Hutchwood

Hey Everyone!

Oh some big days since I last wrote!
And i filled my flickr site and had to start a new one!
So theres some new photos in my old one, and a few in the new one. check em out here!

Old one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02/
New one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/12650085@N02/

Ok so since we last spoke, I have caught a horrible train from Barcelona. The first train was ok. same old same old. then the next train was the overnighter from the border of Spain to Nice, France! it sucked! i hated it. James had the window and the guy in front of me was reclined until he touched my knees. The guy across the aisle from me had his knees out into the isle. and the lights were off. scene set. Ok, so i was trying to sleep and the guy in front, whenever he sat up the seat went forward so when he leaned back it crashed into my legs really hard waking me up about 4 times. Also because the guy was blocking the aisle, people walked my side, bumping my shoulder and waking me about 5 times. but also they stepped on my foot about 4 times. and it bloody hurt. i didnt sleep until finally the guy across from me got off the train and i moved to his window seat and put my pash (turban/blanket/towel) over my head and hide-slept for 2 hours. Seriously came as close to punching a girl as i think i ever have as one stepped on my foot then hit me in the face with her bag and didnt look back. Grrrr.

so we finally got to Nice, i had a coffee and a bagette which was.....Nice.... then back on the train to Genova. We immediately jumped on a train to Cinque Terre and after 2 hours or so we stumbled into the last town in the Cinque! Met at the train we were offered accomodation from this cool old Italian guy called Sergio. The Serge was awesome and so was his fantastic apartment. he did our washing cooked our food (we bought it and planned to cook but he just saw the ingredients took them, added some of his own and got stuck in) just generally looked after us so well.

So we are in this Amazingly beautiful set of 5 towns along the italian coast and you can walk between them. they recommend you do it over a few days. James and i did it in one day as we are hardcore and it really was amazing. fairly strenuos but my god the views. Some photos of that walk in my flickr. And the snorkelling was great! ooh the water was beautiful! until I found an underwater pass that was about 10m long. I tried to swim underneath and got a bit of a way in and got scared. when i turned around a wave pushed me into the rocks and i shredded my feet. shown in my flickr aswell. Walking has been interesting and plentiful since (ideal for painful feet)

so after a couple of amazing pizza, beer, walking and swimming filled days it was time to train to Pisa. We walked to the tower and took the tourist photos. then grabbed some terrible pizza and back to the train for Florence. The tower was cool but it was all i could be bothered with in Pisa. What a Pisa piss? ahahaha i am hilarious!

Florence! We arrived and found a fairly average hostel. walking around the city was amazing! So much history and art. i cant even explain it. Then we found a bar and the night gets very very hazy. so hazy in fact that i went wandering and got in right on 1am curfew (all of which i dont remember) but james who got in before 1am went looking for me and ended up spending the night on the street after being locked out! The next day i was so hungover i managed nothing all day but to go back to the pub in the evening before bed.

Now it was time for David! oh my god! he is incredible! absolutely perfect! and the way he is positioned and the room he is in! oh! just wow. hes so imposing but incredibly godlike. i dunno, he is huge! and entirely in proportion. absolutely perfect. the rest of the museum was pretty crap though. And then it was time for Donotellos David. Much smaller and made of brass, but still really good (not a replica but Donotellos version of the same goliath killer). and i really liked it. Both museums were no photos allowed. but google them if you want.

Then james and i chilled a fair bit before walking up to michelangelos plazza. There is a big david replica and its got a great view of the city. then it was time to use the net and pass out early.

Rome was the next destination and finding accomodation was hard. We stayed at a place called David's Flat. Thats just what it was. A flat with beds. gross stinky beds. needless to say we moved the next day. that evening though we saw trevi fountain and the spanish stairs for sunset! both really cool romantic places which just made me miss Linden but still awesome to see. I threw a coin into the fountain which means i will return to rome. James threw in 3 1c coins which means he will return, fall in love with an italian and marry him/her. But i reckon u get what u paid for and he wont get anything he likes for 3c! I hope he/she has a moustache...

