En route Morocco
Currently I'm writing from this very trendy hostel in Morocco. Imagine Moroccan architecture, soft music and chilled vibes along with good coffee.
This all is very welcoming after spending two nights on two different airports across three different continents. Yep, that's what went down - four cities, three flights, two nights in airports (a sleeping bag, inflatable mattress and pillow make a formidable combination in any situation!).
The journey is obviously not about just the country - there's a lot more to it. And when choosing the cheapest way of traveling a thing I would like to call airport adventures are sure to follow.
I've never slept on an airport before, and I'm sure this wasn't my last time. I'm not an expert at it either - not yet. But we do have an expert on our team... And this is an account of how it's done.
Leftovers. The budget is tight and airports aren't exactly cheap, so looking out for left overs can be quite an adventure. Burger King and McDonald's are good options for grabbing a leftover meal. It's surprising how many people don't finish their meals. In this way it also affords you a variety of food and choice, without it costing you a thing.
Making friends. This option worked for me in Istanbul, Turkey. I was strolling around with Lelani, a fellow team mate, just looking around. Then out of nowhere these people invite us to come sit with them, offering us food. At first I was hesitant but decided this is a good opportunity to make friends, eat a bit and get to know these people and their stories. Turns out they're Moroccan! We talked for a long time about what to do in Morocco, where to go and what to see. Later they started opening up, although just one of them actually spoke good English. One of them had climbed Mount Everest - that's crazy. I've never met someone who's done that before. There are such interesting people! I was also humbled and challenged by this - would I offer my food to complete strangers, inviting them to eat as much as they want? This is what went through my head as I sat there enjoying fresh bread, tuna and Laughing Cow cheese (reminding me of home and school lunch boxes).
Keeping your eyes open. This is key. A lot of people leave stuff behind before going through customs. So... The strategy here is to look around, ask around and when security says it's free for the taking, you do so. Turkish Delight is original to Turkey. We had considered buying a box but decided spending 15 Euro on a box of Turkish Delight just isn't worth it. Not having Turkish Delight in Turkey would not damp our spirits, we kept on looking around and found some interesting stuff. Later that night though, here comes Willem (another team member, the expert) with a whole bag of Turkish Delight someone had left behind. There were probably five boxes in there. We're still enjoying some of that Delight!
Lastly I would recommend going to shops who sell pastries. They have to throw it out because they can't go around selling old food. After asking about three pastry cafés we lost hope that we were actually going to get something. Finally we had a breakthrough. Explaining in broken English what our situation was we saw the shop keeper understood what we were saying. In silence we watched dish pastry after pastry into bags. We were left speechless at his kindness and generosity. There was more than enough for all of us.
In all of this I can see God's provision! He is so good. And yes, these things are humbling. But they're so liberating too, if you allow them to be.
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