I bless the rains down in Africa! - Marrakech, Morocco
Marrakech, Morocco
August 11th: After sleeping in the first decent bed in over a week, Cam and I checked out of our Seville hostel and left our bags in the luggage room, as we were going on a walking tour of the city. On the walking tour, we walked past Alfalfa (which are underground roman ruins, opened only once a year), the supposed biggest Cathedral in all of Europe (as St Peters Basilica and St Paul's don't count as real Cathedrals) which has Christopher Columbus' remains inside, Plaza de Espana and biggest building in Europe, which is an old tobacco factory. In particular, the Plaza (built in 1929 for the American Exposition) was amazing (as you can see by the photos), with a scene from Star Wars II actually being filmed there. Once that wrapped up, we grabbed some lunch before heading back to the hostel to grab our bags. We then trekked with all our gear (in 44 degree heat) to the bus station, where we caught a train to Algeciras. This bus trip took about four hours, but it was okay, as we drove through huge fields of windmills and caught our first glimpse of Africa (in the distance). We then caught a bus from Algeciras to La Linea, which took another thirty minutes. By then, it was around 10pm. Thankfully, Cam had a Spanish SIM card, so google maps led us straight to our hostel. Once we dumped our stuff, we walked into Gibraltar for dinner. For those who don't know, Gibraltar is an English Colony on the bottom of Spain, and it honestly feels like they've taken a small English city from the mainland and dumped in on the south coast of Europe. Anyway, there wasn't much open at 1030pm when we crossed the border into Gibraltar (as they aren't on 'Spanish time'), so we just found a small Indian place and ate dinner, before heading back for bed. Things of Note: - Seville (3000 years old) is generally known as one of the hottest (on average) cities in all of Europe, with their record being 53 degrees. - The siestas here are ridiculous. From about 2 pm till about 5pm, the whole city is a 'ghost town', with hardly any shops open, except some food restaurants. This is understandable with most days being over 40 degrees, but this also happens in winter, when temperatures can go as low as 5 degrees. Therefore, it is safe to say that the Spanish are some of the laziest people in the world. This is proven by their favourite saying being "Mañana " meaning 'do it tomorrow'. - Despite the temperature, Seville is sill the fourth largest city in Spain, but has a 27 percent unemployment rate. - I know it may be harder to believe but I have found a beer worse then Fosters. It's a local beer in Seville called Cruzcampo and is pure cat-****. - In the 14th century, Seville was the 'house of trade' between Spain and the USA, resulting in a lot of gold being in the city. Nowadays, the city is more known for its' wine and flamingo dancing. - This is the first city to not have great public transport in it. The tram only runs up and down the main street and the subway only goes around the outskirts of the city, as it can't go through the middle of the city, as there is an underground mosque and roman city there. - Cam thought it was hilarious when the tour guide asked the group 'what is the yellow base of a bullfighting arena made of' and one guy, in all seriousness, answered "cheese" (as an alternative answer to sand). Safe to say, Cam was laughing for the next hour. August 12th: Still not having fully caught up on sleep from Croatia, we both slept in this morning. But once we were up, we headed back into Gibraltar (the border patrol being the most laxadative we have experienced) for breakfast. Following that, we decided we needed to go venture up the 'Rock of Gibraltar'. But as there was a long wait on the cable car and car tours up there, we saved our cash and decides to conquer it on foot. This sounded like a great idea at the time, but it was ridiculously steep at times, not to mention as having to use well over a 1000 steps both going up and then down. But in the end it was worse it. We got to see the 'Pillar of Hercules' statue (which is based on Hercules single handedly splitting the Rock of Gibraltar (Europe) and Ceuta mountain (look up), the local Gibraltar monkeys, climbed to the peak to see the 1 tonne cannon and then ventured down the Mediterranean stairs. This all took about five hours but we thoroughly enjoyed it, showed by the copious amounts of monkey photos and the great views we saw from both sides of the summit. By now, we were both absolutely exhausted and needed good and water. So after a long, unnecessary walk (as we couldn't decide on what we wanted) we finally sat down for dinner, before making our way back to our place. Things of Note: - The endangered and rare Gibraltar monkeys were amazing. I have never been so close to wild animals like that before and they were so tame. Being a mix between a chimpanzee and a baboon make them cheeky and also really cute (especially as babies). - It is a massive relief to be surrounded by English speaking again. As I stated above, it actually feels like you're back in the motherland, from the use of pounds to the red telephone booths, everything is there. - Just as you cross the border, the airport is situated. And the runway runs across the wall path, so it will be great to see a plane come in (being no more then 20 metres away from it (which we luckily got to see the next day)). August 13th: After checking out of our place, we headed back into Gibraltar for one last time. We had planned to head back up the mountain again but ran out of time, so we just ventured around the rest of the island instead. Following lunch, we headed back and grabbed our bags, before catching a bus back to Algeciras. From beer we were catching out ferry to Africa (or more specifically Tanger). The ferry only took about an hour, but was a lot different to any other one I have experienced on this trip (and I'm not just talking about the above deck pool). On board, we had to go to the Moroccan Police setup and get our passports and travel documents stamped and checked before exiting to boat. In the process from Algeciras port to Tanger port, we probably had to show our passports like eight times (bloody joke in my opinion). Once we arrived in Tanger port (gaining an hours time), we