’s the beginning of this horror story! What a nightmare. When I arrived there, having already got lost trying to find my way to the hotel which was really just a house with no sign, the children were not there but the husband and wife were not. They offered me tea and both looked at each other like they were keeping some kind of secret. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on but something seemed strange to me. I had booked for four days so I paid them the money on the spot. When I got up to the room, first thing I noticed was that the carpet was messy. Either the rug was one of those things that collects stuff and can’t be cleaned, or the couple just couldn’t be bothered to clean it. Another person’s review questioned cleanliness of the sheets. I had to agree. The lino and tile floors felt gritty as well. There was one toilet that I saw which was right next to the kitchen. I could see the kitchen through the hole in the wall from the toilet! Sorry but that’s too close and personal for me! The sink to clean your teeth or wash your face? In the hallway within view of the living area! Upon checking in, I had been asked if I would like tajine. Later on, looking at the booking website, I discovered that this had been a trick question. If I had said yes, I would have been charged €10 for the experience. Tajine had been served to me for free at the hotel in Tetouan. I had also bought mini tajines for one euro. The first argument ensued between husband and wife. I might be imagining it, but I think the wife was angry because the husband failed to sell me the tajine! The stress of staying at this place where things were so dirty and felt so stressful and scary really got to me. I had a lot of fear especially when the husband was screaming at the children. But I was in a town where I knew no one and the complications of moving to another place just felt too much. I suffered and did my best to deal with the situation for two or three days, exploring the Medina quite thoroughly, avoiding the salesman as much as I could. There was a lot of visual splendour to this town, but an edge about it too, which I certainly did not like. But staying in a place that was so dirty and not feeling secure, was what made Fes most unenjoyable. I was due to go from there to Rabat then Marrakesh. But I knew that the best thing for me was to return to Tangier where I had made some friends, I knew there were good clean hotels to stay, and to be back in a place where I felt secure and could enjoy things. So, I changed plans. I cancelled Rabat. Marrakesh would not let me cancel, but they would let me change the dates. So, I got a train back to Tangier, stayed there five nights and then went from there to Marrakesh. This was a great decision. Tangier definitely my favourite place to visit when I return.

Marrakesh is a huge city as well. Lots of sales and marketing, lots of people everywhere, lots of stuff is expensive as many tourists go there. Many tourists visit for the weekend and are on big spend ups. The hotel I stayed at was very close to the square and easy to navigate around. Marrakesh has lots of places to explore. There are a lot of people here that lie. If someone asked you into their shop just to look, or offers you tea, they say that refusing is impolite. My advice would be wear headphones. Sounds crazy I know, but Marrakesh is a place that has to be handled. Huge numbers of people everywhere and yet you can feel quite alone. Also, a lot of people there will make you feel like you’re a cash machine. People who don’t want to know you if you’re not going to buy the products. People who treat you like you must be a millionaire just because you’re a Westerner. As you walk along streets you see so many Syrian mothers with their babies begging for assistance. Not quite sure how you are meant to party with all that going on. Highlights of Marrakesh was meeting Ider a Facebook friend. We spent the afternoon talking about politics and education. He paid a camel owner for the right for me to pose for some photos on one of his camels. I also explored some beautiful gardens in Marrakesh, some you have to pay to visit, others are public and free. The public free ones are the best in my opinion.

After Marrakesh, I zipped up to Casablanca by train. The trains in Morocco get you there pretty well. I never had any problems with them but some people say you do. The toilets are not so lovely to use, but when you need to pee, better to have a dirty toilet than nothing. The price of the trains is pretty good. When I got to Casablanca it was a bit of an effort to find the place I was staying, but I got there eventually. A young Moroccan guy has turned the family house into a bit of a hostel, not the cleanest, but in the heart of the Medina and I had my own room and lock on the door so that was great. He showed me a few spots around the Medina. I walked over to the large mosque which was closed to visitors at the time as it was prayer time. I also saw the cafe from the movie ‘Casablanca’. Unfortunately, it has been turned into an up priced restaurant, and you can only go in if you have a booking and are willing to pay a day’s Moroccan wages for one drink! That night in Casablanca, I explored the night-time markets in the Medina which was a combination of great bargains, lovely T-shirts, nice clothes and other nice things, and a desperate section where local people were trying to sell off any piece of junk they could. As was often the case in Morocco, I got lost in this Medina as well. I often found the solution was to just face the fact that you might walk to one end of the Medina and then back to the centre, to another end, then back to the centre, then may be walk the same street that you’d gone before! lol! Then back to the centre! In other words, got some damn good exercise and you know that if you ever visit this town again, in the Medina you might actually know where you are going. Or you might start the education all over again! 😊

Well the evening is ticking along, and I need to get my bags packed ready for my morning journey from here on Koh Chang island across to the mainland and then across to the border with Cambodia. Passport control which will hopefully be fairly straightforward, although some stories talk of scams happening. And once inside Cambodia the bus journey to Siem Reap where I will visit Angkor Wat. The rest of my journey that has occurred so far from Morocco to Lisbon to London to Turkey to Thailand I will attempt to recount in a few days either from Siem Reap or from Phnom Penh, and failing that when I return to Sydney.

This has been a bit of a long blog so far, but as you can tell when you’re travelling, it’s amazing how much can happen in such a short amount of time. And once I have finished blogging about the rest of the journey to date, undoubtedly there will still be other thoughts and insights to talk about that have emerged from this journey. Some places have been more affordable than others, and it’s not as logical or straightforward as might be imagined. For example, Thailand is a lot more expensive than I expected it to be, and rather than it being about the value of the currency, I think it often has more to do with the numerical system operating in the currency. With the Thai baht, once you get 25 baht you have equalled one Australian dollar and that doesn’t give much scope and I think that somehow inflation occurs more easily with a smaller set of numbers in the currency. I might be totally wrong on this, and maybe as you spend more time in a country you adapt to the way their currency works, but that’s how it seems to me anyway.

If there is a topic on my journey, that you would like me to write about in particular, send me a message.

Happy reading and I’ll be writing again soon.