The Backpacker's Guide to Cuba

Cuba has always been a place of intrigue and interest to backpackers and with the recent reconciliation talks with the US, this little Caribbean country is now high on a lot of travellers’ bucket lists.  Hence, along with my two side-kicks, Irina and Oskar, I have put together a list of things that will help you backpack your way through Cuba and get the most bang for your buck.  So whether you’re a novice backpacker, been doing it for years or just a budget conscious tourist, this guide is perfect for you!

However, before I begin, I’d like to stress that while it’s great to travel cheap and barter when you think you’re getting ripped off, these people are living on absolute pennies in a country where prices continue to increase.  If you still think you’re getting a good deal and would be willing to pay $5 for that necklace in any other country, then maybe it’s ok not to barter to the absolute limits just because you know you can.  A substantial tip for an incredible meal under $2, is not much compared to what you would pay elsewhere.  Just a little humanitarian pep talk! :-) Ok, on to the tips…

The awesome threesome - great travel buddies :-)

1.       Travel with someone else

In Cuba, there are no such things as hostels.  Ok, well in Havana they have “hostels” where you can pay by the bed, but it is just an apartment building with bunk beds.  Saying that, anywhere else in Cuba, you stay at Casa Particulares, which are guesthouses and you pay by the room.  Therefore, if you have 2 or 3 or even 4 of you, you can end up saving a lot of money!

2.       But, if you want to travel solo

My advice if you don’t like travelling with friends/family, you’ve got 3 options.  Number 1 – budget more for your accommodation (because you are looking at $20-30 a night, compared to the $8-10 I paid).  Option 2 – stay at the “hostels” in Havana and find a travel buddy that way for the rest of Cuba.  Or the 3^rd option - which is interesting - is try Couchsurfing.  Couchsurfing (anywhere else in the world) is a free mode of accommodation where you can stay with locals on their couch and you can see the sights from a local’s perspective.  In Cuba you still have to pay but I believe it is cheaper than a Casa.

3.       Talk to the locals

The best way to save money is to talk to the locals!! They are the ones that know the best and cheapest places to eat, they are the ones who know the “real” prices of things and they are the ones who can give you a better cultural experience to boot! We met a guy in line for a bar who went and bought us a bottle of rum and mixers for $5; we met a couple who led us to our favourite restaurant in Santa Clara and a local man (the one looking after his mum on a minimal pension) who introduced us to the 5 peso ice cream bowls!! Win! J




Enjoying our $5CUP ice cream bowls!

4.       Carry both currencies

In Cuba they have 2 currencies – Cuban CUC (pronounced Cook) (1: 1 USD) and the Cuban CUP (national pesos).  They are a lot of things you can only pay with in CUC – accommodation, bus tickets, taxi fares and your departure tax.  Anything else, I guarantee you can find somewhere where you can pay with CUP.  In some places, this price is just the exact exchange value from the CUC price (i.e. for rum, cigarettes and other shopping), but in restaurants this can mean a lot of savings for you.  Always change a decent amount of CUC into CUP (exchange rate at time of writing is 1:24 (CUC:CUP)) and ask to pay in CUP every time.  This leads me to my next tip…

5.       Always ask for the CUP menu at restaurants



Meeting a serenading local in Havana

When you arrive at a restaurant that you see locals in, they most definitely have a CUP menu or “locals” menu.  We discovered a very popular restaurant for locals in Santa Clara, where locals would line up for 2-3 hours for a table.  Being so popular, we thought we’d try it, but when we entered, a serving of lasagne was $5CUC!  For Cubans, this is incredibly expensive for a meal and so we asked to see the National Peso (CUP) menu.  The same serving of lasagne was now only 20CUP (under $1)!  Always ask for the local menu as you pay the local prices! We also managed to get a 3 course meal, including a tip for $2!

6.       Use your Casa Particulares’ expertise

The ladies that run the Casa Particulares know things.  They are the best people to ask about transport around the town, cheap places to eat or drink and also where to stay in the next town! Often they will call and book you a room in the next place and organise pick up from the bus station.  It’s easy, convenient and you know you’re getting a good price! Also, most casas offer cheap breakfast options from $2-5!  It’s normally heartier, tastier and cheaper than what you would find in the street.

