Not every trip is a vacation...

5 febrero - 7 febrero

...Morocco

A weekend away in Morocco made me homesick for Spain, but also opened my eyes to a culture and a country that I didn't really know a whole lot about.

I really didn't have any idea what to expect before I left, It was not until a day into the trip that I realized my romanticised expectations. I found myself a little disappointed at the end - mostly with the guided tour and lack of free time.

We left Granada by bus at 1:15 in the afternoon on Friday and didn't reach Algeciras, the city we departed from by Ferry until closer to 5:00. I was pleased to see that the ferry was in fact a ferry and not a barge. I told everyone I was going to wear my backpack forward on the boat because I didn't want anyone to steal from the back pouches. Pretty hilarious when we realized we were on a modern ferry with lounge areas, dining, and movie rooms. "Better put your backpack forward, Emily" hah hah hah...

Arriving in Tétouan Friday night was just to receive an included meal at the hotel (fried fish and steamed veggies) and go to bed. However, we did wake up early Saturday morning and head to the oldest market in Morocco, located in Tétouan.

The market was definitely an interesting first impression of Morocco. Narrow, cobblestone, pathways were lined with a variety of shops, including barbers and seamstresses, although they were mostly food vendors. I was overwhelmed by the smells of fish, chicken coops, feces, cheese, and urine when passing each of these little stands. The worst of it though was the source of those odors, all over the ground. Really makes you appreciate the farmer´s market at the capital square.

After walking around the inner city of Tétouan we reached our the part of the day which granted us "free time" for shopping. This turned out to be an hour long procession of rugs, revealing one on top of another until two piles stacked high side by side. We then had to shout whether we were interested in buying them (for a very good, cheap price) as they put them away. Afterwards, we were allowed to go downstairs and shop in the same store. In my opinion, everything was junk!

The second part of the day we traveled by bus to Tanger. This city is located on the Atlantic ocean and it was the section of the trip were we were to ride camels and see the oldest lighthouse in Morocco. The camel ride was in a parking lot, where they were forced (by whip) to lay down and allow someone to climb on, then stand back up, walk a lap and do it over again. I felt disgusted with myself for even getting on, and I believe my face in this picture captures that very well.

The lighthouse turned out to be a distance away from the main event, more shopping. We stopped in a parking lot where more stands were lined up with the same crappy trinkets. Our guide was being paid by these vendors for bringing us there - big surprise.

By the end of the day on Saturday, I was tired, upset, homesick (for Spain, the United States, tap water, clean clothes, and the ability to communicate these feelings to people that I care about back home.)However, Annie, Jodi and I stayed up chatting for awhile where we talked about how we didn't really expect everything to be so old and run down. I admitted that I figured there would be neat, old buildings filled with history (like in Spain and other parts of Europe). However, anything that they have is still being used (and not kept very well - even the oldest lighthouse had a clothesline strong across it) rather than preserved for it's history - for me that was the culture shock.

Sunday morning we woke up for our breakfast a little bit earlier than the day before - we had a lot of traveling ahead of us. We loaded on the bus (the six of us opting to sit in front this time, as Leah nearly passed out from motion sickness on Saturday). We headed for Chefchaouen, which is up in the mountains (south of the other two cities) and near a nature reserve. I have to say, I didn't have any hope that this trip would be better. Annie was hopeful that it would be, and thankfully, she was right.

Chefchaouen is a city with narrow passageways and everything painted blue (the color of peace in Islam). We did have to sit through another rug show - but we were granted free time throughout the entire city (I think because it was much more safe.) We finished the day with an included lunch at a hotel, before heading back to Ceuta to catch a ferry home.

I enjoyed the second day much more, however, I wouldn't suggest anyone trying to cram a trip to Morocco in two days. I also have a feeling that a visit to Casablanca would have been more enjoyable - as it is the wealthiest city in Morocco, however don't go if you're a Humphrey Bogart fan, apparently it wasn't filmed there at all. Only one scene was filmed in Morocco, at a beach in Tanger, which we drove past on the bus. Which wasn't a great photo opportunity, but sort of a neat thing to see regardless.