Overall my trip through Spain and Morocco was successful and a good start to this year's travels; I am still somewhat unsure how I decided on those two countries. Most of my top desired countries tend to be more exotic and remote. Nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed my time and was able to see many new things.
For those who fretted over my apparent lack of planning - I would like to clarify that it was a lack of booking or securing, rather than planning - that I made it all through the entire trip without having to sleep on the sidewalk or beg for food. That being said things did not always go as planned; however, that was more due to things not being on schedule and the subsequent domino effect. What I did figure out is that with enough - in this case, not too much - money, it is always possible to find food, lodging, and transport; therefore, I tried to keep my fretting to a minimum when things weren't quite going as planned. A con to traveling alone is that when things go wrong, you are left on your own to cope. On the bright side, being a solo traveller means, you only need worry about yourself and can freely choose what to do with whom and when you will do said activity. Albeit, leaving no one to kick you in the butt when you may warrant a push or need some motivation. Despite going solo, I have yet to fell particularly lonely as there are always - almost - great people to meet and hang out with, either for a short time or a while. Thankfully, I can usually tell pretty quickly if I'm liking someone's vibe - negativity and pessimism need not apply.
When the flight took off from Ottawa and I left Canada, all I had were those flights leading me to Madrid. I had not booked a hostel - I had not booked anything - and I had yet to secure my semester abroad. Compared to my typical need to plan, organize, and secure all the details beforehand, this departure appeared a little different. I did however have a plan in mind that outlined what my travels would entail, but free to follow any changes or opportunities that appeared. I have attached an outline of my year (that I made before I left Canada), which divides my year into three parts: leg 1, Spain & Morocco; leg 2: Arabic semester; and leg 3, primarily European travel. In any case, my plan for leg 1 did turn out according to my idea and I was able to book each upcoming city while I was finishing up in the previous one. Although this left for some tight bookings. Sometimes when made too close to my arrival date - i.e. the day or night before - the reservation would not go through so it would be as if I hadn't booked anything, usually a dorm bed. As I was travelling in the relative low season, I almost never ran into problems of overbooking. In Marrakech, I ended up moving to the hostels other place as when I extended my stay there were no longer any beds available.
I travelled from Madrid to Gibraltar, passing through Cordoba and Gibraltar - highlighting the Moorish influences, as well as the modern creations throughout. Gibraltar was beyond my expectations - I'm not sure what I had in mind other than monkeys, British roots, and local pride. It was an amazing experience to see the unique culture of Gibraltar as a true mix between the British, Spanish, and Moroccan influences. Seeing the apes up close - no fences or barriers - was definitely a highlight and makes me want to spend more time around them.
Of the entire trip, in part due to its difference from western countries and being the latter of the two parts, Morocco left a much larger impression. From the get go, I found Moroccans to be extremely friendly, generous, and welcoming. Despite the seemingly cold appearance, as soon as I smiled at women on the street, they would (mostly) break into huge smiles in return. Women for the most part wore kaftans - long dress or coat like outer wear with long sleeves and floor-length hems - with fleece pajamas underneath and slippers on their feet! It was definitely a common look throughout the country, especially in the more rural and traditional areas. Despite having studied Arabic previously, I found - and slightly panicked - that I could not understand their Arabic. Therefore, I relied on my French along with a few standard lines in Arabic - mostly, salam-a-lakum upon meeting someone or entering a shop. The shopping available throughout the country is most impressive: leather goods (bags & shoes), metal lanterns, ceramic cooking pots, and silver teapots galore! It was most tempting to fill up my bag - figuratively rather than literally as I had little room to start with - with all the beautiful, handmade goods. If there is anywhere that I want to return to in order to buy souvenirs and goods fine artistic designs, Morocco offers a delighful selection. Tastebuds not forgotten, Morocco offers a plethora of delectable dishes and drinks: cavity-inducing sweet mint tea, sizzling-hot tajines, and fresh fruit juices and smoothies. Oh and mostly maggot-free, fresh dates, figs, nuts, and mandarins!
When it comes to transportation, Moroccan streets and alleys are full of every type of contraption: taxis, buses, scooters, police, donkeys. The most impressive acrobatics is in the alleyways of city medinas - between the three-metre wide spaces there is store merchandizes and stands; local and tourist pedestrians, garbage and water drainage; cats and their corners; bicycles and scooters; and horses or donkeys with carts. To say the least, it can get quite clausterphobic, but despite persistant honking or metal clanging - i.e. "get out of the way" or sometimes simply "watch out" - flows quite smoothly without giving one a sense of danger. The skill and grace demonstrated by those weaving their way through the crowds either on moped or donkey is quite impressive with them only having to stop on occasion.
Packing for a year-long journey meant that I was packing for weight, convenience, and multi-usage. This also meant that I may have overestimated my Canadian hardiness and was left without a warm coat and waterproof shoes. I also had yet to master the technique of layering all the items I did have with me. Being chilly and damp are quite prevalent in my memories of Spain, especially as I remember when I was finally able to rejoice when my toes were not icecubes during the night. Planning ahead - this time, I will need to acquire a coat and boots for my remaining travels throughout the fall and winter, especially as I head towards the northern nations later this year.
