Planning the Next Stage

Oct 20, Wednesday afternoon

I started travel planning in earnest yesterday, having dabbled online a few times.  I spent a few solid hours working through hostel websites, blog accounts, and the .se version of half a dozen travel sites (Expedia and Vayama give you a .com option - Kayak does not).  Corinne and I tapped keyboards and read away at a fantastic cafe (Cafe String, where I am now), she studying for her midterm exam and I planning Phase Two: North Africa.  

My plan has always been to begin the voyage in Morocco and go east, though the Swedish Phase One was added in June, having met and fallen hopelessly for the woman pictured above as any reasonable person would.  It took some doing to find a reasonable schedule from Casablanca (nothing more than an airport as far as I should be concerned) to various cities in the interior and back again for a flight to Tunis.  I'm glad I took the time, adding two days in the city of Ouarzazate to the itinerary.  While I considered these cities (Rabat or not Rabat?), the ticket price went up, OF COURSE, and I paid 1450 rather than 1080.  That's Swedish Crowns, and balances out to 200 rather than 155 or so.   Luckily, almost directly after the purchase is made, the price ceases to matter completely - which is nice.I'm starting to do those exchanges in my head, though looking at North Africa opened a whole new list of currencies and exchange rates.

At any rate, I have some cities laid out, along with places to stay: Casablanca, Fes, Meknes, Rabat, Marrakech, and finally Ouarzazate before heading back to Casablanca for the flight out to Tunis on the 18th.  Many of these hostels are part of Hosteling International (which is why the sites are so similar) and they all have phone numbers just in case - Mom.  All are located close to town centers and seem to have a similar organization, which I hope will be helpful when my French and Arabic give out, which will be immediately.  The plan from Tunis gets a bit less solid, but I am exploring the possibility of traveling through Tripoli or heading straight into mummy territory.  The middle east will be next and as my options broaden, my direction becomes more and more malleable.  I plan to meet Corinne in Istanbul around December 21st.  I'm thinking about Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, or an early excursion into Turkey.  Any suggestions?