Then we hit the spanish steps with some irish travel buddies we found to drink beers and relax. Im glad i had been drinking by the time we got home cos it was awefully smelly and gross. but in the morning with a full day planned i was less grateful. in the morn we went straight to st peters which was huge and awesome! we walked around and mucked about a bit. Confessing our various sins... you can see on the flickr... then it was time for the colluseum.

i cant believe it! i felt it! I FELT IT! there was tourists sucking the life right right out of it everywhere and as i walked in, through that corridor. i FELT what the roar of the crowd would have been like. wow it would have echoed. Life used as entertainment. one ruler had 9000 gladitators fight at once. (I had been readin about it leading up to it) my god though the disgusting waste of life and it was all done there. i kept thinking as i walked around. the blood spilt on this stone right here. if i was in that ring on one of those days i would have just been one of 9000 forgotten souls. i dunno, blew me away. did start to make me realise again why i wanted to see the world. cos the world is disgusting and beautiful and just so real. really awesome!

Sorry for the emotional sidenote there... The place was immense! Then it was time to wander about in the Palantino. So tired from everything. and to be honest, it was just more ruins. and the Roman Forum which was next was MUCH more impressive! We even got on the end of a tour for the last bit and the guy was awesome! He told us all about where Ceasar was killed and stuff. James and i have been reading a fictional story based on historical events concerning julius' life so it was amazing to see stuff like the forum. Then it was time for us to collapse into our hostel. we were about to go hunt down some drinks and food when the hostel supplied us with a bunch or pizzas. then they brought out a vodka punch all for free. best hostel ever, until this one! and they sold beers and we spent the evening relaxing and chatting to an american guy until it was time to pass out again into bed.

Again we dragged ourselves out of bed at an ungodly hour to appreciate rome. Even though I was tired i had a Vati-Can attitude and we headed to the Sistine Chapel. The line was over a kilometer long. it stretched all the way to the big square in front of st peters for those of you who have been. thats huge!!!! biggest line i have ever seen. so our Vati-Can attitude became Vati-Cant and we went home to chill for 2 hours. When we got back we walked straight in! Nice! and the museums were cool but it was all about the Chapel. Its amazing. way too crowded. no photos allowed. (my camera went off by accident i promise.... no point deleting it though....) and it was incredible. but at the same time, entirely not my thing. i appreciated it, but didnt like it. i dont like religious art. anyway, it is very impressive though.

Then it was time to train to Naples, connect to our suburb and come to this hostel. This hostel is sweet and we need a break so badly so we are doing nothing today. and nothing tomorrow before hitting Pompei in two days time. oh im looking forward to it. Naples has the best pizza in the world and i am going to go eat some more soon.

Lots of love,

Send me emails you jerks. You are all out of my will! (actually the only ones in are my bro and sis, but its not hard to change if thats more motivation for you to email.... and come to think of it they dont email me either! Sara is bringing me stuff when i meet her in a month, and hooked something up for me in melb but Nicks share is up for grabs!)

Hutch.

Hey everyone!

I last wrote to you from Morocco and i guess a lot has happened since then which i will quickly run over.

It was all a bit of a hassle, as is the Morroccan way, to get out of town and I picked up a horrible sandwich on the way out of the country before boarding the ferry....

Morocco just had to give me one big salmonela kick in the arse on my way out! (well some sort of food poisoning). I really do wish i was such a pretty flower when it comes to internal bacteria warfare! So anyway, Aquaman I rebecame for the next few days. (on antibiotics again and doing strong!)

So we hit Tarifa (Spain) and wander about for a couple of hours. we missed the last bus to Seville that day and there wasnt a bed in the whole town. Saddened and tired we drowned ourselves in beer at the bar. On hearing our woes the bartender offered to let us leave our bags behind the bar at closing time and because he sleeps next to the door on the couch, we can knock and get them early. So we happily wandered down to the beach when the bar closed. Sleeping on the beach served to be both cold and once the beer wore off (i got a couple of hours sleep) impossible.