We loved our Casa "mum" in Santa Clara! <3

7.       Catch the local buses

Any local buses in Havana costs 40c CUP (0.0125c CUC).  Therefore, look like a local and just pay the bus driver the smallest coin you have.  Locals pay this way too as it’s not often you have 40c CUP in your pocket!! The buses are crowded, sweltering hot and painfully slow but we all know it’s worth it compared to a $5 CUC taxi ride!  

8.       Buy Internet cards where it’s cheapest

Cuba is a country of disconnect.  They have recently got some internet places set up but it’s expensive, slow and often very crowded so you have to wait a while.  So my first sugestion is to avoid internet in general, but if you really need to connect, research the places along your route that offer cheaper internet.  All internet stations and one hotel in Havana that offers wifi (at time of writing) use the same internet cards.  However, in Havana they are $8CUC for an hour, Trinidad $6CUC and Santa Clara $4.50CUC.  Therefore, if you know you’re going to need the internet, buy cards at a cheaper location to take with you to the most expensive places.

9.       Catch route taxis where possible



Catching our first route taxi in Havana

In some places like Havana, they have taxis going back and forward on a route (normally one long street) and will stop to pick you up and take you anywhere you want on the route.  For us, it allowed us to travel from our hostel to the centre (Parque Central) for only $10CUP (under 30c CUC).  It’s cheaper and convenient and you get to travel in those cool 1950’s cars!!

10.   Bring necessities

Bring anything you need for your vacation – soap, deodorant, tampons, etc – with you to Cuba.  Chances are you won’t find them in Cuba to purchase at all and if you do, they are extremely overpriced, so worth the extra weight in the backpack! 

 

11.   You can barter with anything



Even bread was hard to find!...And given it without a bag...

Take cheap sunnies or jewellery, pens/pencils, etc to use to barter with instead of money.  They love everything that they can’t easily buy in Cuba so whatever you have and don’t really need, barter away!  I never tried it as I had nothing to offer but I’ve heard this is a great way to avoid spending extra money.  If anyone does try it, I would love to hear how you went! Good luck! 

12.   Only carry minimal money when trying to barter for something particular

The first price offered for things in Cuba is never the final price, taxis included.  I always figure out how much I want to spend for something and then just take that amount when I’m bartering.  That way, I can show the person that that’s all the money I have and 9 times out of 10, they’ll agree to your price.  I particular find this is useful at the end of your trip when you don’t want to get more money exchanged or out of an ATM.  For example, my last day in Havana and I had to get to the airport – no public transport there exists.  The original price of the taxi was $25CUC.  I managed to only pay $16CUC, just by asking for him to help me as I only had $16CUC left.  Sure enough, no problem!

13.   Carry enough foreign currency for the duration of your trip

ATM’s can be found in the major places but normally only accept VISA and no American Cards whatsoever.  They attract large withdrawals fees and are often out of money or have limited withdrawals amounts, meaning that you often have to go back a couple of times.  To avoid this and save some money, I recommend taking foreign currency with you to exchange at the bank.  The exchange rates are pretty close to the real thing and there are plenty of offices around.  However, DO NOT take US dollars – it attracts a 10% surcharge to exchange and so instead of an almost 1:1 conversion, you get only 88c CUC for every US$1!  Euros and Mexican Pesos are the best currencies to take if you can get your hands on them. 

That’s the summary of the things I found most useful to save some cash while travelling in Cuba.  If you’ve been to Cuba and have some more tips, please comment here so others can read about them.  Prepare yourself for the culture shock, apply these few tips and you’ll have an incredible (and cheap) trip through Cuba!!

Hablamos pronto!
xxxx

 

 

Crazy Cuba!

Relaxing in a hammock in my hostel in Cancun, Mexico, I begin talking to my fellow hammock-ers, Irina and Oskar about our travel plans.  This is back in December and I knew I was heading to Spain to meet the boy’s parents (I know, crazy!) but I still had 2 weeks before he returned to Central to join me travelling to do…something.  I didn’t want to stay in Cancun (as much as the hammocks were awesome) so I was thinking about what I could do to “waste” my time.  I was thinking out loud when I mentioned I’d love to check out Cuba.  Not surprisingly, Irina and Oskar also wanted to check out the country.  So….after knowing each other for only 24 hours, the next morning we were taken to a Cuban travel agent (thanks Hermes!) and we booked our tickets for less than 2 weeks later!! Woohoo!

