Travelust April 2015

Issue 01

Travelust Your

guide

to

the

most

amazing

cultural

adventures

April, 2015 Unseen Lithuania The Bucket List This summer you are going to the Travel every country in the Baltics world

Chris Stevens The Art of Packing How to travel light?

The best surfing beaches on the planet

PRICE ÂŁ4

A Holiday to Remember Epic Moroccan Adventures

Travelust

Contents 38

Page Cover Story:Morocco

22 Page

Travel Every Country in the World

36

Page Voyage of the Labyrinth

26

Page Treehouse

14

Page Pack Like a Pro 4

April

18

2015

Do you want your name to be on this map next month? Tell us about your adventure.

Email your story at myadventure@Travelust.co.uk

Page American Dreamgirl Sails the World

34

Page The Best Surfing Spots on the Planet

12

Page Music Festivals in Lithuania

5

Editor’s

letter

THE

Letter

from

EDITOR

Hello!

One of the most exciting things about journalism is that you get a chance to talk to all kind of interesting people who tell you stories you would never think that exist. I became interested in journalism when I was 8-year-old. I got a task at school to create a magazine about one event against bad habits. I remember myself very well on the day the event took place: I brought to school one of these retro cameras that needs a film in order to take pictures to take pictures. I had only ten shots that day, so my mum told me to use them smart. Another item I thought a journalist must have was a black notebook, so I borrowed my mum’s diary, which was all covered in black real leather. The only thing missing that day was a voice recorder, however it wasn’t a problem at all as I was pretty fast in writing stuff down. This day was a big deal then and maybe today this story only belongs to a memory box, but it is always nice to remember the past.

A couple of years later, my mum took me on a holiday to Cyprus, which happened to be my very first experience abroad. That time I realised what a mind-blowing thing traveling is. There is no such thing you can buy in order to be as excited as a person who is coming back from a holiday. When you travel, you experience so many things: you get to know new cultures and its people, to try new cuisines and to learn new languages. Besides, travel cannot be imagined without adventures which sometimes become very challenging, and when you think nothing worse can happen - BOOM another surprise for you.

A traveller Johnny Ward says it’s not a bad experience as long as you aren’t dead and even the hardest moments are remembered with a smile. Johnny tells about his passion for travel and how he managed to visit 141 countries on the page 22 while sailor Emily chats about tripping around the world solo by boat (see page 18).

For those who think to dip their toes into a new experience, surfer by nature Chris Stevens suggests world’s best surfing spots, so since you made a new-year resolution to learn something new –why don’t you try surfing (see page 34)? If you want to see the unseen then you might want to visit page 12 where we have a lot of plans ready waiting for you this summer in Lithuania.

Talking of childhood, Travelust has also prepared a list with the greatest treehouse hotels and you don’t even need to go abroad.

Interested? Go to page 26 and we can guarantee you’ll get your feet itching.

Brigita 6

Editorial

Travelust Your

guide

to

the

most

amazing

cultural

adventures

Magazine

EDITOR Brigita Leonaviciute DEPUTY EDITOR Brigita Leonaviciute ART Art Director Brigita Leonaviciute

PICTURES Picture Editor Brigita Leonaviciute

FEATURES Features Editor Brigita Leonaviciute Assistant Editor Brigita Leonaviciute Commisioning Editor Brigita Leonaviciute Acting Staff Writer Brigita Leonaviciute

COPY Production Editor Brigita Leonaviciute Chief Sub-Editor Brigita Leonaviciute Deputy CHief Sub-Editor Brigita Leon

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Philip Capper, Arturas Samalius, StepDraw!, RIma Prusakova, Peter Lundstrom, John Y. Can, Riccardo Francesconi, Peter Causalien, Mhobi, Hilbo Baggins, Henrik Berger.

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Moe Yamura Executive Publisher Brigita Leonaviciute Finance Director, Business Development Brigita Leonaviciute Product Executive Brigita Leonaviciute Head of Category Development Brigita Leonaviciute Head of Travel, Comercial Brigita Leonaviciute Head of Lifestyle Brigita Leonaviciute Sales Performance Manager Brigita Leonaviciute Magazine Publishing Manager Brigita Leonaviciute Financial Co-ordinator Brigita Leonaviciute For SUBSCRIPTIONS contact subscriptions@travelust.co.uk For ACCOUNTS ENQUIRIES contact brigita@travelust.co.uk For SYNDICATION ENQUIRIES contact brigitasyndication@travelust.co.uk For ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES contact adteam@travelust.co.uk Want to join our team?

Email us your CV and cover letter at internship@travelust.co.uk

9

10

Windmill,Open-Air Museum of Lithuania

By Photographer Phillip Capper 11

Summer

Festivals

il iv C n I n io t a s li a iv #Fest

ing ing and going to one is someth ch oa pr ap is ls va sti fe er mm su The season of and where you should go, en wh re su un ll sti e ar u yo -up everyone should do. If rdable, it has the greatest line fo af er pp su it’s u: yo r fo a ide Travelust has an new experience. Put your ely let mp co a it’s d an r, he at we and the most summery (hi) to Lithuania! fest shoes on and say “Labas” LITTLE WHAT?

In case you have never heard about it: Lithuania is a small country in Northern Europe situated along the southeastern shore of Baltic Sea. Lithuania belongs to the Baltic States, European Union and has just joined the Euro zone. Although the population of Lithuania is almost three times lower than the number of people living in London, but the quantity of festivals happening there is equal to the biggest countries.

How to get there?

There are lots of flights from the biggest UK cities and prices range from only £88 both ways with Wizz Air. For more information or to book flights visit Skyscanner.co.uk

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GRANATOS LIVE

When: July 31-August 2 Where: Rumsiskes Price: 39 Euros About the festival: Granatos is the first international music festival organised at the most unique location of the open-air ethnographic museum of Rumsiskes. The festival only kickedoff in 2013, however it has already became one of the must-to-attend summer events of Lithuania.

Three days, four stages and over 30 performers and bands from all around the world along with tasty food and open-air workshops will guarantee you the best summer memories.

Who will be performing this year: At the moment there are only two artists that are announced from the whole line-up – Jessie Ware and Clean Bandit – but it will be more great performers coming on the board soon.

More information: granatos.lt/en

Travelust

lisationOut TUNDRA

When: July 16-19 Where: The place of venue will be announced no later than one week before the event.

Price: 29 Euros About the festival: If you are a fan of electronic music, then make sure you get yourself to Lithuania for the 12th Tundra festival. Three days fest will offer you not only a great musical programme, but also a wide choice of other entertainments. What can be better than spending a few summer days in nature at a lake district with like-minded people?

Who will be performing this year: The line-up will be announced soon.

More information: tundrafestival.lt/en

GALAPAGAI

When: July 24-25.

