Our last and my favorite city in Morocco – Tangier.

We chose not to do the tour here but were going to wander around on our own. As soon as we got out of the gates of the port we were accosted by half a dozen men explaining vehemently that we reeeeealy needed a guide and could not find our way alone. We ignored, kept on walking, and most of them gave up. One man – Larry (he didn’t look like a Larry) – was very persistent and after a great deal of negotiating, we hired him to be our guide. That was a smart move. He was a delight and took us to many places in the narrow winding souks that were very interesting and that we would never have found on our own.

First he took us to his cousin’s rug store where we were served hot mint tea – delicious – and given a demonstration on Moroccan rugs (the top part of this picture is one example) and vases.

They were beautiful but wouldn’t fit in our suitcases. The proprietor was very gracious, and it was an interesting experience. Next Larry took us on a tour of the narrow back alleys and living areas of the small city.   We then went on to the souks. The people were friendly and not nearly as pushy as we had found in the bigger cities of Morocco. The experience was fun and educational.

It was raining and at one point we took shelter under a banyan tree. All of the trunks you see belong to the same tree. The branches grow out and send down shoots that take root when they reach the ground and become secondary trunks and supports for the branches.Pretty cool.

In the cities you can almost always find a taxi cab driver or tour guide who is willing to give an individual tour at a third of the price that they charge for the big tours.  I have come to the conclusion that that is the best way to go and that I like the small towns best.

Thanks you, Larry, for a lovely day and good bye Tangier,

Charli