In terms of my semester abroad, I contacted the school in Amman, Jordan while I was travelling in Morocco. I was no longer aiming for Alexandria due to the instability especially the potential with the upcoming elections. The reply from Amman was simple and easy - we cannot open the application you sent us (PDF), but show up for the registration day and we will finish the application process then. To be honest, my backup plan was to show up before the registration day and work on getting myself accepted - in person tends to wield much more power. Subsequently, I booked my flight to Amman once I had accepted that Egypt was too much of a gamble and their lack of response didn't give me any hope. I didn't want to secure a place to live before I arrived in the country so I booked a hostel in the downtown and would work on securing a room upon arrival. As I was nearing my trip and planning the semester, I hesistated to leave as I was greatly enjoying my time in Morocco and didn't want to leave it behind. However, an extremely different dialect and the desire to see more places, led me off to Jordan.
Flying from Morocco was relatively straightforward, expect initially they did not want to let me to go Jordan as I could not show a visa and they did not initially believe me that visas could be acquired upon arrival. Once I convinced the border control manager - a little less confidently than I could have - I was off towards Cairo for an overnight stay in the airport. Definitely nothing to rave about, I spent a relatively uneventful, but uncomfortable night in upright in a bright and busy hallway. I later noticed a section that would most likely have been quieter and with benches that I could have used as a bed, but that wasn't until the morning. The one slightly entertaining aspects of my night was after I had bought a small bottle of red wine and was drinking it slowly in an attempt to nod off - after pulling my toque down over my eyes. When I popped my toque up, I noticed that I received quite a few glances - to the bottle and then to me. No one said anything outright, but I could see a slight hint of a smirk in their looks. I was not particularly bothered and more concerned with being as comfy as possible.
This completes my entries on the first leg of 2014, which now opens up the chance for me to finish up and post my blogs for the first two months in Jordan. Let's hope by the time I finish my semester, I will be up to date!
Addendum
I forgot to include my final spending for 22 days in Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco. The following does not include flights or insurance (all prices in CAD).
Total cost: 1456
Lodging: 419 (28.7%)
Food: 388 (26.7%)
Transport: 352 (24.2%)
Tours & Entrance Fees: 205 (14.1%)
Things & Souvenirs: 75 (5.2%)
Services (e.g. toilet): 17 (1.1%)
I was mostly conservative in my purchases but didn't sacrifice everything in order to spend the absolute minimum.
Photos
For those who fretted over my apparent lack of planning - I would like to clarify that it was a lack of booking or securing, rather than planning - that I made it all through the entire trip without having to sleep on the sidewalk or beg for food. That being said things did not always go as planned; however, that was more due to things not being on schedule and the subsequent domino effect. What I did figure out is that with enough - in this case, not too much - money, it is always possible to find food, lodging, and transport; therefore, I tried to keep my fretting to a minimum when things weren't quite going as planned. A con to traveling alone is that when things go wrong, you are left on your own to cope. On the bright side, being a solo traveller means, you only need worry about yourself and can freely choose what to do with whom and when you will do said activity. Albeit, leaving no one to kick you in the butt when you may warrant a push or need some motivation. Despite going solo, I have yet to fell particularly lonely as there are always - almost - great people to meet and hang out with, either for a short time or a while. Thankfully, I can usually tell pretty quickly if I'm liking someone's vibe - negativity and pessimism need not apply.
When the flight took off from Ottawa and I left Canada, all I had were those flights leading me to Madrid. I had not booked a hostel - I had not booked anything - and I had yet to secure my semester abroad. Compared to my typical need to plan, organize, and secure all the details beforehand, this departure appeared a little different. I did however have a plan in mind that outlined what my travels would entail, but free to follow any changes or opportunities that appeared. I have attached an outline of my year (that I made before I left Canada), which divides my year into three parts: leg 1, Spain & Morocco; leg 2: Arabic semester; and leg 3, primarily European travel. In any case, my plan for leg 1 did turn out according to my idea and I was able to book each upcoming city while I was finishing up in the previous one. Although this left for some tight bookings. Sometimes when made too close to my arrival date - i.e. the day or night before - the reservation would not go through so it would be as if I hadn't booked anything, usually a dorm bed. As I was travelling in the relative low season, I almost never ran into problems of overbooking. In Marrakech, I ended up moving to the hostels other place as when I extended my stay there were no longer any beds available.
I travelled from Madrid to Gibraltar, passing through Cordoba and Gibraltar - highlighting the Moorish influences, as well as the modern creations throughout. Gibraltar was beyond my expectations - I'm not sure what I had in mind other than monkeys, British roots, and local pride. It was an amazing experience to see the unique culture of Gibraltar as a true mix between the British, Spanish, and Moroccan influences. Seeing the apes up close - no fences or barriers - was definitely a highlight and makes me want to spend more time around them.