Where: Zarasas Island Price: 27 Euros About the festival: Galapagai is one of the biggest summer festivals of live music and entertainment in Lithuania. Every year it attracts thousands of music and active leisure lovers to enjoy performances of the greatest musicians and bands from Lithuania and other countries. It also supports a social initiative to help homeless animals.

Galapagai is the only Lithuanian festival, which is a part of the European Talent Exchange Program (CEETEP) and has been nominated as the best festival in the category of small European festivals, for a few years in a row.

Who will be performing this year: This year’s line-up of participants includes ThePetebox, Pendulum DJ Set and Verse, G&G Sindikatas, Trubetskoy, Golden Parazyth and many more great artists.

More information: galapagai.lt/en

KARKLE LIVE MUSIC BEACH

When: August 14-16 Where: Karkle, Klaipeda Price: from 50 Euros About the festival: The beach of music is everything you can dream of in summer. The quality music, the beach and exclusive leisure offer three days unforgettable experience in the biggest beach party. Forget about the outside world and feel the spirit of Lithuania. Karkle cannot be imagined without summer, and summer cannot be imagined without Karkle.

Who will be performing this year: Gothic rock band HIM, Inner Circle from Jamaica, British band Charli XCX and many more artists that will be announced soon.

More information: karkle.com

RADISTAI VILLAGE

When: July 17-19 Where: Apple Island Price: from 2 to 220 Euros About the festival: Radistai is a DJs duet of the radio station Zip FM in Lithuania. Youthful and energetic tandem of Radistai offers a unique summer dance music festival in the paradise of Apple Island. Wonderful nature, the latest modern technologies and gigantic army of DJs will guarantee once-in-a-lifetime experiences 24 hours a day.

Who will be performing this year: The line-up of Djs includes RADISTAI DJs, Kastis Torrau, Donatello, Tropical Chaos, Uncle Roll, Modaco, NO DJs, Curly Music as well as live performances of Electronic I and G&G Sindikatas and many more.

More information: radistai.lt/en

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Travel

Light

How to Pack Like a Pro? Could you imagine yourself traveling for ten days with as much items as you can fit in a small cabin bag?

Or wait! What if, you leave your suitcase, back pack, handbag or any other carry bag at home, and take thin gs that can only fit in your pockets? Sounds like an extr eme challenge… but everything is achievable. The mast er of traveling light Nora Dunn talks about No Bagg age Challenge and explains – how much we really need to have a trip of a lifetime.

Packing for a holiday is a number one least-exciting procedure ever: it takes a lot of time, makes an absolute mess at home and the most importantly – baggage cost extra. The majority of us, especially women, pack 15 kilos of clothing items, shoes and other stationaries, and never use approximately 90% of the stuff.

Congratulations, £40 has just been wasted!

Nora Dunn is a full-time traveller that is famous for traveling with O-N-L-Y ultra-light carry-on luggage. Since starting her travel affairs in 2007, Nora honed her craft to travel light to extremes – “Once I brought rock climbing gear

(even ropes), camping equipment, and a variety of items that we rarely, if ever, used only in my backpack. I dreaded packing up and moving to a new destinations and lugging our overweight backpacks around,” she says.

Although her six weeks No Baggage Challenge was her turning point encouraging to start traveling only with a cabin bag. It made her to step way out of the comfort zone - to leave the purse behind and travel with items that can be fit in only 18 pockets. “I learned a lot about ultra-light travel with this challenge. Thus, it helped me to re-evaluate everything I owned, and shortly thereafter, I started

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to travel full-time with carry-on luggage only,” she explains.

While family and friends were rolling their eyes and wondering with curiosity if she would succeed with this challenge (“Who wouldn’t?” she says), Nora had to solve the puzzle organising her baggage. “The No Baggage Challenge was inspired by a company called SCOTTeVEST that sponsored my excursions by sending me a couple of pieces from their line-up, and challenging me to travel with no baggage using their travel-friendly clothing that has a massive amount of pockets,” she adds.

April

Before starting filling pockets up with the necessary components, Nora has emptied her purse and found having way too much of everything in it – and the majority of these stuff were unnecessary: “Who would need a spoon?” she says. The items she has taken on the No Baggage Challenge included some basic essentials from her purse as well as a few extras: camera battery charger, USB charger which allows charging various electronic items, a little bag of toiletries that fit in carry-on guidelines, passport and boarding documents, a bikini, a t-shirt, extra pair of underwear and socks, camera, iPod and iPhone.

The No Baggage Travel has taken place in Florida where warm weather continues all year round, and the average temperature in summer is 28 degrees of Celsius. Nora remembers one of the biggest confrontations was keeping the balance between fashion and function. “The jacket I was provided with, when loaded up to the hill with all the stuff I needed for my trip was far from flattering. Add the high temperatures in south Florida’s summertime, and it was extremely difficult for me (even though the arms zipped off the jacket).’’

Also as a woman, I’m not used to using pockets, since so much women’s clothing is bereft of them. Full pockets aren’t very flattering on women, so it was very difficult to keep track of everything, and which pocket it was in. I don’t know if it was my imagination and selfconsciousness, but I felt like a cross between a fisherman with a loaded-up tackle-vest, and the next potential suicide bomber. Given the looks I was getting from people on the street, I would wager to say they felt the same way,” tells Nora.

2015

You not necessary have to be an experienced traveller to be able to travel light. Nora suggests within following a couple of packing rules, even the CLOTHES world’s biggest Traveling ultra-light fashionista means everything needs can manage one to match giving the week’s holiday most possible options for taking only a outfits. “Choose two or cabin bag. three complementary

1

colours and stick to them,” she says.

Nora also advises to choose handwashable clothes that can be cleaned easily, do not wrinkle and can dry overnight. Speaking of shoes, they must be limited to two or three pairs as maximum.

2

Toiletries It is not a secret there are limitations for liquids that can be taken with a passenger on board.

Solid toiletries last longer than their liquid counterparts and also are light, and easy to fly with.

3

Travel Gadgets “When I started traveling full-time, I brought a solar charging panel before realizing I also needed a voltage converter and all kinds of ridiculous stuff just so I could recharge my computer in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I understood the error of my ways and returned the bulky item before I took off,” reveals Nora. Electronic items must be also taken into a consideration when planning to travel light. Countries in such regions like continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand and China have different types of electrical sockets and voltage. Bringing many electronic gadgets means carrying chargers, voltage converters or plug adapters you might need, so choose carefully what to take.

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Solo

Traveller

American Dreamgirl “The reason I want to do it solo is because I like that challenging idea of total self sufficiency – like in many ways this is the American Dream,” says Emily Richmond and also admits solo sailing is not for everybody.