then had to catch a bus to Tanger city, which took about 45 minutes. When we disembarked off the coach, an English speaking local came up to us and asked where we were headed, and we said "we are catching the train to Marrakech tonight". So the man said he would help is buy tickets, put out bags on storage and give us a quick tour of the city. At the time, it sounded to good to be true, but we soon found out, we were being taken on a wild goose chase throughout Tanger and being completely stitched up. So after purchasing our train tickets (we were unable to secure beds for the night train, so we had to settle for first class instead) and had dropped our bags off, our guide Abdul have us a tour of the city. As both of us were still in shock and trying to come to terms with the Moroccan way of life, the tour we went on, didn't make things easier. We jumped in and out of cabs, walked through the markets and then got taken to a spice and rug store (both who were probably owned by Abdul's cousins) before finally going to a local restaurant (which is all we wanted). To continue to theme of the stitch up, the meal was excessively expensive, although being very good (consisting of local soup called harira, pastilla, shish kebab, cous cous and watermelon). By now, we had pretty much burnt all the free time we had and had to race back to the luggage place, to grab our bags, before jumping in the back of some little cart (see the pictures) to just make it onto our twelve hour train. This was also after paying a shitload of money to Abdul for his "guidance and services". Thankfully we made the train and were on our way to Marrakech (and that concluded one of the most hectic travel afternoons to date). Things of Note: - We quickly found out that 'Spanish time' is also a thing here, with nothing ever being on time. Also, because we stand out like a site thumb being tourists, everyone wants to do deeds for us and then tip them. - Just to make my Nonni happy, I have cous cous one more chance, as I had only ha bad experiences with it before. And luckily I did, because I have fallen in love with it (and because that's all they serve in Morocco). - When I asked Abdul about the road rules here, as it was pure chaos (like nothing I had seen before) on the roads, he responded with "What road rules?", alluding to the fact that anything goes here. - Abdul also walked us passes the fresh produce and said "here's the fresh chickens". Of course they're fresh, they're still bloody alive haha - Thank Christ for Cam. Because we were in a rush, I jumped our of the back out of the took-took so quickly, I dropped accidentally dropped my travel purse. And on the run to the train, I also dropped my hobo jacket. I it wasn't for Cam, my trip would have been over then and there, as that purse contains all my important details (such as my passport), and I couldn't bear to travel without my beloved hobo jacket. August 14th: As we missed out on the beds on the overnight train (as you can only book tickets in person at the office and not online), the train ride felt like forever (which it pretty much was, taking twelve hours). I was luckier then Cam, being able to sleep for a lot of the trip but Cam constantly got woke up by people at each station we stopped at, checking if there was room in our cabin. We finally arrived at Marrakech at about 9am, but by the time we figure out how to get into town and had breakfast, it was closer to 10am. We then caught a cab to right near the main square called "....... fna". We were then mobbed by a guy with a wheelbarrow like thing, who wanted to carry our bags. We didn't really want him to, but before we knew it, our bags were in his trailer. The one positive was that he knew where our hostel was and took us there but he was not too impressed with how much we paid him (due to us having no cash and him wanting a ridiculous amount for a ten minute walk). But thankfully we had arrived (after nearly twelve hours of straight travel)! After checking in, to one of the coolest hostels I have been to, we had a bit of a relax and regroup session, before back out into the hecticness of the outside world. We first went and grabbed some local chicken fajitas, which Cam and I rate as some of the best Mexican based food we have had on the trip (and yes, that includes San Diego). Once we were full, we had a walk around. We first visited the main mosque in Marrakech. Just walking the streets to and from there was an experience in itself. We then made out way into the well known 'Souks', which is the local markets. More then anything, we enjoyed the shade and protection from the sun it provided. We got lost and walked around in there for hours, looking at all the goods that the locals had to sell. Our favourite to walk past was the fragrance and spice store, because it smelt absolutely amazing and we always tried to get free samples, so we too would smell great. Cam even bought himself a (local shirt), with me not finding one I liked. Something else that was cool in the Souks was the animals they had there. Of course where the produce was smelt like the Royal Easter Show, but I'm talking about local creatures. These include iguanas and chameleons caught from the mountains. By now, we were both shattered, so we went back and showered, before heading out for dinner. For dinner, we were accompanied by Swedish bloke Tomas. This worked out really well for us, because he took us into the Marrakech Square, with all the markets (something we didn't really know about). This was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced and the only way I can describe it is sort of like a country fair, in the middle of town, times ten bigger and every night of the week. (Check the photos and videos!) We walked around and tried the local soup, sheeps head (which could be the softest meat I've ever eaten), for some reason snails again, before sitting down for our main courses of cous cous. With it all being so cheap, we could afford to experiment and try all the local food. The meal was even capped off by a glass of mint tea. We then headed into the activity part of the square and Cam being the competitive kid he is, had to have a go out donut fishing. This involved trying to land a donut on a piece of string on tip of a soft drink bottle to win the soft drink (in fairness, you could