Meet me at the Kasbah

And that is exactly what we did today! Beverly and I escorted different tours through Tangier (and it is Tangier; not Tangiers) and we literally met in the Kasbah. What an experience this was, and I have to say it far exceeded my expectations.

Morocco is a country (it is a constitutional monarchy) of some 13 million people, about 700,000 of which live in Tangier, the second largest city after Casablanca. The ruling family has been in charge continually for 1,200 years. It is a mostly Muslim country, but is not governed by Islamic Law; and because there is a lot of European influence here, there is a great deal of cultural diversity. For example, a man can have up to four wives, but he has to get the permission of the first to add a second, and so forth. They are trying to turn Tangier into a beach resort town as there are miles and miles of pristine beaches.

We begin our tour at Cape Spartel, a spot on the Atlantic Ocean that is considered the most northwestern point of Africa. On the way there, we drove by a section of gorgeous mansions belonging to people like the King of Monaco, the King of Saudi Arabia, and so forth. The area is called “Little California.” It was also interesting driving to the Cape as we did it by leaving the Mediterranean Sea and arriving at the Atlantic Ocean. From the Cape we went to the “Cave of Hercules,” where myth has it that Hercules breathed his last breadth after separating Europe from Africa. It was a little hokey but fun.

From here we drove along the coast awhile and saw an amazing amount of new construction. Literally hundreds of eight to ten story apartment type buildings were going up everywhere. It turns out they are building these to house the hundreds of thousands of peasants from the countryside they are bringing to the city to work in new industrial ventures. These buildings are so basic that they do not even have elevators.

We traveled next to the Kasbah (which means fortress) and it was simply amazing. It is a maze of narrow streets that make no sense at all. It would be a major nightmare to get lost in here. The Moorish architecture, and particularly the doors, was just splendid. I have a series of photos of the doors that I can’t wait to show off. We walked through the Kasbah into the Medina (which means market) and naturally the number of vendors went up exponentially. They were a real problem, but even here the place is so colorful that you just put up with it and still smile. We also had a chance to visit a 200 year old Moroccan home that is now a restaurant, and sampled some pastries and local tea. We got the chance to see the local musical talent as well.

***

I wonder if Michael and I were on tour in the same city. I saw much of what he saw, but the Medina (market) was a disaster. My tour was a panoramic view of Tangier, which means more sightseeing from the bus and less walking. Apparently the guide never got the message, or more likely, he chose to ignore it. We went to the Hercules Caves, which was not on the itinerary, and involved lots of stairs. Personally, I really enjoyed this stop. Everything was going just fine and everyone was enjoying the tour until we stopped at the market. It was ratty and rundown; not very colorful or inviting. We have seen much better and nicer markets on this trip (Michael, what were you looking at?!?!? -- doors?)

I specifically asked him if there was a lot of walking and if there were any steps or stairs. Now his English was perfect, and he said no problem, easy walk, no steps. I shoulda known right there, Houston we have a problem. I had several elderly people who could barely walk on my tour. We did OK for awhile until the guide took us to a “government controlled” souvenir shop located in the souq. He wanted us to go up two flights of stairs for a presentation on rugs; i.e. his cousin or brother or someone was SELLING rugs. After grousing about it, we finally left after 20 minutes and everyone thought we were going back to the bus. But someone wanted to buy spices, so he left the group near a café and said enjoy but don’t stray too far because we could get lost while he goes off with five people. In the meantime, I am getting crap from everyone about having to wait there. The “independent” vendor were awful and pesky, and refused to take no for an answer. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

We finally get ready to go to the bus, and I tell the guide we need to count the folks. My count comes up short and he says no problem, he already took some people back to the bus. Thanks for telling me as I am starting to panic. I don’t want to leave anyone behind. I had two people just sit down in sight of the bus and said they could no longer go on. So I told them the bus is right there, see it? How do we know it’s the right one? I tell them it is and think to myself, “let’s get out of this place, so move you’re a**.” Thank goodness all were eventually accounted for. My adventures as an escort.

Other than that, I enjoyed the tour, but Tangier in not on my list of cities to come back to anytime soon. The Tangierines are not the friendliest people (yes, that is what they are called).

P.S. In case you forgot, a camel has one hump and a dromedary has two.