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Travelust

“

I

ms are dangerous, or st d an s te ra pi k in th le Peop dangerous. but sleep is actually more

f you type in Google “American Dream”, you will get over nine million results explaining the concept. The definition of American Dream states it essentially is an idea suggesting anyone can success through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy and successful life. For decades people have believed it is about the possibility of fame and fortune. Nevertheless, it is about the freedom to live as you choose.

For five years American girl Emily has been sailing around the world solo. She has been chasing wind and waves, learning about new cultures, and trying to help beaten path countries - solo. A boat Bobby opened her up an opportunity to go and see the world. Just with wind Emily pursues her dream of dignified life.

Emily, why your boat is called Bobby?

My boat is called Bobby, because I like Bob Dylan. One of the things that are so wonderful is sort of mesmerising about Bob Dylan as a person in his career: he’s constantly becoming somebody new, he never stays the same, and he’s never done the same thing. He tries on one personality and then he does other thing, and he never stops growing, I think. It’s just the most beautiful way to live your life – try as many possible selves as you can.

So that’s what happen when you are on a boat traveling the world: you live one culture for a month and then you go into this completely different culture where rules are changed, and then other one culture and another one – it’s like living inside kaleidoscope.

Who taught you how to sail?

I taught it myself, but the genesis of it was 10 years ago: I was in university and I didn’t like where my school was – in sort of bad neighbourhood of Los Angeles, so I took money from housing allowance and bought a houseboat also in Los Angeles.

Life on the houseboat brought me up close to people who were traveling around the world on their boats, so they sort of introduced me to this. They gave me a bunch of books about sailing, were mentoring me and conferring to go further and further.

How long have you been sailing before you took off on this adventure?

I started sailing when I was 21 and when I left I was 24-year-old. My very first boat – I took it all the way to Panama with no sailing experience: I got on the boat and left. Maybe it’s not really a good way to do thing, but I just like to dive into them straight away. Although it’s dangerous and for sure not for everybody, but I trust myself and know what I’m capable of.

Before I left, I’ve read every book I can find, so even if I ‘ve never done it practically – with my own eyes, hands and body I could of image what it would be like. I knew: I need to learn to be a mechanic and electrician, and a plumber. So, I was sort of mentally prepared even though I didn’t have any experience.

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”

Radio work I do is about globalisation, maternal health care, issues with state kids in Sabah or Malaysia, corruption and elections or any sort of subterranean issues that I come across in off the beaten path counties

My boat is called Bobby, because I like Bob Dylan.

April

“

2015

I stay in places for two or three months,

because I want to learn about social issues that going on there. Seems it’s not a thing that people. value.

What was the reaction of your family and friends to your decision to travel solo?

My family didn’t love it. They aren’t adventurists: my mother is a teacher and my dad works at the television station. They prefer me to do something safer.

My friends thought that’s exciting, but none of them want to do it as they are artists and prefer to stay at home, play music, read books and paint.

”

Have you ever offered your parents to come on a trip with you?

They don’t want to (she laughs). My parents don’t even have passports. They just want to live in their small town.

How do you sleep at night when you are all by yourself in the middle of the ocean?

How do you I sleep at night? I don’t sleep really when I’m sailing. I will take maybe 20-minute naps and wake up to check everything. People think pirates and storms are dangerous, but sleep is actually more dangerous. If you sleep too long – a cargo ship could hit you and that actually happens to a lot to people, so you have to be careful. When you don’t sleep, you get into this sort of hallucinating stage and you cannot make decisions very well – so it’s really a fine line between rest and enough to function, but not sleeping too long that you aren’t able to watch the boat. It’s really challenging.

Bobby is the third Emily’s boat. She had a boat called John John and planning to name another one Teddy.

Have you ever met pirates?

It’s a little bit a difficult question because piracy takes a number of different forms. I had sort of calls with thing, but haven’t met any pirates that look like Johnny Deep (laughs).

There are pirates close to Philippines (I passed through once.) This group is called Abu Sayyf and they upshot All Quida. They get all their funding essentially through kidnaping, so it’s really dangerous area, especially if you are white person traveling on a very slow boat.

They can come to your boat with machetes and try to cut your arms off and to do other things.

Trying to deal with that has been challenging.

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Solo

Traveller Emily says sleep is the biggest danger for solo travellers.

“Life on the houseboat brought me up close to people who were traveling around the world on their boats, so they sort of introduced me to this.”

Traveling is a pretty expensive hobby, how do you fund yourself?

I’ve gotten money from kickstarter.com in the past and I used to have a blog, and people who followed the blog used to send me money. Besides that, I work when I’m in port and I do radio documentaries that are also one of the ways to earn some money.

Despite that, I don’t really spend much money because I do it different than most people do. I probably spend less money traveling to exotic places than most people staying at home in a small town on month basis. I don’t do big around the world thing fast like a lot of people do, because I don’t see any point of that. The reason I want to sail around the world is to go and see other cultures and learn things from people. I stay in places for two or three months, because I want to learn about social issues that going on there. Seems it’s not a thing that people value.

You’ve mentioned radio documentaries.

Can you tell me more about this project?

My documentaries are occasionally broadcast on Deutsche Welle station in Germany. Radio work I do is about globalisation, maternal health care, issues with state kids in Sabah or Malaysia, corruption and elections or any sort of subterranean issues that I come across in off the beaten path counties. This is something that brought me in – being able to give voice to people some in some of

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these places I have meet. Nobody is telling you that in Papua New Guinea people who live on the land for thousands of year been beaten with baseball bats by police officers – nobody tells these stories. When I go to these little places and these things happening, I try to do something about it.

Would you consider stop sailing and becoming a radio presenter sometime in the future?

Well not a presenter, but more a reporter.

I’m from America and my favourite radio station is NPR, so one of my dreams is to have east African post for NPR at some point perhaps.

Which part of the world you are in now?

I just got to Bali a month ago and most of the year I’ll be staying here because I’m writing a book. I’ve been on water a lot and have so much stuff that if I don’t do my book now, I’ll not be able to include all this stuff, which is really important.

Also it might be a television show as well.

I had a call with Discovery channel this morning – it’s a big thing in America – and they want to do some sort of adventure show with me.

Do you miss home?

I miss people, but not really the home life.

The place you born isn’t necessary the place that relines with your passions and dreams. I don’t think it’s so odd to leave home.

“As a backpacker you want to travel as light as possible so I would recommend taking a 55litre backpack.”

“S hye tupidly nas in H feeding arar t , Eth he ipia .”

: MEivsersyiCoon untry

Travel in the World

John h as visi ted 141 c so far; ountry this ye ar’s tar get is Africa.

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J

riname! u S s e v lo ohnny

“My Thai at that time was very bad and I did not speak any Chinese either,” says traveller Johnny Ward, “the Chinese sailor could not speak any English – so, he spoke in his terrible Thai and I spoke in my terrible Thai.

