This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to travel back to the continent of Africa. I traveled with a company recommended by SLU since Morocco isn't the best place for women to travel solo. That being said I was in a group of almost 70 college students! The company did a great job but it was difficult to get anywhere efficiently with such a large group. I did get that chance to meet some really cool people along the way so it was totally worth it.

It was a long journey getting there but the gorgeous country of Morocco made up for it. The trip started at midnight on Thursday with a nine hour bus ride. That was less than ideal to say the least. In the morning we arrived to the port of Tarifa, the most southern point of Spain. We had to wait a few hours but we eventually took a ship over the straight of Gibraltar. I have sailed through this straight before when I was on Semester at Sea but this time I got to cross it! After a two hour sail we arrived in Tangier, Morocco. I took a quick shower at the hotel and got a snack from the street and the day officially began.

We took a bus from the city to the beach. We started off with a hike that had spectacular views of ocean and an introduction to the local flora and fauna. Then I hung out on the beach with my friends and then we had the opportunity to ride a camel! I don't even know how to describe how it felt but it was insanely cool. The wildest part was how a camel sits down. They completely fall on their knees and I almost flew off their back! After everyone had a chance to ride one of the camels we headed further down the beach. We explored a cave and the special thing about this cave is that it has a hole that is shaped like the continent of Africa. We got there at the perfect time because the sun was setting over the ocean and we could view it from hole in the cave wall. It was stunning. We watched a fantastic sunset as we headed back into city. We visited a local pharmacy. It was more of a traditional pharmacy where they produced herbal and natural alternatives to modern medicine. I got some de-stressing essential oils because we all know that I need it! The next stop was a scarf shop that houses the only traditional loom in the city. At this point in the night I was starving and I was ready to eat! We visited a local restaurant and enjoyed a traditional Moroccan meal. I ate couscous and kebabs and they were delicious. After dinner we went back to the hotel and I passed out immediately after such a long day.

The next morning we woke up early and loaded up the bus. We headed to the city of Chefchaouen. This city is famously known as the "blue city". It took a few hours to get to the city but I loved observing the rural sections of northern Morocco. What shocked me most about Morocco was that it was extremely green! I was expecting the entire country to be a desert but I could not have been more wrong. The only sand I saw was on the beach. Once we reached the blue city we had to walk to the hotel because the narrow streets cannot accommodate a bus. We checked in and a very old Moroccan led us on a tour of the city. I've heard so many different reasons why the city is blue and I still haven't been able to nail down the real reason. Regardless, the city is gorgeous. I kept losing the group because I was stopping to pet the stray kittens! So, after the tour we tracked down an ATM and joined the group for lunch. I don't even know what they served me but it was so good!! We had free time after lunch. My friends and I explored the local shops and wandered the beautiful blue streets. I bought a painting that I am so excited about. We watched the sun set from the city center and then headed back to the hotel for a night in.

The next morning we woke up early for the long trek back to Spain. We had to ride back to Tangier from Chefchaouen. After a few hours on the bus we eventually arrived at the port. There we received the news that our ship had been delayed by two hours. We were stuck in a holding cell in no mans land. They had stamped us out of Morocco and we had not been stamped back into the EU, so for a couple hours we were technically not in any country at all. The boat ride was nice but once we arrived back to Spain we had to board another bus. We drove for nine hours and I finally made it home after 2am on Sunday night. My host parents were still up watching the super bowl and we had missed the half time show. If you were counting that was 17 hours of traveling! It wasn't my longest travel day but it is definitely in the top 10.

Morocco was a gorgeous country. I had missed the chaotic energy that only developing countries have. I had many flashbacks to my Semester at Sea memories while exploring Morocco because of the similarities this trip had to my past experiences in Africa. I loved Morocco and I cannot wait to return in the future!