Unexpected Encounter In Chefchaouen

During the night of my visit to Chefchaouen, I ended up meeting an intriguing man standing in front of his shop. He had a face that was worn from experience. He was a bit dull in the eyes, giving off that feeling that this man has already seen everything that there is to witness.

He gave me the nod as I walked into his shop, which turned out to be an art gallery of vivid impressionism. He asked me where I was coming from (I had my backpack on) and I hesitantly responded. I had my precautions after my experiences in Tanger of forced drug deals and harassing hustlers. He followed my response with an offering of mint tea which is an opening sign of hospitality for the country.

Little did I know, this stuff was more addicting than CRACK!

I asked him if it was for money, knowing to avoid that scheme. He recognized exactly what I was thinking and fittingly responded with the saying "Don't put all your eggs in the same basket." He didn't wait for a reply as he walked into the other room. I followed him and was greeted by another man who turned out to be his understudy. They both said their names, Mohammed was the painter and Ahmed was the understudy.

We began talking about my travels, his own experiences, and his paintings as we sipped down this smooth nectar. Mohammed had actually been married to an American woman for 7 years where spent a bit time of Ohio. This explained his perfect English.

 After half an hour of conversation, he mentioned that they would be cooking me a trademark Moroccan dish, Tajine.

Pictures don't do the flavor justice.

My preconceptions about Morocco were completely shattered by their welcoming behavior. During the preparation of the food, Mohammed invited his friend Nordine over. Once Nordine got there, we wolfed the food down and sunk into our chairs. Nordine and I started talking about this hotel he ran up in the mountains close to Chefchaouen in Parc National Telassemtane. We began discussing the place, the sights, and where I could go after. The price fir comfortably and I decided the next night I would go there.



My stay in the moutanins and resulting three day hike will be covered in the next post!


Stay Traveling My Friends

Interview With Rob From Stop Having A Boring Life

Rob was an up-and-coming, successful man from Ottawa. He graduated from college, and earned a profitable job at a business firm. He was making it in the most conventional, American sense. He had all the "trophies" that come along with his prospering but there was something that kept him from being content with this lifestyle. He couldn't help but wonder, "Now what?"

Most people combat these thoughts with a long phone call to someone close, a night of heavy drinking, or even a short vacation. However, Rob saw this as the perfect opportunity to travel the world, turning this dissatisfaction into a blessing in disguise. He sold his house including everything inside it. On September 4th, 2009, he spent his last days at work and would soon be traveling the world, living his dream.

He created a refreshing blog in the process, named Stop Having A Boring Life, documenting all the experiences and thoughts gained from such an expedition. His motivation to blog was the lack of information and guidance for a truly global trip. On his blog, you can live vicariously through all his adventures while also getting a sense of how to accomplish your own travel, no matter how ambitious.

I was gifted with the opportunity to interview him and get a sense of what it is like to start, and actually live this cosmopolitan dream.

George: I know the trademark for your site is to stop having a boring life. I'm

curious though, was there a single event that made you decide to make this
change or was it a general dissatisfaction with your previous lifestyle?

Rob: I always wanted to travel just never had the guts to go for it. I had a
good life with a solid job but I wanted to see what else there was and
knew there was more.  It took years to happen but once I made that final
decision, everything started to fall into place.

George: Was it difficult to make such a drastic change in the way you live your life?

Rob: Mentally it was tough to leave everything with no safety net. Once the
mental drama was over and I was going, everything happened very easily.

George: How did the people close to you respond to the news?

Rob: They knew it was coming, I had been talking about it for years.

George: From the beginning, did you think you would be gone in a single span for as long as you have?

Rob: I honestly had no idea, and my goal as to rent an apartment in Bangkok and
do web work. That never happened and I turned into a travel addict which
I’m alright with.

George: Was there a learning curve for you when it came to traveling?

Rob: Just jump in the deep end, you’ll learn how to swim as we all do.

George: Do you travel with luggage or a backpack?

Rob: Backpack that I have a zip that covers the backpack part and I typically
carry it like a duffle bag.

George: What are the top three essential items for you? Besides hygienic items.

Rob: An open mind, good cash flow and a smile.

George: Has there ever been a time where you got sick or bored of traveling? Or
just missed too much?

Rob: I’ve gotten sick countless times and always miss home when I wake up
somewhere strange with a headache from a night that shouldn’t have been as
crazy as it was. As a general rule though I don’t get homesick, I’m quite
independent.

