Rockin' the Kasbah (with apologies to The Clash)

Are you one of those people who like to travel and blend in with the natives? Yeah? Well then don't go here

Morocco

The city of Tangier   

is an assault on the senses as soon as you step off the ship. If you've ever been the parent of a toddler, then you have the necessary skill set for successfully navigating around Tangier. By this I mean that you will find yourself endless saying No! No! No! (plus "get away from me goddammit") to all the merchants, taxi drivers, miscreants, etc. that abound in this most interesting city.
I would love to show a picture of this persistent, aggressive behavior - but we were warned before leaving the ship that any photography of natives would result in them assuming you will pay them.  Later on in the day I developed the habit of taking pictures by holding the camera down by my side, as if I was just carrying it. Tangierians want to get paid for everything.  If you get in your car, one will miraculously appear to "help" you back out of your parking space. It's annoying as hell to an American. As a tip - the best thing to do is just ignore them.  If you say no, then it's as if they've all taken life insurance sales rep training and they won't believe you mean no until you've said it 11 times. Whatever you do - don't look them in the eye.  If you do - you now have a new best friend. If you pretend you don't speak English, you'd better be proficient in something goofy (like Swahili) because most Tangierians speak 5+ languages fluently. My favorite peddler was a guy hawking "hand-made" bracelets displayed on his arm (what he didn't know was that he was the 6th guy trying to sell me the exact same "hand-made" junk in the last 5 minutes. His prices were unique however.  "$2 each or all 5 for $20".  I think we went to different elementary schools.

The old section of Tangier is the Medina (or Kasbah).

The Medina is essentially a type of city/fortress inside the city. It's old. The city was founded in the 5th century BC. The Medina is deliberately laid out to be confusing to non-dwellers. It's like a rabbit warren maze of seemingly random pathways created by a city architect totally stoned on LSD. It's a mess.  Which, of course, means it's totally charming.

Since these aren't streets, I wondered how the hell they moved stuff around. How would you move say, a new couch or refrigerator to your place?  You'd use a Motorking.

 The place comes to life about 9 AM when all the shops open for business.

But you can't blend in. The American equivalent is someone in New York City who stops and looks up at the skyscrapers. Bingo.  You ain't from around here. As it turns out, that's OK. As long as you keep moving you won't be hassled, much. Since you're in such an exotic location you will be tempted to believe that the shops are full of weird, crazy, one-of-a-kind goods at a terrific bargin.  Not so much.

To me, it looked like one big garage sale of junk. OK, I'm not much of a romantic, but jeez, ever wonder what happened to your old flip phone?  There's a ton of them for sale here. 

Think this is hand worked silver?

No, it's just plated and mass produced.

This dress shop struck me as the opposite of sexy.

I'm not sure what these were (Madonna bra inserts?)

As you might expect, the coffee in Morocco is terrific. In fact, one of the best things to do is just sit in a cafe and watch the people go by.

Even the cats sit and watch

Some cats, however, wait for a ride.

 Only saw one fez the whole morning

It feels like you've stepped back in time in Tangier. Check out what's playing at the movie theater.

Charlie Chaplin STILL playing? Bet the celluloid is getting worn out.

Moroccans like their tiles

 While their tiles individually are beautiful, not all the tile work seems to flow well.

It can be a sensory overload.  Sometimes simpler is better. 

So while I stuck out like a sore thumb, I wasn't worried about my safety (unlike being in Mexico). Tangier has been a city of international intrigue since it's beginning.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Morocco supplies an estimated 80% of the hash consumed in Europe. It has attracted some very famous writers - Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Tennessee Williams, George Orwell, to name a few.  Even the Rolling Stones hung out here back in the 60's.

 

According to Wikipedia ; Tangier has been reputed as a safe house for international spying activities. Its position during the Cold War and during other spying periods of the 19th and 20th centuries is legendary.  It was via a British bank in Tangier that the Bank of England in 1943 for the first time obtained samples of the high-quality forged British currency produced by the Nazis in "Operation Bernhard".

Its a way cool place and I just barely scratched the surface.