February, 2010

• 27 February

  Stuck in Tangiers for now …

  It’s been three hours that I’ve been stuck in Tangerville train station, but everyone has been really nice to me so far, especially since I saw 4 Americans asking questions and getting the complete cold shoulder from everyone. The first question everyone has asked me, “Where are you from?” … upon the reply of Trinidad … the quizzical looks start. …
• 27 February

  My first time with real Moroccan food …

  I’ve had Moroccan food before and I wasn’t really a fan of it. It’s like my opinion on Ethiopian food, I can eat it but it wouldn’t be my first choice unless I was having it at my friend Beth’s house, since she is an amazing cook. Something about Injera doesn’t sit well with my Trinidadian palate … roti or …
• 27 February

  Morocco, you and I need to have a talk …

  Traveling without any set plan or itinerary comes with its inherent challenges: Constantly changing places to sleep Constantly being on a bus/train/plane Not knowing where you will be in a week Gambling that last minute fares and hotels can be negotiated on the fly Figuring out if there are ghosts in your room Dealing with people in your hostel who snore louder than …
• 26 February

  What language does the “Bus” qualify as??

  Drinking while travelling is should only be acceptable, if you have nowhere else to go after. Thankfully, Foster’s marketing slogan is “Fosters is Australian for Beer”, however I think they should rename it to “Fosters is Australian for Budwiser”. An early morning in Gibraltar means that the buses start running from 7am and  getting around Gibraltar via their excellent bus …
• 25 February

  Rainy days with Gibraltar’s best tour guide

  Getting to the Rock was such a long process to figure out, with the little information online about getting to Gibraltar from Sevilla. There is a deliberate ploy by the Spanish to block out tourism and access to Gibraltar which includes stalling vehicles at a porous border, ensuring lineups to leave Gibraltar as well as not having any signs outside La …
• 25 February

  Why is getting to Gibraltar from Spain so hard?

    For the last three days, I have tried to figure out an economical, time efficient way to get from Sevilla to Gibraltar. There is very little established information on how to get to Sevilla to Gibraltar. A combination of train travel and bus travel exist but nothing that definitely explains how one should go about doing the trip. This …
• 24 February

  Flamenco greatness, Jewish genocide and Trini Tapas conversation … all in a day’s work in Sevilla

  Every country has its weird or different signs, but I wasn’t able to figure out what the following sign meant. Even the kids running with their briefcases … seriously, are Spanish kids so serious that they have briefcases? This just made me laugh, and the toaster on the sign made it doubly confusing. I have no idea what this sign is …
• 24 February

  A two day itinerary of Barcelona without museums.

  

  Barcelona is definitely one of my favorite cities, in spite of the all the hype about La Sagrada Familia. There are a number of reasons why this is just a great city to spend 2 full days visiting and touring: FC Barcelona Gaudi influence over everything including the dog Great museums Olympic Village However my visit through Barcelona did not …
• 22 February

  Mezquita of Cordoba … nuff said

  After paying a couple hundred bucks for a Eurail pass for Spain/Portugal, I’m definitely getting good use out of the pass. Going from Sevilla to Cordoba is only 45 mins by AVE (Spain’s answer to the TGV) and instead of paying the 45 euros each way for “Preferente class”, it only cost me 10 euros for the reservation.  Getting to …
• 22 February

  Why waiting for 5pm everyday can suck …

  There is a lot of romance associated with backpacking. Tons of stories of young adults who either just are in or just finished university, making their first backpacking trips across Europe. It’s become a right of passage and when joining the workforce, it gives those who’ve travelled, extra confidence that they know a bit of the world, since they had …