buy the soft drink for the same price as the game itself, but where's the fun in that). After not too long, Cam had conquered the game and as such, anointed him King Cam, as we saw no one else come close to winning, in the entire time we were there. Local music and fresh orange juice were in order before heading back to the hostel for the sleep we so badly needed (due to the train last night). Things of Note: - To make us feel like locals, Cam and I decides we would buy one (local shirt) each. Cam had no trouble finding one his size, being 5 foot 4 and all. But I found it quite difficult to find one long enough for me. As such, one of the local store owners made the smartarse comment that I had been eating too much cous cous and beer to fit into any other their clothing. - When walking past each store, the locals try and guess your nationality. We usually found they would guess in this order "British", and we would say no, "American", and again we would say no. They would then say "Kangaroo" and we would look at each other, giggle and then say "yeh". It's funny that's how they associate with our country, with most of them never actually seeing one for themselves. - One guy, trying to sell us dinner yelled out "This place is ******* marvellous! I can guarantee you no diarrhoea for two years if you eat here!" As such, we didn't eat there. - One of the locals nicknamed Cam 'M&M', which I assumed was because of the chocolate, but it was instead because the thought Cam looked like 'Eminem'. Who is he kidding? - With Fanta being my soft drink of choice, I always try and order it instead on coca cola. But a lot of the time, they don't understand when I say "Fanta", so I just give up and say "coke" too. - Today was also Cams birthday, even if it didn't feel like it (especially to him), but I made sure someone looked after him that day, by shouting him dinner (as cheap as it might have been). - The square is hectically busy and as such, you need to watch your stuff. Tomas felt someone one his bag and as such turned around to see a little local boy trying to grab his wallet out of his bag. I guess your not even safe from thieves in Africa. August 15th: Had a fair sleep in, which was followed by a complimentary Moroccan breakfast provided by the hotel (local tea, croissant, pancake things and locals marmalade). I then skyped Perth mate Ben about his upcoming bucks party and how the wedding plans are coming along. By now, Cam had awoken, so once we both had showered, we headed out on more adventures around Marrakech. But before we actually left the main square, we booked an overnight tour to the Sahara for the next two days. Today we wanted to see the Royal Palace and some of the tombs, but instead got lost in the slums of the city (which was eye-opening), before finally finding the Palace, with some help from a local. On the way back in to town, we somehow stumbled across the back entrance into the Souks, which gave me a chance to buy some local clothing for our trip into the Sahara. After a fair bit of bartering (from 650 durhams down to 175), I finally found a cream "........" I liked and fit into. We then walked further into the Souks in search of head scarfs. But on the way, we walked past a store that had burnt to the ground. And due to the good smell in the air, we assumed it had to be a fragrance store (we assume a cigarette started the fire, as they smoke absolutely everywhere). I nearly got my camera confiscated for taking a photo of the crime scene but convinced the local cop that I had no photo. We eventually found two cheap scarfs we liked and bartered them down to an even cheaper price. Being exhausted, we headed home, dropped our purchases off, before heading back into the square for dinner. We went back to the same place as last night (as they have us free drinks), but this time tried the tangine (as it had been recommended to us both by a lot of people). The chicken and date one (yes Nonni and Dad, I eat dates too now), was amazing and Cam was jealous he didn't order the same thing. Things of Note: - When booking our Sahara desert tour, I was complimented on my beard (if you could call it that). This was the first time I had ever been complimented on my facial hair, and no doubt ill get more compliments on the next few weeks, as I'm aiming to not shave till La Tomitinia (which is still two weeks away). Therefore, I assume my beard will be ferocious by then. - At dinner, a little girl just grabbed my half drunk Fanta bottle and assumed as her own. I thought nothing of it, till she brought her little brother back and wanted Cam to volunteer his coke to him. Lucky they were adorable, is all I'm saying. August 16th: We had l wake up early today to make sure we got to the bus by 730am, which was taking us to the Sahara. This included packing our little overnight bags and packing up our big bags to put into the storage closest. Luckily we made it to the bus depot just in time. Little did we realise that this started the bumpiest and windy trip of our lives. When you combine the kamikaze drivers here, with the terrible quality of roads and the mountain ranges, it was never going to be a quiet trip. Our first stop was half way up High Atlas (which is supposedly the second highest mountain range in Africa). By now, Cam and I both weren't feeling crash hot and needed some fresh air (and to make matters worse, then my nose started bleeding). Lunch was our next stop, but not till we had walked around the old city of Ait Ben Haddou. You may not know where this is (and neither do I) but you would have all seen it before. This town has had movies such as Gladiator (which took 15 months to film), The Mummy, Prince of Persia and the television show Game of Thrones (season 3) have been set. Apart from that, this old town of ruins only houses eleven families permanently, and contains a palace, fortress, lookout, Jewish synagogue, and small houses, which shelter them from average heats of 45 degrees (and it was every bit that hot when we were there). After a feed and long drink, we continued east towards Zagora. But before we reached there, we stopped at Ouarzazate, where we saw the 'Past Moroccan Film Studios'. By the time we reached Zagora, it was starting to get dark, so we quickly grabbed supplies (mainly water for the desert), and headed to meet our camels