By 
It’s been awhile. A lot has happened and I keep saying to myself, “I’ll make a reel. I’ll write a blog post! I’ll…” And I’m not giving up on doing something with all those pictures and videos in my camera roll, but for now I wanted to update you on our annual vacay thus far. This year, we’re heading to Morocco for the bulk of our trip and then on to Barcelona, the states, and a few extra stops I’ll share along the way. Get in Bestie, we’re going on vacay!
We started with a 2-hour flight from Bali to Jakarta. I find the best flight deals out of Jakarta, so we usually start our longer journeys there. We flew Garuda Indonesia, which is my way of escaping the budget Asian airlines I loved so much in my backpacker 20s. I prefer the larger planes, which Garuda uses, and they have Business Class options.
In Jakarta, we stayed at Four Seasons. It’s become a tradition. The suites are beautiful, the service is the best, the food is exceptional, and the cost always hovers around $300/night. For a 2-bedroom suite at Four Seasons, that’s a steal!
First Stop: Jakarta Four Seasons
Then, it was time for the long flight – 16-hours in total. We flew Turkish Airlines Business Class from Jakarta to Istanbul (12-hour flight) and then Istanbul to Amsterdam (4-hour flight). This was our first time flying “with points”. I know, I know, we’re really late to the points party. I’m going to share the details about my points journey later. Long story short, this Business Class flight cost $320 (and 45,000 points).
And I was thoroughly impressed by Turkish Airlines. The service was elite. The seats were comfortable and spacious. The food was amazing! There was a chef onboard!
We arrived in Amsterdam and stayed at Hotel Jakarta, because I’m a writer and that seemed like too poetic of a travel story to reject – fly from Jakarta and stay in Hotel Jakarta? Yes. Of course, the true history is a little less romantic. Because the Dutch colonized Indonesia for 100-years, there is still a strong connection between the two countries. You’ll find many Indonesian inspired restaurants and hotels in Amsterdam.
Next Up: Amsterdam | Hotel Jakarta
We only had one day in Amsterdam, so we didn’t get up to much. This is literally the only picture I have of myself there. But we did get to Winkel 43 for the world-famous Dutch apple pie. Honestly, it wasn’t as good as we remembered, but that’s travel, right? Everything is better in retrospect.
In Europe, it’s cheaper and more convenient to fly the budget airlines, even though it’s not my favorite way to fly. No major airlines offered a route directly from Amsterdam to Marrakech, Morocco – our final destination, except one airline we’d never heard of – Transavia. The price was way cheaper than the major airlines that only offered indirect flights.
After watching a few Youtube videos, we decided the ‘no frills’ airline would be just fine. I preferred that over adding a stop and layover to the journey. We won on this gamble, because Transavia was a hit! Don’t get me wrong, there were no frills (or free snacks), but everything operated smoothly. We’d fly with them again.
Finally: Marrakech, Morocco!
Finally, we arrived in Marrakech! I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt more inspired in a city. There is just such an overwhelming stimulation of senses in Marrakech. Everything is colorful, even the buildings, which can only be painted the iconic clay color. Walking through the souks in the Medina, or walled in old city, is an adventure.
People are calling to you to buy goods, the call to prayer belts from speakers throughout the day. Using their goods as advertisements, the merchants hang their clothes and rugs, and leather bags outside the stall. I dare you to walk past them without reaching your hand just to see if the rug feels as soft as it looks. It does. Smaller restaurants and street food flood the alleyways with strong smells of shwarma, tajin, and coffee.
In short, it is a vibe. A beautiful, colorful, charismatic vibe that always leaves me feeling grateful to be alive. I know that’s a dramatic description, even for me, but it’s so true. I’m always so happy to be able to experience Marrakech. It’s a place that brings me joy.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more about our annual vacay in these travel journal entries. If you have any questions you’d like answered in a future post, drop a comment. I’ve always enjoyed taking you along on my adventures.
Next up, I’ll detail our 6-weeks in Marrakech, Morocco. If you’re interested in traveling with me offline, this year or next, consider these trips I’m hosting.
See you soon!
Amirah
PS – I can’t make any day commitments about when you can expect the next installment of this travel journal. I have to keep things loose and flexible in my life. If it ever feels like a job, I’m going to quit. But I’m excited about this, so please look out for my posts in the coming days.