With the breakdown in the languages I thought it was going to take 20 hours to reach China… six days later two illegal entries into Burma, illegal entry into Laos and we are still on the cargo boat.”

I

t is Sunday, half past three in the UK and the Skype rings. I click “answer” and a picture of a young man with light-brown hair appears on the screen. The sun-kissed skin of his face gives a hint – the weather is nice and summery where he is staying at the moment. He says hi in an Irish accent and the interview begins.

Meet Johnny: an adventurer, a traveller, a blogger at OneStep4Ward.com and – as he calls himself – a lifestyle designer. Since graduating from university in 2006, he has lived on four different continents, traveled extensively through 141 countries, climbed Kilimanjaro, taken the TransSiberian train across Russia, skydived in Australia, cage dived with great white sharks and done hundreds of other crazy things.

Johnny is currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he owns an apartment and every year spends a couple of months “resting” from travel. This year’s target is to explore Africa: he is going to go from Cape Town to Casablanca, then down to Cape Verde and Lesotho, South Sudan, Tanzania and Madagascar.

“I am planning to go on my own, but I will probably meet some friends who will join me,” he says. Johnny also explains it is difficult to make new friends when traveling because most of the people are scared of such an extreme backpacking he does. “The problem is that I am trying to visit every single county in the world and I cannot really join other people’s trips.

Most people will not join my trips because they are scared to go to, what the media calls, dangerous countries. I am not doing a standard backpacker’s middle class gap year. My family and friends can join me because they understand what I am doing, but it is hard to meet a stranger who will be like: ‘Oh I will go to Democratic Republic of Congo with you.’ People do not do that,” he tells.

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To be a traveller is pretty expensive, especially if you are willing to do it on the full-time basis. John describes himself as a lucky person because today he earns a lot of money from his online marketing business and his blog, so he can afford to go to every single country in the world. However, not always everything was as easy as it is now because he did not come from a wealthy background. John remembers how angry he used to be about not being able to afford to go on a holiday or to buy nice stuff.

’s ohnny Read J

blog at

rd.com

a onestep4w

When John graduated an international economics from the university of Nottingham, he went to the USA to work in a summer camp with kids and also to travel in the states, however after a couple of months he came back to Ireland as he run out of money. John tells: “I wanted to travel, but my

“It is hard t o meet a stranger who will be like: ‘Oh I w ill go to Democratic Republic of Congo w ith you.’

People do not do that.”

“Holding a panda in Chengdu , China.”

rs onde w 7 n w he ne hichen Itza, i t f o d C “One worl ico.” e h t of Mex

parents could not give me any money, so I was “Googling” millions of things: how can I travel, where can I work and travel, how can I travel with no money – all these kind of stuff. Eventually I found that Cambridge University run teaching qualification course and you could actually study that in Thailand. The money for this trip came from the medical research. Do you know when they give you to experiment with new drugs and stuff? So they paid me three grants and with this money I bought a one-way ticket to Thailand, paid for my course, bought a backpack, clothes and other stuff.”

Thailand changed him and made him to realize what he wants to do with his life – travel the world. The salary John was getting for teaching English was only around £350 per month which is not enough if you want to travel around the world. His biggest dream was to visit China. “When I first started traveling in 2007, I thought China is the real travel and Thailand is only for beginners. In the middle of China there are some hardcore awesome travel stuff and I told to myself that I am definitely going to go to China.

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“So, I was living in Chiang Mai, Christmas came and I got some time off from teaching. However, I could not afford to fly to Beijing, but I saw that the Mekong River runs from Thailand up to China. Two friends of mine and myself took a shitty little bus to the place, Chaeng Saen village, where the river comes into Thailand and then moves north to China. We arrived to at port and discovered that the ships were heading to China. The entire crew were Chinese and did not speak any English, only Chinese and only one guy from the crew knew a little bit of Thai. My Thai was also terrible at that time and when hen I first started we finally “W managed traveling in 2007, to get onto ght China the ship, I thou somehow I thought the journey was going to take “ 20 hours. But we ended up traveling on a cargo boat for six days and naively hopping that today we would be arriving to China.”

“I could not afford to fly to Beijing, but I saw that the Mekong River runs from Thailand up to China...”

is the real travel and Thailand is only for beginners.

John says that was one of the coolest things he has ever done and asked if he has ever had any bad experiences, replies: “I have been arrested in Ukraine and have been in hospital in lots of different countries, but I would not call it bad experience, because they are quite fun and adventurous – as long as I am not dead at the end. I am sort of enjoying it in a weird way.”

Traveling is also one of the best and easiest ways to learn new languages. After many months spent in Thailand John says, he can finally understand almost everything in Thai: “Now my Thai is quite decent. I also studied French at A level and then university, but I do not use it - so it is pretty terrible now. And then I studied Spanish last year in Columbia. So I have average Thai, terrible French, terrible Spanish and English with an Irish accent – so it is a bit of struggle,” he laughs.

Today John’s blog OneStep4Ward has over 80,000 monthly users and over 33,000 people follow his Facebook page. “I started it because travel blogging was just sort of infancy and not too many people were blogging about it. But the people who were blogging were not real travelers. What I would call a traveler is someone who goes to interesting places and not just blogging generic stories about Amsterdam and the East Coast of Australia. No one was doing actually fun and thrilling traveling and lots of people were reading their stuff, and I just taught myself: if these guys can make money online from not really traveling, then someone who is actually travelling can make money as well and do better job,” John says.

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Quick Questions FAVORITE AIRLINE COMPANY Korean Air. FAVORITE COUNTRY Thailand is my favorite country to live.

FAVORITE CITY Chiang Mai. FAVORITE BEACH Ko Yao Yai in Thailand.

FAVORITE FOOD Indian.

FAVORITE LANGUAGE Percian FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORT (PLAIN/TRAIN/BOAT/CAR) Boat.

ONE THING YOU CAN’T TRAVEL WITHOUT My MacBook.

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WILD SLEEP OVERS Photographer: Peter Lundstrom

If you were one of those kids who dreamt about sleeping over in a tree house with friends, then your dream is about to become reality. From the luxurious tree house experience in Scandinavia to the wildest sleepover in the jungle of Costa Rica – this summer is going to be epic.

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Where

to

Stay?

Treehotel, Sweden

Price: from £361 per night per room To book a room visit: treehotel.se

Why it’s unique? Inspired by Jonas Salberg Augustsen’s film “The Three Love” about three men who rediscover their roots by building a tree house together. Treehotel offers high-standard accommodation in a harmonious setting where you will enjoy the Access. Treehotel is located peace and purity of unspoiled in Harads, which has a nature. Five rooms are designed population of 600.

