BootsnAll Travel Network
Add this blog to: MyYahoo, Google, Bloglines, RSS


Extreme Photography

March 30th, 2006

Yah so I remembered to bring my laptop in to work but on the way I realised that I didn’t have any pics to show. So I did some Extreme Cellphone Photography + Sketchy Driving. Please do not try this at home (or where a traffic bra can spot you).

Pic2Pic3

Pic4Pic5

Pic6Pic1

Anyway you can see that my drive to work on a sunny morning is pretty scenic. The most beautiful sight for me is the mense in the incoming lane stuck in traffic into town. Sometimes I stick my tongue out at them because I like gloating – it makes me feel like I won and like a youngster.
Symphony1

I did have this pic of the Symphony of Fire beweging last night which I could sort of see from my balcony (all the medium and high flying fireworks).

Actually I lie. That pic I took of the clip on the TV (yes, one of the few days I was actually up early enough to check the breakfast news). Here’s the pic from my house…

Symphony2

The cellphone photos doesn’t do it justice. Just imagine the clarity of the second pic with the size of the first one. The fireworks was kak impressive. I’m checking on missioning somewhere with a better view for the next night of the Symphony of Fire.

Posted in Cape Town, Other | No Comments »

Tags: , ,

Finding Info

March 29th, 2006

I’ve been getting very little response from possible employers in Morocco so its kinda worried me a bit. Anyway I posted on the Thorntree to ask if anybody knew of a place I could leave a second bag (the one that had all the stuff I didn’t want to backpack with. Winter gear, etc.).

A good Samaritan came back and offered to store it for me. Aren’t people wonderful? We’ve been in contact and she’s really stoking me on the job front. Check out her website – its a good read. Another regular poster on the Thorntree has this Morroccan FAQ site.

Also check this guy’s site for some insane photos.

[PS: Didn’t get my e-ticket yet but I forgot my laptop at home anyway. To get a pic onto this site I use my phone to laptop to memory stick to PC – sometimes it is easier though when I can lend bluetooth dongle or bring my laptop to work – jeez I need a digital camera too!]

Posted in Morocco, Travel | 1 Comment »

Tags: , ,

Ticket – Part 1

March 28th, 2006

So I went to Club Travel today to buy my ticket. I’ll get my e-ticket tomorrow. I’m a bit disappointed because I wanted an actual ticket to fondle. But I’ll post a pic of my e-ticket in my next post anyway (that’s why I called this post Part 1).

On the way to buy the ticket I realised something. The Moroccan embassy needs a copy of your ticket before they’ll issue a visa. What kind of bass ackward logic is this? What if I don’t get the visa and then I’m sitting with a ticket I can’t use! Anyway I applied my motto for this trip: “Don’t Think It Through”.

Visa Requirements:

  • Passport valid for 6 months
  • 2 Passport photos
  • Copy of return flight ticket
  • Proof of accommodation
  • Completed application form
  • R195

I phoned the embassy and made sure that:

  • They won’t give me hassle because I’m going with a 1 month holiday visa and have a year open ticket. (They only issue holiday visas – upgrade there when I get work)
  • A copy of an e-ticket is valid
  • My proof of accommodation is only for a couple of days

I’m not too worried because the guy I spoke to at the embassy was named Ghalied too and he seemed like a cool bra. Now I have to find a way to get the documentation to the embassy in Pretoria. The intermediates down here charge you R250. Aish my gazi that’s a whole R250 more than I’m willing to spend.

Posted in Morocco, Travel | No Comments »

Tags: , ,

Weekend

March 27th, 2006
Didn’t do much this weekend.
A Lenny Kravitz moment

In fact I went out of my way to do very little as the start of my goal to Start Saving Money. Still managed to go to a play, a braai and a wedding. I watched a shit load of movies though – okay four. Six if I count the one as the three short films it was comprised of.

Also did a search for my degree. It was in my top cupboard still in the thing they sent it to me in. (The green arrow pointing to it).

When I graduated from UNISA, I filled out my forms to go to my graduation. But received this in the post a couple of months later…

Top CupboardMy Degree

This is when I realised that I forgot to go. This weekend is probably the second time I looked at the document it took me so long to get. I’m telling you that if the pass mark was 51%, I’d still only be halfway through.

Posted in Other | No Comments »

Tags: ,

TGIF

March 24th, 2006

Lazy Friday. Got paid. Need to put all of it into buying a ticket. A bitter sweet experience that is also the point where I put my money where my mouth is.

Posted in Other | No Comments »

Tags: ,

How did I think of this?

