Tangiers
Quite a few people together on the ferry going over to Tangiers. Cool couple Mace (NZ) and Amanda (Aus). They've been cracking us up with stories of Mace's Diabetic nightmares (he's type A so qyite serious if he goes too low on insulin) - force-feeding him Mar's Bars etc.... Also Rachael, who is from Brisbane - very nice girl. A few more kiwi's, lots of Aussies and a few Canadians.
Get off the boat and walked the 300m to the Marco Polo office where they'd told us to go. They arranged taxis for us to the hotel - the only night we stay at a hotel for this trip. 5 of us crammed into a taxi for three, plus packs, for a fairly crazy ride through the streets of Tangier. Lots of noise and dust and very hot.
Rooming with Rachael which I am happy about. Spent the afternoon lazing by the pool and waiting for the 6pm meeting when we meet our group leader and driver.
6pm rolled around and we all met in the hotel lobby for our first group meeting. Our leader is Rachel (another Rachel - there were two Laurens, two Rachels and two Angela's in the group of 21 of us - very confusing!!).
Rachel took us through the lowdown for the week and we also met Brendan, the driver, a 26 year old hard-core guy from Perth. We filled in all the necessary forms and produced confirmation of insurance. The trip, as we'd been told, was a camping trip and we would all be put into groups to do the chores - water, cooking, dishes and truck clean.
A fairly sleepless night on beds that I think were specially imported from a Communist Russian hotel and up early for breakfast the next morning at the truck.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Friday 15th - Gibraltar
Now, for those of you that don't know, because I didn't and it's probably one of those Trivial Pursuit questions you can never answer and think you'd be some much cleverer if you could answer, Gibralter is basically just a great big enormous rock about 300m high, sticking up out of the water, attached by a thin strip of land, to the very Southern most tip of Spain. It's very close to Northern Africa (Morocco), and, (this is the bit I find fascinating), came about when the two continents divided millions of years ago and Africa literally pushed this huge piece of rock up out of the bottom the sea. You can still see sea-shell fossils at the top of the rock. Isn't that cool?
So anyway, Danni, Emma and I got the morning bus to La Linia, which is where you stay in Spain if you want to go for a day to Gibralter. Got a hotel there and got over the border about 12.00, (immigration closed for siesta so a quick passport flashed seemed to suffice). Just in time for a lunch of (pretty average) fish and chips.
There were loads of Brits going over the border from Costa for their 5 quid bottles of vodka and duty free cigs en masse. The originally titled "Main Street" was a log like shopping at an airport... perfume, makeup, sunflasses, big brand names. I wanted to see the caves which I had heard were very good so decided to do a rock tour. Broke the budget a bit, but in 35C heat you'd have to have been psychotic to climb the rock yourself.
Gibralter belongs to the UK 'in perpetuem', meaning they don't have to give it back like they did HK. How it came about belonging to the UK is a story I learnt when I took the tour. The driver/guide was a fountain of information and I was fascinated how this tiny piece of land could have so much history. I've probably got it all wrong but bits pieces go something like this:
First stop was the beautiful St Michael's stallectite and stallectmite limestone caves. They were enormous. One Stallectite? Stallecmite?, had fallen and they'd cut a cross-section and it was like marble. They could even tell how old it was from it's rings, just like a tree trunk. Also, when the caves were discovered years ago, they'd found a human skull that they did not identify as Neanderthal until a similar skull was found several years later in Africa. I thought that was pretty cool trivia. Just like Discovery channel, only in 3D.
Further up the rock, we stopped to see the monkeys (Barbery Apes). Sir Winston Churchill, on his visit to Gib once, famously said that if the monkeys were ever to leave the rock, so would the British. Since then they've been protected and there are about 300 of the smelly things all trying to steal your camera.
Next stop we went to the Great Seige Tunnels. These are a huge set of winding tunnels cut right into the centre of the rock by the British Army during WW1 during the British Invasions. Also very impressive as all cut by hand.
