Day 185
8 hrs, 10 .0 kms
Day Totals: 16 hrs, 30.0 kms

There's a trail that goes alongside the road to Algeciras. After a little while, the trail meanders off through the fields. I figure it should take me to Algeciras as well, so I opt to follow it.

Well... kind of... it veers off closer to the mountains, and looks like it's taking me on a big loop to the west side of town. But it does go past a beautiful little lake, definitely nice to discover in a city not known for its natural beauty.

Finally, past the prison, the city starts to reappear, and I finally reconnect with urban Algeciras again, stopping at a large shopping center to take a break and grab some granola just to keep me going. And with that, I head on down to the bus station and hop on a bus to Tarifa, where I meet up with my old pal Lino, who I've known since I was a student in Mexico in 1995, and have reconnected with from time to time. He's very much settled in here in Spain, married to a Spaniard--in fact, he tells me he felt very nervous and out of place going to Mexico with all the violence going on in that area.

And with that, we say goodbye, and I head off the the ferry to Morocco, very happy with all I've experienced in these action packed 20 days... and wondering when I'll be able to come back to continue my explorations of the fascinating Iberian Penninsula.

it might be a long wait.

Conclusion of the Gibraltar Superhike

This Superhike was a good opportunity to contrast/compare life, culture and history on both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar, the dividing point between not only Europe and Africa but also Christianity and Islam (although not entirely--there's a Saudi sponsored mosque prominently visible at the tip of Gibraltar--and a large church is one of the dominant landmarks on the hilltop in Tanger, Morocco). What I discovered wasn't everything I expected. Both sides now sport a giant port and industrial development... the European side has areas that have gone wild and houses have been abandoned, on the African side you see mostly growth and expansion. There's still more visible poverty on the African side, but a lot of pessimism on the European side... Obviously there are a lot of Africans trying to cross the Straits illegally to seek a better life in Europe... but believe it or not, with the financial crisis, there are some Spaniards going to Morocco looking for work--and not just but business owners--you've got carpenters, plumbers and blue collar workers too!

On the Moroccan side I found overall a positive attitude towards their Spanish neighbors (except with it comes to the topic of the Spanish controlled enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla)--even by those whose ancestors were cruelly expelled from Spain. On the Spanish side, I still hear a lot of disdain, racism and resentment towards their neighbors south of the Straits.

What about religion and the atrocities committed on both sides in the name of God? Have both sides been able to move on from that? Well... on the north side a Spanish Catholic can legally convert to Islam if he so wishes. In the south it's still illegal for a Moroccan Muslim to convert to Christianity.

It's been an insightful tour on boths sides. Someday hopefully I'll be back again to see how things have changed--this is a very dynamic little corner of the world...