Of the entire trip, in part due to its difference from western countries and being the latter of the two parts, Morocco left a much larger impression. From the get go, I found Moroccans to be extremely friendly, generous, and welcoming. Despite the seemingly cold appearance, as soon as I smiled at women on the street, they would (mostly) break into huge smiles in return. Women for the most part wore kaftans - long dress or coat like outer wear with long sleeves and floor-length hems - with fleece pajamas underneath and slippers on their feet! It was definitely a common look throughout the country, especially in the more rural and traditional areas. Despite having studied Arabic previously, I found - and slightly panicked - that I could not understand their Arabic. Therefore, I relied on my French along with a few standard lines in Arabic - mostly, salam-a-lakum upon meeting someone or entering a shop. The shopping available throughout the country is most impressive: leather goods (bags & shoes), metal lanterns, ceramic cooking pots, and silver teapots galore! It was most tempting to fill up my bag - figuratively rather than literally as I had little room to start with - with all the beautiful, handmade goods. If there is anywhere that I want to return to in order to buy souvenirs and goods fine artistic designs, Morocco offers a delighful selection. Tastebuds not forgotten, Morocco offers a plethora of delectable dishes and drinks: cavity-inducing sweet mint tea, sizzling-hot tajines, and fresh fruit juices and smoothies. Oh and mostly maggot-free, fresh dates, figs, nuts, and mandarins!
When it comes to transportation, Moroccan streets and alleys are full of every type of contraption: taxis, buses, scooters, police, donkeys. The most impressive acrobatics is in the alleyways of city medinas - between the three-metre wide spaces there is store merchandizes and stands; local and tourist pedestrians, garbage and water drainage; cats and their corners; bicycles and scooters; and horses or donkeys with carts. To say the least, it can get quite clausterphobic, but despite persistant honking or metal clanging - i.e. "get out of the way" or sometimes simply "watch out" - flows quite smoothly without giving one a sense of danger. The skill and grace demonstrated by those weaving their way through the crowds either on moped or donkey is quite impressive with them only having to stop on occasion.
Packing for a year-long journey meant that I was packing for weight, convenience, and multi-usage. This also meant that I may have overestimated my Canadian hardiness and was left without a warm coat and waterproof shoes. I also had yet to master the technique of layering all the items I did have with me. Being chilly and damp are quite prevalent in my memories of Spain, especially as I remember when I was finally able to rejoice when my toes were not icecubes during the night. Planning ahead - this time, I will need to acquire a coat and boots for my remaining travels throughout the fall and winter, especially as I head towards the northern nations later this year.
In terms of my semester abroad, I contacted the school in Amman, Jordan while I was travelling in Morocco. I was no longer aiming for Alexandria due to the instability especially the potential with the upcoming elections. The reply from Amman was simple and easy - we cannot open the application you sent us (PDF), but show up for the registration day and we will finish the application process then. To be honest, my backup plan was to show up before the registration day and work on getting myself accepted - in person tends to wield much more power. Subsequently, I booked my flight to Amman once I had accepted that Egypt was too much of a gamble and their lack of response didn't give me any hope. I didn't want to secure a place to live before I arrived in the country so I booked a hostel in the downtown and would work on securing a room upon arrival. As I was nearing my trip and planning the semester, I hesistated to leave as I was greatly enjoying my time in Morocco and didn't want to leave it behind. However, an extremely different dialect and the desire to see more places, led me off to Jordan.
Flying from Morocco was relatively straightforward, expect initially they did not want to let me to go Jordan as I could not show a visa and they did not initially believe me that visas could be acquired upon arrival. Once I convinced the border control manager - a little less confidently than I could have - I was off towards Cairo for an overnight stay in the airport. Definitely nothing to rave about, I spent a relatively uneventful, but uncomfortable night in upright in a bright and busy hallway. I later noticed a section that would most likely have been quieter and with benches that I could have used as a bed, but that wasn't until the morning. The one slightly entertaining aspects of my night was after I had bought a small bottle of red wine and was drinking it slowly in an attempt to nod off - after pulling my toque down over my eyes. When I popped my toque up, I noticed that I received quite a few glances - to the bottle and then to me. No one said anything outright, but I could see a slight hint of a smirk in their looks. I was not particularly bothered and more concerned with being as comfy as possible.
This completes my entries on the first leg of 2014, which now opens up the chance for me to finish up and post my blogs for the first two months in Jordan. Let's hope by the time I finish my semester, I will be up to date!
Addendum
I forgot to include my final spending for 22 days in Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco. The following does not include flights or insurance (all prices in CAD).
Total cost: 1456
Lodging: 419 (28.7%)
Food: 388 (26.7%)
Transport: 352 (24.2%)
Tours & Entrance Fees: 205 (14.1%)
Things & Souvenirs: 75 (5.2%)
Services (e.g. toilet): 17 (1.1%)
I was mostly conservative in my purchases but didn't sacrifice everything in order to spend the absolute minimum.
Photos
The departure gates in the Casablanca airport - was running late as I wanted to grab some (very very pricey) water before leaving!
One of the shop displays in the Cairo airport.
Sitting in Cairo airport overnight...sweet dreams.
My local (mini) bottle of wine (~13USD, worth it)
I couldn't find my game plan for this year so this will have to suffice until (if) I find the actually copy...
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