We arrived in Cuba just in time to depart the year that was, 2014.  A year of incredible highs and lows for me, but most certainly a year that ended extremely well.  Cuba was the perfect way to top it off!  It was an incredible experience and a place I’d love to return to in the future to go and explore more.  It was interesting, extremely different, frustrating at times and very much patience draining (which you all know I have none of to start with!!).



The "supermarkets" in Cuba

So happy with our ice cream bowls! :)

We managed to eat 5 peso (20c) ice cream bowls (5 scoops with sauce and biscuits); drink 1 peso (4c) milkshakes; buy bottles of rum for $5 and catch local buses for 40c peso (under 2c).  We drank way too many home-made mojitos, met a lot of friendly locals who we are still in contact with and gained a particular skill for discovering peso restaurants to eat at!  We learnt there were “tourist” menus and “local” menus very quickly and so to ensure we paid in local prices, we managed to convince people we were living in Cuba.  This was achieved by Irina and I staying mute and letting Oskar (the only one who can talk Spanish properly) do all the talking!! Supermarkets in Cuba are for drunks and people who want to kill their lungs (as they only sold rum and cigarettes normally), so I guess for us they were perfect! J But seriously, it is the most difficult country I’ve ever travelled to, to find food from somewhere other than restaurants.  Irina and I got a lot of Cuban attention, one guy even asking to buy us from Oskar, which made walking around tiring at times.  But all in all the country is definitely somewhere that should be on everyone’s bucket list – just make sure you’re prepared for the culture shock!

Havana

We arrived into the capital, Havana, at night and were taken to our “hostel”.  As we pulled up outside a bland looking locked up building in a deserted street, we started to think our taxi driver was trying to scam us.  However, he was right.  Our hostel was actually a little apartment building where the rooms had bunk beds crammed in.  Very soon we realised that this was the closest to a hostel we’d find in Cuba. 


Expected view in Havana

 

Got my signature pic with Che Guevara

The next day we went exploring and while walking through the main “tourist” area of Havana near Parque Central and down Obispo Street, you see exactly what you imagine – fancy 1950’s cars, colourful buildings and lots of people.  But look to your left or right and you see the different side of Cuba, the broken streets, the beggers, the dirty garbage littering the sidewalks.  It’s a completely different world and opens your eyes to the hardship Cuban’s have been facing ever since the disconnect with arguably the world’s most powerful nation.  Talking to the locals, we met a doctor working for as little as $25 a month; taxi drivers that were qualified engineers or lawyers, just trying to make ends meet; a man looking after his disabled and elderly mother who requires full-time care, scrapping by on only 200 national pesos (approx. $8) a month for the 2 of them! It was eye-opening, heart breaking but also a little overwhelming and humbling to see how generous these people still were, when they literally had nothing. 
We spent NYE in our “hostel”, making our own mojitos (thanks to $5 bottles of Havana Club rum), while we waited for the antics to take off in Cuba (nothing begins until midnight on NYE).   Around 11pm we heading downstairs to join others from another hostel and continued drinking mojitos in the park across the street until we were herded up by our Cuban friend and loaded into a taxi to be taken to a festival of sorts.  However, it was basically a small amount of people in a very large area listening to techno music and we were not feeling the vibe.  Silly us, because after we left, we then spent the next 2 hours trying to find something lively in Havana to keep us entertained for the night, to no avail.  By 4am, we were tired and sobering up pretty quickly and so decided to call it a night.  Despite the taxi trek around town in the early morning, NYE was a pretty awesome start to 2015!

Getting ready to send off 2014!

Santa Clara

A couple of days later, we heading off to Santa Clara.  During a pit stop near Australia (I know, almost made it home!), we were sitting on the curb talking nonsense as normal, when we see our bus start leaving.  Running after it in a mad scurry, we managed not to be left behind in the middle of nowhere and continued on our journey!!  Arriving into Santa Clara, the atmosphere was just different.  It was a much more relaxed town, with less hassle from Cubans and a much more accepting culture.  This is the part of Cuba where transvestites are well known and is home to Cuba’s only drag show! We arrived on a Saturday hoping to catch a glimpse of this show, but turns out we were a week too late (only showing twice a month).  Despite that, we made friends with some locals, saw some very pretty trannies and even managed a picture or two!!  It was a refreshing change to see how accepting everyone was of each other’s choices.

So close to home!! Only 1km away

Picture with a trannie - Oskar was a little happppyyyy!

