It's been so long since I blogged but when me and my friend found my old ones, I realised how much fun it was to look back, read your thoughts (very immature ones!) and look at old (ugly AF) photos. So I thought I would give it another chance since 2019 is over, which was by far one of the worst years yet. But I have more hope for 2020 for sure.
So, where to begin? So far, 2020 has been quite nice. I've managed to squeeze in three very nice trips: Portugal, Denmark and Switzerland. But with the whole corona virus thing, I'm not so sure how much more I'll be able to travel. Not because I think you should travel but because I'm scared of cancellations and social pressure (people basically telling me it's stupid to travel in times like these). But let's see! I would love to go on a longer trip this summer, but I have a feeling that I'll have lots of time to travel next semester.
Right now my future is a bit vague, which always freaks me out a bit, but perhaps it's actually a good thing? Now I have lots of options open which makes it more interesting. I was supposed to go to Seoul but... not so sure anymore. I wanted to go to Mexico instead and do distance courses but also not 100% sure about that. Might apply to study abroad in Europe somewhere (alternatively Russia, don't ask me why LOL) to make it easier for me and then apply for an MFS and escape to Latin America. WHO KNOWS! Time will tell I guess... In the meantime, just have to enjoy the ride. Here's a few photos of 2020 so far.
So. I guess we're doing this. Saying goodbye to another year that went too fast but you're still so happy that it's over. It's just another day that's ending, but there's still a nostalgic feeling to it, like you're saying goodbye to something. But it's seriously not a big deal. The only thing that I am excited about is that it's closer to when I leave to Asia again. But first, let's take a look at 2018 and what I did.
I celebrated New Years in Hanoi with my sisters friends and some people I'd met at the hostel. I really regret not staying with them and NOT going to that weirdo club that was "posh" (it wasn't). I went to Sri Lanka after Vietnam and ended my trip in Israel. Just a week or two after I had landed in Sweden, me and my mom went to Krakow, Poland and ate the BEST vegan kebab. I was really panicking during the two months I was in Sweden - I was called in for interviews, but was always unsuccessful. I was starting to doubt everything, my education, my career path and what I really wanted - I was even considering accepting a job offer in Sweden! But then something miraculously happened and I landed my job in Lisbon, Portugal. I had always dreamt of living there and for me to be able to fulfil yet another dream was something that was too good to be true. So it would turn out to be.
Lisbon was really nice, don't get me wrong. I really adore the city and think it's one of the absolute best cities to live in. It's safe, beautiful to look at, there's plenty of cultural events, museums, cafés, restaurants and if you don't mind "Bairro Alto", you can get some cheap drinks in that bar street. I really disliked it after my 3rd time there and decided then and there to avoid it forever. But still, Lisbon was perhaps not my cup of tea after all, or I just felt like I needed to do something different, but ending my year by moving away from my home for 7 months felt... like a relief. Now I've been in Sweden for one month and will be here for about 3 more weeks before I leave to Israel and finally to Southeast Asia again. I always felt like my Asia trips has felt incomplete without visiting Laos and Cambodia, so I hope 2019 will finally let me do everything I would like to do. I think it will.
As you guys can see, my trip in Morocco was a bit rushed. It burned me out, but still worth it than only seeing Marrakech and Essaouira, which I had planned to go to first.
After a long train ride from Marrakesh (8 hours train ride with ONCF), I finally came to Fez. I took a taxi with two German girls and we paid way too much for it, but it was in the middle of the night so. Try not to pay more than 10-20 DIRHAM when it takes about 10 min to drive somewhere. Anyway, I arrived to my hostel “Funky Fez” which was super pretty but the vibe was really weird. There were basically only international volunteers there who decided it was nice to play some heavy techno music. Great. But at least I got a free dinner and that’s all that matters.
I decided to venture out early because I was gonna take a bus to Chefchaouen at 16:30, so I wanted to make sure I had time to see “everything”. And honestly Fez Médina might feel overwhelming but after 2 hours I had seen it all. I had lunch with an American guy in Cafe Clock and was really disappointed yet again with the food. I had hummus, falafel and tahini.
This cat was so cute though so couldn’t be mad I paid way too much for this meal (Cafe Clock is a bit of a tourist trap).
We split up because I had to find my way out of the Médina to get to my hostel and pick up my stuff. But I decided to walk to Mellah first, the old Jewish quarter, because I saw I had some more time and it took me about 20-30 min to get there. I realized I was entering a very local place. It was me, a seemingly lost asian girl, amongst thousands of locals looking at me like “what the fuck is she doing here?”, which made me laugh a lot on the inside. But I loved it! It was maybe my favorite part of Fez, the outskirts where I could see how the locals really lived, see their souks and wander around by myself.
Wandering back to the Médina, I thought I had plenty of time left so I started to try to find my way back and that’s when I realized why so many people say it’s a maze - because it freaking is. It was built to confuse enemies and it sure made me panic. It didn’t matter how many exits I tried, either they were “closed” (according to the locals who tried to “help” me a.k.a lead me another way and then ask for money) or they were actually closed. Time was running and my google maps worked poorly, a guy asked for my hand to marry, and my patience was running low. So I saw a bunch of school kids and told them: listen, I really need to get out of this place, where is the real exit? And kids are so innocent still (most) so I finally found my way out of the Médina.
