Mauritius and Sea Olympics

Rough weather struck again, and we ended up leaving Cape Town about twelve hours late. Since we were going to be in Mauritius a total of about twelve hours, rumor on the ship was that we would miss the port entirely. However, having the fastest ship in its class has its advantages. We picked up the speed the four days in between Cape Town and Port Louis. It was a bit rougher, but we made it there in time. Diplomatic briefing was shorter than usual, as the island is primarily a tourist destination. There are no major problems, aside from the usual pick pocketing. I got on the bus to Ile des Deux Cocos, a smaller island located within Blue Bay Maritime National Park. While on the drive, we passed numerous sugar cane fields, something that the island is known for. We got off of the bus, and could see the island a short ways off. We got on glass bottom boats for a quick ride over there. Everyone went swimming when we first got there, and then I took a walk to the rough, ocean side of the island. I’ve never seen waves break that impressively. Lunch was ready shortly after getting back, and like most food in foreign countries, was delicious. We had our choice of grilled fish, crayfish, shrimp skewers, lamb, or chicken. Most people had several options. After lunch, they took groups of us out in the boats, farther away from the island, for snorkeling. I saw many of the usual tropical species, plus many things I’ve never seen before. There were several of the largest angelfish I’ve ever seen. We had to head back to the island, but there was space open on the next boat, so PJ and I went out for a second snorkeling session. I definitely did not want to stop this trip. Shortly after getting back to the island, we had to go back to the mainland and take the buses back to Port Louis. We had a short time in Port Louis, its very tourist oriented, but fun for a short while. That night, once everyone was back on the ship, we had the opening ceremonies for the Sea Olympics. Everyone is put on a “sea,” based on where you live on the ship. I am on the Baltic Sea. We had been planning events, and had some meetings, in the time between South Africa and Mauritius. I ended up being our mascot, the Baltic Sea Ninja. We met in our hallway about half an hour before the ceremony to get ready. Two other guys wrote our chant, and we ran through it once more. I had to go up for instructions before it started, and then everyone came up in full black. The mascots and flag bearers paraded in, and then each sea came down to do our chants. The games themselves started early the next morning. I planned to go as the mascot to several events, but people did not show up as planned, so I ended up being in several events as well. The general pattern of the day was utter failure. We got knocked out of volleyball early, lost in the Olympic relay, and several other smaller events. I played on the flip cup, and we won our first round, but lost in the second. The highlight of the day was synchronized swimming. The teams put some serious work into this one. Our sea had to go first, but I think they did an awesome job. That evening was the closing ceremony and final awards. The announced the winners of the judging events: mashed potato sculpting, synchronized swimming, best mascot, best flag, and best chant. We got shafted, not a single medal in any of those. In total we had one gold, and one silver medal, but at least we were not dead last. The overall winner was the Adriatic Sea, and the prize is that they get to get off of the ship first when we return to Florida.

South Africa

Oh, South Africa. Where to begin? Like in Spain, I had to trip or plan that took up all of my time in the country. My South African adventure was a collection of numerous small trips, but they added up to one of the best experiences ever. I could write pages and pages about each one, but then this blog would go on for years. I think I’ll skip out of some of the detail, but try to capture the essence. You’ll have to talk to me in May to get the entire story.
When I got off of the ship, I walked around the waterfront area for about an hour before meeting for my trip to Robben Island, the political prison where Nelson Mandela was held. The ferry took about half an hour to cross the water. There was a bus ride around the island, to see the warden’s village, quarry, leper colony, and WWII era equipment. Then we went into the actual prison, where one of the highlights was Nelson Mandela’s cell. The guides inside are all former political prisoners. Our guide spent nineteen years on Robben Island, merely for being part of the ANC political party. When he talked of the prison, it was his life story, not just a history lesson.
The next day was a pretty laid back day in the port area of Cape Town. It is very well developed and tourism orientated, but it was fun for a few hours. The highlights of the day were seeing the under construction soccer stadium, for the upcoming World Cup, and hearing the noon gun go off from Signal Hill.
