SPRING BREAK 2011!!! As I sit here on the nicest train I have ever rode, on my way from Madrid to Barcelona, traveling at an average speed of 267 km/hour (crazy fast), I have decided to update the masses on my adventures thus far. So lets take a trip back in time as we have done so much in the past few days its absurd....
Saturday morning, woke up early to go for a run. After I grabbed a train out to Stansted Airport, as the girls wanted to leave a little earlier and took the EasyBus but I wanted a little more time to run, and so I travelled alone to the airport but everything went smoothly other than the fact that I had to carry my bag as it is not a rolling duffle so this got old quickly. Anywho, we got through the airport fine and were quite surprised at the rush there was to get onto the plane by our fellow passengers. RyanAir is one classy operation. Our plane landed, we watched to passengers get off it from the terminal, then we proceeded to immediately board afterwards. Apparently no clean up was necessary. But the plane ended up being nicer than expected and we got window seats so everything was good. And before we knew it we were off to Agadir Morocco!
The flight was absolutely beautiful as we watched our plane cross into France, then over Spain and finally cross the Mediterranean Sea to AFRICA! The entire time we were singing Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira just to get in the spirits. We were all stunned at how mountainous and snowy Morocco was. It was amazing to see everything from above. As we landed in Agadir the sun was setting and we were fortunate enough to be able to walk outside and not need a jacket! It was so warm and welcoming in Morocco. After making it through security and finding a group of fellow travelers who were staying at the same hostel as we were, a person who worked at the hostel took us by cab through Agadir and up the coast to our little village of Taghazout. On our way our British born world traveler told us of how he made it to Morocco and practically all around the world. A very well traveled man he told us of how Morocco was still recovering from a severe earthquake it experienced decades ago. The aftermath could still be seen as there was rubble everywhere and it seemed as if all the new buildings were just built around this instead of cleaning them up and then rebuilding. It made for a very interesting cityscape. The hostel we were staying in was right on the waterfront and the waves were crashing in all night long, very calming and relaxing. We found our hostel to be a very welcoming place that was intended for surf beach bums, and was quite literally run by them as well. All of the staff were either Brit or Australian surf bums who were in their early to mid 20's it seemed. We also quickly found out that it was quite strange that we were only going to be there for 2 nights and didn't come solely for the surfing. Apparently most guests stay for a week or more and surf the entire time. But we made it clear that wasn't our intention and that we would rather just ride camels and explore the city. But that night brought out more than we expected.
That evening we wanted to go into the city to go out to check out the nightlife. We were quickly invited to go along with a local man who worked for the hostel. This was key to our night being great. First we get into a cab that was driven by his friend it seemed and listened to some intense techno music that was honestly quite hilarious. Then we went to the “English Pub” which was essentially everything you could want in a pub, there was karaoke, pool, amazing music and fresh pizza that when taken out of the oven was signaled ready by the ringing of this obnoxious bell. So after listening to some good, some bad and some amazing karaoke (specifically some girls rendition of Natalie Merchant's 90's smash hit Zombie which blew me away) we decided to move onto the club that was promised to us by our guide. We entered “Actors” having no idea what to expect. Later we found out that it cost 200 Dirham to just get into which is equivalent to a little over 20 dollars! This was the nicest club I have ever set eyes on. Between the white interior to the amazing light systems to the Usher “Yeah” video green lasers that shot around and bounced off disco balls all night lets just say we had a really fun time. We had so much fun and by 3 we were spent and made our way back to the hostel.
The next morning was somewhat rough as we had to wake up at 8 for breakfast, but thats just the sacrifice I guess you have to make when you're living a dream everyday! So once we were ready to go we headed down to the beach as it was already about 80 degrees by 10 in the morning, fabulous. We were immediately greeted by some camels and their bargaining owners who convinced us to take a ride for 20 dirham. This seemed like a good price as it was only about 2 dollars. The camels were so much fun riding up and down the beach and splashing through the water but I do have to say, I have no idea how people used to ride them for long distances. Those things move at the speed of an ant. I'm certain they are just as fast as a slow walk, so props to everyone who ever rode one of those things across the Sahara because they have patience! And so after we got done the man collecting the money started insisting that we pay him 20 euro, but that was not the deal we made with him. So we started to say to him “No, 20 dirham” and he started to freak out. We could tell this was not going to end well so we just quickly gave him what we though would be equivalent to 20 euro, which was 200 dirham and left. After we asked another person how much we should have been charged and he said that it should have been 20 dirham and that we got scammed. Crap. So we felt like dumb tourists. But we didn't get killed or stabbed, which seemed to be the direction this man was heading if we didn't pay him, so we are lucky. After we went swimming in the ocean and had a blast dodging surfers and riding the waves. The water was cold but felt warm to me in comparison to the temperature of the ocean in Maine during the summer months!