March 23rd, 2006
I mean in all fairness this is kinda a bit hectic this mission. But I actually I’ve been wanting to make a long trip for a while. As early as ’96 I had started applying for a work visa to the UK but had to stop doing that just as I had everything together. Its only this year again that I can sorta go with no real worries that I’m fleeing responsibility (okay maybe just a little).
My missions to Brazil have made me realise that I’m actually OK at learning a language and I nogal like it a lot. But Arabic seems or French are more viable choices than Portuguese. Also I don’t want to go to any country where there isn’t surf. I’m not the greatest surfer but still the ocean is a heavy part of my life.
Alfa Surf
If you look at these things you can start to see how Morocco is starting to become an obvious choice. Plus I haven’t been to the Arab/Mediterranean/North Africa region.
The short vacation trips weren’t doing it for me anymore and I was never going to master a language that way. But how I decided to give up being in Cape Town close to friends and family and a stable job for a foreign country with no job waiting for me and no idea what’s up ahead… I don’t know how I decided.
Maybe I’m just slightly nutty.

Posted in Travel | No Comments »

Tags: ,

10 Days of Packing Up Your Life

March 22nd, 2006

It was Human’s Rights Day yesterday and I watched Freshly Ground perform in the Company Gardens alongside a vrag (load) other musicians. They were mal as ever. I hope mense (people) start checking of the Gardens concert synonymous with Human Rights Day. We need to do something to differentiate this morass of public holidays. I mean its cool getting all these days off but its hard to keep track of why.
Definitely buying Freshly Ground CD’s to take with me because I pimp South Africa biiiig time when I travel  – lets face it – this place IS special.

I checked out some ticket prices on Friday and it looks like I’m be travelling with BA at about the 10th of May. I figure I’ll do most of my prep from the start of May which leaves me with 10 Days of Packing Up My Life. This is going to be hectic because I’ve basically never moved before so I’ve got stuff from waaay back. And I’m a bra that can’t soema just throw away stuff. Heavy.

Also I’ll have to buy my ticket before the end of this month so that I avoid the price increases. Theoretically its not possible for me to have enough money to buy the ticket and survive through April. “Theoretically” se moer. I already did away with “logically” when I decided on this improbable mission so “theoretically” won’t be a big loss. Sometimes its just better not to think things through too much…

Posted in Travel | No Comments »

Tags: ,

Books

March 16th, 2006

Okay I found some guide books online. The big online bookstores in SA are Exclusive Books and Kalaharis.net. I usually find Kalahari cheaper but if you factor in the delivery costs (Exclusive delivers free to any of their stores and there’s a lot of stores) they come out about the same.

Now I found Take2 and they’re much cheaper. I ordered Morocco Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet Morrocan Arabic Phrasebook and its was almost 30% less.

I chose the Rough Guide over the Lonely Planet guide mainly because the design seemed more appealing.

Posted in Travel | No Comments »

Tags: , ,

List of Stuff

March 16th, 2006

While I’m punching away at the keyboard, I been jotting down on a page next to my elbow a list of things that pop into my head that seem important for my exile:

  1. Moroccan Embassy (for visa)
  2. Tickets (I hear via Madrid on Iberia is the cheapest)
  3. Guide book (Lonely Planet or Rough Guide)
  4. TEFL addresses
  5. Backpack
  6. Laptop
  7. Shampoo (how did this get here?)
  8. Removable Harddrive (probably for all my pics)
  9. Digital Camera
  10. Info (w.t.f.??)
  11. Phrasebook
  12. Car cover

I bought the laptop and shampoo, also found out about visa’s [can only get i month travel visa and upgrade there to work visa] and ticket [only British Airways have a one year open return and its just over R8000].

Oh, and if anyone knows of a cool site I can put pics to, it would be much appreciated. The firewall here at work blocks photobucket and imageshack. This blog is going to be bleak without pics. Unless this test here…Me thinking… works.

Posted in Travel | 6 Comments »

Tags: , ,

First Post

March 15th, 2006

What am I up to now? Waiting for the end of the month. That’s when I hand in my resignation. Then its off to book a ticket to Morocco. That’s about all my planning for now. Ya I’m stoked but nervous too. I mean this is a helluva step and not lee way for me to mess in. There’s so much goede that go wrong but I’m going to mission anyway.

Meanwhile trying to find jobs in Morocco over the net. Not much luck so far so I’m starting to gather physical addresses of language schools so that I can pop in and hopefully they’ll be desperate enough at that time to hire a fresh TEFL teacher with no experience.

Oh, this blog will update a lot while I’m still in my full time job but I don’t know how things are going to be when I go to Morocco. Now going to figure out how to add pictures here…

Posted in Travel | 1 Comment »

Tags: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Entries »