My third day of South Africa, I went “kloofing” or cliff jumping. We drove to a guest house for a traditional breakfast, and then set out hiking into a canyon. The area was beautiful, scrub vegetation landscape. There was abundant evidence of fire. We went to our first jumps, seven and ten meters up. After jumping, we hiked to the second set, and then up to our lunch spot. While eating, baboons began to appear on the tops of the rocks. They are incredibly aggressive, and will steal your lunch. After moving around to avoid them, we eventually had to jump in a lake and leave our bags. Baboons cannot swim, so we were safe while they opened up everyone’s pack and spread our things out on the ground. After our guide chased them off, we gathered up our things and left the area. Since lunch was taken by the baboons, the cooked us dinner at the guest house where we started.
Saturday we went wine tasting. My friends booked a tour yesterday, and knew I wanted to go, so they put down my name and I paid later. We took a bus to Stellenbosch, a small town in the center of the winelands. From there we went to four wineries in Stellenbosch, Franschoek, and Paarl. I knew nothing about wine, but at the first stop they took us on a tour of the facilities, and then showed the proper technique for wine tasting.
I awoke early the last morning and we hiked Table Mountain, the signature of Cape Town. We met at five in the morning, with the intent of seeing the sunrise from the top. Our taxi driver took us to his favorite trail, and we started climbing. As we got up, the clouds that usually blanket the mountain began to roll in. We missed the sunrise, but still got to see Cape Town lit up for the night, and then begin to wake up. At the top, it was considerably colder and windier. The clouds parted somewhat, for excellent views of the city. We took the cable car down the mountain, and then went back into Cape Town for breakfast. I bought the last of my souvenirs that afternoon, and then we had to get back on the ship. With all of the other ports, it was somewhat sad to go, but we always looked forward to the next stop. With Cape Town, people generally did not want to leave, but the consensus is also that we will come back. Perhaps for next year’s World Cup.

Namibia

Namibia is one of the most incredibly beautiful places in the world. Since Morocco was our previous port, I had been on the continent of Africa, but this truly felt like Africa. Morocco is more like the Middle East. Namibia was everything that I expected, multiplied more than a hundred fold. On Saturday morning, the ship was docked in Walvis Bay. Early in the morning, we had a diplomatic briefing from two members of the U.S. Diplomatic Service. They told us the basics of Namibia, as well as security risks what we should expect as far as crime and safety are concerned. While this was going on, Namibian officials were stamping everyone’s passport. Afterwards, there was an African children’s choir that was performing out on the pier. We went out on the front of the ship and could watch them. They were going to come on the ship to see it, and anyone that wanted to talk with them could, but our trip was scheduled to leave at about the same time that they were coming onboard. I went back to my room, grabbed my pack, and then met in the Union at 10 in the morning. My roommate Matt happened to be on this same trip, as well as several other people I knew. Some of the same people from the Morocco camping trip were on this trip. We met our guide, Delfin, and boarded the bus. We drove through the town of Walvis Bay, which is quite small, and were quickly out in the Namib Desert. This part of the desert is incredibly desolate. In most places, there is not a living thing to be seen. Not even cacti or any desert scrub plants. The landscape is white and yellow sand, interrupted by massive gray and black rock outcroppings. We stopped at one of these, and we had some free time to explore the area. David and I quickly set out for the rocks, intending to climb up them. Lots of people were just milling around the bus, and we were on top of the outcrop before the bus was empty. Eventually most people made it up on the rocks. It was incredible to climb parts of them, or just to run along the top crest and jump from rock to rock. Our guides had intended to make lunch at this time, but they could not unlock the cargo door of the bus. They decided to keep driving and look for someone who could help out. We drove on, deeper into the desert. After an hour or so we came across some construction and road grading equipment on the side of the road. The driver got out, and went to talk to anyone who was there. He came back with a hammer and a piece of pipe and started working on the door. He got the door open, and fixed the lock, so we went onwards to a more hospitable area to eat lunch. We came into a part of the desert with more vegetation, at time bordering on grassland. Scattered trees began to appear. As the driver made set up for lunch, Delfin took us for a short walk out in the desert. The trees that we saw are known as Quiver Trees. They are hollow, even when alive, and then native Bushmen use the trees for quivers to hold their arrows. He also explained the animals that we had been seeing. We saw springboks, which are similar to antelope, ostriches, and oryx, the national animal of Namibia. Oryx are in the antelope family, but are very large. Lunch was sandwiches, but was still amazing.