before the sun set. This was the thing Cam an I had been looking forward to (mainly me, as Cam pretty much jizzed himself on the set of Gladiator). As such, Cam ran straight over to the Camels and chose the first one he saw. Unfortunately for him and hilariously for everyone else, he chose the smallest camel by far, which he called Sonic. To make things worse, it had the least amount of padding and therefore, destroyed his ****** (watch the videos, they're great of Cam squirming on top of Sonic). I, on the other hand, scored the second biggest one and appropriately named it Alice (as we know all camels should be names that). Thankfully we didn't have to walk to our campsite in the desert, as it was still a casual 47 degrees at 8pm that night. On the ride there, the mountains either side of us reminded me of Monument Valley in America, as they were amazing cliff faces, surrounding the endless sands of the Sahara. The ride took about 90 minutes all up, and by the time we arrives at our campsite, it was dark. So we were all assigned to huts and then headed over to the meal tent, for a traditional Moroccan feast. It was nothing we hang already tried (soup, cous cous and watermelon), but the way they cooked it) obviously with different spices, was unreal. After this, we all relaxed for a while (Cam and I went and hung out with the camels), before congregating near the fire area and listening and singing along to traditional music, performed by the locals. Everyone then gradually went to bed, with an early start upon us again tomorrow. Things of Note: - Supposedly, four years ago, it actually snowed in Ait Ben Haddou. Even though there is photo proof, I find it extremely hard to believe it would snow there, in the middle of the desert. - Our bus had a lot of diversity on it, with people from Canada, North Korea, Italy, Spain, Brazil and France riding with us. - At every stop, it was almost funny watching locals try and sell us the same things over and over again. These include crystal rocks, metal plates and weapons and wooden toys. - Driving through the towns just outside of Zagora was really eye opening. The quality of life and conditions that the locals live in, is exceptionally poor. Cam and I decided that each day is chore just to survive. This has made me really appreciate and be thankful for the life I have back in Australia. August 17th: We were all woken up before seven (by the locals and the thundering winds) to watch the desert sunrise. This was done while eating a quick breakfast, before getting back on our camels, to head back to the bus. Unfortunately, I was stitched up massively and didn't get Alice again. Instead, I got a smaller, more uncomfortable camel, that I name "Makybe", because I assumed she was going to be quick. How wrong I was. We were stuck towards the back of the slow group. The ride today was thankfully not as long, as my nuts were on fire (still being sore from the day before). Luckily I decided to wear pants today, to prevent my leg hairs being pulled out, because yesterday was a disaster and many poor, incident hairs were lost. We then all jumped back on the bus, which started an eight hour ride back to Marrakech. It was an extremely long ride, through the windy mountains, especially when you consider we only had two stops, one in an antique store and the other for lunch (which was at least at a picturesque spot). We arrived back in Marrakech just before 6pm, so after we said our goodbyes to our tour group, we headed back to our hostel, for a much needed shower. After a shower and some down time, we headed back into the square for one last meal, and as it was a Saturday night, there would of been over 30,000 people in there (easily the busiest we have seen it). We then headed back to the hostel for bed. Things of Note: - In the two hours from when we woke up till we arrived at the bus, the sun has risen from behind the mountains, to nearly the middle of the sky. As it rose so quick, the temperate also rose at a rapid rate. - On the camel ride today, we had to deal with a hectic sandstorm. Luckily, as one of the video points out, we had the 'Prince of Persia' aka me, to help us defeat the 'Sands of Time'. - We learnt that most of their dates come from the red flower that grows on the palm trees here. Originally, we thought they were just flowers. - On the bus ride, there wasn't much to do but try and sleep. But it seemed every time you were about to fade off into slumberland, the driver would hit a corner and wake you up. - Five times a day, you here a loud noise in the distance and Cam and I had no idea what it was. After asking one d the workers at the hostel, he explained that they pray give times a day (at certain times) and do it loud enough, so most people can hear it. August 18th: Today was the day we would say goodbye to Marrakech for good and head towards the supposed cultural capital of Morocco, Fez. So after a bit of cheap shopping, we headed to the train station, to board our seven hour train. At first, we grabbed four seats between the two of us, and constantly told people that asked of the seat was taken, that our mate was in the bathroom. This lasted for nearly two hits before some local ***** ratted us out and we we then stuck next to two sweaty, smelly Moroccan men. It's fair to say I death stared the hell out of the fat cow. The trip itself ended up taking about nine hours, with all the stopping we had to do, not the mention the amount of people getting off and on the train at each station. At least we got to see some unique countryside along the way, including some cool houses made out of hay. We pulled into Fez station after 9pm, and were shocked at how much more developed it was then Marrakech, but we were informed that this was only the new medina and that we should withhold judgment until we see the middle and old towns. Things of Note: - Fez is the spiritual, cultural and intellectual capital of Morocco, and consists of three areas within the city; the new medina (predominately French people), the middle town or Jewish quarter "Milla" and then the old medina (inhabited by predominately Arabs and Berbers). - The old medina is apparently the oldest and biggest medina in all of North Africa, consisting of about 12,000 different alleyways, and housing 35,000 families. - In saying that, Fez (which is the