There by the finest Scandinavian are no direct flights from architects and are built around the UK, thus be prepared for the ecological values. a quite a long journey. The The Mirrorcube consists of easiest way to get there is to an aluminum frame mounted catch a flight to Stockholm around the tree trunk and the and then connecting flight to walls are covered with reflective the Lulea airport, which is glass. “To avoid birds flying into approximately an hour drive the mirrored walls, they have away from Harads. been clad with infrared The hotel film,” says marketing offers airport officer Adrea Desai. transfers, but renting a car The Cabin is located up and uniquely on the hillside, guests exploring north enter the cabin though east of Sweden the bridge, which is sounds like a great situated among the trees. It idea. has double bed, bathroom and terrace.

What to do? Incandescent The Bird’s Nest is a summer nights give you unlimited opportunity camouflaged room that allows an a quick disappearance as one to discover the beauty and becomes a part of surroundings. wildness of nature. The hotel offers activities from biking, The UFO creates an “out of hiking, horse ridding and place” environment. The room kayaking or canoeing in the has two bedrooms, bathroom Lule River to guided tours of and living room. “30m3 is all you Threehotel and around the need for a comfortable escape to village. If you dream about your childhood dream,” Andrea seeing the Northern lights, admires. take a photography tour to Bodtraskan. A professional photographer will teach you, step by step, how to capture the night sky and you will have some fascinating pictures to take home.

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PAGE

Treehouse

Hotels

Photographer: Peter Lundstrom

From the top: The Mirrorcube.

Below on the left: the view through the Cabin’s windows.

Below on the right (both images): The Bird’s Nest is a camouflage allowing quickly disappearing and becoming part of surroundings. A spacious room is perfect for a couple or a family of two.

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Where

to

Stay?

Tree House Lodge, Costa Rica Price: from £195 per night per house To book a room visit: costaricatreehouse.com

Why it’s unique? Inspired by native Indians’ culture, Tree House Lodge puts all the effort on being friendly with the Mother Nature. As a result the tree house is built only from the fallen trees. The hotel is also running Iguana Vende project, which creates awareness of the need to protect the green iguanas on the national and international level, “Our guests can experience a full contact with the Mother Nature: the wildlife of tropical rainforests and at the same time the beautiful Virgin Beach which is only a few steps away.

“Our rooms are very comfortable and have all the necessities to feel like home,” says Martin, the officer of Tree House Lodge. The three-house

suite has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a shower built around the crooks and roots of a massive 100-year-old Sangillo tree.

“We want to teach our guests to live in the environment and do not make any harmful impact on it,” he adds.

Access. The Tree House Lodge in Punta Uva is around 4-5 hours drive from Saint Jose. If you do not want to drive such a long way, the hotel offers private transportation from the airport to the Tree House Lodge.

As an alternative the hotel can also organize a private jet which will take you to there in only 45 minutes and guarantee an amazing view of Caribbean coast, the active Turrialba

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volcano, banana plantations and the tree hotel from above.

What to do? If you are looking for adventures, you will not be let down as the hotel offers surfing, rafting and canopy tour that will allow you to enjoy the rain forest while sliding the zip lines and climbing the platforms between the trees. Tree house fitness offers massages, yoga classes in the nature of unique birdcalls and a hard work out in the jungle gym. For everyone who prefers sightseeing tours, the hotel organizes trips to the national parks and Wild Life Refuge – lonely beaches – and jungle hiking with a native guide.

Treehouse

Hotels

Treetops Treehouse, Chulmleigh (Exeter) Price: from £245 per night per house To book a room visit: canopyandstars.co.uk

Why it’s unique? The Treetops is a multi-level treehouse built around a 250-year-old oak tree. The spacious house has everything you need for a perfect gateway with kids: a bedroom

with a king-size bed, a bathroom with a cooper bathtub, a fully set up kitchen, a living room with a latest wood burner, which will keep you warm during the cool nights. Kids will enjoy a real dream room with crisscrossed bunks and a ladder of branches leading up to the top.

“Once you’ve climbed up the wooden steps, the height gives the advantage of feeling completely private, with the branches to yourself, while the hotel with its spa and bar is just below. You can even watch the local train chug

Uplands Treehouse, Uplands Price: from £140 per house per night To book a room visit: canopyandstars.co.uk Why it’s unique? A beautifully crafted, perched up in the trees, little house looks exactly how everyone has ever imagined a treehouse while little. Surrounded by the tree branches it gives a great opportunity to hide from the every day’s life. By the mean time, planes from nearby Bristol airport pass by and from time to time will remind about the outside world.

The house has a king-size bed on the mezzanine, and a living space with an expansive view of the Mendips hills on one side, and a field of alpacas munching grass on the other side.

If you are cheeky enough, you can enjoy the view

of nature while taking outside shower, just keep the curtain open.

Access.

If you are considering leaving the car at home, there are two options: you can catch a bus going to Wrington which is 15 minutes’ walk from Uplands, or travel with a train to the Yatton station located four miles away.

What to do? Besides an unlimited access to the pleasures of the Mother Nature there are plenty of various activities in the area: outdoor pursuits, golf club, horse riding lessons at Urchinwood Manor, Tytesfield – National Trust house and gardens.

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past beneath you,” says Nick, the owner.

Access. The Treetop Treehouse is based in the North Devon Biosphere reserve. The easiest and quickest way is to travel with a train to Exeter and from there catch another train to Eggesford station that is only five minutes away from the hotel.

What to do? The hotel offers spa treatments and various outdoor activities. Keen anglers can try flyfishing on the River Taw or on the other two small lakes within the grounds. The Treetop also suggests visiting Crediton’s local market, South Molton and Altherleigh.

Travelust

SURF Surfer by nature, photographer by trade and traveler by choice Chris Stevens takes you to the best surfing beaches in the world.

THE

C

hris wakes up at 8am, has a quick breakfast and around 9am loads up surf boards to the car, he picks up students and drives to the beach. The day follows a 4-hour lesson and when teaching is done he spends another couple of hours surfing by himself. After the sun goes down he comes back to the surf camp and it is time for beer and BBQ. The scenario

WORLD sounds like a perfect life where your passion meets duties: Chris travels around the globe, surfs the most thrilling waves, enjoys unlimited sun and above all – he gets paid for doing that.

Traveller Chris has been surfing for over 10 years, and since he first stepped to the board it became an integral part of his life. Today he is a qualified surf instructor. “I learnt to surf in Croyde in Devon, England at the age of 14 and was instantly hooked,” he says, “it is a fun sport and a good excuse to get out amongst nature and enjoy

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some incredible beaches.”

Surfing has spurred him to travel and since he started backpacking and blogging about these adventures on BackpackerBanter.com in 2009, Chris has visited a whole heap of crazy places and surfed the most beautiful and hazardous blue waves on the planet. Chris says there are three surfing destinations that really stand out in his mind. However, the most favorite surf spot in the world is Byron Bay in Australia.

