Top 4 of Tangier

I might need to open up that Top 4 a little bit, don’t you think?

We tried to make it a top 5 but just couldn’t. All day we tried to find those good things about this trip..

We hopped on a tour bus early in the morning. We booked this tour on the beach day before. Bus drive to the harbour took longer that it was suppose to doe to accident on the road so we missed earlier ferry. In ferry terminal our tour guide gave us our tickets and my name was wrong. My last name was written same as my fellow companion. Afterwards we get little laughs about it, ”I got married in this trip”-kind of an way but at the moment I thought that it might get me into some trouble. Our tour guide reassured me that it’s not a problem. And it wasn’t, funny. My ticket and my passport was examined dozen times in that day but no-one didn’t seem to care what name was and where..

Back to the ferry terminal..It was small and badly organized. In tiny cafeteria there was couple of tables and chairs and millions and millions of people. We ordered some drinks and sandwiches and elbowed our way out in the hallway where we had room to eat and breath at the same time.

In the end we got on the ferry and arrived in Tangier where we hopped yet another bus. In the bus with us came our moroccan guide who told us about his country and neighborhoods we drived through. That was kind of interesting. Then we stopped in the parking lot. Where they bought dromedarys (camels with an just one hump) to us to ride. Or we could ride them if we pay for it. In my opinion riding a dromedary around a parking lot didn’t sound or looked like fun.

After dromedarys we drive in a market place. And walked briskly through it. Sure we could have walked slower and looked around and enjoyed our surroundings, but where we are from it’s rude to make others wait for you, so we dutifully followed our tour guide past everything interesting.

We found ourselves at the gates of the Medina, the Old town of Tangier. Just inside the gates were this huge tree. We were told that it’s one of the oldest trees in Morocco and to touching it will give you good luck. Unlike other normal trees this tree grow it roots in the air so there where roots hanging on the branches everywhere.
Top 4, check. It was a cool tree and who could decline some good luck?

In old town was also the restauraunt where we went to eat. Restauraunt was nice enough, there were locals eating too, but the tables were small and we were seated next to a band. Way too close to the band, I almost knocked the bandmember with my handbag while trying to get to my seat. All of us got preordered 3 course meal, soup (really good), chicken couscous (bland) and dessert of tea and bisquit. While the bisquit was quite dry the mint tea was good!

While others still ate we decided to go just outside of the restauraunt and buy our mandatory souvenir, a fridge magnet. I have spotted guy selling them next door. I didn’t want to leave without it and the way out trip was going I wasn’t sure that we would have time to buy it later.

Others finished their food too and we got to continue our trip. Outside street sellers of course spotted our group of obvious tourists and started to sell us everything and anything. Including fridge magnets. This one guy came to us and asked where we were from. His comment to my ”We are from Finland” got us many laughs during the day. ”Oh, you are from Scandinavia, people from Scandinavia doesn’t buy fridge magnets, they only want ice cream”. I don’t know if you think that is funny but we sure did. As you might guess, this was Top 3.

Then it started. The obligatory ”Buy this, buy that”-part of the tour. They, and by they I mean our tour guide, took us to his relatives carpet shop where we were given the speach. Our carpets are the best, you just can’t live without our carpet.
Another one of his relatives made and selled argan-oil products. Same sale speach there.
It’s just boring to listen to these speaches when you know that you are just wasting both of your time.
Goes without saying that we didn’t buy anything. No need for a carpet and I can get my handsoap 1/10 of the price back home.

Luckily for us the salespeaches couldn’t go on forever. Now, for surely we could get some own time to explore. And yes we did. Whole 20 minutes! What can you do with a 20 minutes?
We choose to go this nice cafeteria next to our meeting point. It was full of locals, best place to be in a foreign country, don’t you think?
Guys ordered cokes and I wanted more of that mint tea.

When I got my tea I discovered, rather painfully infact, that it was scalding hot. I could drink maybe 3 sips before we had to go..The tea was as good as it were in the restauraunt and sadly I leaved it almost untouched at the table.

There had been sell-guys yelling after us and I have ignored them all day so when I heard this ”Miss, hey miss” from behind me I ignored it too. Not until Toni, my boyfriend said my name I turned to look. And there it was The Top 2. Waiter from the cafeteria had followed us with my tea! He had poured it in to-go-cup. This was absolutely my favourite part of the day and if I would have been alone it would have gone straight to top 1. I smiled all the way back to the bus. And back to the ferry. And even little in that evening.

But I weren’t alone so the Top 1 would have to be the ride back to Fuengirola aka the end of this trip.

Learn from my mistakes. Organize your trip yourself, don’t be lazy like me and buy it from the beach. You will have much more fun, trust me!