I'M IN: Casablanca, Morocco
HAVING SURVIVED THE TRIP FROM: Mozambique
NEXT UP: España con Mama
My marathon travel session started with a bang: 25 minutes before the bus departed Maputo, I realized I left my ever-feckless WiFi phone on charge back at the hostel, a 20-minute walk away. There are no hail-able taxis in Maputo per se (just share minibus taxis and taxis you can phone to pick you up) so I just started running while formulating a plan. I remembered that sometimes taxi drivers would stop to chat with the security guards outside the hostel. So I hoped for the best and kept my eyes on the uneven pavement. And the best I got: grabbed that stupid phone and charger, flew into a waiting taxi and made the bus with three minutes to spare! The accompanying adrenaline rush was not so conducive to bus sleep, but I'm glad to have my phone (and the story of its rescue).
Next challenge encountered: the Jo'burg bus station at 3:00 AM. For the first time in my life I was hoping the bus would be delayed so as to arrive closer to daylight. It arrived an hour early (another first). I have heard many, many horrible stories about Jo'burg (mostly from people who have never been there, to be fair) and I tried to retain a calm, if stern, exterior while repeatedly texting the taxi driver who was to pick me up. He arrived in 45 minutes. "I know you said 4:00 AM, but I didn't figure the bus would get here 'til 6 or so - they are always late." "I know, right?" "Hmm." "Hmm." He dropped me at the fabulous Soweto Backpackers where I collapsed in a dorm bed.
The next morning I took a walking tour of Soweto (offered when my face looked like this when confronted with a bicycle) which was super interesting. I learned more appalling facts about apartheid, ate at Winnie Mandela's restaurant, and was generally amazed by Soweto's suburban-ness and large population (4.8 million).
Then the plane, where I was mightily pleased with the entertainment provided by Emirates. Watched several movies and also won $5000 fake dollars playing video poker and $850 fake dollars on blackjack. I suspect the gambling games' settings were changed from Make Money (usually encountered in casinos) to Placate Passengers. If so: success. A train and a taxi later, and here I am in Casablanca! I'm staying in the ancient medina, which I like a lot because it is (and feels) quite old and funky. Curiously there are swarms of flies everywhere... Yeah. It is true that Moroccan men are quite "attentive" (never thought I would hear "Wanna go to the Mosque?" as a pickup line) but I'm enjoying myself tremendously, and not just because of the fantastic food. I met a Casablancan woman traveling in Viet Nam last summer and she's been showing me some of the local places, which is always nifty. So I plan to make my way up to Madrid over the next week but 'til then, here's looking at you, kid!
