I came across this video today. Brings back memories for when I was planning my Spain and Morocco trip. I had really wanted to ride on the Marrakesh Express, but sadly though I made it into Morocco, didn't make it down to Marrakesh. Oh well, next time. Until then, enjoy a live video of Crosby and Nash rockin' it, well rockin' it 70s style.




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Day Trip to Tangier, Morocco

Labels: morocco, random

I have been pretty slow in posting the photos and write ups from my vacation last fall, and since it won't happen this weekend since I'll be in Colorado, I'll leave you with a couple photos. See Cordoba, Spain and Tangier, Morocco below!

Mezquita, Cordoba, Spain Mezquita, Cordoba, Spain View Cordoba, Spain travels

Near Petit Socco in Medina, Tangier, Morocco Near Petit Socco in Medina, Tangier, Morocco View Tangier, Morocco travels

Related Links:
Tangier, Morocco
Cordoba, Spain
All Travels

Labels: cordoba, morocco, photos, spain, tangier, travel, vacation

Excerpt from my travel section about my day trip to Tangier, Morocco from Spain:





Medina stalls in Tangier, Morocco
During my trip to Spain, one of the things that I wanted to do was a day trip to Morocco. I had really wanted to make a few days of it and head to Rabat and Marrakesh, but I didn't have the time so I stuck with the day trip. I had also heard good things about Tarifa, Spain, so after my stay in Granada I went to Tarifa where I was able to get a fast ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar into Tangier. The other option was to go to Algeciras, Spain, and take the ferry from there, but apparently there's not much to see there which is what made me pick Tarifa.


Prior to my trip I found a lot of confusing information about the trip to Tangier, but I will say that it is a piece of cake. From Tarifa it was about 60 Euros for a round trip ticket. You simply walk into the terminal and buy your ticket and you're on the next boat to Africa! There is only one terminal, and one boat which leaves hourly if I remember correctly. Keep in mind that there is a one or two hour time difference between the two countries, and also try to get an early start so you don't find yourself in Tangier after dark. Make sure you have your passport, and prepare for some serious culture shock. On the boat you can get your entry stamp in your passport which allows you to walk right off the boat and into the city. Some people seemed to say not to do it on the boat, but I did and I was able to get right off and go on my way -- in fact it looked like people who hadn't gotten their passport stamped on the boat were turned around and had to go back and get one.



View of Tangier, Morocco entering ferry terminalThere are official guides right at the port who are supposedly licensed to give tours, if that's your thing, I would recommend going with one of them, otherwise prepare to be bombarded by locals who want to sell you things and give you "official" tours. With a prepared head and some self confidence I walked right by the guides and headed right into the medina. But that didn't last long, as I soon saw how skilled these people are at making you second guess yourself. In retrospect I should have stuck with my instincts, but being a newbie in the city and trying to find my way around while having these touts tell me I wouldn't be safe and would only find my way with their help, my confidence was lowered and I "accidentally" ended up with someone showing me around. Of course, after 10 minutes he tried to charge me an arm and a leg and threatened me. I promptly gave him the equivalent of about 2 euros -- about 80% less than he wanted -- and quickly lost him.


If I went again, I probably would do the same thing, with the exception of letting myself get suckered by the touts. Other than that one incident I had no problem with feeling unsafe, in fact after I lost him I soon befriended a few day trippers from Mexico and we had a great afternoon. I then spent the last hour alone again, and had no problems. The locals are very adept at finding people straight off the ferry who have yet to find their bearings. If you can get through that you should really be able to enjoy your trip. Even if you don't know where you are, pretend that you do and whatever you do, don't tell anyone it's your first trip to Tangier!


In an afternoon there isn't a whole lot to do other than wander around, laugh a little, and maybe try your hand at bargaining. Just remember that these people making their living doing what they do, and don't feel pressured. Also, even
though you will probably feel lost, trust your intuition because you most likely won't get lost. You may temporarily lose your bearings, but most roads and alleys lead to someone where you can catch your bearings.


Some highlights for me where getting lost in the medina, having lunch in the Petit Socco with my new friends, the Grand Socco, the Kasbah, and heading further away from the medina where I was able to catch a look at the "real" Tangier that most day trippers don't see.



Read the entire post and see the photos here


Related Links:
My Travels
Morocco Travel Photos

Labels: morocco, photos, tangier, travel

Sorry for the prolonged silence here. I had an amazing two weeks in Spain and Morocco. Check back for a some pictures and some details from the trip.

Labels: backpacking, morocco, spain, travel

I have been planning to write an article regarding travel and sustainable living, however I haven't gotten around to it yet. I wanted to explore the pros and cons of travel when it comes to trying to live a green and sustainable life. Obviously the two don't quite go hand in hand, however I think there are definitely positive aspects to traveling that can outweigh the negative environmental impact that travel causes. Anyway, that's a subject for a future post.

The topic for this post is, well, you probably can guess ... it's travel. I have a trip coming up in less than two weeks, and I have been driving myself crazy trying to make preparations. I am going to Spain, and hopefully also Morocco, and it will be my first trip abroad by myself, and my first solid 10 day vacation in a while. I am starting in Barcelona and flying back from Málaga. The 10 days in between are up in the air. My goal is Barcelona, Córdoba, a jaunt into Morocco, Granada, and then Málaga before returning. I'm sure some places I'll want more time in, some I may just pass through.

Needless to say, I have been keeping busy making sure I have all the proper travel gear gathered up, and I am also going to ensure I have just one moderately sized pack. No need for too much stuff to tote around. Also making sure my finances are in order and my credit and debit cards will work, buying a suitable backpack, picking up guidebooks and hotel tips (so I am not lost upon entering each new city), gathering the appropriate electrical converters, and then rounding up the little things I would never remember to bring if I was rush packing the day prior to leaving, like a compass (for wandering around old maze like cities) and a travel alarm clock so I don't miss my morning trains.

In doing all this work, I have come upon a few things that I wanted to share. If you have ever traveled out of the country, then you know that using your credit and debit cards isn't always as straight forward as it seems. Some countries (such as Spain) don't accept Mastercard as widely as you would expect, some ATMs don't accept cards from your home bank. And on top of that, each bank has different foreign transaction fees associated with your transactions.

Well, to help out, I found a few links. The first is a wiki page that lays out all the fees for each bank in detail, and the others supposedly show locations for ATMs that accept cards with the Mastercard and Visa logos respectively.

http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange
http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/cardholderservices/atmlocations/index.html
http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/

Also, here is a site for the Spain and Morocco train systems that has been immensely helpful in my transportation planning, even though I am not booking anything ahead, at least I can see approximate times that I can expect to find trains running between cities.

Map of Spain rail system
RENFE - Spanish rail schedules
Morocco rail schedules

When I return I will post reviews about my trips. Wish me luck!

Related links:

Rick Steves - The New Tangier, Tijuana no longer
Rick Steves - Plunge Deep into Morocco
Green Travel
Go Green Travel Center
Lonely Planet Spain

Labels: green travel, money, morocco, spain, vacation