George: How did you approach each new place, country, or region? Did you read up
on the area beforehand or let yourself find out on your own?

Rob: I never read anything, I just go and let it all come together as it will.

George: What has kept you moving on to different places when you have found a
place you are completely content to stay at?

Rob: The idea of what else is out there. If I’m just going to live somewhere
and not travel, I might as well do it in Canada where all my friends and
family are. I’m here to see the world and one day settle, not just
relocate somewhere.

George: Have you ever felt that maintaining a blog during your travels has taken away from the experience?

Rob: Never, I write as a hobby. People say they have issues updating because
they are too busy, I don’t believe it. The time other people use to read a
book or watch a movie, I use to blog. It’s a hobby of mine and I feel
weird when I don’t. I also type as fast as lightening which helps.

George: What are some of the most memorable experiences during your travels? Can
be good or bad, whatever has stuck the most in your memory

Rob: I stayed in a cashew tree fort for 5 weeks on the coast of Eastern Africa
and when I left I gave a gent $66 and he put $34 and bought himself a
small shack near the beach. That made his life as it’s very hard to save
anything when you get paid $50 a month and a coke is $1…

George: How you ever managed to find your way into trouble with the law?

Rob: Never, I’ve been very fortunate.

George: Who has been the most interesting person you have met during your trip?

Rob: Can’t answer that question, I meet interesting characters everyday.

George: Which country has the best cuisine in your opinion? The best scenery?

Rob: Thailand has the best food and scenery, depends what you’re into. Canada
is pretty unreal but so is South Africa, Jordan, Turkey, Nicaragua and the
list goes on…

George: What are some of the most impacting lessons you have learned from your
experience traveling the globe?

Rob: I’ve learned that people are basically good and that if you want something
new, you need to change what you’re doing. We are the results of our
actions which are the results of our thoughts. Change your mind and you
can change your life.


What would be your advice to people who wish to travel but haven't for some

reason or another?

If it’s important to you, do it and go big as it will be the time of your
life.

Rob's blog, Stop Having A Boring Life, is full of countless stories of unbelievable encounters and sights encompassing almost all of the blog. His page is well worth the visit. Who knows, you just might be inspired to travel the world yourself!

Stay Traveling My Friends

Consumed By The Beauty of Bruges

Bruges was my first stop after my stay in Amsterdam.  I spent the train ride over the Dutch border and into Belgium rehashing translucent memories and splendid moments of complacency with my backpacking buddies. I decided to go to Bruges after some Dutch people we met at a park recommended the town for its unparalleled beauty.

I stepped off the train expecting nothing tangible but something that was going to put me in a state of awe. I was still ignorant of the fact that most of the "beautiful" parts of a city are located in the old town which can be a ways from the train station and/or the actual city center. I impulsively followed the peope who looked the most touristy, hoping they would bring me to the promise land. However, they weren't many travelers since it was still out of season.

The only time I was frustrated they weren't around.

In my obvious state of confusion, a girl from London approached me with the same predicament, wondering if I know were the old town was located. As mentioned before, I did not, but luckily she had a map which we worked to bring us to the outskirts of the old town. The transition from "new" town to old town is an alluring one in Bruges. At first, we were looking for any sign or mark of culture, history or tradition. Once we found this, we unconsciously snaked our way through the conduit of silent alleys banked along the sides with magnificent medieval architecture.

These places exist?!

We both voiced this thought of how it felt like the buildings were literally imposed on us in their consuming beauty. Our eyes were drunk from the beauty that poured in from every corner. We continued our walk, comfortably silent, scanning over the dated design of this town.

When we reached the town square, our hypnotized minds were awoken by the first chirps of people talking. We decided to try the infamous Belgian waffle, with melted chocolate on top. Needles to say, I was in heaven. If heaven was full of beautiful buildings and the tastiest waffles in the world.

Yeah, I went there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We strayed away from the center, desiring the same silent awe we had just felt before. We found exactly what were looking for. Once we turned the corner from the square onto a side alley, the canal opened up with a bridge between the two sides. Each side adorned with differentiating buildings of that dear medieval architecture. In the distance were the windmills dotted across the outskirts of the old town. Skimming atop the canal were three pearl white swans. We both stopped our stride, paralyzed by the moment fate just handed us. I started laughing at how absurdly precious my life was slowly becoming in this trip.

When people told me that Bruges was the Venice of the north I was excited by that connotation. However, after witnessing the beauty of Bruges and Venice, I felt this appearingly observant comparison only sells Bruges short. 

Stay Traveling My Friends