6/10 Lee and I bought tickets the day before but were still up early to catch the 9 am Norwegian hydrofoil to Tangier from Tarifa. The guidebooks had recommended the ferry from Tarifa since it is the shortest distance and most enjoyable departure town. The roundtrip fare is 58€ for the boat or you can take a package tour conducted by the boat operator. The tour includes the ferry, lunch, tour guide, and bus transportation for only 56€! We couldn´t resist the deal (recommended in Rick Steve´s) although we didn´t have high hopes for the quality of the tour.

The boat was a lot bigger than we expected and was quite comfortable . It left a little late and exceeded the advertised 35 minutes somewhat. The water was not too rough until just before Tangier when I had to go out on deck to get some air. Fortunately my cookies stayed with me. Tangier is 2 hours behind Spain creating an odd time difference when we arrived at 7:45am.

Our English-speaking group had Ali as a tour guide and Mohammed as our bus driver (Ali had to make the obligatory Muhammad Ali joke). I figure they are stage names to add character to our trip while their real names are probably George and Harry.

Immediately upon leaving the port you are greeted with lots of signs everywhere for Expo 2012 which Tangier will be hosting (it´s Tanger in Spanish). Resorts are being built and we saw Morocco´s first golf course under construction. The promenade along the harbor is lined with palm trees and is great for a walk. Tangier is a very blended city with different religions, languages and cultures all living peacefully together.

Our first stop was the top of a hill where free photos of camels were offered as well as rides for one Euro. You really just got up on the camel and had pictures taken while the camel only walked a few steps. Camels get up very awkwardly. They rest on their knees while their legs are bent under them. They get their backend up first before raising their front which requires you to hold on tight . The reverse holds true when they put you down. Lee and I both got up on the camels and thought it was quite fun and a good deal for only one Euro. We knew it was super touristy but it didn´t matter.

Ali gave us an informative and interesting running commentary while we were on the bus. We were already quite impressed with the tour. Arabic is the official language in Morocco but plenty of French, Spanish, English and other African dialects are also spoken. In school Moroccan kids are required to take French and Arabic with a choice of others for a required 3rd language. This has really aided Moroccan development since people are more capable of working in tourism and other service industries allowing more people to discover Morocco.

Our next stop was a typical market in the Kazbah which was crowded and fascinating. The vendors had beheaded chickens, spices, vegetables, fish, meat and other grocery items for the largely women shoppers . Ali said the dress of Moroccans is not determined by religion but by family tradition which wasn´t what I had thought. We walked through there quickly but it was definitely eye-opening.

We next stopped at a square to observe a traditional Moroccan snake charmer. (His name is probably Keith and he´s probably an investment banker.) He took out a large Cobra first that moved around a little. I expected him to play the flute but there was no music. The snake charmer barely moved but I guess that was enough to charm the snake. The second snake was a large garden snake that wiggled around some. The high point of the visit was allowing people to have their photo taken with a snake around their neck (albeit a garden snake). Lee did it resulting in a cool photo.

We walked through the Kazbah to our lunch stop at the large Hamadi restaurant. It looked to be where all of the tour groups go and get a typical Moroccan lunch. Four men there played Moroccan music for us which added some ambiance . Lee and I thought it was similar to mariachis at a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed the music but were thankful that we were seated far away.

Lunch consisted of Moroccan bread, a tomato-based vegetable soup, two meat kebobs with couscous and a Moroccan dessert similar to sopapillas. I had some of the bread, couscous and dessert. I was reluctant to try the other dishes since the guidebooks all warned that intestinal illnesses among travelers to Moroccan were quite common (we ran into one guy from our group on our bus ride to Ronda that had become very ill). Lee sampled everything and found them good although I don´t think they were as spicy as we expected. We did get to have Cokes with lunch with ¨Coke¨ written in Arabic which was a new experience. Cokes in Morocco and Europe are typically still served in glass bottles.

After lunch our first stop was a Moroccan rug store where they sell rugs handmade by women from all over the country . Apparently it´s a woman´s activity that allows her to watch the kids while still contributing financially to the family. In rural Morocco not much has changed over the centuries regarding gender roles. The rug store owner showed us the many different styles and qualities of rugs. They all looked fantastic to me as I tried to fathom how long it would take one woman to make a typical rug (2 months). They all looked so perfect.

The owner and other salespeople at the store then tried to sell you a rug. I´m sure they were good values but it´s tough for a traveler to buy a big rug. A couple of people did though. Haggling was definitely the game though as prices were cut in half or more. The average room rug was selling for around 250€.

Our non-stop tour then walked us through a typical Moroccan market where vendors aggressively tried to sell you shirts, bracelets, leather goods, souvenirs and anything else they could. They were quite persistent and would keep coming down on the price until you gave in .

A Berber pharmacy was our final stop where an herbalist showed us some natural herb products they sell and what they are supposed to be good for. It was somewhat interesting as most any illness can be cured by one of the ten products he showed us. Most people bought a small item or two including me. Lee and I are both hoping the product I bought (I can´t remember what he called it) will help my feet and shoes smell a little better. I think the product is also good for memory but I´m not sure.

Ali was really outstanding as a tour guide. He kept us on schedule despite slow service at lunch and made the most of our limited time in Morocco. Lee and I both were very impressed with the tour and with our limited view of Morocco. It would have been very different and much less enjoyable without being on a guided tour.

The ferry ride back to Tarifa was smoother with several American groups (Kentucky high school and UNC college students) hanging out on the deck. Lee and I were both very happy that we decided to take the day trip to Morocco and experience a little sampling of life in Tangier.