But it was VERY cheap! So the next morning we tiredly and grumpily boarded the bus to Seville. This was the first time james and i had to share a double bed this trip. but ill get to that later. So we wandered around that day! First Seeing the Palace which was very cool, before seeing the Biggest Gothic Cathedral in the world... i think....
Anyway it was pretty damn cool! Check out the photos here!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02

That night we chilled upstairs at the hostel and ate Paella! awesome! lots of beers and i was ready for bed at midnight. james stayed on. at 2am james woke me to go to bed. on realisation that we had an aircon he walked back to reception (a building about 5 mins walk away, cos we were in a townhouse not the main hostel) to get the remote. I fall back to sleep before i hear james calling me from below the balcony to throw down his wallet for a 20 euro deposit. So i get up and throw his wallet at him before passing out again. ONLY to be woken again as he swears his head off at them giving him the wrong remote. So he went back again and i fell asleep again. AGAIN he swears his head off with another wrong remote before falling down beside me. Finally i angrily drift off to sleep....

TO BE WOKEN BY MOTHER F@!#ING JACKHAMMERS BELOW OUR BALCONY!!! Literally cliche jackhammers at 7am. So lous and they shook the whole building!!!! My god i was so angry. The words james and I yelled as we tried to sleep for the next hour would have made a sailor blush! the C word featured above all! GRRRRRR

I will upload a photo soon of the jackhammering bastards so you can see just how close they were. If there hadnt been a cage on our balcony i could have elbow dropped down on them.... I wish Macho Man Randy Savage had been there.... he would have known what to do.... OOOOHHH YEAH!

So again we have had a tough nights sleep but that was slightly lessened as we spent pretty much the entire day at wither the internet cafe or on the hostel roof in the spa drinking beers. oh yes, they had a spa. but then it was time for an overnight bus to valencia on which i got a total of 2 hours sleep. oh you bastard. the only thing that kept me going was the positivity of the pop punk (also known as pussy punk) music from New Found Glory. So we roll into Valencia and the hostel that i booked (in my sleepless stupor) was actually booked for the NEXT night! needless to say, profanities were used...

So we wandered until we found a decent youth hostel and I collapsed in a heap in my bed. That night i made on excursion to the supermarket for dinner before hitting the hay again. ONLY TO BE WOKEN BY A F@#KERS MOBILE PHONE ALARM WHICH HE SNOOZED 6 TIMES!!! In a dorm room! what a.... insert C word....

Anger slowly subsided in the presence of the only holy grail the vatican recognise and by the time i got the to the greatest (but most expensive) aquarium i have ever seen I was pretty happy again!! Oh it was awesome. im uploading so many photos at the moment but i wasnt allowed to use flash and the combination of my lack of camera skills and my auto settings lack of dark photo skills left them lacking. Oh Beluga Whales are the Coolest! i flashed one, cos i couldnt get a good shot, as it surfaced and it could have been coincidence but he screamed!!! so lous and everyone had to cover theyre ears!! Oh and there were seahorses!! i love them. just awesome and huge. i think it was designed by the same guy who did our opera house but it could all be lies!

So that was awesome but then it was time to jump ship to Barcelona! Our bus got in pretty late and we wandered around for ages lookinf for a place to stay before 2 american chicks came out of nowhere to tell us there was room at theyre hostel. sweet. we dropped our bags grabbed some dinner and some beers before stumbling to bed at 4am.

The next day, mildly hung we were kicked out of that hostel and walked for 2 hours before finding a new one. Actually the much shitter twin of the one from Valencia. and more expensive! jerks...
So we grabbed lunch then showers and met back up with the girls to see Gaudi´s house of Bones. Im just going to say this now cos i could rant at you for decades, but Gaudi is awesome! So freaking good! The thought he went through and the designs are amazing. I could seriously just go nuts but ill hold... Awesome!

Check the photos once i upload them and you will understand!

Then we bought a watermelon and wine before hitting the park for homemade awesome sangria and chilling. Broken slightly by a broken bottle fight, but no one got stabbed. intense though! then a walk along the beach before again passing out at 4am. erg, i just want some sleep.