A great tour, ended with our driver telling us to look out for him in "The Living Daylights" as 1) the man at the opening scene getting shot, 2) the man at another opening scene getting shot, and 3) the man at the fruit stall running to get out of the way of more shots. He was quite a character actually - would have liked to have a beer with him but he was a but old for me.
Then spent the next few hours looking for the perfect pair of Gucci sunglasses that I bargained down the price of and am very proud of. I have a bet with myself that I can't make them last a whole year without sitting on them, breaking them, losing them or scratching them. I really hope I lose.
So anyway, Danni, Emma and I got the morning bus to La Linia, which is where you stay in Spain if you want to go for a day to Gibralter. Got a hotel there and got over the border about 12.00, (immigration closed for siesta so a quick passport flashed seemed to suffice). Just in time for a lunch of (pretty average) fish and chips.
There were loads of Brits going over the border from Costa for their 5 quid bottles of vodka and duty free cigs en masse. The originally titled "Main Street" was a log like shopping at an airport... perfume, makeup, sunflasses, big brand names. I wanted to see the caves which I had heard were very good so decided to do a rock tour. Broke the budget a bit, but in 35C heat you'd have to have been psychotic to climb the rock yourself.
Gibralter belongs to the UK 'in perpetuem', meaning they don't have to give it back like they did HK. How it came about belonging to the UK is a story I learnt when I took the tour. The driver/guide was a fountain of information and I was fascinated how this tiny piece of land could have so much history. I've probably got it all wrong but bits pieces go something like this:
First stop was the beautiful St Michael's stallectite and stallectmite limestone caves. They were enormous. One Stallectite? Stallecmite?, had fallen and they'd cut a cross-section and it was like marble. They could even tell how old it was from it's rings, just like a tree trunk. Also, when the caves were discovered years ago, they'd found a human skull that they did not identify as Neanderthal until a similar skull was found several years later in Africa. I thought that was pretty cool trivia. Just like Discovery channel, only in 3D.
Further up the rock, we stopped to see the monkeys (Barbery Apes). Sir Winston Churchill, on his visit to Gib once, famously said that if the monkeys were ever to leave the rock, so would the British. Since then they've been protected and there are about 300 of the smelly things all trying to steal your camera.
Next stop we went to the Great Seige Tunnels. These are a huge set of winding tunnels cut right into the centre of the rock by the British Army during WW1 during the British Invasions. Also very impressive as all cut by hand.
A great tour, ended with our driver telling us to look out for him in "The Living Daylights" as 1) the man at the opening scene getting shot, 2) the man at another opening scene getting shot, and 3) the man at the fruit stall running to get out of the way of more shots. He was quite a character actually - would have liked to have a beer with him but he was a but old for me.
Then spent the next few hours looking for the perfect pair of Gucci sunglasses that I bargained down the price of and am very proud of. I have a bet with myself that I can't make them last a whole year without sitting on them, breaking them, losing them or scratching them. I really hope I lose.
Tuesday 12th - Madrid and Costa del Sol
Two full days on the coach and a night in Madrid. Fairly uneventful. Beautiful scenery coming into Valencia - plenty of orange groves and fresh-squeezed orange juice everywhere. We also had a good guide on the coach who was very informative about the areas we passed through. Tapas for dinner in Madrid with two girls in my room, both also solo travellers, both from Canada. Katie, 22, had been to Ibiza and spent €1000 in two weeks! Apparnatly the clubs are between €60-80 to get into, then the drinks cost from €10. Ouch. That´s more than we pay in Tokyo and we´d never pay a cover charge. Loads of drugs and a huge club scene there with the hard-core rave music and ´world-famous´ DJ´s I´ve never heard of. Call me old and boring, but not my scene at all so glad I never got a ticket to go there.
Only one night in Madrid, but to be honest, I´m not a huge fan of museums. I am figuring out that I much prefer all the smaller towns to the big cities.
