After a short rest we headed for dinner again in our hotel in an authentic Moroccan restaurant called Layali

setup to look like a traditional Moroccan tent. We enjoyed a pleasant dinner with music and of course a belly dancer. The next day we decided to take a taxi to the center of the town and walk around the downtown of Tangier. As we walked through the streets we made it to the beach and walked out to the water, as it was a rainy day it was not completely pleasant but I can imagine it would be a nice place when the sun is shining. As we continued to walk we headed in the direction of our hotel with no real plan except to walk and expereince more local culture. One piece of “local” culture we had not intended to visit was the local McDonalds but as fate would have it we decided on a whim to give it try and see what local flavour was available. I decided to try a McArabia which consisted of grilled kofta (beef with spices) and lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and garlic mayonnaise all wrapped in an Arabic style pita bread. While my traveling companion had a Chicken Mythic, a chicken sandwich, he indicated it was ok but nothing to write home about. The rest of the afternoon we continued to walk to our hotel passing the local sheep herd and a group of camels lounging in the field beside the main road. The rest of our day and evening we spent around the hotel and after dinner we visited the Casino and ended the evening enjoying drinks in the lounge.

The next day our final day in exotic Morocco we hung around the hotel until our pickup for the drive to airport. Something interesting that occurred when I entered Morocco the Passport control agent had problems entering my data into the computer and he kept asking me if I was born in Winnipeg to which I answered a polite no as my passport states I was born in Calgary. After what seemed like 20 or 30 minutes (it was about 15 very uncomfortable minutes) he called over his supervisor who asked me the same questions and after another 5 minutes of both of them looking at the computer screen the supervisor waved me through. But the story does not end there, as we went through passport control to leave Tangier the agent started to ask me more questions and then started writing line after line of numbers and letters. Again after what seemed like hours he called over his boss and this gentleman scared me. To describe what this gentleman looked like, think of all those movies set in either Central America or Mexico and picture the guy playing the secret policeman with the mustache and smoking a cigarette. That is what this guy looked like right down to the mustache and smoking a cigarette. After more interrogation I was allowed to proceed and immediately after sitting down my traveling companion said in a very very load voice “Boy were they interested in you” to which I said “Shut up they are still watching me.” Over the next 20 minutes the mysterious gentleman kept looking at me making me very uncomfortable. The call for our flight to Madrid could not have come any sooner. I was able to breathe easier once we were out over the Mediterranean.

We arrived in Tangier just before midnight on Tuesday and were met by our driver Moustafa who drove a somewhat rusty and rickety Mercedes van. As we drove through the streets of Tangier towards our hotel we tried to ask questions of our driver only to discover he spoke Moroccan and French. So it was in French and using hand signals to communicate. As we looked around the first thing that struck me was with the architecture, plants and the people, Tangier was the exotic place I was expecting. After a long day traveling we headed to bed and a good nights sleep.

We were woken by the phone ringing about 11am and it was Moustafa’s boss asking if we wanted to take a tour that day. As our plans for Tangier were fluid after some quick negotiations we set up a pickup time of about 1:30. This would give us sometime to wake up and get lunch before our tour started. As we were not moble we decided to check out our hotel, The Movenpick for lunch. It turns out there is a buffet offered for lunch and dinner so we decided to give it a try. The lunch was quite tasty and included a few exotic dishes including Rabbit Fricassee and some very tasty desserts.

After we enjoyed a nice lunch we waited outside for our tour when we were approached by a gentleman who was saying our room number, it turns out he was to be our guide. His name is Sayed and he turned out to be quite a character. As we waited for our driver, Mousatfa (our driver from the airport) Sayed gave us a brief overview of what the tour would include. Once Moustafa arrived we were off on the great adventure. First a drive through the city with a running commentary from Sayed about the history of the city and the different inhabitants of the area throughout history. Next we took a drive up to hills overlooking the city including a drive past one of the palaces of the King Mohammed VI After a drive through the hills we headed for the coast of the Atlantic Ocean which included a stop overlooking the ocean. Back on the road we headed to Cape Spartel, where a lighthouse is located. From here we headed to the Caves of Hercules where it is beleived Hercules lived while in Africa. There is an area of the cave which looks out to the ocean and it is a reverse map of Africa. Quite a sight. After our visit to the Cave we headed back to Tangier and the Kasbah for our walking tour.

On a totally different note I have rediscovered a favorite from my younger years. The other day at Safeway I spotted Pillsbury Wiener Wraps and decided to give them a try again. They did not disappoint, with some hot mustard they make a great snack. Mmmm Mmmm Good.