Morocco to Sevilla

Woke up around 7:45am after sleeping 3.5 hours, took a quick shower, then went up to the roofdeck to say goodbye to Lara. Both she and James have been very recent and short lived in-person friends, but I hope to stay in touch with them in the future – definitely good people.  As I’m walking out I see James coming out of the bathroom and wish him well. They are heading to Portugal soon and I have given them my recommendation on staying in Burgau…a MUST. I walk through town and head towards the main square within the medina to get a cab. This time it’s much easier (less hassle) than the day before at the bus station. Just one cab – one driver – one price of 10 dirhams – and me. Quickly get to the bus station and then on my 10am bus heading towards Tangier. The ride was pretty uneventful, and I get into a very chaotic Tangier bus station around 1:15pm. I walk out of the station and it’s absolute chaos. Everyone yelling at eachother. Construction on the roads so it’s hard to walk anywhere (plus there is a ton of big trucks and equipment everywhere). Some old guy comes up to me and asks if I need a cab and I say yes, but I literally only have 10 dirhams left to my name. He says that’s a tall order for getting to the port, but he tries to get a cab and fails miserably. I then walk away from him and across the insanely busy street to the other side where there are less people trying to get cabs. I see an old guy fat guy with a jolly look on his face leaning against a much older car than the other cabs, and I start walking towards him. No sooner than I do this then the old guy comes running up and “helps” me get in the cab. I again tell the driver I only have 10 dirhams but I don’t think he heard me. We jump in the car and weave through chaotic traffic, and the driver asks me where I’m from. When he hears Chicago he immediately starts making the machine-gun sound and saying that there is more death there than here. Sad but true. I like this guy though – lots of laughs and we enjoy good banter. We pull up to the port and I grab my things and then I show him that I only have 10 dirhams. Again he says he needs 20. Again I say I only have 10. He says he needs more for petrol but I literally don’t have any money left, and I’m sure as hell not getting more dirhams out just for this cab, so I drop the 10 spot in his pocket and say I’m sorry brother. He was a little bummed but he still laughed it off as I knew he would. In the end I’m pretty proud of myself for not getting worked over by the cabbies in Morocco – something everyone warned me about.  

So I get to the port and I’m getting on a 2:30pm ferry that gets me into Tarifa, Spain at 4:30pm. Then when I get to Tarifa I need to haul ass across town to catch the 5pm bus to Sevilla. I could stay the night in Tarifa but then that would put me in a tight time crunch the next day for catching my flight from Sevilla to Palermo, Italy. So we land, I push at least 5 people out of my way as I’m deboarding the ferry, and I literally run through town to the bus stop. I walk up and see a bus pulling away and  a bus at the station, so I quickly ask the driver in the parked bus if he is going to Sevilla. He points down the road and says that one is to Sevilla. Oh no. Did I just miss my bus and now I have to stay in Tarifa? No way, man – there is also a bus coming TOWARD the station which has a big Sevilla sign on the front of it. SCORE. For a second there I was worried I missed it, but luckily my travels have worked out real well and this stays in line with that trend. There’s a random guy with a guitar next to me who laughs at the worried look on my face and then congratulates me on making it in time. Good vibes. We get into Sevilla around 7pm and immediately I see a huge religious procession going down one of the main streets. Tons of people dressed up in formal wear everywhere – kids and parents and families – all decked out. I love this town. So vibrant. So full of life. So familial. I feel very much at home coming back here. I jump off the bus, grab my things, and make my way to one of the bars that me and Michael hung out at when we were here last week. It’s absolutely mobbed with people, so I sit inside and order a glass of rose and get online. I try to connect with Loes and Fatima but Loes is out of town and Fatima is not responding, so I book a private room in a hostel and right near my current location and then go drop my things, get my favorite pizza (from the place I ate with my sister and then again with Michael) and then chill out in my room before passing out. A pretty hectic day of getting from Morocco to Sevilla, but everything worked out and I feel blessed and lucky for being in a comfortable bed in Sevilla – getting a good night sleep before my trip to Palermo, Sicily the next day…

Sorry about the black dot - usually I edit that in iPhoto but my computer is acting up again :(

Ah back in Sevilla :)