Part Two.... Morocco!!!
We got up early on Friday morning (before sunrise - ugh!!) and headed along the cost - past Gibraltar, Algerceiras and to the southernmost coast of mainland Spain - the Port of Tarifa! The glorious views along the way woke us up as the sun sparkled on the sea, and by the time we arrived and navigated our way around the parking situation, we still had plenty of time before boarding the ferry for a cafe con leche! Watching the water sparkle on the waves, feeling the rock of the ferry.... there's something about being on the water that just makes me HAPPY (especially if it's bumpy and feels like a roller coaster)!! Fortunately for others who might've had more sensitive stomachs, it was a fairly smooth ride on the way over (but a bit choppier on the way back - which made me happy)!!
We had booked the "Cultural Tour" and were met at the port by our local Guide and Driver. They were really great (EXCEPT when the Guide rushed us through the streets of the Medina and we lost them for a bit just before lunch - yikes!!!). They took us from the ferry through the streets of Tangier up the hill to Cape Spartel - the point where the Mediterranean and Atlantic waters meet! It was gorgeous and you could almost see in the waters where they meet (one side was a bit bluer and brighter and the other was a bit more rough - it probably has to do with wave patterns or something, but it was cool)!!
But NOPE - they offered us a camel ride - and that was what we were going to get!! Sheryl got on the camel behind me, and one of our other tour participants was behind her, and we wandered around in a circle with gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean!! If I hadn't been so focused on holding on for dear life, I probably would've enjoyed the views a bit more! In fact, once we got going at a certain pace, I was able to relax a bit in the saddle (and I use the term "saddle" loosely!!) and allow my body to "go with the flow" and stay on more easily.
If you've never ridden a camel, here's my advice - make sure you have REALLY strong quad and inner thigh muscles because that's ALL you have to hold you on the camel!! It was a FABULOUS, exciting experience in hindsight, and I would TOTALLY do it again, but I have to admit I was terrified (as the picture below will reflect) when the camel was getting up and down - and when it moved - pretty much the whole time)!! Ahhhh..... just remembering the experience makes me smile because it was so unique (and adrenaline-filled), and something I will definitely remember (and laugh about) for the rest of my life!!
After that wild ride (literally!!), we needed something a little more mundane. It turns out, though, that the "Cultural Tour" includes a lot of adventuring and climbing (perfect for Sheryl who has always loved climbing on rocks and exploring the unknown)!! Sooooo....our next adventure was waiting for us as we drove along the coast to the "Grottes D'Hercule" (Caves of Hercules), which is an archaeological cave complex adjacent to the summer palace of the King of Morocco.
The cave has two openings, one to the sea and one to the land. The sea opening is known as "The Map of Africa" and is believed to have been created by the Phoenicians in the shape of Africa when looked at from the sea (or it could've just been a fluke of nature.... or maybe Hercules if you believe mythology)!! The cave itself is part natural and part man-made. The man-made part was created by the Berber people as they cut stone wheels from the walls, (to make millstones), thus expanding the cave considerably. The cave was long thought to be bottomless, and it was believed that the cave was one end of a subterranean ley tunnel over 15 miles long which passes under the Strait of Gibraltar and emerges at St. Michael's Cave in Gibraltar. Legend has it that the Barbary macaques entered the Rock of Gibraltar from Morocco this way.
Mythological tradition holds that the Roman god Hercules stayed and slept in this cave while on his way to the garden of the Hesperides. According to the myth, he was supposed to cross the mountain that was once Atlas. But instead of climbing the great mountain, Hercules used his superhuman strength to smash through it. By doing so, he connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and formed the Strait of Gibraltar. One part of the split mountain is Gibraltar and the other is the Monte Hacho in Ceuta. These two mountains taken together have since then been known as the Pillars of Hercules!
Since the rocks and pavement were a bit slippery getting down into the grotto, I just sat up top and read all the FASCINATING information and let Sheryl do all the exploring!! My knee has been giving me problems with all the walking and climbing - especially after climbing all those hills at The Alhambra the other day, so I figured better safe than sorry!! And boy was I glad I had saved my knees by not slipping along the wet rocks of the grotto because I needed my knees in top shape for careening through the streets of the Medina a bit later - up and down all those crazy alleyways and stairs hoping we'd figure out where our group was for lunch - yikes!!