After lunch, we drove through more of the desert. This stretch was the more vegetated area. Along the way we passed the Tropic of Capricorn. We had been in the tropics, but were driving south and passed the line. Then we stopped at Kuiseb Canyon for a view. Delfin told us the story of the Hanno Martin Shelter, a part of the canyon used by people for thousands of years. More recently, during World War II, two Germans hid there for two years before finally being captured. We had just gotten off of the bus when it started pouring rain. It was an incredibly rapid transition. Everyone was baking in the sun, and then absolutely drenched. We could not see the shelter, but the place was still incredible. The roads began to be flooded, at times there were large ditches washing out. Our driver did things in the bus that I did not think a bus was capable of. We drove to Camp Agama, where we would be staying. Agamas are a type of lizard, known for their red coloring. We saw some the next day. The rest of the evening was free time, so a few of us climbed a small cliff, onto the nearby plateau. The sky was mostly cloudy, so the sunset was not very clear. Dinner was excellent. We had some sort of white mush, that was described as being somewhere between mashed potatoes and grits. All I knew was that it was made from corn. We also had lamb, and some sort of sausage that we had no idea what animal it came from. Sitting around the campfire took up the rest of the evening, but no one stayed up very late, as we had to get up at 5:30 the next morning.
So on Sunday we woke up at 5:30 for breakfast, and then to leave early. The previous night was cloudy, but the morning was perfectly clear. The sun was still hours away from rising, so those of us who aren’t dead without coffee had some excellent stargazing. Seeing stars that I had never seen before was incredible. We looked for the Southern Cross, and actually had guessed it right when our guide pointed out which one it was. Being in Africa in the middle of the night is truly a unique experience. The views, the sounds of new and exotic birds, all surround you. It was one of dozens if not hundreds of experiences in Africa that cannot easily be described to one who has not seen them. Go to Africa. Get up in the middle of the Night. Walk around.
After a breakfast of toast we started our drive to Sossusvlei. The desert landscape was similar, but as we approached this region, it began to get sparser and sandier. However, the sand here is red, not white or yellow. We could see the dunes in the distance as we turned off of the main road and on the road to Sossusvlei. The entire road had excellent views of dunes along both sides. We saw the largest group of oryx, a dozen or so. Our group got to the end of the road at a little before nine in the morning. We had a five kilometer hike before we got to “Big Daddy” the tallest sand dune in the world. 1000 feet high of nothing but sand. Along the hike we went through a generally bare desert, with scattered acacia trees. We arrived at Deadsvlei, a barren, dry lake filled with the twisted skeletons of long dead trees. They don’t rot because there is virtually no moisture in the air. We were told to be back at Deadsvlei around 11:30, and then began to climb the dune. It was a steep climb to get up on the ridge, but once on the crest it is slightly easier to walk. Several of the guys and I set out quickly, got on the crest, and started towards the top. The initial scramble up the side of the dune took away most people’s energy. Most of the group made it to the first ridge and then turned around. Once you got onto the crest, the views were nice, but looking up at the very top was disheartening for some, as that point was less than one third of the way to the top. We plodded along, getting more strung out as we got. At every point we stopped, I could see people behind me on the dune, very small, and then those at the bottom were nearly invisible. For a while I was out in front. After the second dip down and then back up, the footprints stopped. No one had been higher than this for quite some time. Delfin said that the winds constantly blow, but it still takes several weeks to erase a footprint. From that point on, there was Delfin, and then four of us who worked our way to the top. Breaks were frequent, but the top kept getting closer, and the number of people behind us was getting lower and lower. At last, we reached the top, and stood highest in a sea of sand. Nothing but dunes of red sand as far as I could see. It was pure bliss, the mix of exhaustion, triumph, serenity. All in all, twelve out of thirty-two made it to the top of the world’s highest sand dune. We headed down a different ridge of the dune, and then once we were lower went straight down the side. There are several approaches to going down the side of a dune. Some walked in a side to side pattern. I think my balance is good, so I stood sideways and slid down, making it in about half of the time. Luckily no one fell. We regrouped at the opposite end of Deadsvlei from where we had started, and set out to cross its desolation. It was a long walk, but like the rest of the Namib, it was hauntingly beautiful.