mother city to Granada in Spain), is apparently not safe for tourists at night time. - On our taxi ride to our hostel, our taxi driver said "there's the USA Embassy", which he was eluding to McDonalds. August 19th: As we only had one day here, we decided to do a cheap guided tour with our taxi driver from last night (who apparently loves Australians). So we started the tour at 10am (being 37 degrees already), and made our way through the city. We passed Kings Palace and the gardens that separate the old and middle cities, before stopping at the Seven Min Gates of the Kings Palace, which were doors covered in mosaics, by the Jews. Following some photos there, we made our way up to the South Castle (previously a gaol) to check out the view over the city. It was amazing to see how condensed the old medina was inside the walls. Our driver Kot Kot took us to a place where they make mosaics and showed us the whole process from when the mash the grey clay with their feet, all the way up to the finished product. We were even given gifts of two heart shaped stones as a thank you (which we of course had to pay for). Next stop was Sidi Harazem, which is described as the "Magic Fountain" of Morocco. People come from all over and camp near here, just so they can drink this "all-healing" water. Of course we had a taste and the warm and somewhat dirty water gave me more of a stomach ache, instead of healing it (which it's supposed to do, as apparently it clears kidney stones). We also tried local figs for the first time and and purple ones were pretty good, unlike their larger, green counterparts. That ended our tour, so Kot Kot dropped us off with his mate Alex and he took us around the old medina for free (he too loves Aussies, as his wife is one). Alex is an architect by trade and explained how he fixed a lot of this area, by outing stabilising holes in the walls. He then took us to some hidden palaces for some photos and history on the area. After that, with it being the last day of the handy craft festival (meaning busy markets everywhere), we followed Alex to another rig store. On the side, Alex buys local Moroccan carpets on the cheap and sell them for five times the amount in Europe. As such, when the store owner was showing us rugs, we assumed he was directing his efforts towards Alex, but instead he wanted us to buy them. So from Alex being a really nice guy, things quickly turned South, as we were told to leave the store, as we had no intention to purchase anything. Another Moroccan stitch-up! So we went on our way, and headed towards the Tanneries, which is the tye-dye place, where leather and wool are put through intensive process'. This has gone on since the 11th century, with limestone, pigeon poo and vinegar all used, to absorb the colours. We then continued walking through the medina, finding a quick bite to eat along the way. After about an hours walking around aimlessly, we decided to try and get home. This sounds a lot easier in theory, even with a GPS. It took us over an hour to try and get home, weaving in and out of all the alleyways. Once we finally found home, both of us were shattered, having been out in the hot sun all day. We just relaxed until dinner, which was provided by the hostel for us. We ate with a Canadian fella named Justin, before being joined by Agnes from Austria and Dave from Canada. We stayed up on the terrace exchanging travel stories before going to bed. Things of Note: - The wall of the medina (which surrounds the old city) was 25km long. On top of that, it was just eight kilometres from the old to new medinas. - Cobalt Blue is the colour of the city and it is everywhere, predominately in their mosaics. - Everywhere you go, there are people that are trying to sell you hash. Five minutes won't go past, without Cam or I being offered it. - The three main religions in Fez are Muslim, Jewish and Christian, which makes the city very interesting. - Whole on the tour, Kot Kot paid the equivalent of $20 for 24L of petrol, prices we, back in Australia, can only dream of. - Back in the day, there was 25 Berber tribes. Instead of having passports, people would get markings on the face, one on their forehead to represent their family and one on the chin to distinguish what tribe they are from. - As it is forbidden for Muslims to get tattoos, fake ones, called henna's are very popular here. August 20th: After blogging, skyping the 'Brat Pack' and Annaleize, we packed our gear and headed to the bus station, hoping to get a cheap bus to Chaouen. But, as we had heard, all the tickets for today's buses were sold out, meaning we had to find all alternative transportation method. We were approached by a taxi driver who offered to take us there for 800 durham (nearly double the bus fair). As such, we declined. But as we had no other way to get there, we bartered with him for ages and finally agreed on a lower price. This would be the skecthiest transportation I have done so far, with four guys cramped into a little white car, with a random guy driving, for nearly four hours. Add on to that, the zero existence of air conditioning about, broken windows (unable to wind down) and the dry heat, the trip was not comfortable in the slightest (as bags were also taking up what little space we had) Once we arrived, the dodgy driver pretty much just dumped as in the medina and left. The other boys then went in search of their hostel, while we trekked through the souks (with the help of a local), to find our place. Our place was perfect, being twin share, in the middle of the blue town and having an unbelievable view over the city (from the terrace). So after unpacking, we went in search of food (having only eaten breakfast all day). Luckily we stumbled upon a chaotic local restaurant, which turned out to be a Moroccan subway of sorts. Following this, we jut wandered around the blue city, taking it in, before making our way up to the main square. Unlike Marrakech, this square was very touristy (as we assume this is a holiday destination for a lot of Moroccans). We then went back and chilled on the terrace, watching the sunset over the sea of blue buildings. Once dark, we headed back to the square for dinner. Here Cam and I sat chatting for nearly two hours, before we realised how late it had become (not that you would know, by how buy it still was), and