We spent 4 days in Santa Clara and had a ball! We managed to make friends with some Cubans; got to taste the worst Italian food any of us have ever tried (imagine lasagne with very little pasta or meat, instead just cheesy flour chucks); tried some incredible local food for as little as $2 for a 3 course meal; discovered Havaianas (when we couldn’t even buy milk!); were dubbed nicknames – mine being the “China girl”; and had a drunken midnight dinner with some Russians we met at the table next to us! We also drank too many homemade mojitos, where we ended up raiding the mint from our casa’s garden (we were given permission) and then in our drunken states decided to leave the limes and used mint in a pot plant, because you know, that makes them invisible! Our time in Santa Clara was definitely the highlight of the trip so far!

Trinidad

But then we arrived in Trinidad and I fell in love.  Most likely the most touristic part of Cuba but you can definitely see why.  Dubbed UNESCO protection in 2008, Trinidad is a town that has been preserved with the classic array of coloured buildings, beautiful galvanised steel windows and cobblestone streets.  The locals are friendly, the variety of food choices much more abundant here and there are many places to let your hair down and go dancing!

Beautiful streets of Trinidad

Our first night in Trinidad was lovely after meeting a bunch of new friends on the bus en-route.  So at dinner that night we had a very international group - one Danish, one Swedish, one German, one Argentinian, one Korean, two French and two Australians! After dinner we went and checked out Casa de la Musica where they have live music and a massive dance floor where locals and tourists alike can dance rumba, salsa or any other mix of hip-shaking! Was a lovely night!!



Our international dinner!

One of our favourite places was the “pina colada place” (as named by us), where they made incredible pina coladas for $2 for takeaway.  So we’d buy some and chill on the steps at the bottom of Casa de la Musica and listen to the music coming from above.  Here we also found the best street food of roast pulled pork buns with tomato – incredible! So delicious and fresh and only 10 pesos (40c)! But weird things do happen in Cuba – we bought ice cream in a cup but weren’t given spoons so walking down the street we were licking the ice cream out of the cup with our tongues – definitely got a few stares!

One of our days we biked to the beach from Trinidad (only 14kms away) but managed to find a beautiful secluded spot along the way where we could stop and swim and sunbake for a little while.  It was very beautiful.  The only strange thing we found, that I guess is going along with everything else we found in Cuba – there was no ice cream to be found at any shop at the beach! I think we’ve come to realise that what you would assume to be “expected” anywhere else in the world, in Cuba this can’t be assumed!

Biking fun out to the beach

The band at Casa de la Musica

Our last night together before trekking back for a short sleep in Havana and then leaving Cuba was spent again at Casa de la Musica.  We managed to buy a bottle of Havana Club and mixers for only $15 and so as you can imagine, we don’t really remember much!  There was a lot of falling over, water fights, breaking glasses, arguing with arrogant German guys, dancing salsa and eating too much food! It was a lovely way to end our trip together!

Thanks Irina and Oskar for an awesome start to 2015! Cuba was definitely an interesting adventure and I loved sharing it with you guys!

Keep checking back here for my next blog instalment specifically for backpackers – The Backpackers Guide to Cuba.

Until next time

xxx

 

 

 

The beginning of Guatemala....#19: Volunteer in an Orphanage...anywhere!

Well, I’ve fallen in love again.  In Guatemala.  With the people, the culture, the dancing, the language, the food, the scenery and the atmosphere that makes you feel at home….oh and there was a Spanish guy…but more about that later… 

Street performers!!

Nestled in the north of Latin America, Guatemala is full of vibrant cities, cute towns, beaches, forests and lakes; grand history, religion, dance and delicious food.  The people want to know where you’re from; they want you to share their food; they want to teach you the language and the beautiful dance of salsa.  For a country with over 75% of their population living in poverty, us Westerners have a lot to learn from the Guatemalan people. 

Now, as a backpacker, you need to understand that when you can save money that inevitably doubles your travelling time; you generally do it.  Not because you love seeing the inside of a bus or sleeping at an airport, but because that money you save could mean dinner this week or beers for a fiesta.  It was because of this, I arrived in Guatemala at the beginning of November, to an incredibly busy airport and after spending the past 24 hours in transit, I was exhausted.  I had people yelling at me in Spanish and couldn’t understand a single word.  Trying to comprehend what anyone was saying to me (considering my knowledge of the Spanish language extended to “Please”, “Beer” and “Thank You”) was an impossible task.  What had I got myself into??

