Got a $30 Flight to Morocco

The Long Way Home season 4 begins

Salaam alaikum! Greetings from Africa! I just saw the sun sink into the water from the beach town of Essaouira. I’m in my hostel bed and can hear someone playing guitar on the rooftop and can hear the seagulls through my window.

I am quite tired and jet-lagged but oh so incredibly happy. Morocco has been top on my travel dreams list for years and I finally made it. Couldn’t help smiling when I looked down from the plane into this vast land. Morocco is like an island. Bordered by the Sahara desert on one side and by the ocean on the other. Its cultures are a mix of sub-Saharan, Berber, Arabic, and European influences. The languages are plenty and the sights are more than the eyes can see

It’s my first time in Africa too! About a month ago I bought my one-way flight using credit card points and paid exactly $30. The plan is to meet with a friend who arrives on Saturday and we’ve never met in person.

But for now I arrived in Marrakesh yesterday and weaving through the medina was a full sensory experience. Smells of incense, spices, herbs was powerful. So were the lively streets in the labyrinth of the medina. It took all concentration to not get hit by a donkey cart, bicycles, motorcycles, mopeds, and avoid eye contact from all the shop people. It felt like a movie.

Even though I arrived alone, I immediately made friends at the hostel. Linda from Italy became my city exploring buddy as we roamed the medina and got tea. She is a travel agent and works remotely so was new to Marrakesh too. It was comforting having someone to spend the day with especially in a city that can feel so overwhelming and mysterious.

Then this morning I had breakfast with two women from Beirut on the rooftop of the hostel. After that, I made my way through the medina by myself and sat down to drink a coffee and people-watch. Next to me sat a Palestinian couple who lives in Italy and I got to practice some more Italian and enjoy a cup of strong coffee.

In the afternoon it was time to leave Marrakesh and take a taxi to the bus station. I was proud of myself for haggling the price as I was nervous taking a taxi by myself but the driver was very nice and I got a good price.

At the bus station I got a couple of caramelized nuts from a vendor and hopped on the bus for three hours. I arrived in Essaouira, a small city on the coast, greeted by a refreshing wind. It’s full of history and formally known as Mogador.

The hostel I am staying in is incredibly charming and has a beautiful rooftop with poufs and rugs. I even had a work call on the terrace and the people on the other end of the call could hear the call to prayer ring through the speakers in the city.

By 7pm I was so hungry and went off to find couscous. I found a Berber restaurant tucked into an alley and sat down. 5 minutes hadn’t hardly passed and suddenly I found myself talking with the girls from the table next to me, Anna and Marie who are from Germany. They deserve their own full post later because they were so incredible to talk with as we share similar life philosophies despite our different cultures.

We dove straight into conversation and ended up joining our tables together. Over a delicious meal and tea, we quickly realized we shared adventurous travel spirit, and as they said it “the way is the goal” another way of saying it’s about they journey not the destination. They reminded me the importance of not overthinking and not taking life so seriously. Marie had a tattoo that says “Not so deep” as a reminder that not everything in life has to be so deep and we can be more light hearted.

We sat on the crumbling city walls overlooking the crashing waves and sinking red sun, talking about life and its magic. Moments like these are the ones I love about travel. When I arrived to Morocco yesterday I didn’t know anyone and hadn’t researched many things to do in either city. Suddenly without planning, the days unfolded and I found myself very happy.

In the evening we got “fun drinks” aka sodas, which my new German friends called “Spaßgetränk“. Drinks for when you feel you deserve them, and sipped them on the rooftop of their hostel.

Back at my hostel, I met my bunk-mate who also happened to be from Germany. She’s 45 and is a mom but came to Essaouira by herself for a few days to practice surfing. We talked about the courage of learning new things, and brining back lessons from travel when we go home. About sharing what we learn with our friends and family, and how experiencing other cultures and ways of living is so important because it helps us live more complete lives.

So, that’s the update for this week! I am sure more stories to come (because I’m writing this from my phone!) But wanted to share part of the adventures from the second day of this Long Way Home season 4 trip.

I don’t know what’s to come. But I’m enjoying the present and as my new friends said, trying not to take everything in this life so seriously. And “the way is the goal”, as they said.