We drove out of the desert after a brief stop for lunch, water, and snacks. The bus made a short stop at Sesriem Canyon. The name means “six belts” since it took the first explorers six belts tied together to lower a bucket for water down to the river. Sometimes the tours go down to the river, but the general consensus was that we were done for the day. The Namib Desert shows no mercy, and most weren’t prepared for it. We arrived back at our camp, hot and tired. There was a swimming pool, which most of us choose to enjoy. I had no swimming trunks, but I used my boxers since I had an extra pair. Rain was looming on the horizon, so we got out and headed to the camp lodge. The campground is run by a couple from South Africa. They enjoyed talking to college age students. They work with a program from Emory University that stays at their camp every summer for several weeks. We generally hung out, played pool or cards, and waited the rain out. Later in the evening, while dinner was almost ready, our guide Delfin got stung by a scorpion. He killed it and kept it with him, so that he could show it to someone at the clinic so he would get the proper treatment. Most people were wearing flip flops at the time, so they started freaking out and wanted to put on sturdy shoes. Dinner tonight was nothing particular Namibian. It was standard camp food, noodles and chicken stew. They provided us Namibian beer, and lots of people also bought cheap wine. We sat around for several hours, hanging out. Our bus driver, who had previously not interacted with us much, was talking to everyone. He was a really cool guy, very knowledgeable about Namibia, and very proud of his country. Namibians are very well aware that they have only been a country for less than twenty years, and all look to the future with bright optimism.
On our final day, we woke up and drove back to Walvis Bay. It was the same route as the first day, but the views still impressed me. We arrived back at the ship, and Delfin was going to go to the hospital to have his scorpion sting taken care of. After a quick stop to drop of my backpack, we went out into the town. We got some currency, and then ate at a small restaurant. It was run by a German woman. I got a sandwich and drink, and the entire meal was about $2.50 U.S. We walked around the town, which is very small, and mostly a port town. There is no real tourist area. We went to a grocery store, which is always fun in another country. Afterwards we found a small store, and then walked back to the ship after a few hours. Just outside of the port, women were selling all varieties of Namibian crafts, mostly jewelry and wooden carvings. All of it was nice looking, but at this time I had no more Namibian money. Most people came back with some pretty cool stuff. Then, at the port gate, dozens of Namibian men were attempting to get through. They need some sort of pass to work in the port facility. About five of us managed to get to the gate and with our ship cards got through. I then got back on the ship and said goodbye to Namibia. It is a wonderful country, full of beautiful scenery and incredibly friendly people. I am beginning to find myself at ease everywhere I’ve been. I would love to come back to Namibia, or if not, then definitely to another African country.

NEPTUNE DAY

We woke up for breakfast, but would have been woken up fairly early anyways. A parade of Neptune’s minions went down the hall, playing music and waking everyone up. We assembled on the top deck at 0900 for the ceremonies to commence. King Neptune and his court assembled near the pool, and we took the sacred oath in unison. The actual ceremony for each pollywog is to bath in fish guts, kiss a fish, kiss Neptune’s rings, and then dive into the pool. Shaving your head was optional, but of course I did it. A very select few of us took it the farthest step, down all the way with a razor. So I’m completely bald right now. I then did the ceremony after shaving my head. I’m a proud member of Neptune’s court, an ancient sailing brotherhood. It’s a good feeling.
The rest of the day was also excellent. We ate lunch, then chilled out on deck for a while. I doubled up the sunscreen on the top of my head, and will for the next couple of days. Dinner was a cookout, hamburgers, ribs, hotdogs, ice cream sundaes. It’s been probably the best day at sea so far. Right now, it’s just after 7 in the evening. There’s a presentation in the Union at 8, and then we’re all just going to hang for a while.
Hail Neptune!

