MOROCCO!!!

I've been thinking about doing a big trip for a little while now, mainly because I had a surfeit of vacation days this year (7 weeks in total), I've an obscene number of reward miles from various programs burning a whole in my figurative loyalty wallet, and also because I'm due - my last big trip was to London/Amsterdam/Barcelona/Madrid in April 2009.  Oh - and with my passport up for renewal in February, I was hoping to get one more stamp in my passport.

I thought my next trip would be a family vacation south, but that's now been pushed to early next year, so with 4 weeks of vacation left, I began browsing Gap Adventures' website again in earnest.

The prospect of visiting Angkor Wat and seeing the ancient temples there up close and personal drew me to Cambodia.  Madagascar was another possibility as it's somewhere I've been wanting to visit ever since reading an article in ROM magazine about it's fantastic flora and fauna.  Argentina/Brazil made the initial cut with Iguassu Falls being the main attraction.  In the end, the red tape of having to apply for a visa ixnayed all these destinations in favour of Morocco - an exotic locale I don't know much about beyond spice markets, lanterns, the desert, brilliant suzanis and pretty wedding blankets.  Random, right?

It was a toss-up between Gap's Highlights of Morocco and Marvellous Morocco tours but upon closer read of the itinerary, the former's camel safari into the Sahara Desert with an overnight stay in a Bedouin tent won me over.  I mean, c'mon!  A camel safari into the Sahara Desert?

My flights are all booked and my place for the tour is being held with the payment due the first of October, pending additional accomodations pre- and post-tour.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I am! :D