As soon as Sheryl got back downstairs we hurried along the alleyways - down flights and flights of cobblestone stairs and hills trying to keep an eye out for our group!! We would occasionally see people from our group, so we just kept trying to follow them, until we realized that they were also stragglers from our group (and didn't really know where we were going either)!! We just kept chugging along and hoping we were heading in the right direction when suddenly a young boy said he would take us where we needed to go (for a few Euros, of course)!! He was a lifesaver, and I'm not sure we would've found our way if he hadn't helped us, but we weren't sure how he knew how to take us to the right place?!?.... we just figured it was better than trying to find our way by ourselves!!
We figured out later that they probably have one or two restaurants they go to every day, and the people who are always hanging out in the Medina knew where each group normally went for their meals, so this boy knew all along where we were going (but we had no clue)!! It was a crazy marathon down all those stairs and cobblestone streets, but we finally made it (knees wobbly and sweating up a storm)!! We had a lovely lunch with local Moroccan cuisine, a little band to serenade us, and we had a bit of a rest before heading BACK into the Medina for shopping (ugh)!!
We stopped at an herbalist's shop that sold spices and Argon oil (apparently only grown in Morocco) and listened to the information (interesting for sure, but this is where the "hard sell" began for the rest of the afternoon, and I hate to shop.... especially when it's so challenging to say no politely and let them know we weren't interested)!! At one point in a different shop, Sheryl called me over to haggle with the shopkeeper for a pair of earrings (and my inner Paul Puckett came out and she got a nice silver pair of earrings for less than half the price of his original offer.... and don't worry, I'm sure he still made a profit)!! The shopkeeper even said, "this is how we do it - I offer you a price - you give me another price - it's fun!!" I thought it was funny that he was teaching me how to haggle instead of just offering her a lower price to begin with, but it's part of the "interactive fun" in lots of cultures in many countries (including Morocco)!!
After going through some of the shops (chosen by our Guide because apparently they were the "most honest" - but perhaps because our Guide had a monetary connection with them?!?!), we were left on our own for about an hour to "do more shopping - because of course you will want to buy lots of things to take home!!" Instead, we wandered over to a coffee shop and enjoyed the ambiance (but not the smoke) of the local coffee shop.... watching the people wander along the streets! Eventually, most of our group of tourists joined us because they, too, were done shopping (and one guy was literally being chased by a vendor)!!
Now.... I have to say.... I understand bargaining and pushing their wares is a cultural thing (and it's how they make their livelihood), but it can be quite stressful after a day of camel riding and running through the streets of the Medina hoping not to get lost!! For all the traveling I've done and details I can figure out and navigate, you'd think I would remember how important it is to just BE PRESENT with the other human beings I'm interacting with (even if they're aggressive vendors)!! But NOPE!!!.... sometimes I get very cranky and a bit fiesty just trying to get them to leave me alone!! (I'm sure it's just my "fight or flight" response kicking in, but it always startles me when I get downright mean - and my responses catch me off guard when it happens!!)
I probably wouldn't have been as aware of my edgy response (because it's a fairly "normal" response I've seen in other tourists), but watching Sheryl and how she would so kindly say no, then ask them about themselves made me incredibly aware of how I WANT to respond (and probably how I normally respond when I'm not overly-stressed.... in the "flight or fight mode" and feeling backed into a corner). But watching her was such a great reminder of the power of Being Present to other human beings.... remembering we were dealing with real people with real feelings, and not just irritating sales people!! She even learned the secret to getting them to back off (besides just being human with them).... she would say, "Peace be with you" and it was like she was part of their inner circle and their new best friend!! Through her gentle spirit and actions, I was reminded (once again) how important it is to slow down, get out of my head and just ENJOY the process (and the people)!!
In addition to meeting wonderful, kind people in Tangier, one of the nice things about being on a small tour like that was meeting new people from all over the world! We especially bonded with a young Brazilian woman who was traveling alone! We had fun talking to her in "Spanglish" (because she understands some Spanish, speaks some English - and we communicated quite a bit all day and on the ferry ride back)!! She was such a sweet girl with an amazing life, and even though we didn't exchange information, it felt like we had a deep, intimate, emotional connection in just a few hours!!
It reminded me of the family I met a couple years ago on the ferry from Italy to Croatia - the ones who invited me to come visit them in Oman and they would host me! I always find it so amazing how quickly people open up and connect when we're traveling! I think it must have something to do with being outside our comfort zone and being stretched - it opens up our psyches and hearts in a way our day-to-day life often doesn't. It reminds me of this quote I read recently that totally resonated with me and why I travel....
Something to think about until next time....
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