Morocco

I am back on the ship from Morocco, after one of the coolest things I have ever done. My trip to the Berber villages of the High Atlas Mountains did not get cancelled, we just lost our day in Marrakech. Also, our time got changed, so that we had to leave at 6 a.m. So, on Tuesday the 3rd, I got up at 5, ate a quick breakfast of cereal that they have out, and we met up on the pier. Our group was only eighteen people, which turned out to be an excellent size. The trip leader was Kate, from the field office. She’s a grad student, so it was cool having another young person as the leader. Jerry, the trip cameraman also came with us. So the final video’s section on Morocco will have lots of footage of our trip. We met one of our tour guides, Mohamed, and got on a bus to the train station. We arrived with seconds to spare, the train started moving before we had gotten to our seats. Unlike the trains in Spain, these in Morocco have the small compartments with the sliding doors that up to eight people sit in. Ours turned out to be four of us from the ship, with two Moroccans. While on the train, I got an excellent view of the Moroccan countryside. It is far greener than I expected. I was picturing desert, which they have, but on the other side of the Atlas Mountains. Right around Casablanca, it was mostly rolling hills and green fields. Our guide later explained that most of the crops we would see were barley. While on the train, I began to see things, so that I truly knew I was far from the states. The thing that first hit me was the image of a boy herding sheep down a dirt road with a stick. I was in Africa. After about three and a half hours, we arrived in Marrakech. You could see the Atlas Mountains as soon as we got outside. They dominate the horizon in one direction. Outside of the train station, we met our second guide, also named Mohamed. We all got into two small buses and began driving away from the city, towards the mountains. The ship provided us box lunches for this part of the trip. After a while, we stopped at a small town near a dam that formed a large reservoir. There, we got our first taste of Moroccan mint tea. I am normally not a tea drinker, but it was really good. The place we stopped at was a sort of butcher shop and restaurant all in one. To get to the tables, you had to walk through large hanging pieces of meat. There was also a cow’s head just sitting on the counter. We got back in the vans and drove to Tachbibt, a Berber village that was right on the highway. When we got out, there were several men and boys who would be going with us. They took everyone’s backpacks and loaded them onto donkeys. While this was going on, the two Mohameds took us for a walk around the village. We came back to the vans, to find our first Moroccan meal waiting for us. They had spread some blankets out on the ground, and we sat around the edges with the food in the middle. Lunch consisted of more mint tea, large loafs of round bread, mackerel, tuna, cheese, a salad, and lots of oranges. The food was excellent, and the view was even more beautiful. It was in the early afternoon when we set out, down through the village and out into the countryside. The mountains were ahead of us as we entered rolling foothills. Behind us was a nearly flat plain, where the large cities of Morocco lay. Not far from the village, we had to cross our first stream. The streams here are twisted and braided through their channels. There are always several paths of water, mixed in with islands of rocks and sediment. Some of us picked a way across by jumping in some places. Meanwhile, a man came down from the village on the other side of the stream on a donkey. After some talking, our guides got him to let everyone use the donkey. At this time I was already across the river, so some of us waited while the rest came across the river two at a time. I doubt our guides paid this man, this was just one of many incredibly hospitable acts performed by the Berber people.
We continued walking through the foothills, through villages, up and down terraced fields. At one point we stopped for a short rest in an olive grove. Our trip went on, at times going through numerous villages. Each Berber house is made of mud, stone, or bricks, and is a uniform brown color. However, each village usually has one or two colored buildings. These have smoother walls and are white, orange, or pink in color. Mohamed explained how the land ownership works. These buildings are owned by the village together, and are used as a mosque, school, or a gîte, a guest house. We stayed in the village gîte both of the nights we were in the mountains. We walked through one village, which had a graveyard. Berber graveyards have a simple stone at the head, and at the feet, but no writing or images on them. The bodies lay facing east. Mohamed explained that this graveyard contained a holy man from pre-Islamic times. Berber people are now Muslims, but they continue an old tradition of leaving a sacrifice of some food at this man’s grave. We walked down through this village, crossed a stream, and then went back up the hill on the other side. Our group arrived in Aït Zitoun, and we went into the compound where we would be staying. Berber houses usually have a wall around them, and the largest contain several buildings. We were greeted by an elderly man, the grandfather of the family that we stayed with. He spoke French, so some people could understand him. We went into the gîte. This particular one had the family house, and attached to it was the gîte. These houses have an open courtyard, with a dining area, four bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. Our beds were mattresses placed right on the ground. We went out and walked through the streets. The entire village takes a few minutes to walk from one end to the other. There is pretty much one main street, and a couple of alleys. This village did not even have a mosque. We were followed by a couple of girls, and some of our girls made friends with them. They went with the local girls to see another family’s house. The rest of us went back to our gîte, and watched the local make dinner. It was crowded and steamy, so I could not get a good idea of what was going on, but they were making couscous. For dinner, we had a soup. It tasted like a chicken broth, but had no meat in it. Then we were served a giant dish of couscous, some kind of roast beef, steamed vegetables, and more of the same bread. After dinner, about five local Berbers started playing music. One of them had a drum, the others were banging on water jugs, buckets, or just clapping. The small kids danced while they played. They went on for almost an hour. We spent the rest of the evening huddled around pots of coals to stay warm, and then went to bed. I woke up a few times during the night, but generally slept well. Unfortunately not everyone in the group could claim that.
