Tangier, Morocco

My first steps in Africa came via ferry from Gibraltar. The passport control line was ‘everyone go visit this guy sitting in the corner’, which seemed very official, and I was off the ferry into Tangier with a passport stamp.

We’d booked a hostel in the Medina (old city), and the streets are largely unnamed or lacking signs. We were having a hard time finding it, so I asked someone for directions in French. He told his son to show us where it was then added something in Arabic. Wouldn’t you know it, the kind stood in front of the door with his hand out for a tip. Ah, that’s what your dad told you in Arabic…

Our hostel had a cool rooftop hangout spot, which was definitely put to full relaxation value by me.

I really enjoyed the feel of Morocco that first night. I couldn’t wait to walk around that next day.

We were off early the next morning to walk through the Medina and just wander around Tangier for the next few days.

We had a great rooftop tea experience looking out over this busy roundabout, called Grand Socco–officially “Place du 9 Avril 1947” (date of official call for independence from France by Sultan Mohammed V).

I attempted to take a picture at the Marchan Palace, an official vacation home of the king, and I was quickly prohibited by guards with guns.

As we kept walking around, we had a really sketchy experience where we saw a van pull up, grab a woman, and drive away with her inside. Pretty sure it was a kidnapping. It was on a main street in broad daylight. We felt pretty uneasy after that and returned to the hostel. We went to somewhere close for dinner and immediately returned to the hostel.

With this in mind, we decided to leave the next day. We saw some stuff along the coast near the port while waiting for the ferry, and that was the end. We cut Morocco short, because being with a red-headed white woman, who obviously stood out, was already drawing attention to us. A kidnapping made that attention much more uncomfortable.