Laughing and Crying in Morocco
In Morocco I say goodbye to my beloved David and Salome and continue travelling on my own. I got quite scared transferring busses alone in the night in Casablanca and would recommend avoiding that if possible. But when solo travelling of course you aren’t alone for long, and in Essouira I meet a new pack of darlings and fall in love all over again.
Morocco is colourful and chaotic and delicous. Filled with bittersweet hello’s and goodbyes.
David and Salome walking through the winding markets in Tangier. I'm overjoyed by the novelty, it is so different from Spain.
Salome in the centre of the Medina
David, Lucien, and Yael in the Tangier medina
There are dancers and musicians representing different countries parading around the streets of Tangier. We have so much fun watching them and picking favourites.
Tangier mosque. At this moment the call to prayer is happening and the sound reminds me of perfume somehow.
a dog sleeps and a cat looks beautiful outside a mosque in Tangier. The shadows are getting long the sun is setting and I'm lost in the light.
rooftop beneath us in the Tangier hostel.
David on the roof in Tangier. The day before in Tarifa he was trying to decide if he was going to come with us to Tangier or not, saying "Is it even really that different?" We've been laughing at him all day because yes, it is so different, and he's fallen in love with it.
Coffee shop in Tangier. Salome and I get up early and go to coffee and the light is beautiful in this little shop.
Taking Salome's portrait in the coffee shop. She is so beautiful.
My darling Salome, to me she looks so powerful in the photo, like she could go anywhere (and she will).
We go to the beach by the lighthouse near Tangier and make friends
The Gang
Chefchaouen and its blue doors and many cats. We arrive the night before in Chefchaouen and wander the blue streets. Salome and I get our own room in a hostel while the boys go sleep on the mountain outside town (they all brought camping gear). I'm grateful for the privacy, that night I have a fever and Salome takes care of me.
Beautiful Chefchaouen. Salome and I run into the boys here for breakfast the next day. We are looking for a hammam and finally find one. The woman scrubbs us down so roughly I wonder if she has scrubbed my nipples off, and throws water in our faces and I somehow love the whole experience for its surreal quality. Also its so lovely to see the local woman, normally entirely covered, now totally naked and totally comfortable in their nakedness.
One of the last nights with Salome and David. The will go off in two days back to Spain, and I will continue on in Morocco. I half toy with the idea to go back to Spain with them just to have even one more day, but I know now is the time to continue on. All great journeys come to an end (and then begin again).
I take 12 hours of busses and arrive in the night to Essouira, a hippie fishing village on the west coast of Morocco. Transferring in Casablanca in the night felt very dangerous, it was dark and there were only men and many of them were yelling at me. I felt real fear but was fine, and cried on the bus as we were driving out. A friend I had met previously in Granada spoke with his hostel in Esso, and even though I was arriving at 4am there was a hostel worker who would meet me at the city gates and check me in. I am so tired and scared at this point, and beyond grateful.
The port of Essouaera
fishermen and seagulls in the port
Dono - I met him first in Granada, and he helped me in the night I was afraid - that next day we got Japanese food, and I made new friends in the hostel and somehow everything is right in the world again. I feel lucky and happy to smell the ocean. Dono and I talk about time and how it can be stretched, slowed down, or sped up. He explains how we live every moment three times. It's refreshing to talk to someone who shares similar thoughts and philosophies as me, I feel less like a weirdo, or rather more able to be myself around the similarly weird. I read one of my recent poems at loud.
Myra and Rob are such sweethearts and we play songs while we wait for food.
Watching the sun set across the rooftops. Rob plays a mean guitar and has a beautiful voice and I do my best to jam along on my violin. It's a perfect evening I'm in love with everything.
the sun as it sets across the Esso rooftops
Mer is wild and always smiling and says anything that comes into her mind. I like how loud she talks and she keeps making me laugh.
The most patriotic seagulls
New hostel friends walking around Esso
Mer by the port of a million ships
Maxx is going to be a superstar you can just tell.
Sleepy backpackers on the roof of the hostel. This picture reminds me of a Gauguin painting.
streets of Essouaera
I got my camera working again! I love this balloon man I pictured him as if the balloons are part of his body and he is some wild monster with strange anatomy.
Stairs to the the roof of the hostel, appearing as if to go right up to the sky
Rooftops of Essouaera
The clouds in this picture looks surreal to me, as if they have been painted onto the sky
Relaxing with Mer as listen to music on the roof. I spent so much time on this roof but it felt like heaven it was perfect. And after so long on the road it was nice to relax.
Mer started to dog sit and I stayed with her that night in this Italian lady's apartment. We felt so rich in such a beautiful space. I made mint tea and we ate chocolate in bed and watched a movie and fell asleep.
View from the window of the Italian woman's apartment
Sun setting in Esso as we take the dogs for a walk
We take the dogs for a walk along the beach and the boys playing soccer wave to us. It's one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen and the pictures don't do it any justice at all.
Mer is walking the dogs on my last night in Esso. It's so beautiful and perfect. We get along "like a house on fire," as she would say in her charming Kiwi accent, and I finally feel settled in a place. It feels a shame that I must leave the next day, but that's how it goes on the road—filled with bittersweet hellos and goodbyes (and hello's again). Mer promises to meet me in Lisbon. A gang of street dogs follows us and we realize simultaneously that we're street dogs too.
I find a group to head with to Marrakesh. Maxx, our friend Jono, and two others we find that day; enough to get a small taxi together. We get coffee before heading off.
View of a cemetery from the coffee shop near the taxi
I say bye to Mer, she makes me laugh all morning and promises again that she will meet me in Lisbon. I'm excited for the future and feel very alive.