So the next day it was james and i again and we piss farted around all day. i used the net a heap and james slept and eventually we dragged ourselves to Gaudis Sagrada Familia before hitting his Park Guell! There was an escalator up this massive hill to the park! awesome! and the cathedral (sagrada familia) was amazing!!! again the ranting could commence but ill let the photos speak for themselves!!! he really was the bomb though!!

then it was supermarket and bed time for me. Today all we have acheived is to buy our tickets to train our way to genoa (Genova) in Italy and come here to the internet cafe to blog. so thats where i leave you i guess. hungry and tired of typing in Spain. And Leaving spain too! bitter sweet but excited for Italy. will get back to france later.

Miss you all lots!

The Hutch. (I am bringing that name in cos i feel at least 20% more like a super hero with the ´The´)

Hey everyone,

It's finally time to hit the road, back to Spain and hassle free walks down the street. But also expensive rooms, travel and food. It is definately time to go though. Morocco has been amazing and we have enjoyed it so thouroughly.

Now, the last few days. After i last wrote we did a tour. we walked up a mountain to a ruined mosque. from the the views of the town were awesome. It was incredibly hot and hard work climbing so i went shirtless to Plummers' obvious disgust. From there we continued up the ridge line until the ground fell away into a bit of a hidden valley. here we found the fields. Marijuana plants everywhere! Lots of funny photos and mucking around. they also show people how to make it up there and all in all it was a pretty cool tour.

There was a fair group of us there and we are all staying at the same hotel so we hung out that night. dinner and sheeshas. I can blow smoke rings, as seen on facebook. (Im quite proud of myself) then a retreat to the terrace for cards and sleep. It has now been about a week that i have slept on the ground on a terrace.

The next morning we rocked the kasbah of Chefchouen. Its small but still better than Fes. then it was time to go out to the waterfall. After about a 40 minute drive and a 40 minute walk up a valley. (every direction you could see the signs of crops hidden in the mountains) then we got to the falls. To start there was a jump of about 5 meters and a swim to the next of about 3m. then about 2m and 2m and 2m before we climbed out up the cliff. It was pretty fun jumping and swimming downstream. Then it was time for the big one. a 12m plunge off a cliff. Awesome only i bruised my arm pretty badly cos i had it out when i hit the water! Then when we had climbed up again, i wanted to take a photo of the jump but instead i stepped on a bee and nearly fell of the stupid cliff! I hate bees. they are my mortal enemies! So needless to say the walk back was painful. and today for that matter.

So when we got back the same ritual occured of dinner and sheesha. this again was followed by cards and bed. Today we got up slow and have chilled the day away pretty much. i bought a sheesha pipe that i will attempt to mail home in one piece from spain. then we went to the public swimming pool. it was hilarious. we walked in, James, I and 3 english chicks. we walked in and there was about 150 local boys aged between 6 and 16. hilarious, i dont think these boys had seen a bikini before and the crowd that surrounded us was so huge. they stared and giggled the whole time we were there. it was a good pool and pretty fun though.

Then it was time for dinner and now the guys are watching movies while i regale you with near-extinct morrocan word nourishment.

Oh yeah and i uploaded some photos the other day so check em out on
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02

Miss you all, cant wait to hear from you.
The Hutch.

Hello Hello,

Again, its been a while and i seem to like typing more and more so im sure i am going to start loosing a few of you. but i like typing lots so the rest of you will have to deal with it

Ok, so we are back in Meknes. It was really good with my new lease on life of getting the local price and being more polite. it has been working well and Meknes was great. A very imperial city with lots of castle like walls everywhere! very cool. We slept on the roof on the ground which is great and cheap. the stars are amazing to look up on and fall asleep to. so we woke up and decided to hit some ruins out of town. We walked to the taxi stop and were offered a tour for 300dh to take us there and back. we decided to opt for the 10dh taxi to a town close to the ruins. it was 4.5 kms from this town but before we got there i spotted the turn off and it said 3kms to the ruins. we jumped out there saving ourselves 1.5kms walk.