Wednesday morning, we woke up and ate a Moroccan breakfast, tea or coffee, porridge, and bread with honey, cheese, or date preserves. After this we set out on our longest section of hiking. Unlike yesterday, no mules or donkeys were with us, so everyone had to carry their own pack. This was honestly what I expected for the entire trip. The day was overcast, just like the day before. The first part of our trek was along the river. The river channel is several dozen feet wide, but the water itself meanders through only a few feet wide. This leaves large areas of rock that make an excellent path. It seems to be the main road for the Berbers, as we passed several people coming and going on donkeys or on foot. After a while, we took a path that led up on the right bank of the river and quickly began to ascend. We went up the hillside, and then through another village. Once out of the village, we quickly entered into a pine forest. It was very beautiful, especially considering we were enveloped in clouds, giving a surreal look to the landscape. You could tell that the path went along fairly steep cliffs, but no one could see very far. We climbed higher up, reaching the crest of a ridge, where we stopped near a ranger’s station for a short break. From there we hiked down the other side of this hill, through more of the pine forest. We arrived to a more open area, with very slick clay. I’m surprised no one fell right down the side of the mountain. We made it down, with several pounds of mud and clay on everyone’s shoes. Lunch was served in a large river channel. We had almost the same lunch as yesterday, also excellent. After lunch we hiked up the opposite bank of the river. We were heading uphill, but not as steep as before. We walked through more open fields, until entering a narrow canyon and following that upwards. It opened up a bit, and we came back into some thin pine forest. We reached the top of this ridge, where it opened up to some spectacular views. Looking down, we could see villages and terraced fields. The canyon echoed spectacularly. To our right, I could see the end of the mountains, and the flat plains beyond. To the left were the higher, snow capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains.
After a short stop, we turned towards the higher mountains and hiked along the top of this ridge. Towards late afternoon we arrived in Ait Hamed, where we would spend our second night. This village was larger than the first, it had many more houses, as well as its own mosque. We stayed in another gîte, but this one was slightly different from the first. Instead of two houses connected, this was one larger building. We stayed in one half of it, while the family stayed in the other half. Most of us went out and walked around the village for a few hours. One guy, Reed, had the time of his life. He wrestled with several of the village kids. They all loved it. These children were shyer than the kids in the last village. One of our girls asked if it was fine to take a picture, but they said no. However, a few minutes later, they said to take a picture. She did, and then they said “Dirham,” the Moroccan money. No one had any bills smaller than 100, which is about $15. Reed gave them some pens and we hoped it satisfied them. We went back to the gîte for dinner. Tonight was another kind of soup, a mix of vegetables, the same bread, and chicken. About five of us decided to attempt to eat like the Berbers, with out hands. It is much more satisfying. Dessert was orange slices, covered in cinnamon, which turned out to be excellent. We built a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and gathered around it. After a while, some of us went out to take a look at the stars. The view from the night was one of the most serenely calm and beautiful things I have experienced. There was not a cloud in the sky, and more stars than I have ever seen. With a half moon, plus all of these stars, we were casting shadows in the night. I managed to see the Milky Way, there is a distinct swath of sky with many more starts. I saw way more of Orion than ever before. Not just the three stars of his belt were visible, but every single detail could be seen. The mountains to our left rose up in a great white ridge, very detailed in the light reflected from the moon, their majesty unrivaled. The night was perfect.
Those of us who braved the cold outside were deeply rewarded, and after a while returned to the gîte. We had more tea around the fire, and then people began to drop off and go to bed. Once most of the girls were asleep, several of the Berber men joined us at our fire. It turns out that men around the world love to play with fire. We had a contest to see who could hold their feet in the fire the longest. Everyone got showed up by the oldest man with some pretty gnarled feet. I went to bed a little while later, and slept about the same as the night before.
