After Gibraltar we drove to Tarifa, Spain to catch a 3pm ferry to Tanger, Morocco. The ferry was huge and could seat about 500 people. Although, when we took it, there were barely 30 people on board. The trip out wasn't too bad, a little rocky, but it only took 45-60 minutes and we had arrived to the African continent. I was really excited to be (technically speaking) in Africa for the first time.
The funny thing about taking the ferry is that we had to get our passport stamped once in Tarifa by Spanish authorities and then again by Moroccan authorities on the ferry. When we returned we did the same ritual in reverse, with a total of 4 stamps on our passport instead of the usual two.
It was a little overwhelming getting off the ferry and stepping onto African soil (or cement rather) for the first time. It suddenly hit us that we were four girls by ourselves in an African and Arab country for the first time, we had not maps, and we had no idea where we could go. But, God works in wonderfully and mysterious ways, and we were immediately approached by a man with a tour-guide badge offering to give us a walking tour of the city for 5 euros a piece. At first I was very suspicious, seeing as we had literally just stepped off the ferry and because he was very eager and determined to give us a tour. However, in the end, we agreed having really no better option.
It turned out to be a huge blessing though, for without him we would have been lost and felt much less secure in walking around since we really had no idea where to go. He explained that since it was Ramadan we only had a few hours to see things before everything closed up. So, the first thing we did was go to a Moroccan restaurant he recommended. The decor was Arabic in style and we sat on elevated cushions with pillows. We ate off of decorative china and there were even 3 men in fezzes playing Moroccan music for us while we dined. Most of the food I couldn't eat because it had chicken in it, but I filled up on a lot of bread which was really good. You can see pictures and descriptions of our meal below.
After that he took us to an open market (helped me buy some Moroccan fruit), down charming side streets, to see a local Catholic church, to see people coming out of a mosque, showed us a 300 year old tree, and showed us the Kasbah.
He also took us to a local store to buy some souvenirs. It was clear to us, at this point, that his route was very organized and that he likely had deals with/was friends with the owners of the restaurant and the store. For 5 euros apiece, I hope he gets some commissions or something for taking us to those places. We did some haggling and bought some gifts, and the people in the store were really nice to talk to. They were determined to give us a "package deal" and "good student price", it was a very worthwhile experience. While in the store, we also heard the call to prayer over some sort of intercom system. You could hear it anywhere you were in the city.
Before heading back to the ferry, our guide helped us buy some honey cakes. He had been mentioning them a lot when we asked about what they ate there normally and what they usually ate when they broke the fast of Ramadan at night. So, I just had to try them. He got us 4 different varieties and they were SO good. Any of you who go to Morocco, you HAVE to try these things, and they are very cheap. They were so good one had to exercise self-control not to inhale them. Anyways, it was good to try something very local and authentic.
Morocco is 2 hours behind Spain because it does not change its clocks for daylights savings. So, we went to catch the 7pm ferry (9pm Spain time) since we literally just missed the 5pm one. When we got there, we discovered that since it was Ramadan all the ferries were pushed back 30 minutes, and in the end we left around 8pm (10pm Spain time). Our guide had to go home to his family, so we had to just chill and eat honey cakes for about 2 hours waiting for the ferry to depart.
While we waited God entertained us with some lighting, which really completed the experience for me. It was really fun to spend a day in Morocco, especially with our wonderful God-sent guide.
HIGHLIGHT OF MOROCCO: Experiencing Africa and an Arabic country for the first time and eating delicious HONEYCAKES!
1. Ferry from Tarifa, Spain to Tanger, Morocco
2. One of the first views I had of Africa
3. Interior of the Moroccan Restaurant
4. Me, one of my flat mates, and the lady we stayed with in the restaurant
5. View of the "old city" from the Restaurant Window
6. Our Moroccan Band :)
7. The China for our lunch
8. First Course: Chicken-Lentil Stew
9. Second Course: Fried-Crepe-Cinamonon-Sugar-Egg-Chicken Pocket (don't know the real name)
10. Third Course: Chicken Couscous
11. Wheat Loaf
12. Where the bread is cooked (saw later in the day)
13. Almond-Sugar Cookies (very good!)
14. Olives from the open market (mom and dad: you would have like this part)
15. People getting out of a service at a mosque
16. My flatmates, me, and the lady we stayed with in front of the entrance to the kashbah
17. My two flatmates, our guide, and the lady we stayed with
18.Honeycakes!!! (half eaten :)
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