However, a beautiful Guatemalan family picked me up and while our communication existed purely in sign language, I started to relax.  This is where I met my first Guatemalan love, a little boy named Melita.  He was so adorable, in his elmo jumper, smiling at me from behind his mum.  It didn’t take long though before he gave me a cuddle and my heart melted.  I knew then that it was going to be difficult not to want to take one of the Guatemalan children from the orphanage home…

Many amigos in Guatemala!! <3

 

The next day I trekked up the mountains to a city called Quetzaltenango (or Xela for short).  It’s the second largest city in Guatemala and is the place for students and volunteers alike.  As such, I soon met some amigos and settled into my 6 weeks here.  First off, I needed to learn the language.  I know it’s not an easy thing to do in such a short time but I couldn’t even ask for the bathroom!! It was not good.  So I enrolled in a Spanish school and have been taking some classes since, and while I’m still not great, I manage to get by…just. 

On top of this, I volunteer at an orphanage.  Finally, I’m doing something I’ve always wanted to do (#19 on my Bucket List), for as long as I can remember!  It’s taken years to get here, but I’m so grateful I’ve chosen to do it here in Guatemala.  I just love the children.  Some are happy, some babies always cry, some girls just want to learn English, some have very sad histories, but all are adorable and all just wanting a little bit of love and attention.  It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my life and I just wish I could do more.  It breaks my heart that I can’t give these kids a better life.  Maybe one day, I’ll be able to.  Until then though, I go and play with the children, make them smile, make them laugh and they give me the same joy in return.



Choppy! My favourite little boy! <3 <3

Such beautiful kids!

 

My time in Xela has been full with a lot of other activities.  Most pointedly, I’ve found a liking of salsa dancing.  While the professionals make it look easy, it is an intense workout but a lot of fun!  I go to lessons every now and again and every week a group of us will head to a club for “Salsa night” where we dance with locals and visitors alike.  It’s vibrant, it’s fun and a nice way to interact with some of the locals!

Because my time in Central America is quite short, I’ve also been using my weekends off from school and volunteering to go exploring the country.  My first trip was to Antigua, the tourist capital of Guatemala.  However, while touristic, it was a beautiful quaint little town, full of cobblestone streets, cute market stalls and a collection of different food to try.  I used my visit to eat some Asian food (yes, I’m Asian and having withdrawals), see how chocolate is made at the Choco Museo and to check out the local markets, where you can buy anything you need for absolute pennies!  It was lovely weekend, but over way too quickly!

Chocolate Display - YUM!

Streets of Antigua!

The next trip I made was to the beach.  While Xela is really lovely, it is so damn cold!! Being over 2300m above sea level, Xela is cold in a tropical country…yeah go figure.  I chose Guatemala to volunteer because I wanted to escape winter and go somewhere hot; I failed.  Which is why I ended up in Monterrico.  I needed just a couple of days to warm up and prepare myself for the second half of my stay in Xela.  It was a magical weekend.  I lazed in hammocks, played pool volleyball, tried to swim in the ocean (but wow, the waves were incredibly strong!), drank mojitos, released baby turtles into the sea, ate cerviche and seafood and worked on my tan…I didn’t want to leave..

Giving the turtle a kiss before releasing him x

Sunset in Monterrico!

Now I’m back in Xela and only have 2 more weeks left.  Hopefully my Spanish will just miraculously improve in this time and I’ll be all set to go off exploring more of this beautiful country.  I’m planning on visiting Semuc Champey and the ruins of Tikal, as well as doing some hiking through little villages to the beautiful Lake Atitlan and also to the top of one of the tallest volcanoes here for an overnight stay; cannot wait!

So stay tuned for the rest of Guatemala…

xxx

 

Morocco & #14 - Roam the markets of Marrakech

 

Well it’s been quite a while since I last posted a blog, so thought I’d better take some peace out time to do just that.  It’s been difficult you see, what with all the travelling around, seeing amazing new things, eating new foods, meeting new people and basically getting immersed in some incredible and different cultures….yes, it’s been difficult.  But here I am, back in the UK once more, for a chill out session before trekking off again.  I just arrived back here from a last minute whirlwind trip of Morocco and what an amazing 2 weeks – I didn’t want to leave!

Now roaming the markets of Marrakech was number 14 on my Bucket List (see my first blog) and visiting this vibrant city has been on my hit list for a number of years.  However, while it was so satisfying to finally visit here and check out all the souks, barter over pennies and bask in the general atmosphere that is Marrakech, it was the rest of the country that absolutely stole my heart.