made our way back to the hostel for bed. Things of Note: - Taxis have been a shortsighted today. Firstly four of us tried to split a cab to the bus station but supposedly they're only allowed three passengers inside a five person taxi (what a crock of ****). We were then again stitched up by the guy who was taking us to Chaouen. After agreeing on a price, they increased the amount owed, once we started driving. Dead set, they try and squeeze every single penny out of all the tourists. - Beard Watch: having not shaved for about two weeks (to fit in with the local Moroccans), there is finally significant growth, that can actually be noticed by people. Also of note, a bit of ranga (red) has crept into it, therefore making it a two-toned masterpiece. Stay tuned. - Hash Count: in the first probably two hours Cam and I were here, we got offered hash (amongst other things) ten times and even got offered illegal vodka once. I'll keep you posted to how high the number rises. - The best way to describe Chefchaouen (the blue Jewish city), is just a blue version of Mykonos. Little streets everywhere, that are painted, which lead you through both housing and markets, to a main square. But surprisingly, we both found our bearings on the place pretty quickly. August 21st: After we both finally got ready, after a very cruise and relaxing morning, he headed out into the scorching heat and explored Africa's 'blue' Mykonos. Although labelled the 'new' part of town, pretty much everything that happens in Chefchaouen happens in the old town. So after quickly walking through the 'new' and only seeing a couple of cafes and a fresh produce market (including a whole cow skin into two prices), we found what we labelled "Moroccan Subway". Once we finished eating, we negotiated our way through the blue streets, all the way up to the waterfalls, if we can call it that. It was more of a river then a waterfall, but that's what the locals called it. Here, you found people cleaning their clothes, swimming and playing in the water. Even some crazy local kids were diving about four metres into exceptionally shallow water. We then were making out way up to the mosque for a view over the city, when Cam's inner child shone through and he started climbing this mountain. As such, I had to follow him we climbed for about 25 minutes in the blistering heat, before stopping in the shade. He then found what looked like a path, so we continued our ascent, with us hoping to find a 'local tribe' or something. Another 20 minutes walking ensued before we found a cave, which we thought locals might inhabit but no luck, just some burnt rocks and engravings on the rocks (meaning people have been there before). So after a break, we started our trip down, we thankfully was a lot shorter (but resulted in me rolling my ankle on the loose rocks). Sweating our rigs off by now, we both desperately needed to rehydrate, so we headed back into the medina for some ice cold refreshments. This was followed by more walking and climbing, only this time it was up a massive flight of stairs, up to the city wall, which looks over the whole city. We wandered around here and enjoyed the views for a whole before heading back into the medina. On our way back into the sea of blue buildings, we were nearly knocked over by a group of mountain goats walking up the streets, being herded by a couple of old ladies. We then relaxed back at our place for a while before heading into the main square for dinner, where we sat for ages chatting and taking in the atmosphere before bed. Things of Note: - It doesn't seem to matter how much water I drink during the day (with me averting nearly eight litres a day), I haven't ****** clear in over a week, with the golden flow being the go. - As we haven't experienced a day less then 40 degrees since we have arrived in Morocco, cold showers have been all the rage. August 22nd: Today we had made plans to head out to the Akchour waterfalls for the day. So after packing our day bag and grabbing a feed, we jumped in a packed taxi, for our 45 minute drive to the falls. Once there, we didn't realise it was still a good half an hour walk till we actually got to the running water. And instead of one big waterfall, which we had assumed it was, it was just a constant stream of water, with little falls every so often. On the walk, we noticed a lot of locals camping there, as this must be a popular place to spend their summer holidays. There were tents, barbecues and chairs pretty much along the whole stream. We finally found a good, isolated place, which Cam and I could enjoy to ourselves. After the long, hot walk, the freezing cold water was very refreshing, even if it took a while to adjust to. After about an hour in the water relaxing, we made the trek back to catch a taxi back to Chefchaouen. One thing we did notice at the falls was that there was zero to no foreigners there, we with maybe seeing one other couple, who didn't look local. We assume this is because not many tourists would know about his hidden gem. Again on the way home, we were squished into the cab, we Cam and I both having to sit in the front. As such, I had to have my head practically out the window the entire trip. Once back, we had a quiet afternoon planning our next adventures and how we were going to get back to Europe tomorrow. As such, it was a very cruisey afternoon, followed by one final dinner in Morocco before going to bed early, as we had to get up early the next day for our full travel day. Things of Note: - I find it funny that in Fez, we were only allowed three passengers per taxi, but in Chefchaouen, they constantly want to fit seven people (the driver and six passengers) in one taxi, which leads to a very uncomfortable trip. - In the three days spent here, we have been offered hash on at least 21 different occasions. As such, Cam and I made a game of it, telling out the appropriate number of times we have been offered it, everytime we had it offered to us. We later found out that it is due to this hash and the amount of sugar they put into all their drinks (some are unbearably sweet), that so many Moroccans have terrible teeth. - For a person who has never really bartered before, I would say I am now a seasoned veteran an look forward to using my skills again in Bali. - On numerous occasions, all Cam and I have