I'd thought about spending the summer in Essaouira or traveling around Morocco and going back to those places in the mountains which I fell in love with. But I'm feeling pulled to experience something entirely new before I go back home.
I remember how much I didn't want to leave Essaouira when it was time for me to get on my plane to Mali last December; but in hindsight, I'm so glad I had planned that trip and got to experience another side of Black Africa (as they call it here). The change was good for me even though I was quite happy here. It's going to be very difficult to leave Essaouira again regardless of when I leave- especially because this time, I really don't have plans to come back for awhile.
I've had Turkey near the top of my travel list for quite some time so I've decided to spend most of July and a chunk of August there. I'm hoping that Turkey will give me the same opportunity to open up my eyes in a new way and be inspired.
Now, I'm concentrating on slowly wrapping things up here: getting recordings and research writing uploaded, spending time at Ma'alem Seddik's. I will still try and see a bit more of the areas around Essaouira in June, come back for the giant Gnawa festival and then head off shortly thereafter.