 

I arrived into Fez on a Sunday afternoon from a wet and cold London.  I expected sunshine and warmth to greet me here.  It never did.  Overcast and windy, I huddled down in my only warm thing I took, my thin hoodie and headed off the plane.  I chuckled to myself as I saw an English girl being chatted up by one of the Moroccan stewards and soon became friends with her and her travelling friend.  Together we went to wait for the airport bus to take us into town, despite many taxi drivers telling us it “wasn’t coming today”, obviously wanting us to travel with them instead.  However, an hour and a half later, rain had started to come down and there was still no bus to be seen.  We gave in and ended up sharing a taxi into town with 2 locals – at least we know we got a good price!

 

 

 

The "Moroccan Salad" <3

Kez and Kass sandwich!!

I finally got to my hostel, Funky Fes and checked in.  Great little hostel, with a lovely terrace, clean and spacious rooms and a nice atmosphere to meet new friends.  Here, I met my Funky Fez family; the missing parts to my Moroccan salad – Megan, Lucy, Emma and Kez x 2 (Kezia and Kieran). The next day, we all quickly became friends, over light banter and ridiculous stories as we roamed the Medina (and got lost in the Medina).  It was then we discovered we all wanted to do a desert trip; so after knowing each other for less than 24 hours, we thought we’d commit to another week together and booked a 4 day, 3 night trip through to the Sahara and down to Marrakech. 

 

Turns out, it was a perfectly sound decision! We all got along famously as we spent the next 4 days winding our way up and down the Middle and High Atlas mountains, visiting wild monkeys, basking in the tranquillity of the open land and visiting the Sahara desert.  We listened to traditional African music, tried Merzouga’s famous “pizza” - bread stuffed with mince meat or vegetables, onions and spices, kind of like a Moroccan somosa – had a laugh trying to sand board, rode camels for too many hours (my groin hurt badly!) and visited a few Kasbahs (Moroccan housing villages).  We can’t forget being stuck in Moroccan style road rage – a guy screaming and throwing large rocks at the other guy across the road where we, and a lot of other cars, were crossing!! I thought a rock was surely going to hit us!

Chilling with the fam and Black Star in the desert...

 

Middle Atlas Mountains!

 

 

Camel Trekking and off to sand board!
 

The highlight of the trip was definitely the desert, where we all slept under an incredible blanket of stars! We ate chicken tajine, drank red wine around the campfire and sang African songs while our two berber guides played the beat.  It was a lovely night, with Black Star and Issus (our guides) giving us all nicknames – mine was Buchra, meaning happy! :) Was an amazing experience!!

 

 

While this trip was over, I was so excited to get into Marrakech and go roaming through the souks and square. Selling anything from leather products, to shishas, to Moroccan tajine pots, lamps and carpets, the markets were full of life.  Shop owners hassled us to try and look at their shop and obviously highest of prices were asked.  However, after some quick bartering, we all managed to get some items for a good deal (well we think we did anyway!)  To our delight we also found some local cafes, making Moroccan pancakes for as little as 3dH (0.30€)! 

 

Finally getting to tick to roam the souks and of course, smoke some shisha!

 

Full of entertainers, juice stands and many little trinket sellers, Marrakech’s main square is bustling with life.  Walking through I almost crapped my pants, as a local chased me with a cobra in his hands, obviously wanting me to hold it – I do not like snakes!!! Saying this though, it was a delight to see locals and tourists alike basking in the atmosphere.  However, the square came alive as soon as the sun set.  Food market stalls appeared, full of fresh and cheap dinner options on basic tables and benches, right in the middle of everything.  Workers hustled visitors, bartering could be heard over quiet chatter at the tables and aromatic smells met nostrils of hungry patrons.  It was a wonderful day.

Sunset over the water in Essaouira

Kez, Lucy and I then took off to the coast the next day to a surfer town of Essaouira.  A bustling town, but more relaxed, laid back and cheaper than everywhere I’d been so far.  Beautiful sunsets and water crashing against rocks, shisha and mojitos (courtesy of our hostel manager) and cheap, fresh and delicious Moroccan pancakes were a daily ritual.  It was a perfect place to unwind, recoup and see another relaxed side of Morocco.  Reminding me a lot of home, I found it very difficult to leave here. 