“Byron Bay has super fun waves and lots of spots to pick from,” he explains “Byron Bay has super fun waves and lots of spots to pick from,” he explains.

Byron Bay Australia

The Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the state of New South Wales, 480 miles north of Sydney. It has the safest waves on the East Coast of Australia.

Chris says his most favorite waves are: The Pass, which is the most famous wave in Byron, The Wreck and Broken Head that is a great choice if you are looking to escape crowds, but if you are looking to learn surfing, make sure the lessons are on Byron’s Town Beach. “With great weather and surf year round, a great hippy culture and heaps of live music it’s the perfect place to surf all day and party all night,” says Chris.

Montanita Ecuador Chris’s first surf coaching job was in Montanita in Ecuador and he says it is another amazing surf mecca with a long beach. Montanita is a small coastal town located in the province of Santa Elena, 100 miles northwest of Guayaquil. The best time to go surfing is from December to May, although Backpacker Banter suggests keeping in mind that waves can be too big for beginners at that time.

Chris says: “Montanita in Ecuador is great little party town with awesome waves and it is cheap to live there.”

Siargao,

Philippines

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One more amazing surfing spot is a tiny Siargao Island in the East of the Philippines famous for its worldclass waves. “A lot of waves are the perfect playground for intermediate or advanced surfers, but there also is an option for those looking to learn to surf,” Chris says.

The most famous wave in Siargao is called the Cloud Nine and only suitable for experienced surfers. “If you are a beginners steer well clear, but it is a great place to watch the locals and pros tear it up,” he adds. Meanwhile, just around the corner from the Cloud Nice there is a spot called Little Pony that is a perfect for those wanting to learn to surf.

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“I agree with Jacques Cousteau that “people protect what they love”, but too many people these days are cut off from nature.”

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Protect

the

Nature

VOYAGE OF THE LABYRINTH Seven months, six seas, five thousand miles, four friends, three films, two oceans and one big adventure of the Labyrinth.

A few years ago, the adventurer Jason Kovacs found his true inspiration in life. He found a boat named ‘’Labyrinth’’ for sale and invested all of his life savings to buy it. His memories of watching Jacques Cousteau and David Attenborough raised passion for the ocean and nature – so today, Jason and his team sail to remote islands, join local conservation groups and make beautiful films about important issues.

Jason’s team is a small group of sailors, divers and filmmakers that have met on the Tioman Island of the East Coast of Malaysia. Over many nights at the local beach bars talking about what Jason would like to do with the boat and generating ideas about making films together, four strangers have decided to go on a lifesaving mission.

The main aim of the small crew is to spread the word about the inhumane behaviour of the contemporary world towards the largest living space on earth.

Today, the ocean has been abused and destroyed by men, which not only threatens thousands of marine habitats, but also affects our own health and way of life. Over 76% of the world’s fisheries are fully exploited while thousands of unwanted fish has been killed. This has also have a profound connection with Pollution.

Undoubtedly, through dumping and disposing a huge amount of garbage into the ocean we are harming the entire sea food chain, which can also have a lethal impact on humans.

Jason is planning to ‘flood‘ the digital world with many videos from his experiences in order to reside self-awareness in the modern world. ‘’The entire point of this voyage is to spend seven months

making films about this beautiful world that we love,” says Jason, “I agree with Jacques Cousteau that “people protect what they love”, but too many people these days are cut off from nature. And people fear what they do not understand. So I hope to bring the natural world to them through the internet, social media and television; to increase engagement and education, and hopefully inculcate the spirit of adventure and love for the world that was planted in me.’’

Last year, Jason and team have visited Pula Aur Island, approximately 40 miles east of Malaysia. Besides the environment threats they were trying to solve, the team was also witnessing the most amazing occurrences of sea life. “We can see creatures in habitats that is experienced by most people via their TVs if they experience it as well,” tells Jason.

Imagine being an eyewitness of cross-dressing cuttlefish mating battles – it’s one of the last true adventures available in the modern age. “When we are out at sea, at night, we can look up at the stars, know their names and use them to bring us safely home,” he adds, “It’s just us, our boat and the ocean.” Through Jason’s films, we can explore great adventures while considering life-threating problems.

In June, team Labyrinth is starting their second seven months journey across the South China Sea to Borneo, Philippines and Indonesia.

Jason explains: “We’ll go up to river to explore jungles, visit some of the most incredible caves in the world as well as discover what drives local fishermen to destroy reefs with explosive fishing bombs.

Also we’ll look at the damage

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and deforestation and palm oil plantations inflicts on animals such as the orang-utan.” Even though the ‘blast fishing’ is outlawed in many countries because of its destructive effect on the eco system many fisherman are using the method with an aim to ‘catch’ as many fishes as possible for a limited period of time.

Jason says the ocean is very unhealthy and polluted: fishes are being killed at cataclysmic levels, the animals are being hunted by humanity and the ocean is becoming a dumping ground.

“The average water temperature is rising, changing currents and alternating long established environments. We are seeing more frequent and more devastating coral bleaching events, where an increase in water temperature kills coral – the foundation of the tropical environment.

“It is human behaviour that is sickening the ocean. By changing human behaviour we can slow and hopefully half the damage. With our films I hope to not only explain the problems, but also discover solutions,” he tells.

The human behaviour throughout the last couple of decades has completely changed the way in which we perceive the ocean.

In many cases, we refuse to acknowledge the fact we are selfdestroying the beautiful world underneath us, and also that we are the only ones who can prevent this from happening. Jason and his crew are one of the few real adventurers who bring a message from the past when the world was flat and the ocean was blue and healthy.

Moroccan Adventures Photographer: John Y. Can

Voluminous deserts, immense mountains, sapphire ocean and rugged coastline, ancient medina cities and bazaars of Morocco will guarantee you endless possibilities of adventures.

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The main dishes to try are couscous and slowcooked inside the vessel meat (mostly beef) and vegetables dish Tagine.

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Credits

www.supercar-roadtrip.fr

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Travel

Morocco

a time in

M

o co

Onc e

u

c ro

p

on

Diary:

I

always thought it would be just another ordinary holiday, which will begin with usual procedures at the airport, nice morning coffee at Starbucks and breakfast on board. It will follow by a half-day trip with camels, expedition to the high Atlas Mountains and sightseeing around Medina,” remembers Brigita, “I have never thought the scenario will be: I’m running like crazy through Gatwick Airport as I’m about to miss my flight, and on the next day getting a fine somewhere in the middle of Morocco for not wearing a seat belt”.

After 3.5 hours flight we finally were landing at Marrakech Menara Airport, only four miles away from the city. The weather was nice and sunny, although the thermometer was showing only 18 degrees of Celsius in the late January, which is good compared to the weather in the UK, but it is not enough if you are wishing to have a beach break.

