Tarifa is known for two things: kitesurfing and a fast ferry (35 minutes) to Morocco. I went to Tarifa thinking I was going for Morocco, but almost as soon as I got there, I decided I was leaving.
Tarifa is the most southerly town in Spain. It has a promontory, on one side of which is the Mediterranean Sea, with the Atlantic Ocean on the other. You can see the coast of Africa from the beach, mountainous and only 14 km away. It is crazy windy--good for kitesurfing.
I chickened out on the crossing. Tanger, Morocco, is supposed to be a shifty place. A port town, it doesn´t have a whole lot to offer in the way of sights, and it is full of touts and pickpockets. My plan was to cross in the morning, then catch the next train to Fes to stay with a Moroccan lady, a member of a women´s travel hospitality group. I´d stay there for a couple of days, then take a train to Casablanca to join the Intrepid Travel tour that starts Sunday.
It probably would have been fine. An experience. Probably good, for the most part. But, isn´t there a saying, discretion is the better part of valor? At the moment I feel just as happy to experience the sights and smells and ...well, experiences...of Morocco from the relative safety of a tour group.
I´m really looking forward to it, too. Not having to make all the decisions, do all the planning, ask for directions when I´m lost ´cause there´s no one else to fall back on. Just to relax and go along with the group, going where someone else tells me to go. Ha! Sounds like a vacation! Not that I haven´t loved traveling independently. I´m already planning my next, longer, European adventure (which I hope will include Egypt and Turkey, as well). Staying in hostels, talking with people from all over Europe and the world, has been unlike anything else. A little like college--a bit cut off from real life in the same way that college is, but likewise a great way to learn lots about the world and myself.
I don´t expect to be writing much from Morocco, so here´s a brief itinerary: Casablanca, Meknes, Fes and Volubilis, Midelt, the Sahara, Tondra Gorge, Dades Gorge, Ait Benhaddou, Marrakech. Fourteen days, starting November 2. I´m taking Easy Jet from Madrid to Casablanca on Sunday, then taking a train to the city center and a taxi to the hotel that is our meeting point.
It is strange to be backtracking to go to Morocco. I was so close this morning--just 14 km!--but now I am back in Sevilla for two nights, then Madrid for another two. Honestly, I´m anxious to get moving, but I have some things to do to get ready. Four more days, and I´ll be in a new country! After a month and a half in one country (which is quite some time for a backpacker!), I´m both nervous and excited at the prospect. I´ve seen quite a bit of Spain.
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