Costa del Sol in the Andalucia region of southern Spain. Turned out to be the best hotel yet, with AIR CONDITIONING in the hotel and was also right on a small pretty beach overlooking Gibraltar, but still away from the hoardes of English tourists. Sharing a room with a couple Danny and Emma (both 24), from Adelaide. Literally nothing to do in this tiny town expect eat and lie on the beach. First night we went over the road to a great Indian restaurant. We also had ´happy hour´ at the hostel restaurant; 3 home-made Sangria´s for €3 - bargain! Had a few of these too. :-)
I was at the beach by 10.00am, leaving everyone else asleep in bed... I can´t waste all this glorious sunlight. A full two hours before I saw anyone from the Busabout crowd. Caught up on some much needed sun bathing for the entire day, hanging around the beach swimming, (lunch at the Indian restaurant again ´cause it was so good), and generally just doing lots of nothing. Met a lovely woman from Gibraltar, Jenny, (she called it Gib´), and we chatted for hours about things whilst out in the water on her lilo. She was half-Spanish-half-English, with a Spanish husband. There were also loads of the most adorable kids from around Britain, between the ages of about 6 and 13. We sent them all off to collect sea-shells for us. Then they spent a couple of hours telling us what they aspired to be when they grew up - actors, midwives, vets... They were all either related to each other somehow or had been coming to this beach in Spain every year since they were born so all knew each other. I know I'm getting all clucky here but it was so refreshing to chat to kids instead of adults all the time.
Finally left the beach around 7pm, a little redder but very happy. Showered and Sangriad, I was very good and had a nice greek salad for dinner with Gazpacho. It still wasn't a patch on my Aunty Mavis' gazpacho though. I still want that recipe please Mavis!! Martha Stuart did one once but it was so complicated and must have had 50 ingredients. Stuff that.
Anyway, I digress. Over dinner I met some of the girls who were booked on the same Morocco trip as me. Lots of Aussies (mostly girls) and travelling on their own or in pairs. Lots of school teachers working in London on their holidays.
Totally psyched about Morocco, but decided to have a wee slice of the UK before going there and made plans to go to Gibralter the next day for a day trip.
Only one night in Madrid, but to be honest, I´m not a huge fan of museums. I am figuring out that I much prefer all the smaller towns to the big cities.
Costa del Sol in the Andalucia region of southern Spain. Turned out to be the best hotel yet, with AIR CONDITIONING in the hotel and was also right on a small pretty beach overlooking Gibraltar, but still away from the hoardes of English tourists. Sharing a room with a couple Danny and Emma (both 24), from Adelaide. Literally nothing to do in this tiny town expect eat and lie on the beach. First night we went over the road to a great Indian restaurant. We also had ´happy hour´ at the hostel restaurant; 3 home-made Sangria´s for €3 - bargain! Had a few of these too. :-)
I was at the beach by 10.00am, leaving everyone else asleep in bed... I can´t waste all this glorious sunlight. A full two hours before I saw anyone from the Busabout crowd. Caught up on some much needed sun bathing for the entire day, hanging around the beach swimming, (lunch at the Indian restaurant again ´cause it was so good), and generally just doing lots of nothing. Met a lovely woman from Gibraltar, Jenny, (she called it Gib´), and we chatted for hours about things whilst out in the water on her lilo. She was half-Spanish-half-English, with a Spanish husband. There were also loads of the most adorable kids from around Britain, between the ages of about 6 and 13. We sent them all off to collect sea-shells for us. Then they spent a couple of hours telling us what they aspired to be when they grew up - actors, midwives, vets... They were all either related to each other somehow or had been coming to this beach in Spain every year since they were born so all knew each other. I know I'm getting all clucky here but it was so refreshing to chat to kids instead of adults all the time.
Finally left the beach around 7pm, a little redder but very happy. Showered and Sangriad, I was very good and had a nice greek salad for dinner with Gazpacho. It still wasn't a patch on my Aunty Mavis' gazpacho though. I still want that recipe please Mavis!! Martha Stuart did one once but it was so complicated and must have had 50 ingredients. Stuff that.
Anyway, I digress. Over dinner I met some of the girls who were booked on the same Morocco trip as me. Lots of Aussies (mostly girls) and travelling on their own or in pairs. Lots of school teachers working in London on their holidays.
Totally psyched about Morocco, but decided to have a wee slice of the UK before going there and made plans to go to Gibralter the next day for a day trip.