Day 7 – Morocco

Monday morning we were driving around Northern Ireland; Tuesday, we flew to Spain; Wednesday, we visited the territory of Gibraltar; today, a new country and continent were on our agenda, as we made our first foray into Morocco and Africa.

Our day started promptly at 8:00, as we made the short walk from our hostel to the port, where we checked in for our trip to Morocco. We didn’t have time for breakfast in Tarifa before journeying to the port, so we were stuck with subpar ferry food for breakfast. Emmie enjoyed her creme-filled pastry most. Amanda and GeeGee split a can of Pringles, and Noah managed about two bites of his pretty terrible cheese pizza.

There are a number of potential approaches to a day-trip to Morocco, specifically: taking a group tour, arranging a private tour, or taking only the ferry and exploring on your own. We quickly ruled out the “explore on your own option” and were not excited about the prospect of a canned group tour with lots of shopping and limited opportunities to go off-the-beaten-path. So, after some consultation of Rick Steves and TripAdvisor, we booked a tour that started with a drive to Asilah, a fishing village south of Tangier.

We were greeted by a sign with my name on it and quickly escorted to a minibus for the tour. The driver Mohammed was responsible for navigating, while Ford provided commentary as we ventured through the Moroccan countryside. He spoke good English and was invaluable as we navigated unfamiliar territory.

The choice to start in Asilah was a good one. We practically had the city to ourselves as we ventured through the medina, or walled city center. Clean streets and whitewashed walls were brightened by occasional murals and colorful doors. Some fresh painting was in progress as the city prepared for an upcoming festival.

After spending time within the city walls, Mohammed drove us to a weekly market which took place a bit outside of Asilah. It was quite an experience, with an unbelievable variety of goods set up for sale on each side of a crowded dirt road. We saw booths with live chickens, ready to be butchered and sold on the spot. Other stands sold spices, fruits, and vegetables. Most, however, are difficult to categorize, selling everything from used clothing to phone chargers to automotive supplies.

We returned to the van for a drive to the Moroccan coastline, site of three key spots for most private and group tours: Hercules Cave, Cape Spartel, and an in-between spot for the obligatory coastal camel ride. As tourism has increased, particularly via day-trips from Spain, the Moroccan government has invested significant money into the infrastructure around these sites, which featured new roads, signs, and foliage.

I was fascinated by the market, but the camel ride, with views of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, was a highlight of the trip for everyone.

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We loaded back in the van to return to Tangier, where Mohammed dropped us off for a walk through its medina. After walking through a few tight roads, we made it to Restaurant Kasbah for an early afternoon lunch. The menu featured fixed pricing and courses, starting with soup or salad; a unique (and tasty) chicken pot pie; traditional Moroccan tajine for the adults, and kebabs for Noah and Emmie; a selection of desserts; plus, bread, mint tea, and drinks.

The restaurant definitely catered to tourists, taken by Tangier guides, but our table worked well for our family, and the food was solid. The kids all enjoyed the bread (and drinks) the most but took obligatory bites of every course served.

The rest of the afternoon was a bit of a blur, as we worked our way toward the port for the return trip to Spain. We did the obligatory stops to learn about lovely but expensive Moroccan carpet and learned of local spices and oils. We probably paid a premium to purchase our souvenirs from each of these shops but avoided visiting the crowded markets with badgering and bartering.

We made it to the port roughly an hour before departure to allow ample time to pass through Moroccan customs. This process seemed to go smoother than our guide expected, leaving us in a tent until the ferry was ready to board. In the end, our time in Morocco totaled just over 8 hours.

When we were boarding the ferry, I asked Noah which continent he wanted to visit next, since we’d crossed Africa off the bucket list. Australia was his choice, though I suggested we consider a trip in South America in attempt to avoid jetlag. A group of nearby travelers overheard us, which led to a conversation about our vacations and family travel in general.

Amanda and I (along with a sleeping Emmie, and at times Eilidh) spent the bulk of our ride to Tarifa chatting with the Schaumann family, who is in the middle of a year of travel. They were traveling with four of their six children and visited Morocco for the day after spending the prior two weeks in Valencia, Spain. We really enjoyed the conversation and now have a new set of ideas for future travel.

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It was a big evening when we returned to the hostel, as a highly-anticipated FedEx package had arrived. While we’d not noted this in the blog, our trip took an unexpected turn in Boston when I left our sole debit card at the public market’s ATM. Even in an era where most places take credit cards, it had been a challenge traveling with minimal cash. As soon as we had the card, Emmie and I made an immediate trip to the nearest cash machine.

The past two trips, I’ve enjoyed doner kebabs, which feature rotisserie-cooked sliced meat, vegetables, and a Greek-style tzatziki sauce. When I walked past the 24-hour kebab place adjacent to the ATM, I decided to pick up a couple of kebabs for Amanda and GeeGee for a takeaway dinner. They found the meal adequate but underwhelming.

Noah, Emmie, and I ventured into Tarifa in search of a traditional Spanish tapas meal. The place recommended by the friendly hostel receptionist had a wait – even though we arrived at nearly 11:00 p.m. – so we decided upon No. 6 Cocina Sencilla, which was not only close to our hostel but also originally on the itinerary for Wednesday night’s dinner.

We sat at the bar for the meal, where I ordered a variety of food, ranging from scallops to kid-friendly chicken nuggets.

We finished our meal and settled into our room in the hostel a bit before midnight. Fortunately, our Friday schedule was more relaxed, as our main agenda items were checking out of the hostel and driving to our next destination: Ronda.

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Reflecting on our busy Thursday, two key takeaways:

We overscheduled the first part of our vacation. From the time we left Kansas City, we’d had virtually no downtime. Our sleep after a busy day in Boston was on an airplane; on Monday this week, we drove more than 150 miles around Northern Ireland; on Tuesday, we flew to Spain, a new country, and new climate. Wednesday’s hiking around Gibraltar was great but exhausting. This brings us to Thursday, where we were struggling to stay awake for parts of our private tour in Morocco because we were so exhausted from the insane pace of travel.

Always take a backup debit card, and more backup cash. An extra debit card would have solved all of our problems, as we could have continued to withdraw cash and proceed with our trip as planned. U.S. dollars can be exchanged for local currency at a fair rate at nearly any bank, another solution for cash.

In the end, we didn’t miss out on any planned attractions or meals, but we spent valuable time planning things like buying bus passes via a mobile app and sending money electronically for our Morocco tour, plus spent money in Western Union fees for an emergency cash transfer from our bank for pickup in Belfast.