After much debate on how and when I would be going to Morocco, I decided to go sooner rather than later and with an organized program rather than by myself. I imagine its a little foolish to go during my finals month as I'll have two when I get back, but I didn't want to squander 9 days when I could use part of it for travel. I'm excited to experience a completely different culture and to step, for the first time, on the continent of Africa.
I woke up before 9:00am as I knew I had a lot of things to finish. Getting up, I finished the last of the eggs for breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen.
I quickly saved the itinerary and instructions of my flash drive and also put photos of my family to share with the Moroccan home stay family. After printing everything out, I walked to Mercadona to get some trip supplies. I recharged my phone just and then cut back to the fruit stands by the cathedral to complete the grocery shopping.
Back home, I organized my room and packed my bag. One pair of jeans, a couple shirts, and my fleece sleeping bag. My zippo lighter (Indie) and flashlight topped it off.
I ate a quick lunch on the balcony before grabbing my bag and going to the bus stop by Cortes Ingles. The bus came and it took about 20 minutes to get to the station with traffic.
After a quick stop in Málaga, the rest of the trip went smoothly. It started to rain as we left the station in Marbella and by the time we reached Algeciras it was pouring. We drove along the coast, passing of hundreds of advertisements for boat tickets to Tangier, Morocco.
Arriving in Algeciras I quickly put on my jacket and grabbed my bag from under the bus. It was pouring and the concrete gaps/windows in the wall allowed all of the water to splash into the platform area. I quickly put on my scarf and put my journal, ipod and books in the front top pocket. Inside, I bought my return ticket to Granada at 5:45pm as to avoid any filling up the bus on the way home.
Following the directions, I walked through the pouring rain. It was coming down so hard that my water resistant jacket had lost its resistance. I ended up looping around back to the bus station where after asking different people for directions I eventually made it to the hostel.
The hostel was really a hotel. I got my key from the front desk and went up to my single room with its own bathroom and TV. I took off my wet clothes and hung them up around the room. My books, journal and ipod had gotten wet, but fortunately nothing was ruined. I ate a sandwich of whole grain bread and gouda cheese and an apple for a snack. All expenses are covered by Morocco Exchange once we are in Morocco but I had to pay for the hostel and food before hand.
It was still light out and the rain sounded like it had stopped temporarily so I went downstairs and borrowed a map. The man showed me where "Plaza Alta" was, the only attraction listed in Lonely Planet. Both Antonio and Lonely Planet had warned me about the port town of Algeciras, the main link between Europe and Africa, so I was on my guard as I walked to the Plaza Alta. The plaza was nice, with colorful tiled benches and a large square with two facing churches on either side. I took a few pictures and then walked over to the railing that overlooked the port. It was getting dark and starting to rain so I decided to head back to the hostel.
Back in the room, I was glad I had brought my notes to study. I read over Teoría Del Estado. Once finished, I went downstairs to ask the night shift man for a 7:00am wake up call. I guess the group leader is staying in the hostel but hadn't arrived yet. Upstairs I ate a package of my grandma's cookies while looking at pictures of my family. I took a nice long shower and climbed into bed excited for the next adventure to begin.
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