Strippin off our shirts in the strong country sun every car tooted their horns at us as james and i sunscreened. it continued as we walked with people hanging out of cars and yelling things. all friendly though. some wolf whistles and stuff. I spose it would look funny. two white boys in the middle of nowhere walking in the hottest part of a hot day without shirts on and big smiles on their faces waving at cars. a car pulled over about half way and gave us a lift. he wouldnt take the payment i offered (money, i saw your sick minds going somewhere else) and we were there.

Volubilis. Awesome roman style ruins built in 200AD and some parts of it were earlier. so i probably dont need to mention it could use a bit of work. hehe, it was rubble but awesome. there were aquaducts and all mills with all sorts of other cool houses fountains and ruins. big arches were the grandest pieces and i would have really liked to see a model or image of what i had been like in its time.

Afterwards an Italian guy approached us and we shared a taxi back to Meknes. Chilled away a day and met up with some other Aussies. One from Frankston (James) and one from Ascot Vale (Gill) but the both live in London now. Weve been hanging with them ever since.

Another night on the terrace before hammering across on the train to Fes. Fes is huge and pretty damn amazing. the medina (marketplace) is the biggest in the world with 900 streets and 13 big gates (or something likfe that). it was nuts. we wandered all around it before climbing a big hill to a mausoleum on top. here we looked down on the town and took photos. We also found the Kasbah which was supposed to be big and awesome. it was a fair bit short of that. i tried to rock it but only succeeded slightly. I will try to rock the next one harder!

So after a big day we hit some bars for some brewskis! a wicked hotel with a pool admitted us in our dirty wifebeaters and thongs and we downed a few cold ones before headin toward Riad Fes. Apprently the classiest place for a drink in town. GOD it was all that and more. water features, themed rooms, complimentry olives (and pickles and nuts) that never ran out and great apple tobacco in sheesha pipes. easily the nicest place i have ever been for a drink and we had a great time.

Stumbling home i passed out on the roof again. we have been sleeping on the roof for over a week now. The next morning we hit the tanneries to see how they make all the leather. Its a dangerous job as they work with lots of lime and other things that burn the eyes and skin. i got some great photos but the place stank like mad! hard on a quesy stomach! Ive actually mixed it up and all that took two days with us hitting Riad Fes again in that time. so 2 nights on the fes rooftop terrace.

Then it was time to bust off to Chefchouen. the Marijuana capital of the world. apparently all the best weed and hash you find in Amsterdam comes from here and they also supply all of morocco and southern europe! its all still illegal but the beauty of africa is that it is africa and everyone can be bribed. The city is amazing though. so chilled out and entirely painted blue. heaps of cool stuff and lots of hippies. a great place to relax i think. Soon we are planning to do a tour of the weed fields and learn how to make our own hash. haha, vital world skills. it should be fun though and like the cocaine museum in bolivia, very interesting. So anyway we rolled into town last night and everyone we have seen has tried to sell us hash. it really is beautiful here and the rooftop we slept on last night the best yet. actual matresses (although thin) certainly do take the edge off the hard concrete. Although i must admit my back has been feeling pretty damn good this last week.

Especially since this morning i was waiting for a shower and it was taking to long. Me and Frankston James decided to hit the Hammam (public baths) for a shower and a massage. for 6 euro we were scrubbed and rubbed from top to bottom by a little man with a moustache. he was awesome! i am white again. turns out i didnt even have a tanm i was just dirty. a shave (dont worry, just my neck, that beard aint going anywhere) and an orange juice to finish and i was a new man. really awesome! he even washed my hair and beard.

So that is where you find me. clean and relaxed in a blue town waiting for the hash tour to start and killing time.

As per usual i would love to hear from you all and what you are up to. and i miss you all so much.

Lots of Love
Hutch

Hey everyone!

Sorry its been so long. Lack of communication while i am in Africa is probably a bit worrying for you mum, but i promise everythings been awesome! Ok now so much has happened since i wrote last so this is going to be really big. REALLY big. Go to the toilet, get something to eat, maybe a glass of wine and put some music on. I currently have old Greggs song about love games in my head from the mighty boosh if you really want to set the scene.

