Day 211
3 hrs, 10 kms

The view is actually quite nice along this way, with lush grass covered hills (even though this should be the dry time of year) that suddenly drop steeply to the sea below, with Spain and Gibraltar clearly visible on the other side . Just 5 moths ago I was doing a Superhike on the other side of the Straits--a mere 14 kilometers away. However, if I were to try to connect the two Superhikes on foot, I would need to hike for 12,500 kilometers and cross 18 countries! Hmm... nah... I think I'll just let them remain as two Superhikes...

I start thinking about the differences between the two sides. Not what you would expect.

　
Both sides have similar terrain. However, on the Spanish side (at least from Tarifa to Algeciras) it's mostly overgrown by bushes. There are a lot of abandoned houses. Has the feeling of an area that has been given up on and forgotten by its inhabitants. On the Moroccan side, you've got well maintained open fields for grazing, houses popping up all over the place... both people who live off the land and folks who are building vacation homes here. There's poverty, but still feels here that this is a good place to live and invest in. In fact, if I were into real estate, I'd seriously think of buying land here--and I'd say it's 90% sure that the land value is going to go up .

So does this mean that Morocco is more prosperous than Spain? Certainly not. But it is a reminder that the stereotypes of prosperous Europe and the stereotypes of a poor, stagnant Africa/North Africa are far from absolute.

So, then I wonder, on which side of the Straits is life better? People say that a couple decades ago the standard of living was quite similar. Both in Spain and Morocco many people lived in poverty. Then Spain became a democracy, had an economic boom--thanks to massive investment from other European countries... wages and the standard of living shot through the roof. A new generation grew up with the idea that jobs are easy to be had, and the government will take care of you if you can't find a job. Then, suddenly the bubble burst and millions of jobs were lost.

Meanwhile, on this side of the Straits, life has always been hard for most people. Well paid jobs are rare and you don't expect to get much of anything from the government . The only way to go from poverty to middle class is by struggling very hard, being very clever and thinking outside of the box.

So who has it better off? I think we still need more time to really know. Spaniards obviously have many more options open to them being members of the EU Club. But will that Club last? What will happen to Spain if it doesn't? Maybe, in the long run, being used to difficulty and having to struggle hard to get anything might be better than being used to a the easy life. Maybe.

I remember a Spainard back in the 90s telling me, "yeah, what I do is work as a house painter for 6 months... then I collect unemployment for six months... then I go back to working for six months..." I'll bet things are little different for him now...

I ponder this as a come across a cluster of houses and a sign that says "Oued Aliane". Not really the cohesive feel of the tight knit villages of the south and east of Morocco . But it should count as another town. The road then has some switchbacks up a hill, and I try to find a shortcut through people's backyards and gardens to the road above, but without success...

Then, when follow the road up over a ridge, I see the road far, far below. This is too tempting to pass up. I'm going to blaze my own trail-shortcut straight down the mountainside.

Finally, after struggling through some bushes and muddy patches, I make it down near to the Mediteranean shore. Here high tension wire come to what looks like an ordinary little substation. But no... this is where the wires go under the sea to connect with Spain on the other side.

As I've heard, Morocco falls far short of producing all the electricity it needs (although there are plans to change this with some huge solar energy projects). So this inconspicuous little substation looks like Morocco's lifeline, a reminder that, yes, Morocco is connected to Europe, and has a lot of reasons to try to stay on good terms with its neighbor across the water ... in spite of all the spats these two countries have had...

I know I have to get down to the water at some point for a swim. Finally I find a find a spot where I can climb down to the water. There are a couple of fishermen nearby, but it still feel comfortable leaving my valuables and jumping into the water. The water seems kind of dirty with a lot of trash around, so it's not one of my better swimming experiences in Morocco's Mediterranean. Afterwards I realize that I picked the worst spot: as there's a fishing port being built right close by, the construction workers dump all their trash right in the sea here. Oh well. Hopefully I'll find a better swimspot further on on this hike.