Where to begin?

Morocco was my favorite. Hands down. No question.

From textiles to tajine, it was love at first site. Everything was foreign, everything was new, and everything was exactly what I knew I wanted for my post-30th adventure.

I remember standing on the shores of Spain looking out across the water at Africa and wondering if things would be dramatically different upon arrival, or if cultural changes would need more distance to become noticeable. I mean, how strongly can continental boundaries partition human development, thoughts and ideas? Could 30 miles of water really provide such a distinct separation?

Partly due to my secret sentimental longing to be a drifter and partly due to laziness, I did very little research prior to this leg of the adventure. Opting for the laissez-faire attitude towards traveling, I inhaled basic Arabic phrases, along with my breakfast, prior to catching the ferry.

My night sleeping among the sand dunes in the Sahara Desert was by far the highlight of my trip – more details on that later – but in the meantime here is a brief overview in photos of what was done, seen, tasted and loved.