 

 

However, my next stop was the top of everyone else’s list, the town of blue, Chefchaouen.  After leaving Essaouira, I didn’t think I’d find somewhere I loved more; I was wrong.  The beautiful blue streets, the friendly locals, the most amazing cake shop, the relaxed atmosphere, the abundant amounts of fresh goat’s cheese and the incredible landscape surrounding the town; all make this a place I want to come back to again and again. 

 

Can't be blue in the town of blue <3

My first full day here was taken up with a hike through the mountains with two new friends, Lani and Laressa, to two different sites – God’s bridge, a beautiful rock bridge and the Grande Cascade.  Hiking for a total of 6 hours that day, it was a nice work out, without being strenuous.  The view was incredible, photos don’t do the area justice and was wonderful to get out in nature.  Very much a surprise for me, the cold rivers, greenery and waterfalls, were definitely not what I was expecting from Morocco!! My following days in Chefchaouen consisted of cheap Moroccan breakfast, roaming the streets, watching sunsets, stuffing my face with too many Moroccan dishes and relaxing at our Riad with travellers I met along the way.  It was an absolutely perfect way to end my time in the beautiful country of Morocco. 

 

The Grande Cascade and God's Bridge near Chefchaouen 

Beautiful place to watch the sunset

In my short two weeks, I made some lifelong friends (we are already talking about living in Spain together!), seen some incredible landscapes and basked in the culture and atmosphere of many different areas of Morocco.  It is a place full of life, very accommodating to tourists and travellers alike and should definitely make it to everyone’s bucket list!!

Until next time

 

xxx

Nostalgia kicks in

Well it’s been just under 3 weeks since I finished up with Sail Croatia and little memories are starting to pop up.  Whether it’s that beautiful sunset over Hvar island or that street performance in Dubrovnik Old Town; the pirate parties in Makarska or the delicious mojitos in Korcula; the funny and crazy stories from Aussies or the sexy shirtless males….safe to say, my nostalgia has kicked in.  Not saying it’s a bad thing; I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. 

Snapshots of some of my adventures!



I mean, the days are still quite lovely here in London (I know, what??), still warm and sunny with a slight crisp in the nights and mornings.  This city is the most vibrant one I’ve visited and I never get bored here; London feels like home to me, even if I’m just passing through.  So with all this available to me, why am I missing the beautiful Sail Croatia experience?

Maybe it’s the people.  I have made some of my closest mates this summer, some guests, some colleagues.  It was a whirlwind of meeting new people on a daily basis and forging friendships I hope last a lifetime.  It was the adventures we got up to together, the stories we shared and the memories we built to do exactly what I’m doing now, reminisce.  I think it’s safe to say, I now have a place to stay in almost every continent in the world (I’m sure you can guess which one I’m missing!).

Or maybe it’s the sceneries. Croatia would have to be one of my all-time favourite countries I have visited.  Maybe it’s biased as I’ve spent a lot more time here than most countries, but it is full of some of the most beautiful scenery! From waterfalls, to cliffs, from mountains to beaches, I just fell in love.  I didn’t take enough pictures but these images will be implanted in my brain for a long time yet, making me want to return for sure!

 

View off Dubrovnik Old Town Wall

Blue Cave in Vis

But most likely it was the perfect timing for such an incredible opportunity to arise.  I needed a fresh start, I needed to get on the road again, try something new, get out of my comfort zone and Sail Croatia was all this for me.  I feel like I’d lost my way a little in the past couple of years and Croatia marked a point in time where I found my way back.  I dealt with situations I never thought I’d have to, discovered new things about myself and while surrounded by hundreds of people, learnt to love being alone with just me.  I think for me this is the thing that is making me miss my last “home”. 

So to mark this significant era in my life, I went with a couple of my Sail Croatia buddies and branded my body with some ink.  My first tattoo, but something I know I won’t regret as it will always hold incredible memories - I got a small anchor on my right ankle. Some people might look at it and think what a cliché, but to me it holds so much more significance than they could see and I absolutely love it.

First Ink! <3

 While this adventure is now over and I can sit here and reminisce and wish I was still there, life continues and there’s so many more new adventures to be had.  After all, they do say the best way to cure travel nostalgia is to book another trip.  So…I’m off to Greece today, to relax again and soak up the sunshine, drink cocktails and laze on the beach.  Tough life.

Will go enjoy a mojito now…..

xxx