Guesthouse Dar Boubana Tangier

... it was a big thing. There were lots of beggars and it
certainly wasn’t one of the most traditionally African cities. The food is really varied here, lots of
pizza, Spanish, French, even Austrian, Japanese, Chinese. Maybe it was because
we are from Melbourne which has so many immigrants and different shops, food
dishes etc, but Tangier was a favourite definitely.

We found a
fantastic little Italian restaurant and ate fresh handmade pasta. Later we
found dad ...

... kids walking to school with their backpacks - small groups of men walking, some gawking...some not - women in their djellabas...some in groups, some alone - men rummaging through garbage - the typical stray cats and dogs - travelers with their backpacks getting to their next destination - men hanging out in doorways ...

... anything... Markets here include spice, olive, teapot, carpet, pastry, and antique cookware shops. All of this combined was almost sensory overload, what an amazing place! Being perhaps the only white people in Tangier (we met up with a Brit who was walked around the town with us) we definitely stuck out and had lots of stares. Dinner near the water was chicken, spiced rice, and veggies - delicious and wonderfully cheap at about $3.

As expected for getting to bed at 6:30am, it was a brutal 7:45am wake up call. Our stuff was pretty much packed anyway, and checking out and getting a cab were fairly painless. We already had our bus tickets in hand, so it was a question of making sure we were at the right bus stop and then clambering on the fairly comfortable bus. Fitful sleep followed along with constant glances at our watches to make sure we were on track to get into town on time for the 11am ferry.
Tangier, Tanger-Tétouan, Morocco mvenkat007

Buenas Amigos Mios, Hey guys, just thought I would give you a follow up on our trip to Marruecos (Morocco). Wow, talk about one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life! You can´t even imagine how people live there! The poverty was just crazy. It was so sad at times to see some of the kids or those who were living on the streets in the Medina (town center). The world has so much to teach you if you just listen. I´ve been finding myself ...

... out of town where they kept monkeys in cages and there was only one other tent. Why only one other tent? Because by the time you pay for a taxi out there and add on showers which are extra then your night spent not sleeping on a hard ground surface costs you the same amount as the cheap hotel with rooftop views in the centre of town. We have decided to put the tent away for now and take the rooms. Upon entering Morocco we are immediately made aware that ...

... town we pass through has long lines of thatched market stalls stuffed chock-a-block with melons - mainly watermelons, but also rock melons and honeydew melons. Nothing else seems to be grown here but you wonder where they are grown - as far as the eye can see there are dry, dusty fields with not a skerrick of greenery. In fact they look like carefully cultivated fields of small rocks. Essaouira is about 200kms away on the Atlantic coast and for kilometres before our arrival ...

... dans le quartiers des romis (les romis sont parfois arabes, tsé) avec des gardes, qui nous protégerait de la vie, de toi madame ! Notre présence ici, voilà déjà qui ouvre le débat. Pour y faire QUOI ? Avec nos milliers de dirhams, on pourrait se la péter, c'est sûr. En même temps c'est les dirhams qui font chier tout le truc, ça, on sait. Que quand un Whazi nous fait faire le tour de la ville, je deviens hyper méfiant, en fait je suis carrément ...

... time in Morocco. Lee and I both were very impressed with the tour and with our limited view of Morocco. It would have been very different and much less enjoyable without being on a guided tour. The ferry ride back to Tarifa was smoother with several American groups (Kentucky high school and UNC college students) hanging out on the deck. Lee and I were both very happy that we decided to take the day trip to Morocco and experience a little sampling of life in Tangier.

... and even offered me half of her double bed for the night. My angel, so so lovely i could have just hugged and kissed her right there and then!!! Oh to have a fluffy towel to dry myself with - its this littlest of things you miss! Not much to see in Tangier, so headed almost straight out and down the west coast, seeing gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean, headed for our first stop, Moroccoś Capital (Rabat).