Morocco Part Two

After the light house, we made our way back down to the city of Tangiers. As the sun set, we got off the bus and made our way through the main part of the city. It was the most developed part of Morocco we had been to, and the western influence was strong. Save for the Arabic script and cloaked men, it could have been mistaken for a city in Europe.

Moving towards the front of the group, I had a brief conversation with Michael Douglass. He posed the question: “Is Morocco like what you heard it was like?” My response was basically that beauty can easily be overshadowed by a few bad stories/experiences. To be sure, there was plenty of beauty and kindness to be found in Morocco, but it’s a case of those few bad apples that reinforces the negative perception people hold. I could tell that he cared deeply about challenging the general assessment of Morocco as a dangerous place – a misconception in his eyes. From our brief visit, I would agree to the extent that the dangers are perhaps overstated. Using common sense, keeping to oneself, and not venturing far off the beaten path are simple and clear rules for a vulnerable tourist to live by in such a foreign and exotic environment. Having him for a guide was reassuring for all of us. Some of my house mates just left today to go down there for 8 days by themselves and their trip is going to be mostly improvised. I’m not sure I would be able to do something like that.

The next day, we made our way through the mountains around frightening turns and on steep roads. The bus driver was a bit of a madman behind the wheel, and the guardrails (when there were any) didn’t look like they would do us much good in a tall tour bus. I frequently feared for my life, but I’m OK now, so it’s alright.

Eventually we came to a mountain town by the name of Chef-Chaouen. For those keeping tally at home, the name does in fact contain four consecutive vowels. Chef-Chaouen is known for its beautifully painted blue and white buildings – they paint EVERYTHING blue and white. It depends, but apparently they re-paint everything six to seven times a year. Crazy.

This is our tour guide, Abdel, I believe the 5^th or 6^th gentleman we encountered whose named was Abdel or some variation thereof.

Abdel explained to us that in the Muslim faith, blue symbolizes love for Allah, or God, while white symbolizes peace in the Muslim world.

Also, for the 2^nd time, we had a guide point out the star on the Moroccan flag and strongly emphasizing that the Moroccan star has five points, which must not be confused with the Jewish Star of David. I did not encounter very much “Death to Israel” rhetoric or really get that vibe overall aside from the flag business, but nonetheless I decided that I had to hold back on my temptation to ask about Morocco’s perception of the Israeli/Palestinian situation.

After walking around a bit more, we had lunch and headed back toward Ceuta, the city out of which most ferries across the Strait of Gibraltar leave. Little did we know that we would end up with plenty of time to kill. After narrowly missing the 3:30 ferry, we learned the next one would not be until 7:30. That gave us plenty of time to either sit in the station, or to explore Ceuta. Myself and a few others chose the latter. Here’s a favorite picture of mine. Note the gentleman in the middle – a Swiss cardiology professor named Jean-Pierre. He was the only non-student to come on the trip, but he was really cool and crazy smart. The dude on the right is Kenny, a frat brother from Texas that goes to Texas A&M. Strangely enough, he does not fit any stereotypes associated with those two things, but aside from his cowboy boots he's just a regular great guy.

So much for 7:30, because we ended up boarding a ferry at 11:30, and did not get back to Sevilla until 6:30am – it was a bummer.

Statue: "The ferry is that way, but don’t worry, you’re going to be waiting for 8 hours before it finally leaves, so don’t feel obligated to hurry, you have plenty of time."

It was a very tiring and leveling trip, but I am very happy that I chose to go. Two weeks have been since I went, but as I type this, I still haven’t recovered. Sparing you details, I have been “overly regular” pretty much since I got back. I presume it’s from the food, because most everyone else has had the same issue. Still, I feel like it was worth it and if given the chance, I would do it all over again.