Monday, March 21, 2011

Day 1 Morocco

It has been a lloonngv trip from the bus to thw ferry 2 flights one to Madrid (which has an impressive aeropuerto) then a connection to Malaga from their several Bus rides around the city then a 2 hour bus ride to Algeciras where i gave up & crashed, the next day, yesterday a beautiful ferry with luxurious leather seats, huge windows, took the ferry to the port of Tangiers from Algeciras then an equally impressive 1 hour or so bus ride to Tangiers, a long journey but now i am
At a destination city so 3 days of rest & sight seeing.....Well this is the 1st night I am getting any rest really, it is 1 AM Tangier time I think 21:00 your time (we are ahead here) the bed is a rock but think that may be cultural, there is only hot water between 0800-1000 (or so j am told by desk staff), the room was 390 Dirhams for 3 nights (1 Dirham = $0.25) what I like is even though I am staying in the actual madira (old town) it is dead quiet & pitch black, I have no view....last night in Algeciras on the Iberian Peninsula there was not much to do.... the photo is on the nice AC bus ride from the port at Tangiers to the medina or "old town" of Tangiers where I met "Achmed", I tried & tried & tries to shake Achmed but like a little last puppy he tagged along, he was an out of work bus driver who wanted to show me around?, I finally gave in after about 30 mins of trying to shoo him off, eventually I began to relent more & more & "A" turned out to be a really nice guy, a family man around 45 years old, one of the vendors told me I could trust him so I finally did & took the "Achmed Tour", we found a hotel after 2 tries I selected one, he took me to all sorts of shops, including food, I could tell he had certain landmark spots he takes tourist too, I was taken to a shop that sold rugs, given sweet tea w/ fresh mint (it is an insult to refuse, I learned that), the rug guy tried to sell me everything but the kitchen sink, he displayed & rolled out over 25 rugs for me, cottons, silks, polyester but I stood my ground & only left w/ 3 chairs, 2 leather bags, 1 lamp & a sofa....BUT I DID NOT BUY A RUG....lol, I kept telling him, "I didn't come to Tangiers to buy a rug, I am looking for soap & a towel so I can take a shower", that didn't stop the sales man though, it WAS right out of a movie....then "A" took me to a traditional Moroccan restaurant where I had this delicious soup (he wouldn't join me even after I insisted), some kind of vegetable laced pie, followed by a chicken wing roasted with potatoes, olives & it was all quite good & once again u couldn't beat the price....from there I INSISTED he lead me back to the hotel room because by this time I was lost....it is nothing but winding cobblestone streets, most of the cobblestone uneven, broken, the pathways are at the most 5'-6' (being generous) narrow with towering buildings on either side, which give u the feeling you are actually inside....i gave Achmed 200 Dirhams & sent him on his way after a few hours (somehow i think he might be cpes downstairs in the lobby for my early awakening), this town, it is somehow like being in. Movie.....alright it us 2 AM I am beat....good night....tomorrow I go to the Kasbah outside the walls of the city & maybe on Sunday to "Porto del Herculese" which all looks quite beautiful in photos.....

1 comment:

  1. Glad you found a good guide and that you were able to avoid buying a rug! Looking forward to seeing pics from your trip, be safe and have fun!

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