craved is a chocolate milkshake. But as far and wide as we searched, we couldn't find any. Instead, they do avocado milkshakes, that are ok but not something I will be buying again. August 23rd: Today was our long voyage back to Europe and in particular Spain. And although it wasn't our longest travel day to date, it definitely included the most types of transport. After waking up early, we first caught a taxi to Tetuoan. And to save our legs, we paid a little extra to ensure we didn't need another person in the cab. This trip lasted about an hour and a half. We then jumped straight into another cab for an hour ride to Tanger. In this cab, Cam had the please of listening to what seemed to be a Moroccan argument between two of the lady passengers and the driver (in lucky had my headphones in). Next we jumped into a took-took, which was really fun, which dropped us at the harbour, where we were catching our ferry from. Being early, or at least we thought we were, we relaxed and enjoyed lunch and then casually made our way to the boat. But as we checked in, they informed us that we better rush to the boat, as it was about to leave (10 minutes early, which is unheard of in Morocco, as they are on 'Spanish time'). The ferry only lasted an hour, and then we had to rush of that, as we had to try and make the last bus to Sevilla for the day, in like 15 minutes time. Once in a taxi to the bus station, we thought we were home and hosed but that wasn't the case, as it was chaotic getting out of the port and tool a lot longer then expected to get there. We pulled in with two minutes to spare, so Cam paid for the cab, while I went and organised us bus tickets. With no Euro on me, I tried to pay with card but for some stupid reason (in today's day and age), they didn't have a card machine. As such I had to run ten minutes into town and back, just to get cash out to pay for the bus (while Cam held the bus for us). In the end, we made the bus, despite my ankle still killing and me sweating like no tomorrow. The bus trip lasted about three hours, and went quick as we watched a movie the whole way. By the time we arrived in Sevilla, it was about 9pm, meaning we had travelled for about eleven hours straight, just to get back to Spain. So it's fair to say, after checking in and tapas (garlic chicken, Mediterranean chicken, caramelised sirloin and calamari), before calling stumps on the day. Things of Note: - Unfortunately on this ferry, we don't have the pleasure of seeing what we labelled 'Ms World Morocco', as she was an absolute stunner and easily the most attractive Moroccan we saw in our time there. - One thing we have noticed in the time we have been away from Europe, is that it is starting to get a little bit colder at night, representing the first signs that summer is coming to an end. August 24th: Another early start, as we had organised a lift from Sevilla to Lagos today through Bla Bla Car. This site essentially is for people driving from point A to point B and offering seats on their trip, for pretty much the price of the petrol. This worked out awesome for us, as the trip only took 2.5 hours, instead the over six hour bus ride we would alternatively had to take, not to mention it worked out cheaper too. Once they dropped us off, we went to our hostel and dropped our bags there, as we couldn't check in to later in the afternoon. So once we ditched them, we grabbed some food and Cam walked me up to the Grottos (as he has already been here before but wanted to come back, as he loved it). The Grottos were stunning. The best way to describe them is crazy rock formations jut off the coastline, similar to the 12 apposils, along the Great Ocean Road in Australia. So after sitting up there for over an hour taking in the sights and all the water sports activities happening below (boats, spear-fishing, swimming, booze cruises, jet skiing), we headed down to Cams favourite beach spot. The spot was connected one of the main beaches, but was hidden around a Grotto, so depending on the time and tide, it would depend how busy it was. Today the tide was relatively low, meaning it was quite busy, which was good, as it gave the shoreline a buzz. Following a couple of hours there, we headed back and checked in before heading back out to one of the English style pubs to watch Liverpool vs Aston Villa. It was good relaxing, watching the soccer (a sport Cam is slowly coming around to), whole enjoying a couple of Somerby's ciders. Following the match, Cam showed me around the town a little, including the main square, before taking me to an awesome rooftop bar. Here we sat with our feet on a pool, looking over the whole city, watching the sunset. By now, we were both starving and Cam knew just what would do the trick. He took me to a place called 'Nah Nah Bar', which apparently has one of the best fifty burgers from all over Europe. As such we both had to try it out and see if the reports were true. We both concluded it was good yes, but nothing that special (especially as we both struggled to finished it after a massive nachos for entree). We chilled here enjoying some more Somerby's and chatting to plenty of other travellers, before retreating back to our hostel for the night. Things of Note: - For a person who never even thought about drinking cider at home, after a couple of bad experiences, Somerby's has became one of my drinks of choice, ever since Croatia. - The burger at 'Nah Nah Bar' that is in the top fifty is called 'Toucan'. But I don't know what was so special about it, pretty much just being a bigger version of the stock standard hamburger we have back home. August 25th: Following a much needed sleep in (yes I know I'm precious), I chatted to my dad for the first time in about a month, before finally booking my flight to Bali for my mate Ben's wedding. Once the koala bear Cam woke up and got ready, we headed to a cheap burger joint for food. This worked out well for us, as they had a PS3 for customers to use, including the game Fifa. As such, Cam and I spent the next hour playing it, which resulted in me winning all three games and Cam not scoring one single goal. By now, we were both craving the beach, so we headed back to our spot and chilled there for over an hour. The water is such a great temperature and it's a welcome sign to actually see beaches with yellow sand