The first thing that caught my eye when I left the airport was the high Atlas Mountains in the far distance. It separates the coastlines of Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara Desert.

The alluring view of the Atlas was following us all the way to a three star hotel Almas where we were going to stay for the next couple of days.

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Travelust

Palm Groove near Marrakech

Camel Trekking Experience On the day we arrived, we had a planned trip to a palm grove, outside Marrakech, for a camel trekking. As soon as we had reached the location, we were dressed up with traditional Arabic clothes – kaftan and a scarf - and afterwards they put as in groups of six and 1.5hour ride has begun. The nature was very poor: palm trees dried up or some of them laying on the ground, which was also very dry and desperately needed some rain. Our guide Hajar pointed his house, which looked in a very poor condition and reminded me one of those shelters we used to build when were kids. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere and you would not expect to see people living here, but the style of life is slightly different here from the one in Europe.

If you have ever been in countries such as Egypt or Tunisia and already done camel riding, you will definitely find this trip pretty boring, as the main idea of this experience is to get an exotic photo with a camel. Hajar was very nice and always offered to take pictures of us. He was running around trying to capture the perfect shot. Although, I was pretty surprised by his photographic skills he knew exactly which angle to take pictures from and never asked how the camera works on one or another phone.

On the other hand, Hajar photography service had a price and on the way back to the camp he whispered to us if we could leave him a tip.

READERS RECOMMEND “This was a great trip,” remembers Clara Singerthon, “We were picked up spot on time by a really friendly guide.

When we got to the palm grove we were dressed up in traditional dress and the two young lads guiding the camels were great. Getting off the camel was interesting though.”

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Throughout the night the square of Medina fills with dozens of food-stalls that offers the most traditional and ultimately exotic food.

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Travel

Diary:

Morocco

Wander in Medina If you come to Marrakech you must visit Medina where you will be able to experience the actual Moroccan life. The word Medina means city in a modern-day Arabic. It is a walled area containing of many small and narrow streets, mosques, little shops selling everything – from food to machinery - and local restaurants. When we entered Medina and started exploring the streets I realized - we are in a real life labyrinth - and if you are lucky enough (or have a map), you might exit to the main square Jemma elFnna; if not, better prepare to pay some Dirhams for locals to show you the exit.

Usually Medinas are carfree, however in Marrakech people are driving scooters, bikes or even riding donkeys, despite that the streets are extremely small and suitable only for the pedestrians. Basically there are no set rules here and if you get into an accident - your fault, because it is your responsibility to watch yourself after all.

It was getting darker and we were still straying somewhere in the middle of Medina and I could not even spot one tourist. However, we had no choice apart of keep walking. I was always pretending I know where we are going and when some locals shouted to us “The Square is the other way”, I ignored. Locals often are trying to confuse tourists by showing a wrong way and then offering to show the right one for a “fair” price.

Getting closer to the place you were finally able to see tourists who gave us hope we are on the right way.

After an hour of searching for the square we came out to the bustle of Jemma elFnna.

Guide Samir recommends:

“ Remember, nothing is free. Don’t take pictures of snakes, monkeys, dancers and other acts, unless you are going to pay. Also, agree the price before starting to take pictures, as it will guarantee you will not end up overpaying. Same rule valids for taxi: agree the taxi fare before entering it. You can normally get anywhere in Marrakech for under 50 Dirhams.”

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Morocco:

Medina

Throughout the night the square of Medina fills with dozens of food-stalls that offers the most traditional and ultimately exotic food. The main dishes to try are couscous and slow-cooked inside the vessel meat (mostly beef) and vegetables dish Tagine. If you fancy something more bizarre then try snail soup called Ghoulal, cow’s tongue or camel’s spleen. There is a certain statement that warns travelers to avoid street-food, but by missing a chance to try it from where locals eat, you will lose the opportunity to experience the real culture of the Moroccan cuisine.

Also there are many other activities happening all around the Jemma el-Fnna square. However, if you are not interested in getting a picture with a snake around your neck or with a Cobra charmer, better try to keep a distance from them, because a man with a snake does not ask: “Would you like a picture with a snake?” He will come to you and just drape the snake around your neck and then you have no choice than to pay him.

I was dead interested in seeing one of those Cobra charmers and always wanted to get a picture. So we went to one of the Cobra spots and a person working there offered to take a picture with my iPhone. I was not very keen to give my phone to one of that guy, but I took the risk. He took a couple of pictures with the Cobra staring to the camera in the first place and us in the background (they have those magic tricks which made the Cobra to pose for a picture). However, I was very worried about my phone and decided to try to get it back before they told us how much they wants us to pay. I politely asked L unch him to give my phone back to see if the is on or Dinn pictures are ok. Since I went there I er e not to m rooftop knew this experience will not be free, Marrak i t ss w ech. hen errace so I thought 20 Dirham for a picture of the L a v isitin S mus t-to-t ultana g with my iPhone would be enough; cafes i p r s y r o ovid r n o but when I tried to hand him in expe e of te ing a rien rra fi those money, he ignored me and foo d yo ce. Besid ne dinni ce u n instead took one of the snakes, and th e bus will be a es the gr g touched my boyfriend’s forehead e e t b a l l e of M e to h t njoy i a with it by saying: “I wish you a top. the view rrakech de from happy life, health and love.” I a of sq “Lam uare nd decided to offer him the money from b Ta gine the one more time, but he ignored your fo y o d very on th ummy! H me again. nice e roo avin i g “I will do a huge discount the s un s n the eve f terrace ets a for you, because I like you. call n i ng w nd t to p h Give me only 250 Dirham,” it’ s a v ray is ou he echo en of th ery m t acr said the Cobra charmer. We tr e o avell were not going to pay 250 er A agical m ss the ci d t o y; r m iyan Dirham (approximately £17) for Rade ent,” say s v. a picture with my iPhone, so we started negotiating. After he saw we are not going to pay the money he is asking for, a group of his colleagues came and tried to intimidate by surrounding us. I was continue trying to lover the price, but he did not accept any of my offers and told me to delete images, if we are not giving him 250 Dirham. I agreed and deleted everything, and we walked away from them. If you are now thinking we have lost our images, you are wrong, because iPhones have a function to restore deleted media unless you delete them from the deleted files folder. This time the luck was on our side.

Whe

re to eat:

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Hike the High Atlas Travelust

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Travel

Diary:

Before coming to Morocco I have done a lot of research about this country and with the help of TripAdvisor and various travel blogs I discovered Mohamed who works as a tour guide in Marrakech. I contacted him and he offered to make us a private tour to the High Atlas Mountains.

