Morocco! 🇲🇦

“Travel alone. Travel in an unfamiliar place that pushes you outside your comfort zone, where you can really find the spirit of exploration. Travel without itineraries, without WiFi, without forced plans. Let yourself discover your perspective on the world and yourself. Just be where you are and appreciate it.” Megan Youngmee

People, life is getting weird. So while I was in line waiting to board the ferry to Tangier, Morocco from Tarifa, Spain I met a nice German family who is currently living in Spain. They asked where I was from in the US and I replied, “You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s a city located in the central part of the country called Kansas City.” Nadine, the German woman, replied, “Oh! I know exactly where that is. I worked for Harley Davidson and did a four month internship in KC years ago! I loved living in Kansas City!” I mean, come on, the odds of meeting two different groups of people (remember the Portuguese couple I met on the Camino whose son lived in KC and they had visited twice) who have visited or temporarily lived in KC has got to be minuscule. The Universe loves to play games.

Visiting Morocco has been on my bucket list for years and years. Something about it feels so enchanting. The tile work, the food, the markets, the daily Call to Prayer from the Mosque, and even the camel rides in the desert, all seem so interesting. Very different from my Midwest, Catholic, USA upbringing.

So on Sunday, I got to dip my toe in the water for one day, and the experience has definitely made me want to return and explore the entire country…once it is not summer of course. Thankfully, on the day I visited, it was overcast and even rained for a few minutes, otherwise it is H.O.T. this time of year.

I’m currently visiting Tarifa, Spain, the most Southern point of Spain. More on Tarifa in a later post, but there is a short ferry ride, about a hour long, from Tarifa to Tangier. I arrived in Tarifa on Saturday afternoon without any plans and no agenda. I just wanted to rest and relax near the water before my next long-distance hike. So at the last minute (literally about 9 pm) I had the idea that it would be fun to go to Morocco – even for just a day. I also thought it would be best to go on Sunday since most everything is closed in Spain (Sabbath) but in Morocco, the holy day is Friday so most everything would be open.

I also decided to book a tour since I would only be there for one day. I wanted the most bang for my buck and to get a good foundation of what the country was like from someone who would definitely know more than me, a local. I found a fairly inexpensive tour on the Get Your Guide app. As it turns out, the tour (including round the ferry tickets. Perfecto!

There was one minor problem that happened to several of us on the ferry. Once everyone has boarded the boat, everybody must go through customs since we are entering a new country. Well, one of the guys giving out the stamps had the wrong date…ooopsie! It caused a panic for a minute with the staff but it worked out in the end..an ink pen fixes everything, right? I was there on June 18th but the guy had the stamp set for June 20th. I just hope the US doesn’t have an issue with it upon my return. I’ll use this blog as proof. Ha!

After the ferry ride, we arrived in Africa where we met our tour guide for the day, Ali. Ali was a fantastic guide. He had an excellent knowledge of Tangier and Morocco (he was born and raised in Tangier), he was patient and happy to answer any questions, and he had a sense of humor, which is a strong plus for a guide in my book.

Here is Ali explaining that on the 50 Dirham (Moroccan currency) is a picture of the Argon tree. The Argan tree only grows in Morocco…ever heard of Moroccan oil for hair and body…it comes from the Argan tree.

This particular tour was mainly focused on the Medina, the oldest part of the city that is within the ancient walls. Ali showed us around the city. We wound our way through tiny corridors and streets. He took us to the food markets and into shops where they make and sell shoes, clothing, jewelry and bags. It was all so wonderful! Unfortunately, because I’m still going to be hiking, I didn’t buy anything, except a ceramic tile. It’s the one thing I collect all over the world. When my wandering feet finally get tired and need a home again, my dream is to use the tiles from everywhere I’ve been to decorate the house. I’ll use them in the kitchen backsplash, the bathroom and even the outside patio. I didn’t get a photo of the tile before I mailed it home but it is ancient and from a building that is no longer with us. When I asked Ali about buying one of these tiles, he knew exactly where to go. He took me to a shop that specialized in these…they aren’t that easy to find and most shops sell the new factory made tiles, but I prefer the used.