We woke up the next morning, and after a quick breakfast, started walking down the mountain. We were in more open country, no more pine forest. The original plan was to hike all of the way down the mountain, then get on a bus and drive back to Marrakech. Instead, we woke up earlier than planned, walked down the road, and met the bus half way down. We got into the 4x4s and drove quickly to Marrakech so that we could get some time in the city. We did not get to see the old part of town, or the market, but they took us to a store. This was a strange place, you could barter with the salespeople, and when you agreed on a price, the salesman would come with you to the cash register and that’s what you paid. I got a jelaba, a Berber cloak/robe thing. It’s hard to describe, you’ll have to see it. We had a few more minutes, so I found a pastry shop and got some sort of chocolate pastry bar. We got back to the train station, ate a Moroccan sandwich lunch, and then back on the train to Casablanca. Finally, we all returned to the ship, tired and exhausted. However, these days in Morocco were incredible. I saw a culture very foreign to my own, and yet at times I felt completely welcome. I already miss Morocco.

Viva España

So now I’ve been to Spain. As I sit here and write this, we are sitting off of Gibraltar to refuel. The last four days went by so fast, but have given me countless memories. Now that I’ve traveled with these people, my new friends seem as if I’ve known them for years.
On the first day, some of us had no trips booked, so we just got off of the ship and started walking through the old part of Cádiz. The narrow cobblestone streets form a maze, and it seemed easy to get lost, but we quickly got the hang of it. We saw the Cathedral, and climbed the tower for some excellent views of the city. Then we walked towards the ocean wall, and found a small park to sit at for a while. Spanish cities are filled with parks and open areas. After being in the close streets you need some fresh air. We left the park after a while and walked towards a fort we could see a little ways off. It was possible to get down on the beach, so we did, and it happened to be low tide. This left lots of pools exposed, where you could see sea urchins, snails, starfish, etc. As we got near the fort, we saw it was closed, but being low tide you could walk around the base of it. That was one of the coolest things I’ve done. By the time we got all the way around, the tide was noticeably higher, so we climbed onto the bridge and took that back to the city. By now we were hungry, so we went to a restaurant near the market for our first meal in Spain. I had Carne Mechada, basically a plate of roast beef. Ian and Laura each got a different kind of paella, a rice dish with a different kind of meat. Laura’s was chicken, Ian got seafood. I asked the waiter what the local beer was, and had one. It’s called Cruzcampo, and it pretty good. Some other Semester at Sea students were eating at the same place, and I couldn’t help but laugh when they were eating pizza and Heineken. I made it a goal, right then, to eat as little American food as possible. In Spain, that turned out to be an excellent idea.
After lunch, we went to an even larger park in the old part of town. It was incredibly beautiful, and filled with cats. Cádiz in particular, but also Sevilla, was filled with stray cats. We walked along the sea wall back to a large monument that we agreed to meet everyone at. Once assembled, we went out to look for a bar or restaurant. Spanish meal times are very different from ours, so at 5, nothing is open except for a few hole in the walls places with some old men drinking the day away. Nevertheless we went in, and those of us with limited Spanish were talking with the locals. We tried to inquire about nightlife, but they told us that Cádiz was a small town, and on a Wednesday night there wouldn’t be many clubs open. We hit some other places, at time splitting up, and later picking up two other guys from Semester at Sea. Our group headed back to the ship to eat, and then most people went on a trip to a Flamenco show that night. The few of us that did not go to that went out, and attempted to find a bar that a guy at the first bar gave us directions two. We knew that Cádiz is situated on a peninsula, so as long as you don’t walk out the main highway you can’t end up very far. After an hour or two, we gave up, and headed to the Cathedral, since PJ knew that there were bars there. By the way, bars in Spain are for the most part more like restaurants. Everyone drinks, but it is common to see entire families in them. Eventually we made it to the Cathedral. By this time I was starving, so I ate a meal of grilled pork and potatoes. We got a pitcher of Sangria for the table, and then after a while decided to call it a night.