After this we had an amazing lunch in Taghazout where I had kabobs of chicken and roasted peppers and onions, absolutely incredible. Then we headed into town on the local bus system which was actually really pretty nice. We wanted to go to the local markets and buy our bus tickets for the following mornings trip to the airport but really didn't have any idea where to go. Luckily the police station was right outside the bus stop so they pointed us in the right direction. But then a very nice man came up to us and said that he would take us to the market because he owned a shop there with his brother. At first we were very skeptical as this just has horror film written all over it. But turns out he wasn't lying! He actually did have a very nice booth at the huge markets where his brother sold herbal teas and lots of natural products. After getting served traditional Moroccan tea and sampling almost everything in the store we decided to buy a few things. He also gave us these Moroccan toothpicks that are a plant. It has a cluster of long sticks maybe 4 inches long that are just like toothpicks that make a cylinder shape. Also the cool part was that if you move the thistles around then little seeds fall out and it naturally regrows itself so I should be set with toothpicks for the rest of my life! Following this we got a tour of the rest of the market, I tried an Avacado smoothie, which wasn't all that great, and went over to get our bus tickets for the next morning. Following this we made our way back to Taghazout and chilled for a bit before getting the highly suggested pizza in the town. Within the town there was this rooftop french pizza place where what Sarah insisted upon was Jack Johnson eating pizza (We are still unsure because he looked a lot like him and he is known for being in random surf places in the winter). I had a quite delicious 4 seasons pizza with ham, peppers, onions and mushrooms on it. The girls had items with chicken on them which reeked havoc for them later as it gave them food poisoning. But that night we stayed in the hostel got our next mornings travels set up and paid our hostel. We also got upgraded from the mixed dorm room we were originally in which ended up having one less bed in it meaning Sarah and Yasin had to sleep together, to a much nicer private apartment with its own bathroom and kitchen area with a porch. This nights sleep included a few more hours than the previous night which was much needed but unfortunately this is when the food poisoning hit Sarah and Yasin as they were vomiting all night. And so the next morning was not a pleasant one as they both were vomiting on our entire journey to Marrakesh. Once we got to the airport and through security the girls were both feeling like death and I just felt bad because I was fine. But this brings us to Spain!
We landed in Madrid and made our way onto the Metro and to our hostel relatively easily. After we went and grabbed some food and were pleasantly surprised by the presence of Dunkin Donuts in Madrid! That night I got to go for my first run in almost 48 hours and so I felt like death but ran through the most amazing park ever! Absolutely stunning. That has to be one of my favorite parts of running, the fact that it allows me to go exploring and see cities in a whole new way. That night both the girls were very tired and still not feeling all that better so not much came from this night. The hostel was really nice and we had our own room with great beds and internet connection. So all in all it was a great night with great nights sleep which was much needed.
Today we did a walking tour that I planned out last night with the sites suggested to see by the travel channel. The city was so amazing with the greatest scenery and cutest streets ever. Everything was so different from London and so quaint. The streets were close together and narrow with mostly mom and pop stores that made for a very welcoming feel. The city is fully of history and landmarks that we got to see and some incredible cathedrals and palaces. After a great walking tour and some beautiful sights and sun we made our way back to the hostel and to the train station. Which brings me to where I am now, sitting on this incredibly fast and nice train riding through the Spanish countryside (which has a strange resemblance to Oklahoma or north Texas in its grasslands and sparse trees). By tonight we will be in Barcelona and we are all very excited to see what this port city has to offer because it is rumored to be AMAZING! And so the Spring Break 2011 saga continues.....
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