Tangier, Chefchaouen, and the End

First day in Tangier, next to the hostel there is a mosque and very early in the morning the loudspeakers start the call to prayer. I’m lying in bed. Not a pleasant start and I’ve booked two nights here. The first destination is a dentist to have my teeth professionally cleaned. It went really well. There’s quite a bit of action during the Friday prayers. Early in the afternoon I meet Omar again, and he drives me in his car to Cape Spartel, the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. A beautiful viewpoint where you can see all the way to Spain. We drive back, and before Omar meets his friends, we go to a Moroccan restaurant to enjoy some very good tajine. Beef with dried fruits. Really a very nice person, I’m glad to have met him. In December he will be on vacation in Bavaria for a week, who knows. I have my next days planned out, and in the evening I watched the hustle and bustle on the street with a mint tea, just as the men here do. I was too exhausted for more.

Saturday, it’s slowly coming to an end. I ended up booking a tour. Off to Chefchaouen, the blue city, which takes 2.5 hours to drive from Tangier. The city wasn’t always blue, but was white as a protection against the sun. At some point in the 70s, blue paint was used, probably because it was cheaper. So there’s no special reason. Now the whole city is a tourist attraction. It can be that simple. The city itself is small, full of tourists and souvenir shops. Everyone is taking photos for Instagram. The trip was okay, the guide made an effort. In the evening, I go out with Jean-Gabriel and Matthias from the hostel to a bar. They have beer in 0.25 liter bottles for €5. But at least I get to have a beer and chat, and the bar is nice.

It’s diving time again. 45 km away from Tangier is the dive camp, and the diving instructor picks me up at 10 a.m. in Tangier. There’s another person involved in the dive, otherwise, no one is at the beach. The weather isn’t great again. But the 50-minute dive was beautiful; we saw many fish. Not so many corals. I’m not a very good diver; I tend to move too much. Despite the price, I’m glad I did it. The hostel is very social and there’s no mosque nearby. I bought a few things at the market and there’s scrambled eggs; I’m getting a bit tired of Moroccan food.

The last day will be added.