I took my bag and started to begin what would have been a 1 hour walk to the bus station. I always walked in Morocco, except during night time, because 1. I wanted to save money and 2. I love walking. But just after walking and sweating for 10 minutes, a car stopped and a man told me to “come inside sister, no need to walk!”. The backpacker in me said “hell yessss” while the Lisbon girl said “mhmm safest way to get kidnapped girl”, but I followed my gut feeling who said this is a nice man who only wants to help. And I’m so happy I did! Turns out, this man has a travel agency and he told me that he works with a lot of foreigners. He saw me walking alone and thought it was bizarre because it was such a long way to go, so he wanted to “help a sister out”. I never knew I had a Moroccan brother, but I’m happy for it. He dropped me off by the bus station and told me next time I come to Morocco, I can eat dinner with his family. Insha’Allah we will! This is exactly what made me fall in love with traveling.
The man himself!
A 4 1/2 hour bus ride awaited me and I knew it would be a tough journey, but I was so excited for Chefchaouen. I’ll tell you more about my favorite place in Morocco another day.
I took a flight from Madrid to Marrakech late afternoon and arrived around 23:45. I decided to book a taxi with my hostel because... didn’t really feel super comfortable wandering around at night in Morocco. I was quite nervous and anxious to go there after everything I had read, but realized that it was stupid. You can read but you shouldn’t take all blog posts too seriously I guess. Someone else’s experience doesn’t have to be yours. I was scared that this or that would happen so I worried for nothing. I actually thought Morocco felt quite safe! But more on that in another blog post.
My first day in Morocco I explored with an American girl, Jessica. We explored the souks (markets) together in the Médina and bought a few souvenirs. At night I wanted to go to a vegan cafe and I found a place called “Earth Cafe” in the souk. Food was... a bit disappointing. I had the rice noodles and well, yeah, should never have asian food in Morocco.
A photo I sent to my sister who said “looks disgusting”........
I was still super happy I found a vegan place so. Whatever! Marrakech is definitely a very touristy place and the men working in the stalls can be a bit aggressive, but never that you feel danger or anything. It’s just their way of talking that may make you feel like they are upset with you but really. No. It reminded me a lot about Palestine so I felt “safe”, or at least knew what to expect and how to handle certain situations. Marrakech is absolutely beautiful but it didn’t leave me a deep impression. I’d happily go back to buy a carpet, but that’s probably it.
If you have the chance, venture outside of the Médina and check out the luxury hotel “La Mamounia” where all bloggers live (lol). You can take a free “tour” there and marvel at all the amazing details and tiles. A must see and it only takes about 20 min to walk from the main square.
I mean.....
Marrakech was a great start in Morocco and I’m really happy I started there.
So... I’m in Madrid, Spain, and I have not eaten tapas today. I know, it’s strange but my appetite isn’t the best and I’m still sick(!!!) after my last vacation. Not sure what is going on with my body but I know I’m so excited to come home to Sweden for a while and recharge.
Either way, MADRID. What a cool city! Although I’m not sure I’d like to live there, mainly due to lack of sea, I still like it a lot. It has this chill, relaxed vibe but is still a metropolitan city. You can find everything here, or at least most of it. If you’re an art lover then there’s a ton of streetart, museums and exhibitions that you can enjoy. My favorite thing about Spain is definitely their amazing tapas and Madrid has some amazing ones. Also, surprisingly enough, a huge selection of vegan restaurants.
Madrid is so effortlessly cool and savage, and you can say the same about the locals. Everyone just dresses however they want to and nothing is too extreme for this city. I loved Seville and I knew in my heart I’d love Madrid.
Vegan “brunch” at Rayén Vegano - I ate Turkish style “eggs” on naan bread. So good.
Today I went to the Reina Sofia museum to see some modern art. My favorite was definitely Salvador Dalí. Incredibly weird and at times straight up bizarre, but never boring. I loved it!
Yesterday me, Sadie, Dana and Mark went to Sintra and saw the Pena Palace. It was so beautiful and just like a fairytale. Although it’s a bit pricey just to enter the place (7.5€), it’s worth it because there’s really no other place like this. Well.... that I’ve seen yet.
Looks like LEGO in a way right? Or Disneyland, haha! You can get here from Lisbon via Oriente or Rossio train station and one way costs about 1.80€.
And now I’m sitting at home, sick, paying for those rainy days in Açores and sleepless nights listening to people snoring. My body has had enough!
Yes, I am extremely lazy when it comes to blogging but I am also still working. CANNOT wait until it is over and I can focus on things that actually matter, lol. But right now I have a little break so I want to show you guys the beautiful island of Acores. I traveled there for 4 days (which turned in to 5 by mistake) and it was beautiful. The first day we had amazing weather, but we kinda "wasted" it on waiting for our couchhost... Who turned out to be a bit hysteric, but still nice. We landed in Ponta Delgada, the "biggest" town in Sao Miguel. Here are a few impressions from our first day.
Caught up in your show
Yeah, at least now I know
It was a perfect illusion
Mistaken for love
It's been a week since my family visited me and I was fortunate enough to go eat all the delicious things you can find in Portugal. SO GOOD. I love Ao26 Vegan Food Project and everyday their "dish of the day" differs so this time they had vegan sushi which was A-MAZING. I never thought sushi would make me feel THAT full, yet this one made me never wanna eat food again (although I did a few hours afterwards). Really recommend that place even if you are not a vegan - it is delicious!
