Inter-Continental Tangier

... We resolved to work
******* our Spanish back home.

Upon going back
to our hotel we saw a tiny shop front selling one thing. Spanish donuts which
were round rather than long that we know from Vic market. This place was next
door to our hotel and we subsequently found our new addiction.

They were
delicious and we ate them morning noon and night during our stay in Tangier…possibly
developing another roll on our bellies entirely from them… ...

... walk through the bazaar. Incredible. So much old history, magic, style, culture. A complete overload, though of course we ended up in the inevitable Arabian Carpet shop. People trying to sell you **** on the street got a bit wearing, but its their livelihood I guess.
We ended up at an old hotel overlooking the bay and was told to go to the toilet if we needed. I took a look around the hotel for a while, then went out side and my group was GONE!
Er, this isn't right ...

... and truly serious about crossing. It's a game of bluff. We travelled out to Cape Spartel, 300m above the point where the Atlantic meets the Straits of Gibraltar. It has that same eerie sort of feel that Cape Reinga in the far North of New Zealand has. You sense forces, currents and hidden power. We also had mint tea and little cakes in the cafeteria there. No special powers but the mint tea tasted very good. You'd be amazed at how many ...

... we did even though the driver said it is a bit expensive...he was right. So we gave in and let him take us to the place he recommended (aka was given a commission by). It ended up being 1/3 the price of the hotel we found online and was still cleaner than most places we've stayed, sometimes the taxi drivers aren't trying to rip you off... We imagined morocco would be a unique place, visions of whitewashed houses, head covered ...

... a hotel. "Ok," he says, "you just wait on the bus." The rest of the group got back on the ferry, headed back to Spain (by which point I was starting to wonder if I should too), and then I was taken to a bus stop where I had to wait another 20 minutes on another bus to take me to the hotel. Turns out the hotel was about 4 miles from the Old Town so I didn't get the chance to head back anyway. Not an impressive first day in Morocco.

... 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 ...

... masters come here, as well as many other musicians. On the Saturday night we attend a fantastic concert with a lineup of Toumani Diabate, a master of the kora (a 21 string instrument), then Bassekou Kouyate (a leading exponent of the n'goni), then Maalem Mahmoud Guinea (one of the best Gnaoua masters - his grandfather was from Mali and was sold as a slave in the Sahara). Alison, who among her many other talents is a music promoter (with a special interest in African music ...

... on the table, then a bland potatoy tasting soup was served. It was pretty good. I thought that was all we would get, considering that is all I eat in Spain. But then the entree was brought out, with lemon-peppered chicken kebabs, some potatoes, and veggies!!! The chicken tasted outstanding!!! And for dessert was a refreshing dish of fruit!!! After dinner Melissa, Marissa, and I went to our room and were off to bed!! Have to be up for breakfast at 8 and on the bus by 9!!!

... shall be forever embedded on my memory. He followed us along explaining that we should let him show us around. He would take us through the Kasbah and to eat local specialties and to do all manor of shopping. We wouldn't need to worry about a thing, he said. We communicated our appreciation of the offer, but really we just wanted to wander around on our own. "This is North Africa, not Europe! You can't just wander around ...

... very cute. Our next stop was to the beach, which was absolutely incredible, huge stretches of sand, and of course camels hanging out. Then we headed back into town, and walked into the Casba. The Casba are these narrow maze like streets, it would be almost impossible to find your way out. It was Friday, so it was actually pretty quiet, which was nice. Our first stop in the Casba was ...