I knew to expect all was different in Africa, but still I couldn’t notice that the room for 52 Euros in a beautiful building is not very clean, the furniture, carpet, bathroom, everything is run down. There is no soap in the bathroom and we don’t have soap.
The hotel has Wi-Fi so I was eager to check the Internet and find other accommodation and find out more about Tangier, but the Internet connection in our room wasn’t working so I had to go downstairs. I was furious because I was tired, I did not really want to get out of bed, but no choice.
I went downstairs in the lobby – the lobby is beautiful, crafted furniture, painted and tiled walls, Persian rugs.
Actually the hotel looks amazing (was build in 1870) but is run down; according to the guide book some rooms have been renovated and redecorated trying to reflorish the old charm.
I went out on the balcony, the view of the port in the morning was beautiful! wow – everything is so different that what I have seen before! ok, now I calmed down.
I checked the Internet for a bit, Mark showed up and we went for breakfast (the room price included breakfast). The breakfast room has a beautiful décor; breakfast wasn’t the best, mostly bread and I don’t really like bread , but at least had 2 good coffees.
We walked around a bit and we found a room in a hotel for 20 dollars; it is livable, but I think it is the worst room that I ever stayed in.
This is ther view from our window
Mark and I had some disagreement in Europe, however we agreed on most things. In Africa we have the accommodation disagreement. Mark wants to stay in very cheap places, I want to stay in reasonable places, that means a decent room with the bathroom. We think that Africa is cheap and I guess it is (I don’t know, I am about to find out) but here in Tangier, Morocco is not really cheap cheap if you want a decent room. Same goes with food.
We settled in the new hotel, I cleaned up the place a bit to make it more “habitable” for me. Mark is happy doesn’t matter what, except that he has to “fight” to open and close the door, the lock is very old and strange and requires lots of fiddling to open and close.
We walked in the medina, the downtown and a bit along the beach; everything in this city looks very strange to me, I feel a bit freighted, it will take a while to get used. Most women and men are wearing traditional outfits; there are some younger women wearing jeans, knee length dress and head scarf, it is a mix a tradition and modern, I am wondering if they are struggling with this issue in their daily life. I don’t know anything about Morocco but I assume that here as many countries young people want to be trendy, be themselves but also to fit in.
There is Arabic music on the street, men sitting in the cafes, 5 times a day a very loud religious music comes on and covers the city noise.
We had lunch in a restaurant downtown, I had grilled sole that was delicious.
In the afternoon we walked again in the medina and downtown. Mark got a Routard book, the French equivalent of the Lonely Planet. For whatever reason Lonely Planet was twice more expensive than the French version, but both books have pretty much same information. We went to have tea and read about Tangier, Fez and Marrakesh our next destinations. We also read about best restaurants in Tangier.
We went for a walk along Mediterranean sea; it is like walking the sea wall on English Bay, except the that are palm trees and cactus, the sea has a very blue color, women dress in robes and wearing a head scarf, people fully dress on the beach; otherwise is like back home, young couple sitting on the benches, kids playing, parents having a chat.
For dinner we went to Agadir, one of the restaurants recommended by Routard. I had chicken, couscous and a beer. Very few restaurants serve beer, so it was nice to have try a Moroccan beer that went really well with my dish.
The weather was a bit hot at noon, but bearable, pleasant in the morning and evening.
This was my first day in Africa; I don’t know yet if I like Tangier or not and what I am going to do next………
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