Ok, so when I last wrote i was in Marrakech. After writing that post i kinda went into a bit of a recluse and didnt have much contact with Australia for a while. I was in a pretty bad mood, Marrakech can do it to anyone, and when james and i tried to look around at the palaces, my heart really wasnt in it. We decided to hit the Hammam (public baths) before leaving but some guy we asked for directions took us there and they tried to charge us heaps. we could see the prices and the guy actually kicked us out because we wouldnt pay 5 times the normal price. I was in such a shitty mood. My face actually kept the constant hassling to a minimum as we walked back to find a taxi to the bus station. We get there and they make us run to jump on the bus leaving for Casablanca at 1pm.

The bus is still sitting in the station at 230pm as people argue over seats and fight with drivers and all sorts of crap. the bus tries to drive off as an old lady is getting on and everyone starts fighting again. insane! and its about 55 degrees with no wind or aircon. agony. frustrating horrible agony. and i was already in the worst mood i have been in since i left! i was really ready to snap. had i spoke the language and there a point to it i would have yelled my arse off. Basicallym a horrible bus trip. half way we stop at a servo. people jump off but the bus is moving again in like 3 minutes. everyone starts yelling at the driver and fighting again cos someone was left behind. he wont go back. just bullshit. anyway so we finally get off and were in Casablanca. Heres looking at poo kid!

So i look at the lonely planet and there is a map of casa. i find the bus statin and start walking. i ask a million taxis who all give us bullshit distances and prices. furiously we decide to walk. we just kept asking which way the medina is. (the cheap hostels are always in the medinas) we walked for about 1.5 hours with all our gear and I must admit, i was still f@#king furious when we got there. A relax and some food soon calmed me down a bit. but it was quite the ordeal so i thought i had better mention it. its relevant later.

So we spend a couple of days in Casa, we visit the beach and the 3rd biggest Mosque in the world (The biggest in Africa). its quite a good city. and the shoping is great there too. I now own articles from the following designers.
Ralph Lauren
Armani
Tommy Hilfiger
Von Dutch
Burberry
All genuine articles that must have just been on a mad special or something.

Also in Casa I randomly met a moroccan who spoke awesome english waiting to use the bathroom in the hotel. His name was Tarik and we had a small chat about ourselves. Then the next night we run into him in the street and we start talking. he is a 3d modeller for ubisoft and other game designers. really interesting and really good at what he does. He invites us to go and stay with him in his small town near Rabat. See the real Morocco!

Best decision we have made. Up until now we have been hassled and ripped off. really used for our money and given nothing less then triple price for taxis. He really did show us the true morocco. The morocco that had not been tainted and perverted by tourism. where the people we genuine and the most welcoming i have met. We were instantly part of the family. hugged and kissed on both arival and depatures. given amazing food. just really welcome. ill take you through it.

So we get up in the morning in Casa and go to the Hammam for a shower (or douche in french). then we meet up with Tarik and his friend Yousef. Then we grab a train to Rabat. From there we grab a quick sandwich and jump in a crazy cow. Thats what they call the big taxis here. Theyre old mercs like dainos one, and they put 6 passengers in them. driver and 2 in the front, 4 in the back. Theyre called crazy cows cos theyre big stupid things and they drive them like rally cars. And they pack you in so hard. In one of the ones we caught today james and i were so squashed we had to syncronise our breathing with one going in and one out. otherwise it was too tight if we both went in at the same time. nuts!

So we grab a crazy cow to Tiflet. Tarik's town. We go to his house which is beautiful. (hes kinda well of for a moroccan) his family is amazing. one brother and two sisters, all younger and as soon as we walk in we are given an amazing spread of tea and homemade cakes. We sit and talk before showers then off to a cafe. we meet some of his friends and move on to another cafe. theyre all about the same age as me and james. and so similar to what we are like in Oz. We sat around and made jokes about how gay the other guys were and they told us some crazy stories. Its very different here, 'buying' women is fairly normal practice. and the cafe we were at was just the place to do it. We didnt and neither did they (that night, they had before and im sure would again), but they pointed out who was a 'lady of the night' and who wasnt and how much they were worth.

