Hotel Rif And Spa Tangier

... br>from Africa into Europe was one of the strangest and coolest moment in the<br>trip! The port down below looked like Splits, with lots of big ferries moving<br>in and out, and some hilly land nearby that looked like Marjan. <br><br>We popped into a<br>bar near our hotel, called the American bar but decked out with British<br>memorabilia inside. <br><br>We ended up<br>chatting with a self proclaimed &#8216;businessman&#8217; who finished off a mysterious<br>discussion with an Englishman ...

... I was in Tangiers!!! <br>First stop at an old Castillo to see the camels. Hell, I didn't come this far not to ride one, and at only one euro, a bargain,(it was a bit wobbly though) <br>Next the coach took as through the international areas where Britain, France, Spain and the US had there own areas, a little like in old Shanghai.<br>We head towards the casbah and the coach stops and we all get led to a nice area with an enormous fountain and watched the local people ...

... many many hawkers and souvenir shops. We've been told to bargain for everything. Never pay full price. Surprisingly French is the main language of shops and instructions although everyone seems to have some English at least. There's a lot of new development, very few monuments or squares, no memorials to Columbus, lots of really old cars and if you use a pedestrian crossing you do so very carefully. The drivers only stop if they think you're ...

We left Algecira on a ferry, passed by the Rock of Gibraltar and then after an hour or so of cruising pulled into port in Tangier Africa!! The Port welcome sign in French and Arabic was the first indication of how different Morocco would be. There were also countless very persistent touts, the most original of had a fake badge and tried to tell us he is special tourists police and that to be safe we should stay at Holland Hotel ...

... to the shopkeepers incase they realised they could do it too. Seriously, the pressure you're put under in these places is incredible, and if you're not used to it you could end up handing over a fortune. When I got back to Spain I met an english couple that bought a 60 Euro rug just to get out of the place safely because they felt so intimidated. Speaking of being intimidated, I'll admit it did cross my mind that I was now ...

We are finally in Tangier, Morocco after a crazy travel day and a half to get here and have entered into what our guide book says is one of the greatest shows on Earth. Morocco is charming us already and i am sure it will enchant us even more as we get familiar with the fascinating Muslim culture. The computer keyboard i am typing on is in Arabic and the English alphabet letters are scattered around the board making this blog a slow process. Morocco will ...

... The next day Lisa invited us to the house where she is staying, which turns out to be a luxurious villa and associated guest quarters set in acres of garden. A great breakfast has been set up in a pavilion and we lounge about eating fresh fruit, going for dips in the pool (there are several), sunbaking, walking around the grounds, eating a delicious lunch served by servants, drinking wine, etc. After 2 weeks of harsh desert conditions it's most welcome. I decide to make up ...

... l'air le moins touriste possible (avoir l'air de connaître mon chemin, ne rien demander, répondre "Salam" quand on me dit "Hola amigo"). Partir à vélo à la nuit tombante. Chemin. Longtemps. Se faire inviter à dormir chez Youssef. Youssef chef d'entreprise de machinerie agricole ET fournisseur de lapins pour tout le maroc. Président fondateur du "Centre de développement économique d'Al-Rhaba, pour les Femmes et les Enfants", c'est ...

... Kazbah to our lunch stop at the large Hamadi restaurant. It looked to be where all of the tour groups go and get a typical Moroccan lunch. Four men there played Moroccan music for us which added some ambiance. Lee and I thought it was similar to mariachis at a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed the music but were thankful that we were seated far away. Lunch consisted of Moroccan bread, a tomato-based vegetable soup, two meat kebobs with couscous and a ...

... though the carpets are absolutely beautiful and stunning quality... the starting price for large rug was E850. Of course you can bargain, but still way out of my price range. My excuse to the sellers was that I don't have a house so how would I know what colour to get. Next was a herb or medicine demo, where we heard how different herbs will help different ailments. Our skin was rubbed with samples of everything under the sun, so for 24 hours from now, I shouldn't snore, have ...