The your lasted about six hours. Here are some photos of the beautiful and delicious things we saw & are on our tour.

• Nuts, dates and dried fruits.

  

• Raw materials that they use for dying clothing…and even makeup!

  

• Fruits and veggies. I have a sweet story about this. I bought some berries from a man and he could see I was eyeing the figs after I had already paid…so he gave me one for free. It was so kind because the berries only cost me €1. Even though it’s not much money for me, it is to him. I’m sure I broke the rules, especially in a Muslim country, but we hugged. It was a really nice exchange and I think Muhammad and Jesus would be okay with it. The fig was delicious!

  

• They have community ovens and water fountains. Not every house is equipped with running water or an oven so they have them available to share. People will also bring buckets to the fountains and haul it back home.

  

  

• The Berber women bring homemade goat cheese from the countryside to sell in the markets. They stamp it with a shell that looks like the symbol for the Camino! ❤

  

• Ali took us through the fish and meat market as well. Stinky. They even sell rabbit but I’ll spare you those photos.

  

  

  

• We went into fabric and rug shops. Watching the process is amazing. Some shops use the big old looms and some use these machines that look like they have bicycle chains. Ali said, the machine has replaced a person who would hold all the stings with their fingers.

  

After the markets, we had an amazing lunch. It was five, maybe courses. Appetizers, soup, some sort of savory pastry, I had lamb with prunes for the main course (I forgot to take a photo until I was half finished), a lovely traditional dessert, fruit, and mint tea. Delicious.

There is so much more I could write about my experience in Tangier but the email probably wouldn’t make it to your inbox due to size restrictions. But the trip was fantastic and I highly recommended visiting if you’re up for that sort of adventure. I can’t wait to go back and experience the other parts of the country when it’s not so hot.

Kari made a video for you all. Morocco in 40 seconds: https://youtube.com/shorts/ZK2Wmfc1FTE?feature=share

Additional fun facts:

• Morocco is one hour behind Tarifa. We gained an hour going over and lost it coming back.

• The oldest US Embassy is located in Tangier. December 1777.

• Approximately 38.5 million people live in Morocco.

• Casablanca is the largest city.

• Morocco is the largest exporter of phosphate.

• US citizens do not need a visa to visit under 90 days.

• They have many car factories, a Boeing factory, clothing factories for name brands, and they are known for agriculture.

• The North is known for the Mediterranean Sea and fishing.

• The middle of Morocco is where the Atlas Mountains are located. Known for apples, roses, cherries, and spices like turmeric and saffron.

• The West is where the Argan tree grows and it is still harvested the original way; by hand and through a process of squeezing out the oil from the nut.

• The South has the Sahara Desert and it’s where they grow the dates. They look like this when harvested.

  

See Ali, I paid attention to what you had to say…he is reading this. Ha! Just before I boarded the ferry to return to Tarifa, I asked Ali about safety for a solo female traveling around Morocco. He said it was safe but also gave me his number for when I do come back, so I’d have a resource should I need it. He was really a great guide and went above and beyond. So if you book a tour with the link I provided above, ask for Ali.

The world is full of wonderful people & places and Ali & Morocco are definitely on that list. ❤️

Goodnight and much love & gratitude from Morocco/Spain! 🇲🇦 🇪🇸

A business sign advertising for a plumber including his cell number. It’s brilliant. At University, they always taught us the best way to advertise to the public is to use the KISS acronym “Keep It Simple Silly.” This guy is probably the busiest plumber in town.

A cannon from 1639.

The government is requiring the locals to redo all the doors to the original design. Notice the rivets around the edges and the door opens from the middle. Here is an original door and the guys working on the project.