Dodging hustlers and rug merchants in Tangiers; befriending Australians in Fez; avoiding snake charmers and monkeys on leashes at the DJemaa El Fna in Marrakech.
Riding camels to the Pyramids in Giza; Relaxing by the Red Sea; climbing in the footsteps of Moses to the summit of Mt. Sinai - and getting it all done because of the hospitality of friends in Cairo...actually, getting everything so far on this trip done because of the kindness of friends, both old and new.
Much thanks to Tommy Digital and Alex in London, Becky and the auxiliares in Jaen, and Josslyn and the AUC crew in Egypt. Hopefully Israeli hospitality will exceed my expectations as well.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Lisbon Nights
So I find myself in a cab with my two female friends and one extremely helpful driver. We had just pulled away from Lux, the most exclusive club in the city because the line was around the block and I had no intentions of paying big money to get in. It is about 3am and our driver offers to drive us to another happening spot in town where all the other late night clubs are located. We all agree and soon we are on our way.
We are all talking on the way over, having a good time, and our driver jovially announces that he might just join us at the club. I was obviously a bit skeptical at first - being the only male in the group you always have to be aware of the potential intentions of any random guys that show up. But when traveling I like to remain optimistic and give people the benefit of the doubt. And he seemed like a good guy. On the initial drive to Lux he told us about his previous work showing British tourists around Portugal and how he really hated when some locals would prey on young female visitors. That and a few other anecdotes gave me the sense that he was a standup guy.
We get to our destination and our driver parks. At this point we just start to follow him, really having no idea what to expect. We pass a few places that all seem pretty lively but all the lines seem very substantial. We follow our driver to one of these clubs and he proceeds to walk towards the front of the line. He nonchalantly walks past everyone standing in line, shakes the bouncers hand, and walks straight in. My two friends looked back at me with slightly confused expressions. I had no idea what was going on but at this point did not need to ask any questions. We all followed closely behind our driver. No line, no questions, no hassle, no cover.
The club was first rate. A very good crowd, neon-green lazer lights, bumping techno (or house, or trance...whatever is big in Europe right now) An overall great atmosphere. But before we can get our bearings we find ourselves being led by the driver to the back of the club. Again he shakes the hand of a bouncer and we are suddenly getting escorted into the VIP section. Unbelievable.
To show a bit of gratitude I offer to buy the driver drinks. He told us that he was still on the clock so he would just take a Coke. The rest of the night we just danced and hung out in the VIP section. At around 4 or 5 the driver annonced that he was leaving to work a bit more but that we should stay and enjoy ourselves. He never hit on any of the girls or wanted anything in return. We stayed at the club until dawn and finally made our way back to the hostel as the morning bustle of Lisbon was starting to come to life. The rising sun made everything even more surreal - did that really just happen.
My travels so far have taught me that for every hustler and crook there are dozens of honest, open hearted people who are after nothing more than a good conversation and a good time. If you keep yourself open to new people and experiences good things will happen. And I suppose a little bit of luck doesnt hurt as well
(Sorry this post was a bit rushed. The keyboards in Morocco are adjusted for French and Arabic and make writing anything substantial an extremely frustrating effort.)
We are all talking on the way over, having a good time, and our driver jovially announces that he might just join us at the club. I was obviously a bit skeptical at first - being the only male in the group you always have to be aware of the potential intentions of any random guys that show up. But when traveling I like to remain optimistic and give people the benefit of the doubt. And he seemed like a good guy. On the initial drive to Lux he told us about his previous work showing British tourists around Portugal and how he really hated when some locals would prey on young female visitors. That and a few other anecdotes gave me the sense that he was a standup guy.
We get to our destination and our driver parks. At this point we just start to follow him, really having no idea what to expect. We pass a few places that all seem pretty lively but all the lines seem very substantial. We follow our driver to one of these clubs and he proceeds to walk towards the front of the line. He nonchalantly walks past everyone standing in line, shakes the bouncers hand, and walks straight in. My two friends looked back at me with slightly confused expressions. I had no idea what was going on but at this point did not need to ask any questions. We all followed closely behind our driver. No line, no questions, no hassle, no cover.
The club was first rate. A very good crowd, neon-green lazer lights, bumping techno (or house, or trance...whatever is big in Europe right now) An overall great atmosphere. But before we can get our bearings we find ourselves being led by the driver to the back of the club. Again he shakes the hand of a bouncer and we are suddenly getting escorted into the VIP section. Unbelievable.
