Morocco Expedition 21 September - 7 October 2006
Yet another series of postcards in summary of an expedition, with sundry digressions and annotations. Unfortunately there were quite a number of good photographic opportunities that I felt compelled to pass over, because I was either embarassed to take the picture of an incapacitated beggar or retiring old lady like a Victorian gentleman anthropologist, or because I feared unwanted attention, or because it would leave me open to the ready extraction of dihram.
Tangier via Malaga
I entered Morocco by boat from Algeciras, after spending a night in Malaga. During my Spanish stopover I stocked up on cups of sweetened fresh orange juice and various pastries. Indeed, a week later I found a part-embalmed croissant in my rucksack which numerous tiny flies were mining.
Despite having been fully briefed on the attention given to those disembarking at Tangier's port, I was immediately taken virtual hostage by one man claiming to be an official guide and flashing his idenitification (in Arabic) at me. Quite probably he was a government guide, and proved very useful, if a little expensive (I actually gave him more money than he asked for) introduction to the foreign clime. I was first escorted to his motor vehicle, but, having been hemmed in on all four sides, he required my help to navigate one of the diagonals. After some painful conversation with the chap (and I forget his name) making sure that I knew his esteem for all Englishmen and telling me that he had a freind in London and so on, and some unecessary academic comments from me about the GDP of Morocco (or something of that sort), and after completing a taxi run with his mates in the back, we got into the Tangier Medina where he showed me around. He touted how he could offer much more than a tour of the old town, taking me camel-trekking, to fight Mahdi armies or see the wonders of the ancient world, but he really seemed to be doing this out of habit, and was quite content to be done with me in as short of time as possible so he could have his long expected dinner.
Algeciras.
The Rock of Gibralta and Mediterranean spray.
Tangier hawking into view.
Myself outside a Mosque (painted green, the colour of Sunni orthodoxy).
Yet another series of postcards in summary of an expedition, with sundry digressions and annotations. Unfortunately there were quite a number of good photographic opportunities that I felt compelled to pass over, because I was either embarassed to take the picture of an incapacitated beggar or retiring old lady like a Victorian gentleman anthropologist, or because I feared unwanted attention, or because it would leave me open to the ready extraction of dihram.
Tangier via Malaga
I entered Morocco by boat from Algeciras, after spending a night in Malaga. During my Spanish stopover I stocked up on cups of sweetened fresh orange juice and various pastries. Indeed, a week later I found a part-embalmed croissant in my rucksack which numerous tiny flies were mining.
Despite having been fully briefed on the attention given to those disembarking at Tangier's port, I was immediately taken virtual hostage by one man claiming to be an official guide and flashing his idenitification (in Arabic) at me. Quite probably he was a government guide, and proved very useful, if a little expensive (I actually gave him more money than he asked for) introduction to the foreign clime. I was first escorted to his motor vehicle, but, having been hemmed in on all four sides, he required my help to navigate one of the diagonals. After some painful conversation with the chap (and I forget his name) making sure that I knew his esteem for all Englishmen and telling me that he had a freind in London and so on, and some unecessary academic comments from me about the GDP of Morocco (or something of that sort), and after completing a taxi run with his mates in the back, we got into the Tangier Medina where he showed me around. He touted how he could offer much more than a tour of the old town, taking me camel-trekking, to fight Mahdi armies or see the wonders of the ancient world, but he really seemed to be doing this out of habit, and was quite content to be done with me in as short of time as possible so he could have his long expected dinner.
Algeciras.
The Rock of Gibralta and Mediterranean spray.
Tangier hawking into view.
Myself outside a Mosque (painted green, the colour of Sunni orthodoxy).
posted by Ian Blaney at 1:48 AM
1 Comments:
More posts Ian - I want to follow your progress in the world...
Post a Comment
<< Home