So we were set on seeing Morocco. We wanted to be able to set foot on another continent and add to our "worldliness". That was an interesting decision. Morocco doesn't really fit in with its surrounding territories. It is definitely not European. It is however, just as far from being African. The city of Tangier is the richest in Africa, yet every single person we know is exponentially wealthier than so many of the people there. Just to set the mood, consider you earned $2/hr. That's more than most of the people we saw in and around the old town of Tangier.
We headed over on the ferry around 11:00 AM. After about 40 minutes we pulled into the dock at Tangier. We had the good fortune to run into a couple of Canadians at the security checkpoint. They were kind enough to help us through the first slough of "guides." Many of these men are in fact guides who know much of the city's history and will provide you with a good mix of information and navigation. They also help keep away the other guys. Many other people can and will approach, offering help with direction or even just to keep others like themselves at bay. People of this sort will harass you for the first km or so (I guess the police have been required on a number of occasions to put an end to the harassment). Once you're into the town, it's not so bad. The first ten minutes we spent in Morocco was surprisingly overwhelming and I'm not sure how we would've made out had we not met that couple.
We made it into the town fairly easily, and no sooner than we had, did we realize we were not anywhere like home. Children everywhere, except for in school. Markets were teeming with people buying fresh fruit, vegetables, breads, and goat heads (skinned or not). The markets were filled with shops hanging chickens to show that they were killed properly (according to Islam, the hal lal requires that the chicken be facing Mecca with it's throat slit to drain it's blood). We saw a metal working shop with a blacksmith. Firing the metal and pounding it with a hammer on an anvil. So many things seemed so unusual that I'm sure we stood out based entirely on our facial expressions (if the clothes and skin color hadn't already given it away).
We made our way up the hill toward the Kasbah. So many of the roads that wind between the tightly packed houses come to a dead end, so we ended up backtracking a few times. After a couple of failed attempts, we picked up a "guide". Not by choice. He followed us and then lead us, then followed again if we chose another path. Repeatedly. This can prove to be fairly upsetting. We finally managed to lose the creepy guy with the help of a boy. He showed us the way (without the creepy talking and name calling) and we tipped him quite gladly. Once we reached the Kasbah, we spent the €1 each to tour the museum and gawked at thousands of years of history. The building itself is over 1000 years old. Many of the artifacts within it are older still. It seems as though there is much work to be done to complete (renovate) the museum. I'm not sure how soon that will happen when they charge less than a coke to view one of the oldest standing structures on the face of this earth.
After our trying times in the old town, we made our way down to the beach, to enjoy some much needed relaxation. The beach was almost as shocking as the old town. Children begged us for money for food. That was a little upsetting. There were camels on the beach. A man riding a horse and a woman walking her monkey. To top it all off, they post signs that indicate "No Dogs."
So as it turns out, we're both quite glad to have visited Morocco, but on that same note, we're quite glad to be back.
Hasta la proxíma vez,
Kathlene and Stu
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