To show a bit of gratitude I offer to buy the driver drinks. He told us that he was still on the clock so he would just take a Coke. The rest of the night we just danced and hung out in the VIP section. At around 4 or 5 the driver annonced that he was leaving to work a bit more but that we should stay and enjoy ourselves. He never hit on any of the girls or wanted anything in return. We stayed at the club until dawn and finally made our way back to the hostel as the morning bustle of Lisbon was starting to come to life. The rising sun made everything even more surreal - did that really just happen.
My travels so far have taught me that for every hustler and crook there are dozens of honest, open hearted people who are after nothing more than a good conversation and a good time. If you keep yourself open to new people and experiences good things will happen. And I suppose a little bit of luck doesnt hurt as well
(Sorry this post was a bit rushed. The keyboards in Morocco are adjusted for French and Arabic and make writing anything substantial an extremely frustrating effort.)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Portugal
My final night in Europe has arrived. And I´m leaving the continent in style. En route to Tarifa and a short ferry ride to Morocco, I´ve made a quick stop in Malaga. And due to my laid back, last minute style, I´m going to truly experience a night under the stars in Spain. I showed up my hostel here and it was booked solid. So I have the pleasure in sleeping in a hammock on the terrace. It´s actually quite nice, my cheapest stop in Europe so far, and provides quite a bit of privacy. I just sincerely hope that it doesn´t rain tonight.
Anyways, I spent the past weekend in Portugal with an old friend from high school and her lovely roomates. They are all finishing up a year spent working as English teachers in Spain and decided to take a long weekend to go on a road trip to Portugal. They were gracious enough to let me tag along and we had a great four days in the far side of Iberia - Lagos and Lisbon, and a few other stops along the way.
Lagos was hilarious. The entire Algarve seems to be overrun by English and American tourists and renters, but the beaches are beautiful and nightlife is decent as well. Our hostel was a tad unorganized but I was in a room with my lovely travelmates, and about a dozen other female guests - so I wasn´t complaining.
We made a stop by Sagres, the Westernmost point of Europe, once thought to literally be the end of the world. The sunset and views in general there were breathtaking.
Once we got to Lisbon I actually had the opportunity to practice my Portuguese. The city has a very quiet, calm atmosphere, but there is plenty to do. The streets of Bairro Alto are great and filled with throngs of friendly Lisboans. Beers are cheap and can be bought at one establishment and drank at another. At 230am the bars close and everyone moves on to the city´s clubs. We took a cab to Lisbon´s premier late-night hot spot, Lux, but arrived to a line that wrapped around the block. Our cabby was a very interesting guy that spoke English (even though I was trying to practice my Portuguese) and informed my friends and me that even if we waited in line the bouncers would probably try and charge me (the one male in the group) well over a hundred dollars to get in. That wasn´t going to happen. Our cabby told us of another district filled with clubs where he could take us. He seemed like a pretty good guy, so we took his advice and moved on. We all got along so well on the ride that he announced that he was going to take a quick break and actually come out and party with us...
To be continued (I have to get off the internet at my hostel)
Anyways, I spent the past weekend in Portugal with an old friend from high school and her lovely roomates. They are all finishing up a year spent working as English teachers in Spain and decided to take a long weekend to go on a road trip to Portugal. They were gracious enough to let me tag along and we had a great four days in the far side of Iberia - Lagos and Lisbon, and a few other stops along the way.
Lagos was hilarious. The entire Algarve seems to be overrun by English and American tourists and renters, but the beaches are beautiful and nightlife is decent as well. Our hostel was a tad unorganized but I was in a room with my lovely travelmates, and about a dozen other female guests - so I wasn´t complaining.
We made a stop by Sagres, the Westernmost point of Europe, once thought to literally be the end of the world. The sunset and views in general there were breathtaking.
Once we got to Lisbon I actually had the opportunity to practice my Portuguese. The city has a very quiet, calm atmosphere, but there is plenty to do. The streets of Bairro Alto are great and filled with throngs of friendly Lisboans. Beers are cheap and can be bought at one establishment and drank at another. At 230am the bars close and everyone moves on to the city´s clubs. We took a cab to Lisbon´s premier late-night hot spot, Lux, but arrived to a line that wrapped around the block. Our cabby was a very interesting guy that spoke English (even though I was trying to practice my Portuguese) and informed my friends and me that even if we waited in line the bouncers would probably try and charge me (the one male in the group) well over a hundred dollars to get in. That wasn´t going to happen. Our cabby told us of another district filled with clubs where he could take us. He seemed like a pretty good guy, so we took his advice and moved on. We all got along so well on the ride that he announced that he was going to take a quick break and actually come out and party with us...
To be continued (I have to get off the internet at my hostel)
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