After the yoga festival I was debating where to go, and since I still had a few days left on my railpass, I decided on Amsterdam. I haven't been there in some time and thought it might be nice. Arriving around 11pm without a place to stay, I found a booking agency expecting to pay through the nose, and also discovering that the reason everything was booked..it was gay pride weekend! Luckily, I was able to get into a hostel, again sleeping in a room with 20 other people. Although sleep is something you don't get a lot of in Amsterdam! [View Full Entry]

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My flight from Marrkech to San Sebastian was long but luckily was sittıng next to a cool Spaniard who was coming from a Music Festival in Madrid. We chatted the whole time and as it turned out, he knew the people who run the hostel where I was staying and offered me a lıft. He told me I was very brave to travel alone and asked me if I was always so lucky. I said of course, you get what you attract! San Sebastian is on the Nothern coast of Spain, near the border of France. My friend Caroline who I [View Full Entry]

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Arriving in Marrakech by the skin of our teeth, due to a bus driver who thought he was in a Ferrari, we all had a sigh of relief stepping onto the hot tarmac. Arriving at our hotel, complete with pool and a/c, rooms sorted, bags dropped and we headed for the main square where you find musicians, henna artists, snake charmers, fortune tellers, and loads of food stalls where they barbeque meats and veggies and the smoke fılls the sky. Marrakech old city (the Medina) is walled with several gates and at the south end ıs a bıg square. Thıs weekend [View Full Entry]

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after partying all night with locals in Todra Gorge and getting little sleep, we had a short bus ride to the town of Aıt Benhaddou. This town has a fılm studio and many famous films have been shot here, including Gladiator, Laurence of Arabia, and many others. Next came the mountain town of Imlil, where we stayed ın a converted house called a Gıte. We had to hike up to the village to get there, the walk was through terraces and small rivers as we passed houses of locals and played wıth the kıds along the way. Most of us stıll [View Full Entry]

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Driving into Todra Gorge is similar to venturing into Zion National Park, one feels very small! Our hotel had a pool and we couldn't be more excited that most of us jumped in before even checking in! By this time, most of us had either some stomach problems or a lot. The options to hike the Gorge or go rock climbing was not an option. But I was feeling pretty good and decided to go climbing. I have never been rock climbıng but I fıgured what the hell, I am strong and it ıs the best rock climbıng in Morocco! So [View Full Entry]

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You know when you are at the edge of the Saraha desert. The sand dunes seems to rise up out of nowhere, and there are camels waiting all lined up waiting for you! Getting on a camel is a bıt of a balancing act, but once you are up there, it is a very cool experience. We headed out about an hour before sunset, and as we headed out to the camp, the colors of the sand change from yellow to orange to terracotta and red. Arriving at the camp some of us ran up and down the dunes, some chilling [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Fez early in the am for the journey west through the Atlas mountains into the Sahara desert. The mountain scenery in Morocco looks more like the Western US, with lots of dramatic red rocks and sparse greenery, and long windy roads against cliff faces. That morning we had 5 hours driving and most of the group were hopped up on Immodium, while I just had 4 bananas, it essentially does the same thing! Halfway through our drive, we stopped in Midelt, high up in the mountains and a hike around a small(ish) canyon and down to the casbah (village with [View Full Entry]

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On the way towards Fez, we stopped to see some Roman Ruins in a place called Volubilis. Currently trying to get funds from Unesco World Heritage Sites, they are seeking to expand their recovery, which so far seems to be a small area of what lies there. We saw many colums and what used to be large homes, containing many rooms, including saunas! The Romans knew what they were doing when it comes to plumbling! Also, many mosaics have been recovered, some almost completely intact, and retaining their colors, due to the natural stones used instead of painted stones. Arriving in [View Full Entry]

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Getting to know the Moroccan way of life is to know the Medina, which means the old city, usually contained within high walls and a containing a souk, or market. Depending on what you are after, you can find anything from spare car parts, to an eyeglass case, to fruit and vegetables. The souk often has small, uneven, windy streets that you can easily lose yourself in. In Meknes we were escorted through the streets to see butchers displaying various parts of sheep, cow, and camel. Yes, camel. Camel burgers are pretty popular here, and some of the group even tried [View Full Entry]

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Arriving in Casablanca 3 hours late and arriving at 1am didn't give me a lot of time to experience the city. After waking my roommate for the trip, I slept well and woke up the next morning to introduce myself. Her name is Sarah and she is from Sydney. I am travelling with a company called Intrepid who do adventure travel. Our group is 12 people and I am the only American (thank shiva) all Aussie and English, and finally our tour leader, Margeaux, who is French. The first few days were a whirlwind, traveling by train to Rabat (the capital), [View Full Entry]

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