Tarik was the most liberal and new age muslim i have ever met, but he still came out with some pearlers when talking about women. I was asking him what i should wear in his house, whether a singlet was ok. He said, 'You are a man, you can wear/do whatever you want!' then he threw back his head and laughed whole-bodily. Very different. And it was true, u ask him what was in the food or how it was made and he had no idea. it was womens business etc. just a different culture. dont get me wrong i love this guy, we had big chats about terrorism, muslim religion and all sorts of things and he has the right idea about just about everything. just behind on the whole equal rights movement, old morocco.

So that night we went back to one of his friends place and chatted and played xbox. just like home. sigh. then we grabbed some food on the way home. masses of bbqed meat and olives eaten with bread. awesome. then it was time for bed. In the morn we were given a huge breakfast and left to meet hs friends again. we chilled out at various cafes. it seems that is all they do here. before going home for an amazing moroccan feast of lamb with apricots and dates. then back out to the cafes until dinner. dinner was an amazing moroccan soup. then we bought some beers and the moroccans bought the biggest block of hash i have ever seen. I dont smoke hash so i bought beers and wine but i shared it with them. They cant drink or smoke at all and especially this close to ramadan so i dunno what was going on but they got wasted. I drank a few beers and wine and mainly just watched them smoke. between 6 of them the smoked an over 10g block of hash. it was nuts! we played pro evolution (video gam) all night. its all they play actually and everyone is amazing at it. i have years of practise and couldnt score a goal. seriously incredible guys even when baked out of theyre brains.

So we sleep randomly all over the house (not tariks but his uncles) and we wake up late. we were supposed to be home 10am to go to a farm that his whole family goes to once a month. i have to wake tarik up cos theyre all so scattered and hungover and im feeling good as i only had a few beers and some wine and james and i are the only ones who didnt smoke ourselves into oblivion. So we are late but its ok cos were men and we jump in a crazy cow and go off to the farm. The farm is awesome with the family around. we just eat, get teased in arabic and sleep there. Tagine for lunch and amazing crepes and panacake stuff for afternoon tea. so relaxing and chilled out. its amazing what they can grow in sand too. with just bore water.

Then its back to Tariks for dinner. Seriously theyre killing me with kindness. the food is incredible. an awesome tagine, way different to the one at lunch. this was mainly egg and meat. then james and i use the internet and catch up with guys at the cafe before going to bed.

Finally to today. Wake up slowly and have a big breaky as per usual. For lunch the whole family is home and we have cous cous cos its friday. The father of the family gives us hats that he has made and tells us he will make us free suits if we come back. They say to bring our families next time and he actually says, 'you eat with us the cous cous so now you are family too' It was soo good. They will not accept money or any sort of payment, so i gave the youngest a koala keyring and gave tarik my australian flag towel. James gave him his australian tshirt. They really changed my whole perception. i have been unable to rip off since as i have a real idea. i know proper manners and i understand the people much better.

The world has really turned its back on africa. Tarik cannot even catch a quick 1 hour ferry to spain. he cannot buy things on ebay cos his credit cards arent accepted. The mayor of his town bribes people to elect him and then spends 99% of the money on himself. apparently to buy a horse farm in america. and they can do nothing because anyone else they elect will do the same. when i was appaled by this he just said. its africa. He can not even really get into australia. not even as a tourist without having an amazing amount of money in his account, a person to vouch for him and paying a huge fee. Its disgusting.

So after this we parted ways, kissing and hugging the whole family, my second moroccan family, before getting a crazy cow to another small town. a quick change to another crazy and on to Meknes. This is where we find ourselves now and where i will leave you. (dont worry mum, you're still my real family! and they would love to meet you if youre ever out this way you should drop by).

Sorry that was such a big post, and not nearly as humerous as the last. the last few days have been awesome, heart warming and powerful. Hanging out with someone elses friends and family both felt good but also bad cos i miss mine so much. It really turned me around on africa, up until now it has been a bit of an effort but now i really do feel i understand a bit better and i hace noticed a giant difference in how i am being treated.

Ok, i miss you all. and id love to hear from you all about what you've been up to. even you Igor.

Lots of love
Tim