The ferry ride from Alegeciras to Tangier was incredible. It took a little over an hour to sail across the Straights of Gibralter to the continent of Africa - wow! Gibralter is beautiful and we learned that its history dates back to the Neanderthals. As if the amazing scenery wasn’t enough, we were treated to a huge school of dolphins swimming next to the boat - great timing :).
After a long journey by plane, train, taxi and ferry, we finally arrived in the Kasbah! Our trip has been incredible and we have experienced a lot of different cultures, but nothing like this!! After finding our way to the port, we waited for the taxi that was sent from our Bed and Breakfast to pick us up. We had to be very firm in refusing help and taxi rides from the numerous men who tried to help us. There is an eagerness in their eyes as they try to help you with your suitcase or steer you to their taxi - hoping to make some money off the new tourists in town. Our taxi arrived and we piled into a car with no seatbelts in the backseats...when in Rome! We all stared out the windows as we made our way through crowded streets and into the craziest roundabout we have ever seen - cars going all different directions and lots of honking. The streets seem barely large enough for one car, but somehow, cars, bustling storefronts and many, many people seem to share them. The taxi stopped after entering an archway marked
Bab Kasbah and we were again immediately swarmed by men and young boys all attempting to carry our suitcases. This time, we were not so successful in getting them to stop. The taxi driver led the way as 4 young men carried our bags to our destination. They were very happy to receive the change we gave them in thanks. We are staying at Dar Nour - an oasis among garbage strewn streets, bands of feral cats and the general dirtiness of a crowded city. It is really amazing once you enter the doors of the building - a remodeled house with multiple clay tiled staircases, colorful walls and several rooms - each uniquely decorated and situated. We are in the Pacha Suite - decadent in that it is the only one with a full bathroom. We love it.
The first day was a bit overwhelming as our new friends waited outside our door. It took half a day, but we eventually convinced them we did not need a tour guide and were not interested in their help. We wandered through the narrow streets, marveling at the unique doors, gorgeous bougenvilla, white-washed buildings and colorful walls. Dar Nour is situated in the heart of the Kasbah and just around the corner from the marketplace - the “Medina”. The kids love the Medina - happily shopping with their Moroccan money - the “Dirham” - ten Dirhims equal one Euro and there are bargains galore! Cullen in particular loves bargaining with the shopkeepers - we are all leaning on him now to get us the best price. He quickly learned that pretending to walk away is very effective in getting a better price. However, once you have engaged in negotiations with someone it is very difficult to end without making a purchase. At one point, I was negotiating for a blanket and after trying to walk away, the man rather forcefully tried to throw the blanket in our taxi and lowered the price to my lowest offer - I bought the blanket and we quickly left that shopping area. We have made many purchases already...shoes, scarves, beads, trinkets, magic boxes - you name it! - lots of fun.
The city is a mixture of Moroccan, French and Muslim influences - with French being the strongest. Dar Nour is very French - we are really enjoying the food and ambiance. The breakfast is incredible and we feel very cosmopolitan as we sip our coffee on the fabulous terrace overlooking Tangiers and the Meditarranean Sea. Our first night here we were invited to the incredible roof-top patio for a meteor party - complete with wine and a discussion of meteors led by a man who has a PhD in astronomy - in French of course. Marc and I are trying to revive our French...slowly coming back to us. At one point, I considered myself conversational in French - not anymore!! We have enough to get by, but couldn’t understand the meteor discussion. We never saw any showers, but enjoyed meeting a couple from Paris and learning more about Tangiers and the local politics and economy. We marveled at their story of how they attempted to purchase a second home here - for $15,000 euro - an incredible bargain among our standards. However, we learned that their negotiations fell apart when they became uncomfortable with the lack of a title system here. Apparently, if you purchase property, you receive some sort of a religious guarantee (not in writing) that the owner selling you the property actually owns the property. After 3 years of possession, you can then go through a lengthy process to receive a proper deed. Dar Nour is in its 3rd year and is now seeking its deed - hopefully they will be able to accomplish that task and keep this incredible place.
We have a relationship with our taxi driver now - setting times for him to pick us up in advance. His name is Saed and he is a very nice man and it is comforting to have the same person every day. Our French hosts have helped us plan our days. Yesterday we took their recommendation and went to a private beach they suggested that was 45 minutes away - “L’Ocean” - a beautiful beach on the Atlantic. It is very nerve racking for me to sit in the backseat and watch the kids bounce around the car with no seat belts - especially when we are passing all sorts of vehicles in the suicide lane. Marc and the kids know my strict rules about cars and seat belts and seem to get a giggle out of my looks of fear. Marc is much more relaxed about the taxis than I am.
Tangiers is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and we stopped to look at the vista where the 2 meet - wonderful to see. The private beach was fantastic! It is very, very hot here, so the ocean was a wonderful respite. We ate at an incredible restaurant and quickly befriended the owner - another Frenchman! Ava is a novelty here with her blonde hair. She is not use to the men who want a “bisou” from her. She is warming up to the idea :). Last night walking home from dinner through the Medina, someone among the huge crowd shouted “Allo Ava!” - it was one of the staff from B&B who particularly loves her - we all laughed about Ava knowing someone on the streets of the crazy Kasbah!
We were awoken last night with loud drumming and chanting outside our window - marking the start of Rahmadan. The mood is markedly different today - very quiet and still because most of the city is fasting from sun up to sun down. We have heard that the city becomes crazy once the sun sets. Today we are traveling to Asilah - another city about an hour away.
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