The next morning Mohamed came to pick us up for a trip to the biggest Moroccan treasure – Setti Fatma waterwall situated in the Atlas Mountains. The morning was humid and pretty cool, the temperature seek no more than 10 degrees, so we took all the warm clothes we had as the temperature was going to go down in the mountains even more. When we met Mohamed he was wearing a very strange clothing piece – a grey blue long “thing” with a hood that comes to a point and has long loose sleeves. As he explained later, it is a traditional garment called Djellaba.

After another minute of talking, he took us into his car Hyundai H1 and we left.

The first stop was Berbers house where we were going to have a traditional mint tea. As soon as we stopped next to that place, some locals ran into us offering to buy their handmade crafts. If you are not planning to buy anything then the best to do is do not even look at them as otherwise you will end up spending some money.

We entered the house which was very big and did not have any glazing. Mohamed showed us around and then took us in one of the rooms where we met a couple of tourists from France already having the signature mint tea. I was very cold, my hands were freezing, so I was looking forward for a glass of hot drink as never before. I sat next to the barber woman who was boiling the tea in a metallic teapot. Since she did not know any English, I asked Mohamed to explain how to make this drink. He told us: “There is no such a thing like a fixed recipe. The tea contains of mint and other herbs depending on what is on hand. The one we are about to try is a mix of mint, lemongrass and verbena. “ Once the tea was boiled, the lady served us the tea by pouring first three glasses back to the teapot and then serving it around in a circle to the right. She served us the mint tea with homemade bread that you dip into olives oil.

When we left the Berbers house, local

Morocco

business people appeared and tried to convince us to buy their crafts again, but we quickly got into the car and left. On the way to Atlas Mohamed offered us to visit a place where they make Moroccan Argan Oil. Usually tour guides make deals with shops or little factories to bring tourists and if they buy something, the guide gets commissions. Despite the fact that Mohamed told us we do not have to buy anything if we do not want to, I still knew that was the case.

The little factory was situated in on the hill in Ourika Valley village. As soon as we arrived an English-speaking girl Imane welcomed us and offered a little tour around the place. At first, she took us to a porch where a group of local women were preparing Argan. The first thing that caught my eye was a little basket with some money lying next to them – the rule is simple: if you want to get a picture, be prepared to “donate” some money. After Imane has finished explaining the procedure of how Argan production are made I went to sit next to these workingwomen for a photo. A woman on my left side was very nice and as soon as I sat there she hugged me and even looked at the camera and smiled.

When I and my boyfriend swapped and he sat there for a picture the same woman became unfriendly and ignored the fact that I was photographing – I guess she was not happy us “donating” only once for pictures and when we were about to go she said looked to the basket where I dropped 10 Dirhams and said something to a woman next to her in Arabic, what, I guess, was definitely about us being bad tourists.

We were getting closer with every minute and I could not take my eyes and my camera of the window. The view was just stunning: giant mountains covered in snow, frost trees and little houses decorated in blues from time to time appearing somewhere far away in the mountains. It felt we are in the most peaceful place in Morocco until a police officer stopped our vehicle. After a few moments Mohamed told us we are not wearing our seatbelts, so we put them on straight away.

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READERS RECOMMEND

“I spent a day at the Ourika Valley which for me was a learning experience. I got the opportunity to see how people lived centuries ago and they still live the same way today, using their ancient system to farm to plant and to cook, it was like going back in time,” says traveller Thomas Bremen.

GUIDE SAMIR SUGGESTS

“Clambering up rocks at the side of the river, and eventually criss-crossing over wet rocks to travel up the mountain - the journey can become very difficult, so wearing good walking or climbing shoes is important”

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Morocco:

High

Atlas

He left the car and when came back told us we are going to need to pay the fine of 100 Dirhams. I politely explained he should of told us to put the seat belts on before we left the hotel, so Mohamed offered to pay the fine from the money we gave him for the tour earlier. I took a breath and continued photographing the mountains thinking that problems are over, but in a couple of minutes a wrathful police officer showed up with a yellow piece of paper written in Arabic and commanded us to pay 300 Dirhams as we did not wear the seat belts. However When we just got started walking something did not look right: we are at the towards the waterfall Burham revealed mountains and police is casually patrolling being a professional hiker. At first I really did not understand why would in the middle of nowhere.

I spotted insidiousness and decided not to you need a professional hiker to watch pay the fine. I began explaining that we are the waterfall from the foothill, but after not paying these 300 Dirhams, because a moment I understood the reason: We our guide did not warn us about it before were crossing rivers while balancing we left. Also I added a story about being in our weight on the stones and steep this “travelers” mood when you cannot be climbing on the rocks. Burham had to thinking about things like seat belts; as you assist me by holding my hand most of are way too busy observing the beautiful the time as I was wearing Converse country. The policeman continued yelling shoes that are not suitable for hiking, at me and after he noticed I am not scared especially in the snow. There was one of him, even more I’m not going to pay, difficult part where we had to go to the he relented and decided let us go without top over the massive vertical boulder paying the fine. After a half an hour and the guide even hired a couple of argument we were again en route to the locals on the spot to assist us. I nearly Setti Fatma waterfalls – this time with the had a heart attack when my right foot slipped and I almost fell down towards seat belts on.

Forty minutes more on the road and we the sharp rocks. have finally arrived to the Ourika Valley. After a good couple of hours we have The village had only one street and was finally reached the top of 1.2miles high. surrounded by the Atlas and had the river The waterfall was impressive, but the of Fatma. There were many rope bridges landscape of Atlas covered in snow was over the river and Mohamed explained breathtaking – one the most amazing that they are build to the restaurants views I have ever seen. Next to the on the other side. However, the season waterfalls there was a little outdoor starts in the middle of March, so most of café to sit and have a little rest before going back to the village. Usually you the places were closed at that would never expect to find a shop time and only a couple shops, or cafe in such a place, especially mostly for locals, stay open after a two hours walk from all year round. civilization, but Morocco is an Later turned out we are exception. While sipping mint not allowed to draw near tea we were enjoy the view, and the waterfall and the only having a chat with our guide. way to watch it is from “Ourika is a very small town – distance, which was also only 75 families live here. I am impossible because of the going to show you my house on the way rocks and trees appearing in the image. While trying to spot Setti Fatma a back,” he said and on the way home he pretty old man, later he tells his name is not only showed his house, but also told Burham, came to us and offered to show us about his family and showed a couple the waterfall. Obviously it was not going to of pictures of his children: two boys be a free favor, so at first we did not want to (15 and 12 years old) and two girls (5 accept it, but we took a risk – Setti Fatma years old and 5 months). waterfall is the reason why we came here The trip back to the town was three times easier and I did not need so after all. much Burham’s assistance like before, although my shoes were still slippery and made me to fall a couple of time.

When we were nearly there Burham politely asked us to pay for this experience 400 Dirhams and there were no doubts such an experience is worth every penny.

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