The next morning, six of us headed to the train station to go to Sevilla. We got tickets about five minutes before the train was supposed to leave, and quickly got on. I enjoyed the train ride, but really didn’t see anything that great about it. People always say how great the train in Europe is. It’s just public transportation, not really an attraction. The area around Cádiz is low, swampy, and marshy, but as we neared Sevilla it got slightly hilly. After almost two hours we arrived, and got a map of the city. We had heard that there was a soccer game that night, but we also heard it was sold out. We were able to get tickets, so Ian and I decided we would stay that night, go to the game, and go back to Cádiz the next day. The girls didn’t want to go, but since there were four of them they felt comfortable going back to Cádiz without us. We ate in a mall food court, at an excellent Spanish chain restaurant called Montaditos. The menu looks like a pamphlet. You check off what you want, turn it in, and then wait for them to call your name. Each thing you order comes on a very small sandwich. Eating four or six is normal; if I was hungry I could have put down a dozen or more. Each of us got a wide variety of them, and for the most part everything was excellent. Most of the choices were some kind of pork, which seems to be the most common meat. I found the chorizo, a sausage that is somewhat like pepperoni, to be the best.
We spent the afternoon walking through the old city. I could write a book just about that afternoon in Sevilla, so I’ll just tell the highlights. The entire city is filled with orange trees. Every street and park has dozens of them. The Plaza de España, built for the 1929 World’s Fair. It was one of the largest and most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. It is covered with statues of Spanish historical figures, and mosaics from the major cities in Spain. It is surrounded by gigantic gardens, filled with sculptures and monuments. After that we went to the Cathedral of Sevilla, the third largest in the world. Besides its stunning interior, it holds Columbus’s tomb. The bell tower was the tower from the old mosque, capped with a Christian spire. The entire building is a synthesis of many types of architecture. We had dinner at a restaurant just outside. This time when I asked for the local beer I was told “San Miguel 1516” which was even better than the Cruzcampo. It was getting late, so we headed back to the newer part of town. Ian and I went to the stadium; the girls went to a bar to watch part of the game before they had to catch the last train back to Cádiz.
Now begins one of the coolest things I have ever done: a soccer game in Europe. This was also a playoff game. I wore my jersey that I bought earlier in the day. We were sitting in the lower deck, in one corner. The opposing team, Valencia F.C. scored in only the seventh minute. Sevilla played strong the rest of the half, tying it up near the end. After halftime, it went back and forth until Sevilla scored with only a few minutes to go. What happens next must be witnessed; I cannot come close to describing it. Soccer in Europe is more than just a sport; it’s a show, a spectacle, a way of life for millions of fans. Everyone was decked out in the red and white of Sevilla F.C. When they took the lead that city erupted. We sang, we danced, we chanted with thousands of Spaniards. It’s something that everyone should see in their lives. Sevilla F.C. I salute you.
The next morning we slept in, and then walked back to the old city to see the river, which we didn’t have time for the day before. We walked around some old watchtowers, the bullfighting arena, and then crossed the river. We were hungry, and went into a tiny bar called Jimmy’s for lunch. I ate a sandwich out of the tapas case, it turned out to be one of the best things I have eaten yet on the trip. We also got a plate meal, and split it. We ended up with a big strip pork chop, a sandwich, fries, drinks, and a kind of potato salad, all for 8 Euros. After that was finished, we took a taxi back to the train station, and then the train back to Cádiz.
That night on the ship we met back up with most of our group, and being a Friday, hoped that more places would be open then last time. We headed out, and after wandering for a while found a good looking place. That night I crossed something else off of my life goal list: absinthe. Everything they say about it is true. It’s green, tastes like candy, and makes you hallucinate. Next morning I found out from everyone’s stories how much fun we had, as I remember what I saw, but don’t really remember the real world.
We spent out last day in Spain hanging out in Cádiz. Nick, Chrissy, and I went to a grocery store, where I got a giant loaf of bread for only 65 cents. I ate it on the steps of the Cathedral as we hung out. We blew the last of our Euros at a pastry shop, and then Nick and I went to a Montaditos for one last meal, before heading back to the ship.
Spain was incredible, there was so much I did, and still so much that we did not have time to do. I don’t want to wonder about what I could have seen, had I gone to Madrid, or Barcelona, or even the things I didn’t have time for right near the ship. That’s the glory of this trip, I had a blast in Spain, and now I will be in Morocco tomorrow. I need to spend the rest of today getting ready for that.