Morocco

It was awesome riding the ferry from Europe to Africa across the Straits of Gibraltar. Morocco is an over stimulating mixture of French, Arab, Berber, and Spanish cultures, and the litter and broken down buses remind me that I'm in Africa. People (including the women) are very friendly, though the men are too much... always calling out "ça va?" (how are you? in French) and sometimes trying to follow me.

Before ending in Marrakech, stops along the way included Chaouen (cute blue-painted town in the Rif Mountains) and Casablanca (hip, cosmopolitan city where I caught a Moroccan rap concert). I also laid back with the fun beach atmosphere in El Jadida and spent three days trekking in the High Atlas mountains, the high point of which was another 4,000+ meter peak.

Marrakech is wonderful and embodies what you would imagine about Morocco. The rust-colored medina (old town) is a maze of alleys filled with shops, craftsmen at work, and life in action. The main square turns into a circus as the sun sets, with food stalls, juice stands, and entertainers competing for the crowd's attention. Someone will take your picture with a snake, paint your hands with henna, or tell your fortune. Otherwise you can just stand back and watch the scene of dancers, musicians, or even a boxing match.

This afternoon I fly to Brussels, where I rejoin the Western world and make my way toward Switzerland.

Portugal

I arrived in Lisbon just in time to meet David, a friend from DC. We spent a week in the capital and in a super-cute small town in the mountains called Sintra. I also fit in a few other towns on both ends of David's trip: Porto, Leiria, and Lagos.

Lisbon felt like the "San Francisco of Europe." It's located in the hills near the ocean, complete with streetcars and a bridge painted in a strange reddish hue. We needed several days to explore all of the neighborhoods and watch the Portugal vs. England football match. The highlight was joining the victory party along the main avenue and monument. Porto was one of my favorites -- a riverside town from the Middle Ages filled with Baroque architecture also famous for its Port wine.

A few days in Spain also worked into the itinerary, including Salamanca, a small university town near Madrid, and Seville. Morocco here I come!

Middle East Budget

After nine months I think I finally hit the $20,000 mark. It took only $4,000 to get me through two and a half months in the Middle East:

I already mentioned the $100 I spent in three days in Egypt at the end of February. During my five days in Cairo in April partying and sightseeing with Monique I spent another $265, including a $26 horse ride around the pyramids. Finally, the last two weeks in Egypt cost about $800, including four days of diving and lodging at the Holiday Inn Resort in Safaga ($450). That comes to a total of $1,165 over 22 days ($53/day), super-cheap even with the occasional Egyptian rip-off. Especially easy on the wallet were the ten cent falafel sandwiches and five cent bus rides.

Three separate visits to Israel added up to a bit more than a month, most of that time staying with relatives. $1,190 over 32 days ($37/day) included splitting some car rental plus gasoline costs with Leib ($185) and two nights at a resort in Eilat ($250).

A week in Istanbul with Leib and two weeks traveling around Turkey cost $1,435 ($65/day over 22 days). The round-trip flight from Israel was only $300. Food was the biggest cost after arriving, adding up to almost $400.

Finally, five days in Jordan came to $215 ($43/day), including a $20 entry fee to Petra and a dive in Aqaba ($29).