The ferry crossing was better this time, but still rough. We nearly (10 minutes) missed the ferry because we were seated in the wrong waiting area, but it worked out. At the time I faulted Jennifer for this near miss, but in retrospect, I believe that I was expecting too much from an 18 year old. The balance of this part of the trip is a blur, caused by only getting 3 hours of sleep in 1 hour increments! The highlight of the whole Morocco segement of the trip was getting to have this adventure with Hannah.
This starts the Spain part of the trip. My knee continued to ache. Hannah insisted on carrying my pack to help me and also not to slow us down. She could walk faster wearing the 17 kilo pack than I could wearing no pack … a tough cookie, that Hannah. We spoke with Leslie on the phone 2 times as we approached Malaga. She was justifiably terrified about our well being, frustrated by her 8 hour stay in the Malaga Airport and pissed off that we had not planned well enough to arrive on time to meet her. I really enjoyed the mountain views coming into Malaga. Met Leslie at the airport, then taxi to the bus station for a 3 hour bus trip to Granada. Taxi to our delightful Hotel Abadia, then Hannah on to her apartment and school the next day. We all crashed.
Oops, forgot my reflections:
- I loved Portugal. There are so many more things that I would like to have seen and done there than I could squeeze in. The weather was perfect, the people were welcoming toward me. The language is beyond me. I hope I can return someday.
- Morocco was generally a negative experience. I saw and learned a lot. I liked the food. The Moroccan people were loud, boisterous and slovenly. They seemed to lack pride in their surroundings. The amount of trash and garbage in the streets was alarming to me. But the worst part was the constant attempts to scam me and others. I hope I never have to return.
- I learned a new respect for Arabs, Berbers/Amazighe and Islam from the Libyans. I also learned 2 Arabic words: Chukaran = Thank you, Afuan = You are welcome.