on them. Next we headed back to the pub to watch Man City lose to Cardiff in the soccer. Here we enjoyed more ciders and played darts, which I somehow one (as I'm the self confessed wort pub sports player in the world). We then bought some €1 Somerby's to take back to the hostel and drank with a group of people from our hostel, before heading out. Sure there was a lot of clubs and they were good, but I don't think Lagos' nightlife lived up to its' reputation tonight (probably because we couldn't get drank enough, as we sat on ciders all night). Things of Note: - The main downfall of our current hostel is the bathroom situation. Having only three bathrooms (including one that has three showers in it for some reason), means there is always a wait to get in there. The worst was at night when I was waiting for a shower, but had to wait 45 minutes for two French girls to do their makeup. - When out, two Irish girls thought Cam (who at the time, had a cap on back-to-front) looked like Aussie tennis player Lleyton Hewitt. It seems he gets compared to a new celebrity in each country we go to. - I'm not usually one to we caught up in yellow fever or anything that like that (without sounding too racist), but tonight Cam and I met the most attractive Asian we have ever met. What sets her apart from all the rest you ask? Well she is Irish, and when you combine her looks and that accent, your heart just melts like hot butter. August 26th: After not waking up too dusty from the night before, Cam and I checked out and headed to the bus station to catch the 1230pm bus to Sevilla. With that booked out, we had to wait till 245pm to the next bus, so we went and grabbed some food and played Fifa for the next two hours, to kill time. Once of the bus, we grabbed the back seat, which was an in-genius idea by Cam, as despite how full the bus got, no one ever tried to sit up the back with us two. This was great, as we watched movies and slept most of the six hour journey anyway. Once in Sevilla (about 9pm, as we lost an hour), we had seven hours to kill till our Bla Bla Car to Valencia left. So we had some tapas while watching Real Madrid vs Granada in the soccer, before eating at our favorite little restaurant in Sevilla till it closed. Cam and I then made it to one of the bus stations to try and kill a couple of hours, before getting picked up. While I slept, Cam kept an eye over me (like a guardian angel), and watched movies on his computer. Things of Note: - Instead of wasting our money and staying at a hostel for only a couple of hours, we decided to just crash on the streets until 4am, which was our collection time. - In the two days I was there, I quickly learned to love Lagos as much as Cam and Jay did on their first visit here. A solid balance between family tourist spot, beach lifestyle and nightlife, equates to a great place to visit to just relax for a couple of days. - Beard Watch: for those still interested in my great attempts to grow a ferocious beard, the attempts are still continuing. It has now been going one for about 2.5 weeks and having not grown much longer over the past couple of days, it has instead started to become thicker. My dad even noticed it on Skype (awesome news) and I doubt my grandparents will Ben recognize me when they see me in a couple of days in Zurich. August 27th: Once Cam woke me up, at about 330am, we made our way to our Bla Bla Car pick up spot. Once the two Spanish guys rocked up, we knew it was going to be a tight squeeze for the next eight hours, as we all had to nurse bags. In particular, I had to sit in the front with my big travel backpack between my legs. Luckily for everyone, we pretty much slept the first five hours and it wasn't till the sun had fully risen, till we all awoke and had to deal with how squishy it was. In the end though, we got to Valencia cheaper and quicker then we would have done on either bus or train. We arrived in Valencia around midday and first walked to the local mall to grab some food and figure out the way to our hostel. It took us about an hour to walk there and once there, we were so glad, we just sprawled over each of our beds. Cam luckily had control of the waiver-wire and scored the double bed. That afternoon we relaxed before heading out and did some sightseeing. This included checking out the architecture of these weird buildings (entertainment centre and aquarium), all surrounded by water, the big kids playground (shaped in a humans body) and a couple of castles. We then went shopping to buy cheap stuff to where to tomorrow at La Tomatina. We found some cheap boardies and then headed back to the hostel. Later that night, I walked over to the hotel that Monte and the boys were staying at, to catch up with them. We just chatted for a couple of hours, made plans for tomorrow and then headed into town to watch some local Flamenco dancing. We stayed here and experienced it for a while before Monte and I had had enough and headed home before everyone else, to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow. Things of Note: - Thank Christ I held the waiver rights today, so I could secure the rights to the front seat, otherwise it would of been even more squishy in the back, with them having to put up with my huge pelvis. - What is the Waiver Wire you ask? Well over the past couple of weeks, we have had turns at who preference at certain things, from beds all the way to transport positions. And once someone uses their waiver pick, the other person has first pick at anything they want in the future (within reason). - At the cafe we stopped at for lunch, I got a nice coffee and Cam ordered a hot chocolate. Unfortunately for Cam, these aren't the same over here and he ended up with hot chocolate syrup in a cup and didn't drink/eat any of it. - We were amazed by how cold it was in Valencia. Having only experienced weather of only 30 degrees of late, we thought it was cold as it was only 20 degrees in Valencia (probably the coldest summer day on record in Spain). - The past couple of week with Cam have been some of the most hectic of my travels to date. From the massive culture shock of Morocco, to the beach and hot weather of Lagos, Cam and I have thoroughly enjoyed our experiences, as they have been so different to other places we have been. Next stop, the worlds biggest food fight in Bunol!