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Just a short boatride across the strait of Gibraltar
lies a different world. I was not sure what to expect, but I had read
that the border in Tangier and all the touts can cause a real hassle. So we took
the ferry to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave and crossed the border there. Even there
we were immediately confronted. Just before the border people jump in front
of your car, trying to sell you useless papers and surely quite a few other items.
The only way to get rid of them is to hit the gas and pretend to drive over them.
At the last moment they jump away. And then the corruption of Africa starts in a
good and bad way. Good, because it turned out I had left the ownership papers
of the car in
the ticketoffice of the ferryline. In many places I would be in real
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trouble.
In Morocco a 10 EUR tip was all it took to pass. And then of course the extra
obligatory 5 EUR so the borderguards do not search the car for two hours and take
your car apart. Still
all in all the border crossing took an hour as besides corruption, bureaucracy is
seriously institutionalized as well. But the borderguards are really friendly
and helpful, which
is quite a relief from for example US immigration officers.
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View over Chefchaouen
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From the border it is about a two hours drive to the town of Chefchaouen, a pretty
and historic town with a relatively hassle-free atmosphere. Until 1920 it was
forbidden for foreigners to enter this town and prior to that its inhabitants
even tried to keep its existence secret. Now the town is welcoming tourists and
it has a relatively large selection of hotels and hostels, ranging from a bed in
a dormitory for less than 4 EUR a night to the luxurious places for tour groups.
As this was our first visit to Morocco, we decided to stay at Casa Hassan, which
is billed by the Lonely Planet as 'the more discerning upmarket choice', to avoid
any inconveniences that would taint our first experience with Morocco. Unfortunately
their plumbing turned
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People washing the old-fashioned way
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A motif on the ceiling
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out to be just as shaky as the cheapest hostel and we had no water half of the time. Not even the toilet would work. And the management
of Casa Hassan still had to learn a bit about the hospitality business, as it took
them a full day to start addressing the problems and they did not
offer any compensation, alternative solutions or even information about what was
going on. But this did not deter us from enjoying Morocco as we met some really
friendly people there. Not all locals want to sell you something. We met
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Abdeslam
in a shop while buying some local garments and he took us around the town, showing
us all the nice places. He even invited us into his home where we had thee with
with him and his mother. He has been working on renovating the building for ten years
and start a hotel. Now the work is finished, but getting the permit to start
doing business requires a lot of paperwork and bribes. And so he has not opened yet,
which is a real shame as he had installed the most beautiful bathrooms and the
roof terrace offers an incredibly few of the town.
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Abdeslam in front of his unopened hotel
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Pretty doors everywhere
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Many houses are painted blue
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Morocco can be a real cheap place to visit. Driving around is not a problem
as most drivers seem to be driving rather careful. Roadsigns are scarce though
so be prepared to get lost a few times. Also watch out when entering a town as there
is traffic police everywhere and even not coming to a full stop at a stop sign (in Arabic)
can cause you a lot of trouble. Accommodation comes in all price ranges and
is readily available, although Moroccon plumbing is not always very reliable.
And if you go to Chefchaoun do not stay at Casa Hassan where we were treated quite
badly. A Dutch woman who is married to a local and is living in Chefchaoun told me
that this happens more frequently and she recomments 'Hotel Parador' as it is offers
better quality and is priced more moderately. Or of course you could try to see
if Abdeslam has finally opened his livelong dream of 'Pension Harmony'.
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Men sitting in the town square
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Even in Morocco we met another Japanese travelling by herself
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Hotel Parador +212 39 986982, Rue Hassan II, about 50 EUR for a double room
Pension Harmony +212 39 988476, 31 Rue Ibne Yaakoub Qu. Souke, pension.harmony@caramail.com
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