Oops...Morocco and Madrid!

Missed a few posts, sorry about that. After Lagos we were attempting to make our way to Morocco, so we figured we would bus to Sevilla, bus to Algeciras, and then leave on a ferry from there. Problem was getting to Sevilla was so not happening. We tried to leave on a Sunday and every bus was booked. All the trains made us backtrack about 18 hours, so that wasn't a option. What now? Hitchhike of course!

We parked ourselves in front of a gas station and had a few close calls but no dice. Apparently hitchhiking isn't so easy in Portugal. We got screwed over by too few seats various times, and then once by a large tent that took up the backseat. That was the closest call, and it was at the end of the day too so it was pretty crushing.

We decided to give up and just sit at a cafe until we were tired, then sleep in the bus station until our bus left at 5:30am the next morning. Actually a pretty cool move on our part. The cafe we were at was actually hosting some dance party so all of these old, Portuguese locals came out for some traditional dancing. I got picked up by an old Portuguese man (jealous?) and we had a lot of fun until he tried to serenade me in French. Sal enjoyed that one. All in all, a good time.

Our sleep in the station was eventful. A bus was leaving at around 1am, and when the security guard woke us up, thinking we were on that bus, he told us to get a hotel room! If it wasn't at 1am, it would have been a lot funnier. Anyways, it was all well and good, we just slept and got on our bus.

Made our way to Algeciras, and decided to get on a 6pm ferry. Turns out we picked the shitty ferry company that was always delayed, so the port lady was nice enough to tell us to get a refund and catch the 7pm with a reliable company. Best call ever. The 6pm ferry wouldn't have left until 8:30pm. We met some crazy American girls along the way who were getting hassled with their reservations, but we all got to Tangier in the end, and then proceeded to get the hell out of there.

Caught a night train to Marrakech, but there was only one couchette left, so we let Bernard have it since he was sick. The other four of us piled into an empty cart and were ready for a nice long sleep. No dice. First stop, a family of four crams into our cart with us! Damn, why did we not pretend to sleep?! It was the most uncomfortable 10 hour train ride ever. It was hot, and it was a Moroccan train. Bad news.

Marrakech however was kind of cool. The air is so dirty there though that it made me sick. We stayed in a great hotel, and really, the only cool things about Marrakech are the souks (marketplace), freshly squeezed orange juice (3 dirham, or about 30 EUR cents, or about 50 CAD cents!), and these great food stands. We made great friends with food stand 25, so if you are ever in the marketplace, eat there! Tariq, Abdul and Mustaffa (Borat) would be happy to serve you. We sat there for hours eating great food and drinking unlimited sweet mint tea, which is amazing!

After Marrakech, we caught a cheap, cheap, CHEAP flight to Madrid, where we parted ways with Sally boy. Beginning of a new era - Bernard and I actually traveling alone. No friends, no family. So stoked.

Madrid was pretty cool, after we found a hostel to stay in. Everything was unusually booked, and later we found out it was because the International Deaf Convention was happening in the city. Great! We conquered the Madrid sights in a day, and found ourselves out a Madrid club into the early morning. I love how Spain parties. It's free entry until 2 or 3am most times, which in Canada is like going to the bar at 9pm. So a normal time to hit the bars is 3 or 4am...LOVE IT!

Then, as you all know, we made our way to Switzerland. Hoping to get to Interlaken to meet Kristina, we tried to book tickets in Madrid. No dice. Madrid doesn't sell international train tickets. What? So messed. So we had to go to Barcelona and hope for tickets.

Poor choice. Not only had we backtracked (something B and I said we'd never do), but we found out the direct train was going to cost 46 EUR, but those seats were taken, so we had to pay 71 EUR for a sleeper. Hell no! We took four separate trains in our stealthy ways, and paid 5 EUR to get to Interlaken. I loves it.

This goes sort of before La Suisse post, so continue on for more Tang stories!

Newest post will be from Prague or Berlin! Later!